HOT! Tamron announces a new 18-200mm f/3,5-6,3 Di III VC lens for NEX!!!

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The spanish DSLRmagazine (Click here) just posted a super news! Tamron launched the first E-mount lens, the 18-200 mm f/3,5-6,3 Di III VC. Yeah there is already an [shoplink 10533 ebay]Alpha lens version[/shoplink] of it but this lens has been specifically designed for NEX and the main feature is the “step-motor” which is designed to align 100% with the contrast AF system of the NEX, particularly good for video! In addition, the “DMF” (Direct Manual Focus) allows focusing by hand if necessary, even in AF mode.

There is no info about the price and availabiliy yet. Here are the specs:

Coverage APS-C
Focus 18-200 mm
Focal “equivalent” 27-300 mm
Angles 76 º 10′-8 ° 03 ‘(diagonal)
Maximum aperture f / 3.5 to 6.3
Minimum Aperture f/22-40
Number of blades 7
Lenses / groups 17/13
Aspherical lens Not specified
Special lenses Not specified
Floating lens For internal focus
Coatings Multilayer
Minimum focusing distance 50 cm
Reproduction Ratio 1:3,7
Area covered Not specified
AF Yes, internal
Engine Type Stepwise, redesigned
Motorized Zoom Not
Engine Type Not applicable
Manual Focus So, with fine control in AF mode
Or filter 62 mm
Ø x length 68 x 96.7 mm (102 mm including lens mount)
Weight 460 grams
Design Exterior metallic silver and black finishes
Mount Metal, “E” for Sony NEX
Data transmission Electronics
Optimized for video If, stepper motor specific for NEX
Included Accessories Tapas, petal lens hood
Optional Accessories Not specified
Approximate price To be announced
Availability To be announced

 

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Sony NEX-5N and exotic lenses (Leica-M, Leica-R, Zeiss ZM, Zeiss C/Y, Panasonic)

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The until today unknown website dearsusans.wordpress.com (Click here) tested plenty of exotic lenses on the Sony NEX-5n. It’s a review full of details and image samples. And he tested some really nice lens you might be interested to buy for your NEX. Here is the list of all reviewed lenses:

[shoplink 10330 ebay]1) Leica Elmarit-R 19mm/2.8 II (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “This is a glorious lens for landscapes” but huge and suffers from flare.
[shoplink 10331 ebay]2) Zeiss ZM Biogon 25/2.8 (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “On the NEX-5N it looks at home. The size is perfect. Ergonomics are perfect, build quality is fantastic
[shoplink 10332 ebay]3) Leica Summicron-M 28mm/2 (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “This lens is perfection. It combines the refinement and naturalness of my Elmarit-R 19 with the sharpness of the Biogon 25.
[shoplink 10333 ebay]4) Voigtlander Colour-Skopar 35mm/2.5 PII (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “In daylight, it’s a street shooter’s dream come true. Tiny, unobstrusive and unassuming.
[shoplink 10334 ebay]5) Leica Summicron-R 50mm/2 (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “It’s sharp a plenty, has good colour and reasonably nice bokeh. Build is to Leica standards, except for the aperture ring that feels a bit plastic and cheap
[shoplink 10335 ebay]6) Zeiss Contact Planar T* 50/1.7 (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “Pretty convincing (read excellent) and so cheap.”
[shoplink 10336 ebay]7) Leica Summarit-M 75mm/2.5 (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “I really liked that lens! My only criticism would be the polygonal bokeh.”
[shoplink 10337 ebay]8) Zeiss Contax T* Sonnar 135/2.8 (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “The only real trouble with this lens is that it weighs a ton! Laaarge and heaaavy.
[shoplink 10338 ebay]9) Panasonic 14mm (Click here to see lens specs and price on eBay)[/shoplink]: “Perfect if you’re into weight lifting and like creamy bokeh.”

 

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Major price drop on the NEX-3 in USA.

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Before to start. Evey day you can find plenty of new deals at Amazon (Click here). I am only reporting the most important deals but you can find many other interesting products. So take a look!

NEX-3
I know you all want the NEX-7 or NEX-5n but if you want to spend as less as possible for a NEX camera (maybe as present for your wife or son) than you might get the NEX-3 :)
The red NEX-3 with 16mm pancake lens sells for $399 at Amazon (Click here).
The black NEX-3 with 18-5mm kit lens price dropped down to $449 at Amazon (Click here).

