On left the Loxia 35mm corner at f/2.0. On right the [shoplink 9808 ebay]ZM[/shoplink] at f/2.0 (Image 3D-Kraft)

As you know the new Zeiss Loxia FE lenses are based on the current [shoplink 9808 ebay]Zeiss ZM lens design[/shoplink]. There were some worries that the new Loxia may be just the same ZM lenses with an E as mount. Well 3D-Kraft compared the new Loxia 35mm lenses with the “older” [shoplink 9808 ebay]ZM 35mm lens[/shoplink]. And as you see form the images on top there is a clear optical advantage on the Loxia. 3D-Kraft writes:

Although the Zeiss Loxia 2/35 uses a similiar (and proven) lens design like the ZM Biogon 2/35 (designed for range finder cameras), it is distinctly and visibly better optimized to requirements of the Sony digital A7 / A7R sensors.

Zeiss Loxia preorders:
Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 Planar T* Lens for Sony E Mount at BHphoto, Adorama., WexUK, CameraPro.
Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 Biogon T* Lens for Sony E Mount at BHphoto, Adorama, WexUK, CameraPro.
Zeiss Lens Hood for Loxia 50mm f/2 Planar T* Lens at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss Lens Hood for Loxia 35mm f/2 Biogon T* Lens at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss 52mm Front Lens Cap for Touit and Loxia Lenses at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss De-Click Key for Loxia Lenses (5-Piece Set) at BHphoto and Adorama.
Zeiss Rear Lens Cap for Loxia E-Mount Lenses at BHphoto and Adorama.

Image courtesy: ePhotozine.

The following text is from Ingo Schäder (Thanks!:

“Yesterday I tested the NEW Voigtlaender 15mm M-Mount on the Sony A7 yesterday and … it is awesome on the A7 !!! In this link you have a lot of test pictures (from the booth) you can post along with my findings if you want.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rxrw6ol4u4hxdi3/AACeymu1npFSH798kQHsgkima?dl=0

Right now I use an Sony A7 and an A6000 with various manuell lenses (and some Sony lenses) and I´m kind of happy with everything…Except for the fact that there is (was !) no small “rangefinder like” ultra-wide angle available for the A7/A7r series which works well…Yesterday I visited Photokina in Cologne (1 hour drive from where I live) and had the chance to check out the new Voigtlaender 15mm for M-Mount II !! I was really happy that I had my A7 and my Leica M to NEX with me when I heard that I could use it on my own camera and take pictures with it J (Delivery should start in February 2015!!!)So, I thought I would give my findings to you and all lovers of the A7 series. Summary:
I could see no or maybe a REALLY small amount of color cast in the corners ! (maybe it was only a tiny bit of vignette?)
I could see no or maybe a REALLY tiny bit of vignette !
The sharpness is nice and NOT much mush in the corners !

I sold my 15mm M39 only 1 week before so I can tell you, that the differences are HUGE ! I will preorder it for my A7 the day it becomes available ! (depending on the price of course) No word on the price so far, but I´m really looking forward to February 2015 and not only because I have my birthday there… ;-)
Thx everyone and good night.

Best regards,
Ingo Schäder
www.Fotoingo.com

Translated from the german specs sheet :
Super Wide Heliar 15mm F4,5 VM II aspherical
Here we proudly present a completly new ultra wide angle lens :
Current high resolution digitalcameras are demanding and so they often need a new lens construction to satisfy those megapixels in regard to sharpness, detail, colour and so on.
A lot less colour-shift in the corners even (when combined with really high resolution)
and better contrast, especially when using the widest aperture, are the main differences between the current and the NEW Heliar 15mm.
The NEW 15mm Heliar consists of 11 elements in nine groups.“

Note: The following is a review from Cinoflex (cinoflex.com  and Facebook) and T M Camera Solutions. And it has been first published on SAR. Images copyright from Cinoflex (please do not reause them without permission).

Cinoflex tested three 85mm lenses on the Sony A7s.

Cameras and Lenses used:
Sony A7s (here on [shopcountry 29368])
Cinoflex Camera
Zeiss Otus 85mm (here on Adorama, BHphoto, CameraPro.)
Nikkor AIS 85mm (here on [shoplink 29369 ebay]eBay[/shoplink])
Canon FD 85mm (here on [shoplink 29370 ebay]eBay[/shoplink])

Here is a first comparison showing the performance at full aperture (Click on image to enlarge).

Here is the reviewers text:

This lens really is as good or better than you have heard. The technical aspects live up to all the specifications and quality touted, but the real impressive element is the pure characteristic and personality.
The fall-off is truly magnificent. Just a beautiful immediacy to the range and fall-off when shooting at T1.4, sharp images in focus, and very gentle images out of focus.
The Otus 85mm T1.4 is built to a supreme standard, and you can feel that throughout each contour of the barrel, the elements, and the highly precise mechanics.
The most astonishingly, and obvious factor for the Otus vs. the Nikkor AIS and Canon FD “L” – 85mm – lenses, is the CLARITY. The Otus 85mm is so clear and precise. The glass really blooms under bad conditions. The reproduction is so accurate hat you be surprised, even by the Zeiss standards.
The Zeiss Otus 85mm T1.4 lens presents qualities and elements that combine some of the factors most desirable in today’s cinematography culture, all in one tightly machined and perfectly presented package.

Look at the tests below. See for yourself!

