sonyalpharumors » news http://www.sonyalpharumors.com Sony Digital Camera News Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:51:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 New A77 guide from Gary Friedmann. http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/new-a77-guide-from-gary-friedmann/ http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/new-a77-guide-from-gary-friedmann/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:05:18 +0000 admin http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/?p=11354

Our friend Gary Friedmann just released his Sony A77 guide! You can purchase it here: http://www.friedmanarchives.com/alpha77/index.htm. He is quite popular within the Alpha community and his books are always appreciated. It has 576 pages! Sample pages and table of content can be read here: http://www.friedmanarchives.com/alpha77/book_page_samples.htm. It’s a must have books for all current and future A77 camera owner. I will buy the NEX-7 guide as soon as he finishes it! For US readers: A77 body only is now available at Amazon (Click here) and so the A77+16-50 (Click here).

More A77 books:
“Profibuch Sony SLT alpha 65 & alpha 77” at Amazon Germany (Click here)
“Sony Alpha SLT-A65/A77 For Dummies” at Amazon US (Click here) and Amazon UK (Click here).
“David Busch’s Sony Alpha SLT-A77 Guide to Digital Photography” at Amazon US (Click here) and Amazon UK (Click here).

 

]]> http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/new-a77-guide-from-gary-friedmann/feed/ 39 New Ricoh-Pentax with Sony 16 megapixel sensor. Sony bad financial results. http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/new-ricoh-pentax-with-sony-16-megapixel-sensor-sony-bad-financial-results/ http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/new-ricoh-pentax-with-sony-16-megapixel-sensor-sony-bad-financial-results/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:34:12 +0000 admin http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/?p=11348 It’s not a surprise that Sony just reported a bad financial quarter result. At least in the camera division it’s easy to figure out the Thai Flood as main result for the bad results. Nevertheless the company as a whole had to report huge losses (85,7 Mrd. Yen or 855 Mio. €) and CEO Stringer had to give up his post (Source: CNET). You can downlaod the full financial report here: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/financial/fr/index.html.

While we are still waiting to see the new A35 and A55 successors Ricoh-Pentax (now they are the same company) announced two new cameras with Sony sensor inside. The A12 module (here at MR) and the ugliest camera I have ever seen…the K-01 (here at MR). I have to say our Sony designers are much better :)

]]> http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/new-ricoh-pentax-with-sony-16-megapixel-sensor-sony-bad-financial-results/feed/ 81 Sony launches new Cyberhsot cameras. (SR4) More “serious” announcement coming soon? http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-launches-new-cyberhsot-cameras-sr4-more-serious-announceent-coming-soon/ http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-launches-new-cyberhsot-cameras-sr4-more-serious-announceent-coming-soon/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:06:06 +0000 admin http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/?p=11318
Sony just announced three new compact cameras. The DSC-WX50, WX70 and the ultra-thin TX200V (More on Engadget). I think this is the last not so exiting Sony release. The next Sony announcement should be made within weeks and be more “serious” :) I think new SLT camera are coming soon!

]]> http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-launches-new-cyberhsot-cameras-sr4-more-serious-announceent-coming-soon/feed/ 84 Sony A77 firmware coming as soon as A77 production problem have been solved. (A77 into top 20 at Amazon) http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-a77-firmware-coming-as-soon-as-a77-production-problem-have-been-solved-a77-into-top-20-at-amazon/ http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-a77-firmware-coming-as-soon-as-a77-production-problem-have-been-solved-a77-into-top-20-at-amazon/#comments Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:05:11 +0000 admin http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/?p=11313
Many are waiting the new 2.0 firmware update for their A77 camera. When asked about this Paul Genge answered on Sony UK facbook site that “we have had many other problems with making the actual cameras to resolve first, but hopefully we will have some further positive news to bring you in due course. No timescale can be hinted at though.”

meanwhile the kit version is still in Stock at Amazon USA (Click here). And the camera sells so well that it made into the top twenty of the Amazon Ranking (Click here to see the full list).

More A77 search links: Amazon, Sonystore, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.

]]> http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-a77-firmware-coming-as-soon-as-a77-production-problem-have-been-solved-a77-into-top-20-at-amazon/feed/ 100 Detailed Sony sales analysis for the japanese market in 2011. http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/detailed-sony-sales-analysis-for-the-japanese-market-in-2011/ http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/detailed-sony-sales-analysis-for-the-japanese-market-in-2011/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:58:09 +0000 admin http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/?p=11300

Japan is the only market of the world offering super detailed info about camera sales. And this week BCNranking made a nice overview of the percentage sales in 2011. As you can see from the screenshot on top Sony is doing well in the compact camera market where it jumped on the second place with 15,1%. it was on position 4th in 2010. It’s not going well in the DSLR market but this has probably to do with the Thai flood consequences that made the A65 and A77 not available in reasonable numbers within 2011. Compared to 2010 Sony also lost 5% market share in the mirrorless market probably for the same reasons.

I think 2012 numbers will be more important because it will really show what’s the strength of the company in a “normal” year (a year without Tsunamis and Floods I hope!).

There is no such nice detailed market report in European and American countries. So I have to rely on the very general and “unscientific” Amazon rankings to see if a camera is popular or not. I give you here the links to check the current most sold cameras:

Amazon US:
DSLR ranking (Click here): No Sony camera in top 20 :(
Mirrorless ranking (Click here): NEX-5n rules!
Compact ranking (Click here): Canon dominates.
Lens ranking (Click here): No Sony in sight.

Amazon Germany:
DSLR ranking (Click here): No SLT camera in top 20 :(
Mirrorless ranking (Click here): Again the NEX-5n on top!
Compact ranking (Click here): The HX100V is doing pretty well.

