[shoplink 22205 ebay][/shoplink]

Well, we made a lot of jokes on the [shoplink 22672 ebay]Hasselbald Lunar camera[/shoplink] which is basically a luxury version of the Sony NEX-7. But there seems to be a market for these kind of cameras! A charity auction in Florida sold two of such cameras for a total value of $54,500 ($27,250 each)! Hasselblad released a full press release around that story you can read below.

P.S.: eBay auctions of: [shoplink 22672 ebay]Hasselblad Lunars (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 22691 ebay]Hasselblad Stellars (Click here)[/shoplink]. David Lynch and David Beckham are proud owners of the Lunar!

—OFFICIAL HASSELBLAD TEXT—-

A crowd at a charity auction in Florida couldn’t believe their eyes as two brand new Hasselblad Lunar cameras with a joint retail value of around $14,000 suddenly rocketed in value to $54,500.
Two photo enthusiasts at the world-famous three day-long annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance exotic car festival began bidding against each other for the chance to own an ‘ultimate luxury’ olive wood-handled Lunar camera, crafted by the iconic camera brand.
When the bid reached $28,000 neither party wanted to lose out on a Lunar, so a deal was struck for an extra camera to be auctioned – for a joint record-busting price that raised a total of $54,500 for a spina bifida charity.
The deal also included a unique set of classic motorsport photographs shot over decades with a Hasselblad camera by Concours Show founder and chairman, Bill Warner.
Warner said: “Hasselblad is simply the ultimate camera. It’s the Mercedes-Benz, the Porsche and the Ferrari of cameras, all in one.”
The Amelia Island classic car and automotive art festival, which is billed as ‘three days of automotive passion at the International Historic Motoring Awards, Motoring Event of the year (2013)’, draws classic car enthusiasts from across the globe each year and raises millions of dollars for charity.
Michael Hejtmanek, President of Hasselblad Bron Inc. said: “We knew our new, retro-look Lunar range was compelling – especially the rich-veined olive wood edition with its advanced technology and supreme ergonomics – but for a pair of them to raise $54,500 for Spina Bifida Jacksonville at this auction is just outstanding.”

Further information:
http://www.hasselblad-lunar.com/
http://www.spinabifidajax.org/
https://www.ameliaconcours.org/

The South African blog Htxt.co.za got the official confirmation from Sony that the A3500 will be announced soon and ship in April already. This means the camera will be announced before the A77II which will be announced in early May. HTXT writes:

Sony’s Alpha 3500, a new E-mount mirrorless camera to replaces the A3000 (which has been the entry-level camera in the Sony range up until now) is coming to SA in April 2014.
Very little that has changed – it’s the same 20MP APS-C sized sensor with the lowest resolution electronic viewfinder and LCD screen of the entire Alpha range.
What is important for Sony, particularly in the South African market, is the price point. This mirrorless camera looks like a DSLR, something many local consumers are still keen on, and will hit the price point of just R3999. This puts the Sony Alpha 3500 in the same range as the coveted Nikon D3100 and Canon EOS 1100D.
The Sony Alpha 3500 will come with a new 18-50mm lens and at that 4k price point, we are keen to get a hands-on with it soon.

Important note: The last couple of days I got plenty fo rumors about A and E-mount stuff plus new RX cameras (or sort of RX cameras) I Thank all sources for sharing the info. As usual please understand that I try to double or triple check rumors before to post them. Thanks!

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Message to sources: You can send me more info anonymously by using the contact form you see on the very right of your browser. You can also contact me directly at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com.
For readers: Subscribe the RSS feed (Click here) and Twitter (Click here) stream and the Facebook fan page (Click here) in order to not miss any news!
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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!

Vangelis Delegos
Meteora, Greece. Taken with Sony NEX-7 and 55-210mm (ISO 800, f/5,6 and 1,3sec)…

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These are some of the most liked SAR readers pictures of the week! They have been posted (and voted) on our SAR Facebook wall (Click here to see all pics). As usual feelf ree to visit the SAR wall to get in contact witht he photographers. I am sure they are happy to tell you how they took these pictures!

