[shoplink 3028 ebay][/shoplink]
Sony will no more be able to repair a broken [shoplink 3028 ebay]Sony A850 camera[/shoplink]. The parts necessary to fix the A850 are no more in production. SrapDsign reports on SonyAlphaForum:

I got 2 a850 and had use it almost 4 years since i bought it. I was very disappointed when i send my a850 to sony service to replace it with a new shutter box because my shutter count already reach the limits. They told me that the parts are no longer been produce because sony decided to stop it.

So if you still own the A850…take care of it!

Carl Zeiss 16-35mm F4 Lens Review by John Sison.

Using APS-C Lenses on Alpha 7 (SonyAlphaForum).
You wouldn’t ask a plumber to work for free, why ask a photographer? (InMyBag).
DSLR users: what’s stopping you from switching over to a mirrorless system? (Mirrorlessons).
It’s not the smartphone that killed the compact cameras (MirrorlessRumors).
Full ZM 35/1.4 review at DearsSusans.
a7II IBIS with the 180mm Apo-Telyt-R (Kasson).
Sony A7 II as an Accessory: Can it Turn a Classic 180mm f/2.8 Into a Keeper? (Diglloyd).
Voigtländer HELIAR 40mm F2.8 test at Yodobashi.
QX1 shooting report at Yodobashi.
α7 + UW-Nikkor 20mm F2.8 (DC.watch).
Pictures from A7 MK II + Mitakon 50mm f0.95 at Pantip.

As reported earlier Sony Australia launched the “move to mirrorless” micro site. And now it uploaded the five video on youtube to promote the mirrorless future. One of them shows an exploding giant mirror. And one of the (A-mount) followers asked the Sony X group what that video means for A-mount . The answer was: “Our focus in Australia is on mirrorless“.

Here are the five videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8waM16cPMyc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqrBXPrUNXw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGWwwyL-jYc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG3sejZYMvk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VltJG4jm7I

On Facebook Zeiss explained why the new Batis lenses have that unique OLED screen:

Our new ZEISS Batis lenses feature an OLED display. We decided to integrate it in response to many customer requests that we received after the introduction of previous ZEISS lenses. The display shows the focus distance and depth of field and can be reliably read in poor ambient light or in the dark. By the way, the distance unit can be easily changed from meters to feet.

UPDATE: Right now Zeiss posted a full Q&A about the new lenses: blogs.zeiss.com/photo/en/?p=5983. Here are a couple of tidbits:

The ZEISS Batis lenses are protected against dust and splashes (not waterproof) and are therefore suitable for use in everyday weather conditions. They are designed for use at temperatures ranging from -10 °C to +55°C.

ZEISS Batis lenses are designed exclusively with E-mount for use on mirrorless system cameras with Sony E-mount.

Additional focal lengths will follow. Right now, we do not wish to publish any further details.

One more thing: A couple of new Batis image samples can be found on SonyAlphaForum (Click here) and by Michael Kormos (Click here).

Both lenses are now available for preorder in USA and Europe (UK/Germany)
Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 lens in US at Adorama, Bhphoto. In Eu at Amazon DE, WexUK. In Asia at Digitalrev.
Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2.0 lens at Adorama, Bhphoto. In EU at Amazon DE, WexUK. In Asia at Digitalrev.
Lens shade for 85mm at Adorama, Bhphoto.
Lens shade for 25mm at Adorama, Bhphoto.

Source: Wikipedia.

GSM Dome reports that “Sony’s production line can meet at the moment just 50% of the market demand received from Chinese companies.” And Digitimes reports that “priority supply goes to Apple and Samsung“.

I don’t know if that affects the Alpha camera launch. Of course Sony produces a lot less APS-C and FF sensor but they are also many times bigger than smartphone cameras. As you can see from the graph above you obviously can exponentially produces many smaller sensor on a single wafer compared to FF sensors. And the image also shows how “bad” working sensor production is higher on larger sensors too.

It may be that both (in different degrees)….the shrinking digital system camera market and the high smartphone sensor request may influence the camera release cycle. The last nine months we only got one new system camera: The Sony A7II. This is unusual for a company like Sony . The last 3-4 years they released plenty of system camera every year (around 6-8 per year). And if there has been a delay or “slowing down” of the release cycle this may explains why some of the rumored cameras announcements have yet not been released…

via Image Sensor World.

Sony Australia launched the “move to mirrorless” micro site. Also confirmed is a touch and try event on May 15. Still nto sure if they will show any new E-mount camera there!

Thanks Alex!

MOONLIT – Kiting from Dusk till Dawn (A7s) from FLYSURFER Kiteboarding on Vimeo.

New A7 Mirrorless Camera Custom Finder Kit by Hoodman USA.
Sony FE 55 1.8 ZA review by Roger Marc.
Article about sports photographers who use mirrorless systems (Mirrorlessons).
Why The Faster Lightroom 6 Might Not Be Faster (SonyMirrorlessPro).
Image Sensor Market Shares (Image Sensor World).
A Post-DSLR World? 5 Thoughts After 5 Months of Mirrorless Shooting (Mikeonthestreet).
TRP Camera Straps (Tyson Robichaud).

Richard: “People have had problems finding Lightroom 6 stand alone so I wrote a quick blog about it: www.richardfoxphotography.com/lightroom-6-stand-alone-purchase/”

Cuneyt: “16min time lapse movie. All movie filmed with  #sony a99,a7r,F55.  goo.gl/4FhnBw”

Azham: “I just want to share some real world photos of Sony FE 35mmF1.4 during a Sony workshop few weeks ago. http://www.azhamshaari.com/v2/?p=432“