After adding the DOF preview Sony also added Mirror Lockup! This has been one of the most requested “features” by Sonyfolk! As you might remember we had a Sony MLU petition (SonyAlphaRumors supported the petition). I guess your pressure did the job and Sony did the great job listening to you!

Source: http://forums.dpreview.com

Official Sony A560/A590 product specifications are available at Sony.net (click here to download the .pdf). Also the A33/A55 manual is available for download

Something else: See the Sony A55v “naked” at CNET Asia ;)

P.S.: Sounds like Kagoo has some A580 cameras in Store

UPDATE: I will check the rumor with my other sources. I downgraded the rumor rating and I hope to give you an update soon. Anyway the source gave me good and correct news in the past. He is reading your comments and he will answer your questions!

The rumor:
As you may remember Thom Hogan “speculated” that Nikon is or will starting to produce their own sensors. A source told us that this is NOT going to happen:

“new D3100 CMOS is indeed Sony designed and manufactured, to Nikon specs. It is basically a Sony CMOS with some mainly cosmetic differences and since not all pixels are being normally used at the edges, it gives the manufacturers the leeway to make the specs change to make them look different. Sony’s policy, for over a decade, has been to sell its chips to competition with 6 months delay. Although Nikon had sample chips to design their products, they could not start making the products during the 6 months of Sony selling products with the same chips, unless Sony has a different arrangement with Nikon, which I doubt. Nikon does not have the expertise to design its own chips, never the kind that Sony designs. Nikon would never be able to achieve Sony’s expertise. See the video codec on the Nikon CMOS. Do you really believe that it is different than Sony’s. It’s just set at 24p; that’s all. Do you believe that Nikon could design chip with this codec? Do you think that Sony would licence them the technology to copy Sony’s design? Sony and Nikon have a strong relationship and work together in fighting Canon. Canon is really nervous about Sony camera releases. The [shoplink 3003]NEX[/shoplink] and the 33/55 cameras are and will be marketed totally differently than previous Sony cameras, where Sony just continued the Minolta tradition, until they developed their own cameras, which were from the beginning meant to properly integrate video and still photography, which is the future trend and it is where Sony expertise lies. Total misinformation is that Sony is getting out of FF sensor business. Sony’s future is no OVF on APSC and a pro FF line with OVF. That will be Sony’s main future emphasis. That will naturally include continuous design and manufacturing of FF CMOS sensors. Pentax tried Samsung sensors. They dropped tham and went quickly back to Sony. No company cam produce better sensors than Sony.”

P.S.: We from SonyAlphaRumors that Sonys next step is to satisfy the semi-pro and after that the pro market. So stay tuned!

Dear readers!

You may will not believe me but I received 783 mails in 48 hours. I need some time to read them all. Many of you sent me new rumors, reviews and other news. I will post them during the next days and weeks don’t worry.

In the meanwhile I am working to add new features to SonyAlphaRumors. So register yourself using the form on the right sidebar!

I have also a question regarding the comments display:

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Thanks!

Sony redefines the DSLR category – a world first in Translucent Mirror Technology (via Pocket Lint)

Keep visiting that post! We will update you with all news previews image samples and more!

1) PRE-ORDERS (coming soon! Click on those links to see when it is available)
Amazon US (still not available….coming soon!)
BHphoto (still not available…coming soon!)
Amazon Germany (still not available…coming soon!)
Amazon UK (still not available…coming soon!)

2) HOT LINKS
Luminous Landscape preview!
First Full A55 review on Imaging-Resource
Sony A55 gets the GOLD AWARD from Dpreview!
3D animation of the cameras on Sony Japan
First Sony translucent cameras promo video (click here)!
First A55 and A33 Flickr group.
Hear the shutter noise (on SonyAlphaRumors)
External microphones for the new Alphas! The ECM-ALST1 and ECM-CG50 (SonyAlphaRumors)

3) PREVIEWS
Photoclubalpha
PhotographyblogSony A580 Hands-On Photos
Photographyblog Sony A55 Hands-On Photos
Engadget
Luminous Landscape preview!
Dpreview Just posted! Sony SLT A55 in-depth review
Digital Camera review Sony alpha a55 First Look

4) TESTS
Letsgodigital Sony A580 preview
Dpreview Sony SLT Alpha A55 Noise and Noise Reduction (JPEG*). “Even at ISO 3200 the A55 is capable of producing very good image quality” and “the A55 offers the best performance in our measured noise tests”
Dpreview RAW files for download!
Dpreview “The Sony Alpha SLT A55 has an extremely capable metering system, which helps enormously to avoid clipped highlights”

5) INTERESTING NOTES
– The 24mm and 85mm lenses will start shipping late September at $1,250 and $250 respectively. The 35mm will be available from mid-October at a price of $200.
– The designation ‘SLT’ stands for single lens translucent
– The A580 will be available from October 2010 and the A560 will arrive early 2011.
– According to Sony the translucent mirror reflects 30% of the light to a large 15-point phase detection AF sensor. You have a 1/3EV reduction in light transmission for the sensor.
– Dpreview: “The EVF in the A55 and A33 is excellent.”
– Imaging Resource: “The Sony Alpha A55V, the version sold in the United States, has one standout feature not present in the A55 and A33: a built-in GPS receiver. This allows both still images and movies to be automatically tagged with information about the location at which they were recorded.”
– Imaging Resource: “Video capture is an area where the Sony A55’s translucent mirror technology makes a huge difference relative to pretty any other SLR currently on the market”
– Luminous Landscape: “And finally, there is eye detect, so that viewing switches between the LCD and the EVF automatically as you raise it to eye level. ” and “There is a Achilles Heel though, which needs to be understood. PDAF (phase detection autofocus) is done with the lens at its widest aperture. This means that if you want to shoot video with PDAF you lens will always be used at its maximum aperture.”

6) IMAGE SAMPLES
Letsgodigital
Imaging Resource

7) VIDEOS
Luminous Landscape Focus Tracking Video!
Digital camera review (click on the link and scroll down): http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=4473
Dpreview Video samples

Sony A55 stabilized by a Steadicam Merlin from NSF-56k on Vimeo.

8 ) PRESS RELEASE (latest added links on top):
Quesbesde (here and here)
ePhotozine
Pocket Lint Sony A33 and A55: The see-through cameras
Sony Japan
Focus Numerique
Noisycamera
ThePhoBlographer Sony Announces New A55, A33, A560 DSLRs, New Lenses
Photographyblog Sony A55 and A33
CNET Asia Sony launches dSLRs with translucent mirrors
Amateur Photographer New Sony Alpha 55 and Alpha 33 EVF DSLRs to feature fixed Translucent Mirror
Digital Camera Review
Dpreview A55 and A33
Dpreview A560 and A580
Dpreview Sony US announces 24mm F2, 35mm F1.8 and 85mm F2.8 lenses

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