Amazon UK:
DSLR ranking (Click here): Again no Sony on top.
Mirrorless ranking (Click here): Sony NEX-5n on position two.
Compact ranking (Click here): Cnaon-Nikon domination.
Lens ranking (Click here): It’s a Canon world.

Amazon France:
DSLR ranking (Click here): Canon as usual…
Mirrorless ranking (Click here): NEX-5n and NEX-7 domination!
Compact ranking (Click here): Again Canon…

]]> http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/detailed-sony-sales-analysis-for-the-japanese-market-in-2011/feed/ 37 First images of the new Rokinon 8mm for NEX! http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/first-images-of-the-new-rokinon-8mm-for-nex/ http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/first-images-of-the-new-rokinon-8mm-for-nex/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:29:44 +0000 admin http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/?p=11289
Rokinon/Samyang posted the first image of the 8mm fisheye E-mount lens on facebook. Below you find images of the lens and image samples taken with the lens. The Rokinon will be available in March.

Reminder: In USA the company uses the “Rokinon” name (here on Amazon), in Europe they are branded as “Samyang” (here on eBay), in UK you can find them with the name “Wallimex” (here on Amazon UK).

]]> http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/first-images-of-the-new-rokinon-8mm-for-nex/feed/ 41 New Olympus share acquisition rumor. New CMOS sensor. One hundred NEX-7 in Sweden. http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/new-olympus-share-acquisition-rumor-new-cmos-sensor/ http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/new-olympus-share-acquisition-rumor-new-cmos-sensor/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:34:49 +0000 admin http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/?p=11259

Sony Japan (Click here) presented the next-generation Back-Illuminated CMOS Image Sensor (See graph on top): “as the pixel section and circuit section are formed as independent chips, a manufacturing process can be adopted, enabling the pixel section to be specialized for higher image quality while the circuit section can be specialized for higher functionality, thus simultaneously achieving higher image quality, superior functionality and a more compact size. In addition, faster signal processing and lower power consumption can also be achieved through the use of leading process for the chip containing the circuits.”

The well informed Japanese website Nikkei (Click here) said that Sony will acquire 20-30% of Olympus shares. While Sony’s mail goal is to have a control over Olympus highly profitable medical business this may will influence the camera division too. Only time will tell!

P.S.: A swedish source told me that there will be around 100 units of the Nex-7 body in Stock on the 4th of February (Check Sonystore Sweden). More pre order options: Amazon, Sonystore, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay

 

 

]]> http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/new-olympus-share-acquisition-rumor-new-cmos-sensor/feed/ 9 Sony reinvents the sensor with “RGBW Coding” and “HDR Movie” Functions! http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-reinvents-the-sensor-with-%e2%80%9crgbw-coding%e2%80%9d-and-%e2%80%9chdr-movie%e2%80%9d-functions/ http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-reinvents-the-sensor-with-%e2%80%9crgbw-coding%e2%80%9d-and-%e2%80%9chdr-movie%e2%80%9d-functions/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:12:58 +0000 admin http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/?p=11241
My guess is that to bring some real major image quality jump you have to abandon the classic Bayer sensor design. Fuji has shown us what’s possible by a “simple” re-arrangement of the pixel array. And today Sony (Click here) announced a new sensor technology for small sensors that improves the dynamic range. The past months I posted some Sony patents disclosing a sensor with RGB and White pixels. That new pixel allows to capture images with a much greater dynamic range for both images and videos. Sony plans the mass production of these sensors for compact and phone cameras within summer 2012. And maybe one day the new technology will be used on APS-C and FF sensors too!

]]> http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-reinvents-the-sensor-with-%e2%80%9crgbw-coding%e2%80%9d-and-%e2%80%9chdr-movie%e2%80%9d-functions/feed/ 34 Impossible rumors: Sony to make a deal with Olympus? http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/impossible-rumors-sony-to-make-a-deal-with-olympus/ http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/impossible-rumors-sony-to-make-a-deal-with-olympus/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:59:36 +0000 admin http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/?p=11239 As you know Olympus made a big mess trying to hide big losses made over twenty years ago. They lied to shareholders for all those years until the ex British CEO Woodford unveiled the scandal. No Olympus has to find a partner that is willing to invest into the company.

With a huge surprise Reuters (Click here) reports that Sony is the company that will very likely look for an agreement with Olympus. I don’t know for what reason Sony is doing that. probably the medical part from Oly is where Sony wants to get in. It’s hard for me to believe that Sony wants to move into the m43 system and it’s also impossible to think that Olympus will join the NEX system. The only realistic option is that like Nikon, Pentax and Ricoh also Olympus will use Sony sensors inside their cameras. Let’s see what will happen soon…

]]> http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/impossible-rumors-sony-to-make-a-deal-with-olympus/feed/ 61 Some NEX-C3 kits discontinued and 50mm lens coming in March http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/nex-c3-discontinued-and-50mm-lens-coming-in-march/ http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/nex-c3-discontinued-and-50mm-lens-coming-in-march/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:15:28 +0000 admin http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/?p=11204

I am one of those guys waiting for the 50mm f/1.8 E-mount lens and finally Sony is giving is a clue about the possible release date. Sony Japan (Click here) writes:

NEX-5n with 18-55 and 55-200mm lens release on May 12
50mm f/1.8 release on March 9
NEX-C3 with 18-55 and 55-200mm (production stop!)
NEX-C3 with 16mm and 18-55 lens release in June
NEX-C3 with 18-55 (production stop!)

My guess is that soon all Sony NEX-C3 kits will be disocntinued pretty much like the Sony A55. I guess you know what will happen soon :)

P.S.: 50mm lens preorder search links at: Amazon, Sonystore, Adorama, B&H, J&R, eBay.

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