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Photoreview Australia (Click here) published a full test of the new Sony A35. it conains plenty of graphs and Imatests. There are almost no differences between the A55 and A35: “Not unexpectedly, many of the features we liked about the SLT-A55 are also found in the new camera. The compact and lightweight body is a pleasure to use and most frequently-used controls are within quick and easy reach.“. Those are the ratings:

The A35 will be in Stock by August and you can look for preorders at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.

Pentax displayed a new “Q” mirrorless camera. That camera is smaller than the smallest camera to date, the Sony NEX-C3. But that was ony possible by using an ultra tiny 1:2.33 inch sensor (what the hell?). For the record, Pentax uses a 1:2.33 inch backlit sensor. You can read more about the Pentax “Q” on MirrorlessRumors.com.

What’s more important is that Pentax will release a more advanced mirrorless system in autumn. And they will probably use Sony APS-C sensor! I would have loved if Pentax would have joined the NEX system but instead they will make their own new mount

And here we are! On top of the post you can see the world first picture showing the upcoming new Sony A77 and A65 translucent models! Sony original plan was to announce those cameras in July but the announcement has been delayed to late August because of the recent production issues that external suppliers had after the Tsunami-Fukushima disaster. The Sony A77 will be Sony’s new top APS-C model and replace the now very old Sony A700 (Click here to see that camera). It has a newly developed 24 Megapixel sensor which we have been told will deliver a crazy ISO performance. Specs are not 100% finalized yet but it looks like the ISO range goes from 100 up to 102.400 ISO. The A77 uses a new double Bionz processor and a newly developed 3 million dot OLED EVF. It takes more than 10 frames per seconds and has 11 cross AF points. Of course it can record videos at FullHD. It has a new USB 3.0 connection (with transmission speeds of up to 5 Gbit/s). Both cameras (the A77 and A65) will use the new translucent technology (there will be no optical viewfinder Sony camera anymore!). That allows Sony to reduce the production costs and we expect the A77 body only price to be around $1.000 only! That’s much less than the competition:
Check Canon 7D price at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Check Nikon D7000 price at price at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.

UPDATE: A source noticed that many of you asked about the GPS. He sent me a text saying that both cameras will have built-in GPS! -> Thanks source

First user that tested the camera told us the AF is very fast and accurate. The OLED viewfinder has almost no noticeable lag or flickering. We will post more A77 user reports during the next weeks! If you don’t want to miss any future rumor be sure to join us on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe our RSS-feed!
And what do we know about the A65? The A65 will replace the current Sony A55 (Click here to see that camera). It has very similar A77 specs. The main difference is that the A65 has no magnesium alloy and no top LCD (as you can see that from the picture).

One more thing: But there will be many more new Sony cameras and lenses this summer. There will be new NEX Pro that will feature the same A77 sensor, a new Sony NEX-VG10 successor, new lenses (Zeiss and Sony) for both Alpha and E-mount systems.

Those are the detailed A77 specs (some minor aspects could be subject to change until the final announcement):
The A77 announcement on late August.
Shipment start early October
Coming with new kit lens (A Sony 16-50mm zoom. Compared to the Zeiss 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 it will have a constant aperture and probably have a bit higher price. Zeiss 16-80mm price check at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.)
24 Megapixels (The combination of the new sensor+new Zeiss lens delivers 62% more resolution than the A55 16 Megapixel sensor.)
1080p/30fps, 720p/60fps and 720p/30fps high-definition video
AF fine-tuning capabilities. A source told us that it has an improved focusing system (quite fast and accurate).
11 cross points
over 10fps
3 Million dot OLED viewfinder (more than double of the resolution fo the current Sony A55/33 viewfinder.)
magnesium alloy
It will take CF+SD+MS cards
No flip-up mode to allow shooting without this extra sheet of glass in place
1.000 pictures with one battery
Price body only = $1000.

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Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
SR2=rumor from unknown sources
SR3=50% chance it is correct
SR4=rumor from known sources
SR5=almost certainly correct!

The Sony 35mm f/1.8 DT SAM has been tested at Photozone (Click here): “The Sony 35mm f/1.8 DT SAM may be a budget-oriented prime lens but regarding its performance it may even be a viable option for enthusiasts. Resolution-wise it delivers a very solid performance.” And the last statement will cause a huge discussion here: “It may surprise you but regarding the sum of its optical qualities it is actually a better choice than the “mighty” (albeit outdated) Sony 35mm f/1.4 G – Sony’s professional grade full format 35mm lens.“.

That’s a huge surprise if you do consider the big price difference:
Check the 35mm f/1.8 DT price at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Check the 35mm f/1.4 G price at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.

Surprised? I certainly do hope Sony (or Zeiss) will soon release a new 35mm lens!

Many trusted sources informed me that Sony decided to delay the A77 and NEX-7 announcement from July 7th to late August. Reason for that delay are production problems. To be more detailed it looks like that there is a production issue with minor components of the cameras. The cameras will be in Stock in late September/early October.

I know that’s bad news, after the Tsunami disaster I received info about production problems from Sony but I also had been told that Sony would not delay the A77 announcement and deliver the camera a couple of months later than expected. This has changed (and we certainly cannot blame Sony for that).

Oh, and before you start to think that this rumor might not be true there are a couple of things you have to keep in mind:
1) Also the NEX-C3 and A35 were supposed to be announced in early April but than the announcement have been delayed to early June. Some of you didn’t believe me and it wos good for me that Sony itself leaked the images and manual on their websites in April (it proved that my sources were correct).
2) I got the info about the A77 delay from many trusted sources. The same sources that gave me correct info in the past.
3) If I am correct than there should be already product images of the A77 (like it was for the NEX-C3 and A35 in April). And the good news is that I have one of those pictures

Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 12:00 GMT (London Time) I will post the very first picture of the A77 (+ little surprise). If you are wondering why I didn’t post the picture last week the answer is that the source told me to wait until a certain date (the reason will be unknown forever). So sorry for the pre-announcement suffering

See you tomorrow!

P.S.: As usual, if you have a “rumor” to share use the contact form on the right sidebar. Avoid to send me your name and email address but it would be nice if you could use some kind of fake name so that I can recognize you in future. Oh, and the contact form doesn’t store any hidden info like the IP-address.