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ThePhoBlographer (Click here) is the first website posting a hands-on of the new lens. In short this is what they think about the lens:

- it’s super light and small and very well balanced with the Sony NEX 5n.
- you won’t be able to put a filter on it
- manual focusing works fairly well but still not the best from my initial tests.
- wide open at f2.8, the lens offers hexagonal bokeh balls.
- distortion levels are also relatively acceptable.
- it tends to render all images more towards the blue side

I like Rokinon/Samyang lenses a lot and I recommend you the following two lenses for Alpha mount:
1) The 35mm f/1.4: In US you can find it as Rokinon at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and on eBay (Click here). In Europe the name is Samyang and you can find it on eBay (Click here) and with the name Wallimex again on eBay (Click here).
2) The 85mm f/1.4: You can get for $274 on Amazon (Click here), branded with the name Rokinon on eBay (Click here) and branded with the name Samyang on eBay (Click here).

CNET US (Click here) tested the A77 camera: “The Sony Alpha SLT-A77V is an excellent, well-designed camera for deep-pocketed amateurs; it nevertheless has a few limitations that may make it impractical for professionals.“. The camera got the “Excellent” value.

Also Flutterphotography (Click here) tested it: “These cameras have shown the potential that with a better sensor and some improvements in the processor, there could be a very different way of taking pictures in the near future as indicated by the packages like the RED Scarlett camera.”

Thoughts on the A77 video quality by Iriger.net (Click here): “As expected the video quality of the A77 is in general comparable to the NEX-5n. But the handling isn’t. The NEX is a bit fiddly with only the one control dial for aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. but when you get used to it, it’s no big problem. The A77 has direct dials for shutter speed and aperture + dedicated buttons for ISO and other stuff, but there is one big deal: You have to go to video mode on the program dial to shoot video with manual controlled apterture and shutter speed.”

For the first time after three months the A77+16-50mm kit is in Stock and sold by Amazon itself (Click here). BHphoto (Click here) has it in Stock for a few days now. Also the A65 is back in Stock at Amazon (Click here). In Europe I found it in Stock at Amazon Germany (Click here).

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…

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).

Thanks Alfonso

Sorry guys, I just noticed that the NEX-7 link I gave you yesterday had an error. Here is the correct link to the NEX-7 body preorder at Bhphoto: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/817846-REG/Sony_NEX_7_B_NEX_7_Digital_Camera_with.html. Meanwhile a SAR readers contacted me to say that they called Sonystore to preorder the NEX-7 body at Sonystore USA (Click here) . The answer was that it will ship on February 10th. This is probably right seeing that BH is accepting preorders.

And now that the NEX-5n is back in Stock at Amazon (Click here) it is again the most sold mirrorless camera (Click here to see the ranking). P.S.: That GE camera that is on top is certainly a mistake made by Amazon (not a mirrorless camera!).