Flash, converters, adapter, and external monitor deals
There is a super rebate on many Sony accessories at Amazon (Click here).
Compact cameras are also discounted at Amazon (Click here).

The deal you cannot afford to miss: Sony Lens Rebates!
$500 off on Sony 300mm f/2.8 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
$150 off on Zeiss 24 -70mm f/2.8 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
$150 off on Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
$100 off on Zeiss Distagon T* 24mm f/2 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
$50 off on Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
$50 off on Zeiss 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
$50 off on Sony 100mm f/2.8 macro at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
$50 off on Sony DT 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
$50 off on Sony 50mm f/2.8 Macro at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
$25 off on Sony 50mm f/1.4 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
$25 off on Sony 85mm f/2.8 SAM at Amazon (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
$25 off on Sony DT 35mm f/1.8 SAM at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
$25 off on Sony 30mm f/2.8 DT AF at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).
$25 off on Sony 50mm f/1.8 DT AF at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here).

16-50mm f/2.8 in Stock
The new lens is in Stock at Amazon (Click here) and now at BHphoto (Click here) too.

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Sony NEX-7 camera of the year (Popular photography ). And new NEX-7 reviews.

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Popular photography magazine named the [shoplink 8454]Sony NEX-7[/shoplink] camera of the year in their January 2012 issue. And they posted the full review online at Popphoto (Click here): “Sony’s NEX-7 is currently our pick for the best ILC on the market. It combines outstanding image quality with solid ergonomics and, in addition to the normal array of preset shooting modes, plenty of useful options. When we tested Sony’s first NEX cameras, we weren’t very impressed. Now, we definitely are, and we’re eagerly awaiting whatever Sony has up its sleeve next.

The french website Clubic (Click here to read the google translation) tested the NEX-7. The NEX-7 is a superb cameras but the reviewer would have preferred the same NEX-5n sensor inside the camera. The real weakness is the kit lens that is not good enough for the high resolution 24 Megapxiel sensor.

Luminous Landscape (Click here) posted a new Legacy Wide Angle Lenses NEX-7 / NEX-5n Comparison: “There is significant lens cast visible with the NEX-7 and some legacy lenses, and it isn’t minor. The reason for it is that the 24 Megapixel sensor has smaller photo sites, and oblique light rays, especially those from wide angle lens (more on this in a moment), show a magenta colour shift. The 5n has larger sensels and also a different microlens layout than the 7, making it much less problematic with some legacy lenses.
They tested three lenses:
1) Voigtländer Ultra Wide-Heliar 12mm f/5.6 ([shoplink 10507 ebay]Click here to see the lens specs and price on eBay[/shoplink]).
2) Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5–f/5.6 DC HSM ([shoplink 10508 ebay]Click here to see the lens specs and price on eBay[/shoplink]).
3) Leica Wide Tri-Elmar 16-18-21mm ([shoplink 10509 ebay]Click here to see the lens specs and price on eBay[/shoplink]).

There is still no official news about when the camera will be in Stock. The last info I got said it’s coming in February. You can look for NEX-7 preorders at [shopcountry 8454]. What is in Stock (or will be this week) is the amazing Zeiss 24mm lens: [shopcountry 8450].

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New Sony deals roundup (USA+ Europe)

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I got some emails from SAR readers with ongoing Sony deals in USA and Europe. Feel free to send me more of them! It’s Christmas time and our readers may can find the right present :)

USA deals:
Super rebates on many Alpha lenses at Amazon (Click here)
Rebates on Sony accessories at Amazon (Click here)
Sony DSC-WX10 deal at Amazon (Click here).
Sony DSC-WX9 deal at Amazon (Click here).
All Sony compact camera deals at Amazon (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).

Europe deals:
1) There is a£100 Cashback available on the SAL-70200G at Sony UK
2) For those living in Germany and Austria, the shop xp-tron.de is selling the NEX-5N body for 484 Euro ONLY: There is also a 5 Euro discount coupon code, so the price drops to 479 Euro. The coupon code is: “MGSCDXP-TRON”. This is the lowest price I’ve seen anywhere for a brand-new camera.
3) Kamerahuset.dk have these deals:
NEX-5 body only 1995 DKK ~268 €
NEX-5 with 18-200mm 5995 DKK ~805 €
NEX-VG20EH with 18-200mm and a NEX-5 body included: 15295 DKK ~2055 €

P.S.: You can also comment this post to add your deals!