Samyang just made a huge lens announcement and we have plenty of new lenses for both A and E mount cameras! We also have some lenses covering the Full Frame sensor area of the A7-A7r cameras. Here are all the lenses with preorder links to the BHphoto preorder page (Click on the blue link to see the direct preorder page with pricing info):

8mm f/2.8 UMC Fish-Eye as Sony E mount (Click here).
10mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS CS lens as Sony E mount (Click here) and as Sony A mount (Click here).
12mm f/2.0 NCS CS lens as Sony E mount (Click here).
8mm T3.1 Cine UMC Fish-Eye II lens as Sony E mount (Click here).
24mm f/1.4 ED AS IF UMC lens as Sony E-mount (Click here).
35mm f/1.4 AS UMC lens as Sony E-mount (Click here)

Sony Japan officially launched the Sony PRO support. The admission fee is 5,000 YEN ($50) and the annual fee 100 Yen ($1). This is what you will receive in exchange:

• 50% discounts on repairs
• discount on Image sensor cleaning
• you will receive rented equipment while your gets repaired
• discount on product purchase
• extra information (?)
• dedicated support

Let me know if you can find the PRO support advertised in other countries! Thanks!

UPDATE: The same service is offered via Sony Hong Kong.

It’s here! The new Sony firmware has been announced and I kindly ask you to check the most important of the new additions: The Image quality improvement of the A7-A7r cameras. Let’s see if it’s a “real” noticeable improvement! Here are the download links:

A7R
Mac – Sony US, Sony Germany, Sony UK, Sony France, Sony Spain, Sony Italy, Sony Holland, Sony Belgium, Sony Austria, Sony Switzerland, Sony Finland, Sony Sweden, Sony Norway, Sony Portugal, Sony Australia
Windows – Sony US, Sony Germany, Sony UK, Sony France, Sony Spain, Sony Italy, Sony Holland, Sony Belgium, Sony Austria, Sony Switzerland, Sony Finland, Sony Sweden, Sony Norway, Sony Portugal, Sony Australia

A7
Mac – Sony US, Sony Germany, Sony UK, Sony France, Sony Spain, Sony Italy, Sony Holland, Sony Belgium, Sony Austria, Sony Switzerland, Sony Finland, Sony Sweden, Sony Norway, Sony Portugal, Sony Australia
Windows – Sony US, Sony Germany, Sony UK, Sony France, Sony Spain, Sony Italy, Sony Holland, Sony Belgium, Sony Austria, Sony Switzerland, Sony Finland, Sony Sweden, Sony Norway, Sony Portugal, Sony Australia

NEX5R
Mac – Sony US, Sony Australia
Windows – Sony US, Sony Australia

NEX5T
Mac – Sony US, Sony Australia
Windows – Sony US, Sony Australia

NEX6
Mac – Sony US, Sony Australia
Windows – Sony US, Sony Australia

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Thanks Puggs for the links!

Industrial Designer Robert Russell designed a possible A7 successor camera with a different and more “rounded” design. This is pure imagination and not based on any real or rumored camera. Here is his text:

Sketches for a new design direction for the SONY A7/A7R (by Robert Russell)

I feel a camera of this importance should reflect that in its physical appearance as well as its revolutionary concept. my primary effort was to eliminate the “boxy” look and feel to the camera. I kept the functions/controls in their existing locations and tried to only effect the styling of the body. I have also improved the grip and finger placement for comfort as well as for access to controls. Also I placed a thumb rest on the left side of the body for additional stability, particularly when using prime lenses.
I have not physically held an A7, but I own and love my NEX-7! The A7 is such an exciting camera I hope some day to own one. I follow all rumor sites (Sony Alpha Rumors) and press releases from SONY and have a great admiration for its products and overall design philosophy.

Please let me know your thoughts on my ideas.

Please do not use/publish these images without the permission from Robert Russell (russell.design@comcast.net).