First hands-on with the new 18-135mm E-mount lens by CameraLabs

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18-135mm lens at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera and BestBuy.

At last we got someone who had the chance to play a bit with the new 18-135mm lens. Gordon Laing from CameraLabs writes:

The zoom and focusing rings are fairly smooth and avoid the scratchy or loose feel of some lower priced lenses; it’s certainly a big step-up from the E 16-50mm collapsing kit zoom bundled with many of Sony’s APSC bodies. 
The overall sharpness of the image is very good for a kit zoom with the aperture open. Sure it’s not pin-sharp in the extreme corners at f3.5, but it’s a considerable improvement over the earlier Sony general-purpose zooms for APSC bodies, and additional gains can be enjoyed by stopping it down a little, with the sweet-spot around f5.6.
For the money the E 18-135mm is a no-brainer for all A6000, A5000 and NEX owners looking for a general-purpose zoom or an upgrade from the 16-50mm.

Gordon alos posted a coold image showing how much smaller this lens is compared to the competition:

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What to expect at Cp+ (A5xxx and Sigma ART FE ?)

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The next major photoshow is the CP+ show which starts on March 1. All manufacturers will announce new cameras/lenses and I expect the same to happen from Sony. First let’s start from two facts:

1) Sony registered a new camera code which usually means there will be a new camera launch within 3-4 months.
2) Sony discontinued the A5000.

So what can we hope to get? Here is a list of rumored (but mostly unconfirmed) stuff:

  • We know both the A7III and A7sIII will be announced this year. But the A7sIII will more likely be announced at the NAB show in April. So I guess the A7III is a good candidate for a possible Cp+ announcement.
  • Also hot rumored is a new A5xxx APS-C E-mount camera model.
  • RX models are usually introduced in May-June. If Sony sticks to that “tradition” we will not see any new RX camera at CP+
  • On the lens front we have a possible launch of a new Sony 135mm FE and 200-600mm FE.
  • What’s very hot is that we might see Sigma’s first native FE lenses! This one will be big!
  • Venusoptics will launch the Laowa 9mm f/2.8 APS-C E-mount lens
  • The Zeiss 25mm f/2.4 FE is coming too

February promises to be an exciting month…

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Brand new deal: Save 300 Euro on the Sony A7II at Amazon Germany

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There are a brand new Sony deal in Europe that has been launched today:

  1. Save 300 Euro on the Sony A7II sold by Amazon Germany. You get 100 Euro rebate instantly with the coupon rebate (Click on “Rabattgutschein”). And on top of that you get 200 Euro cashback from Sony (Amazon Germany special page, Wex UK, Sony Netherland, Amazon France.)
  2. The same Coupon rebate action is running on many accessories and Samyang E-mount lenses again at Amazon Germany (Click here to see full list). For example you get a 60 Euro instant rebate on the 12mm f/2.0 APS-C E-mount lens.
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Sony Tidbits…

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Samyang 14mm f/2.8 AF | First Look

20 Last-Minute Stocking Stuffers for Photographers (Explora).
Sony A7R3 Video with 12-24mm Ultra Wide Angle Lens on Gimbal (MrCheesyCam).
Commercial Shot with Sony FS5 and A6500 on Zhiyun Crane (Jeff Remas).
Why A 32-Year Canon User Switched To Sony (Alphauniverse).

More informal and personal photos from SAR Admin Andrea on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.

Justin: “This is a review of the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 for E-mount on vlogging/video with lots of examples that tests the autofocus at different lighting, looks at how noisy the motor is, and how stable it is. Was shot on the a6500 and has a separate full VLOG made with it you can watch, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXN-67OiFyc”

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High Demand on the Sony FE 24-105mm raises price on eBay ($1599) and Europe (Crazy 3.300 Euro).

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There is a high demand on the new Sony FE 24-105mm lens. That’s why it’s out of Stock on all US stores like BH and Amazon and also in many EU stores. And when this happens you will find few sellers on eBay (see here) trying to make some small profit on this situation. The lens sells there for $1,599! And at Amazon.de I found this lens for over 3.300 Euro!!!

I have been told a new Stock shipment of the lens is expected by next week in US.

And int he meantime if you want to have a chance to win this lens check out our giveway here.

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Guest post: Top 10 Most Popular Lenses in UK

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Fat Lama sent me their findings about the most rented lenses in UK:

Top 10 Most Popular Lenses

New data on camera lens rental demand gives clear insight into the most commonly sought lenses for rental in the UK. The research comes from peer-to-peer rental platform, Fat Lama, which allows both individuals and business users to rent out their film and photography equipment, fully insured, for a passive income. The data comes from over 25,000 lens-related search queries made in the UK on Fat Lama in 2017.

The data will provide both rental houses and peer-to-peer renters alike with a valuable insight into what to invest in for 2018 lens rentals. It also reveals exactly which are British photographers’ go-to lenses across a wide spectrum specifications and shoots. As regards the outright most searched-for lens, the legendary Canon EF 24-105mm lens, perhaps unsurprisingly, takes the crown. Heralded on the PetaPixel blog earlier this year as ‘Canon’s best lens’, it even has its own novelty mug. Canon occupy the entirety of the podium, with another zoom lens (70-200mm) and a prime (500mm) coming in at second and third place respectively. In fact, Canon takes an impressive total of six of the top ten slots. Sigma’s 18-35mm cine lens is also the subject of high search volumes; Nikon’s highest performer was the 14-28mm F/2.8 and Sony’s was the FE 24-70mm F/2.8.

The data also reveals the most common zoom and prime lens searches by focal lengths, and provides a striking breakdown of lens search as categorised by manufacturer. No clues for guessing top spot there.

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