Links to the three larger images:
Otus chart JPG (Click here)
Canon chart JPG (Click here)
Nikkor chart JPG (Click here)

Bokeh with the Otus and A7s

Cineflex note:

Lenses are designed by different manufactures, for different uses, and different markets. To label one lens better than another is silly. Each lens displays characteristics in line with the intention of the manufacturer. At CINOFLEX we test lenses to create an analysis of character and personality into which each lens fits the creative design of a project. The 85mm OTUS is a great lens, period. But the Nikkor AIS, or CANON FD L lens is not inferior, the Panavision Primo lens is not better, they are simply different. When reading reviews that constantly profess the absolute “FACT” that one lens is better than the next, this could not be further from the truth. Keep in mind, most tests and endorsements are created by individuals who are not professional camera technicians, nor IATSE 600 ICG members, making their qualifications very suspect. Respect the tools of cinematography and use tests to find the lens that you think is best!

Any questions or comments please contact us @ INFO@CINOFLEX.COM
CINOFLEX and T M CAMERA SOLUTIONS in all publications and social media.

Shooting Sony A7s & S-Log2 – A closer look & downloadable footage from cinema5D on Vimeo.

Let me catch up with some interesting Sony A7s tests and review I got the last coule of weeks:

Shooting Sony A7s & S-Log2 – A closer look & downloadable footage (Cinema5D).
Full A7s review at BestMirrorlessCameraReviews.
Urban Exploration with the Sony A7S (GVFX).
Shooting Ephemerisle with the A7S and Voigtlander 35mm 1.2 (Judd Weiss).
kingfisher picture`s A7s + LA-EA4 + SAL500mm F4 SSM G (Dyxum).
Somewhere there you see the A7s (SAR twitter).
Sony A7s against Panasonic GH4 by Dave Dugdale.
Michaela Baranov and the Sony A7s at JoshMcLeod.

Luke: “Shot a short test video with my new A7s this last Saturday and am pretty happy with the results. Using SLOG2 was a little trickier than I had imagined so I think a few of the scenes are a little underexposed/overexposed, but by the end I think I had a handle on it. https://vimeo.com/106735759”

Sony A7s store links:
Sony A7s in USA/CA at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Sony USA, Sony Canada.
Sony A7s in Eu at Sony DE, UK, ES, FR, IT, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, NO, FI, PL. And Wex UK.
A7s Gariz leather case in [shoplink 27569 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 27570 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 27571 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 27572 ebay]Orange (Click here)[/shoplink].

Image made by Usperedi.

Photographyblog just posted the full ILCE-QX1 review and the camera score is just “above average”:

While it is great that you can interchangeable lenses with your smartphone, the Sony ILCE-QX1 is fairly unwieldy to use when attached to a phone itself, and having to attach it and set it all up is a bit of a faff that sometimes ultimately leads you to not to bother.
Where it is more fun, and you can see it being more widely used, is when used remotely – whether that’s for selfies or when attached to a smartphone. Here you can experiment a bit more widely with the Sony ILCE-QX1 and really get the best from it – that said, it’s quite an expensive gimmick for doing such a thing with.

Yep, it’s a strange product but Sony itself said they are selling more of those things than expected. I would never buy one but maybe one day the QX line will become more mature and make more sense to me…maybe :)

Preorders of the new QX cameras (Click on store name to open the exact product page in a new tab):
E-mount QX1 in USA at Amazon, SonyStore US, BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera.
E-mount QX1 in Europe at Sony DE, Sony UK, Sony FR, Sony ES, Sony IT, Sony NL, Sony NO, Sony BE, Sony PT, Sony SE, Sony FI.
E-mount QX1 in Asia at Digitalrev.
QX30 in USA at Amazon, SonyStore US, BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera.
QX30 in Asia at Digitalrev (Click here).

A5100 unboxing video by John Sison.

Well, we are talking about a new not so exciting but very “solid” new E-mount camera. It doesn’t WOW you but it does well pretty much everything you will ever need! It’s basically a “cheaper” A6000 version as DxOmark (Click here) writes:

In fact it appears to use the same (A6000 sensor) unit with practically identical imaging performance (and identical AF functionality). Naturally some attractive features of the A6000 are missing, notably the EVF, higher continuous frame rate of up to 11fps and wireless flash control, but if those features aren’t high on your wants list then theA5100 looks like a tempting option.

The camera scores 80 points which is only 2 points behind the A6000 and easily out scores the direct competition like for example the E-M10 and GM1:

Not bad for such a tiny entry-level cam!

A5100 preorder link list:
A5100 black body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Sony Store US, Sony DE, Sony UK, Sony FR, Sony NL, Sony IT,
A5100 black with kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Sony Store US.
A5100 white with kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony RM-SPR1 Remote Commander with Multi Terminal, 2.6′ Cord at Adorama.
Sony LCS-EBD Body Case for Alpha NEX 5000 and 5100 Mirrorless Digital Camera, Leather Like Material, Brown at Adorama.
Sony LCS-EBD Body Case for Alpha NEX 5000 and 5100 Mirrorless Digital Camera, Leather Like Material, Black at Adorama.

Those strange guys thought to test the Sony A7s slow motion feature by acting crazy. Well, it’s more funny than many other boring slow motion videos showing water drops, a cat moving around the house or so on :)

Sony A7s store links:
Sony A7s in USA/CA at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, Sony USA, Sony Canada.
Sony A7s in Eu at Sony DE, UK, ES, FR, IT, NL, BE, AT, CH, SE, NO, FI, PL. And Wex UK.
A7s Gariz leather case in [shoplink 27569 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 27570 ebay]Brown (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 27571 ebay]Red (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 27572 ebay]Orange (Click here)[/shoplink].