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Vienna’s vineyards shot on Sony HX9V from Johnnie Behiri on Vimeo.

The video on top has been made by Johnni Behiri and BBC correspondent Bethany Bell: “we’ve decided to give the little Sony camera a try during a real short feature production.
The aim was not to astonish anyone with “VDSLR like” film look but to see how easy (or not) it is to work with it in the field.
Considering the fact that this camera is mostly automatic I am fairly happy with the end result. True, keeping the right exposure is almost impossible during a “run&gun” (look at the piece to camera) but I must admit that focusing (or playing with depth of field) were easier then I’ve expected.”
The HX9v is a compact camera you can get at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.

Crazy combination: Sony NEX-5 and his Carl Zeiss 300mm f/2.8 Tele-Superachromat T* lens at Kaisernchen. Actually that lens isn’t as expensive as you think. You can get it for cheap (used) on eBay (Click here).

Sony Alpha NEX-C3 Compact System Camera Review (ePhotozine).

Sony A35 AutoHDR (SonyAlphaLab).

Our reader “fernando” sent us the following new copy of a new full accessories list for the NEX version cameras. There is a new NEX bag carrier for the cameras on the image and here are the full pictures:

There is a new set of nice full size image samples taken with the NEX-7 and the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 lens. You can see them here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/nex7/discuss/72157627615393769/ Thanks Andrew and NEX-7 group for sending me the link! The images you see have been processed with Capture ONE 6.3. I like them a lot! I really cannot wait to get my hands on that camera
Preorders are available here:
NEX-7 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Zeiss 24mm at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.

A reviewer form a dutch website sent me this: “Just a short note to let you know we’ve published an extensive review (>5500 words) of the Sony a77 at FotoVideo.nu (an independant and editorial websites about photography and video).The review is in Dutch, but I think you can read it reasonably with the help of Google Translate. Beyond text, we’ve included a lot of images and graphs (also hi-res on Flickr). You are free to use image material and/or text quotes if you like. It’s at: http://nl.fotovideo.nu/reviews/2339/sony-alpha-a77-review (Click here to read the translation). In short we are very positive about the specs of the a77 and think its price-performance ratio is very good. The step to use an EVF over an OVF is couragous, though it’s up to the advanced photographer wether it’s a good alternative (in some cases it’s not, e.g. battery usage). The major disadvantage is that the a77 has lots of noise from ISO 3200 and up. We think it’s a pity that Sony didn’t choose to use the 16 megapixel-sensor of the NEX-5N (we also have a review in preparation for that one). Also, compared to the fullframe Canon 5D Mark II, the a77 lacks detail (despite of the additional megapixels).
We use Imatest for benchmarking and have used a near-final sample (from Sony) with firmware 1.02. Keep up the good work with your site. We’re reading it daily. ”

Photoreview (Click here) tested the new 16-50mm f/2.8 kit lens: “On the A77 body, the review lens turned in an impressive performance in Photo Review’s Imatest tests, which showed consistently high resolution throughout the aperture and focal length range. Maximum resolution was recorded at f/4 with the 24mm focal length setting”

And those are the links to preorder the new cameras and lenses:
A77 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
A65 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Sony NEX-7 Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Sony NEX-5n Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Sony 50mm f/1.8 Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Sony 55-210mm Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
NEX-5n viewfinder Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.

There is now an official press release from Sony support US:
“Thank you for your support of Sony products.
We have received reports of a “clicking” sound which may be heard in the audio playback of movies recorded by the NEX-5N camera. This phenomenon occurs if the camera undergoes sudden motion while recording; motion generally inconsistent with smooth video recording. The video is unaffected by this sound.
In accordance with Sony’s policy of continuous product improvement, an adjustment has been developed to reduce the clicking sound resulting from sudden motion during movie recording.
Sony will offer this performance improvement to NEX-5N end users during the period of its limited warranty accompanying the product. Please call 888-868-7392 to arrange for this improvement.”

I didn’t find any similar news in European or Asian countries. Drop us a comment if you find them! Thanks!

Sony NEX-5n order links: Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.

DxOmark (Click here) just published an extremely interesting Sony A77 sensor test. The A77 sensor has a very large Dynamic range that easily suprasses the results of the Nikon D700 and Canon 5D markII fullframe cameras: “In conclusion, thanks to its capacity to innovate always further and to break the limits of sensor design, Sony is about to bring on the market a very good semi-professional camera body. The next question is the capacity of the lenses to address the challenge of these very small pixels. The DxOMark lens measurements should give us an answer very soon. Last but not least, as the same sensor will be used by the Sony A65 and the Sony NEX 7, we should see some nice reviews very soon. It will be especially interesting to see the NEX 7 results as it doesn’t feature a translucent mirror and should take full advantage of this amazing sensor.”

The real surprise is that the Sony A580 sensor has a similar A77 score. because at High ISO it’s still noticeable better (Click here to see the comparison). I confess I am now very intrigued about how good the Sony NEX-5n can be. And of course as DxOmark said, I expect the Sony NEX-7 to be a tack better than the A77 because of the absence of the semitransparent mirror.

Now it’s up to you to preorder the right camera. I give you the links to all of them
A77 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
A65 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Sony NEX-7 Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Sony NEX-5n Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Sony 50mm f/1.8 Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Sony 55-210mm Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
NEX-5n viewfinder Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.