 

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Sony A77 video review from David Dugdale and more news and in Stock status check.

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The video on top is part of the full A77 review from David Dugdale (Click here to read it). He tested the camera with the old 1.03 firmware! So some of the issues he found have been fixed (like responsiveness and lagging). He likes the Canon more than the Sony, and I am curious to hear what you reader think about the review. I bet there will be a huge discussion! :)

David Kilpatrick from Photoclubalpha (Click here) says about the new 1.04 firmware: “No significant improvement can be detected so far in image quality despite the claims, at least with the 100 or so test shots we’ve taken at different ISOs using a Color Checker, and other spot checks for Low/Normal/High NR. But there are so many modes on the A77 including panoramas, multishot, DRO, that the improvement may well be specific functions which Sony will explain in more detail.

There is a new spanish A77 review at pixel-depot (Click here to read the translation): “The image quality is, after upgrading the firmware of the camera, excellent, superior to that offered by other APS sensor DSLR models, but Sony can still improve the response to high ISO as ISO 4000 from the noise signal is appreciable.

In Stock status:
There is not a lot to say. The A77 is out of Stock almost everywhere. You can still find som cameras on eBay. In USA at [shoplink 10487 ebay]Willoughbyscamera (but you pay $400 extra)[/shoplink], In Europe at Amazon Germany, [shoplink 10485 ebay]Foto Neuber Germany[/shoplink], in Italy at [shoplink 10486 ebay]Aggiudicato[/shoplink] and at Digitalrev (PAL version!). Check for more (pre-)orders at [shopcountry 8461].

SAR reader mails:
Tony: “Hi Andrea: I have just don a long 3-part review of the 5n vs. A77 vs. NEX 7 on my website. You can access it here: http://www.thistonybridge.com/newsletter
Matt: “just wanted to share this video I made with the A77 w/ stock lens… I’m using it to film college basketball (VCU Rams) and this video really shows off its autofocus capabilities, which I think a lot of sports photographers are curious about… share if you wish! http://www.vcuramnation.com/2011/12/video-vcu-defeats-south-florida/
Ricky: “Hello Andrea, I took a lot of shots a couple of weeks ago at the Edgewood Texas Heritage Festival with my A77 and Tamron 18-250 and they came out great. Thought you might put a link to the page where I have them.  There are three boxes on the page. The top box is from 2010 and was taken with my now sold SLT-A33 and 18-55 kit lens. The next two lower boxes are slideshows from two weeks ago with the A77. It was cloudy a lot of the day and many are shot with the  ISO multishot feature that shoots up to six shot and puts them into one to reduce noise. All were shot JPEG and I reduced them down in FastStone Photo Resizer: http://razzledazzleart.com/EdgewoodFestival2010.aspx

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New Sony NEX-5n review and news roundup

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[shoplink 8452][/shoplink]
Imaging Resource (Click here) posted a full [shoplink 8452]Sony NEX-5n[/shoplink] review: “Sony NEX-5N is unquestionably a more feasible take-anywhere camera than pretty-much any SLR camera, and its combination of image quality and feature set make it fairly easy for me to look past the occasional wrinkle here or there. More often than not, I found myself grabbing the NEX-5N from our well-stocked shelf when I left the office for a little photographic R&R. That, in my book, is the mark of a camera worth owning, and for that reason the Sony NEX-5N earns a clear Dave’s Pick

The NEX-5n is a terrific camera and you already know that I like it a lot. And I am not the only one. Every Amazon ranking shows how the NEX-5n is selling well. Click on the links to see the mirrorless chart for every country: Ranking in USA (Pos 4), Ranking in UK (Pos 3), Ranking in France (Pos 2), Ranking in Germany (Pos 1!).

And I guess the NEX-7 would have done even better if there wouldn’t be that delay! Looking forward to January-February when the camera will be finally in Stock!

One more thing: I heard that the Stock of NEX-5n cameras is limited. I hope it will not run out of Stock soon. Check the availability at [shopcountry 8452].

 

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