Impressive BCN stats: in Japan Sony has clearly won the Full frame battle against Canon and Nikon and is now the number one in the market!

BCNranking reported the full year Japan sales stats. And the big news upfront:

Sony is now officially the number 1 in the Full Frame market (DSLR+mirrorless!).

The graph on top shows that Sony managed to increase unit and value sales in all areas:

– Overall: 19% unit and +32% in value sales
– APSC: 19% unit and +44% in value sales
– Full Frame: 18% unit and +17% in value sales

Canon and Nikon reported losses in all segments with the one single exception of the Canon FF unit sales that went up 6% (but value sales were down 7%)

As a result this year Sony managed to surpass Canon in the FF market:

In short: While it’s true the market as a whole is shrinking…in Japan Sony has still managed to sell MORE cameras and make MORE money!

Check mate?

Sony Tidbits…


Sony a6600 vs Fujifilm X-T3 Review: King of compact cameras?

a7RIV, a7RIII shadow noise w/ sharpening and noise reduction (Jim Kasson).
Adobe MAX 2019 Brings Massive Updates, Including Photoshop for iPad (Explora).
Sony Lenses: The Year in Review, 2019 (Bjorn Petersen).
Sony FE 12-24mm F4 Wide Angle Lens Review (TheDigitalDigest).
Sony A9II review at Mobile01

Udo Kellner:

One week after getting my alpha7RM4 I started a trip to the Garhwal-Himalaya India.
This is a vid about climbing Kedar Dome 6831m with this new camera:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w065UIpoyJ0

I used it mostly but also the RM3 and Osmo Pocket. May be it is interesting for Sony fans. I am not professional but anyway – decide yourself. The Text is in german but there is only very view text.

Personal photos and tests from SAR Admin Andrea on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and 500px.

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New Mitakon Creator 85mm f/2.8 1-5X Super Macro lens announced (for Sony E and A mount)

Well…we got a new A-mount lens today ;)

Mitakon announced that the new Creator 85mm f/2.8 1-5X Super Macro lens will be available for Sony E and Sony A mount:

Zhongyi Mitakon 85mm f/2.8 1-5X Super Macro Lens has a wide magnification range (from 1X to 5X) allowing photographers to capture subjects at different sizes. Users no longer need to DIY or use any extension tubes to reach high magnification shooting. The lens is also designed to have one of the longest working distance for ANY super macro lens. The closest working distance at 5x magnification is 3.93” (10cm) and 10.7” (27.2cm) at 1x magnification. This working distance is so much longer than traditional macro lenses in the market. Photographers can now start shooting macro objects without getting too close and scare them away. The extended working distance also implies lighting can get to the subjects easier. It is also more friendly to use on video shooting. This new super macro lens also has a near telecentric performance which is a big advantage when it comes to macro image stacking photography or industrial usage.

The new 1x-5x Super Macro lens incorporates a 12 elements in 8 groups structure which delivers impressive resolution from corners to corners. The chromatic aberration is also controlled to the minimum (APO design). Weighing merely 1.65 lbs (750g) and 6.7cm long, it is a perfect companion for both wildlife or indoor lab shooting. It is relatively compact in its class which allows photographers to capture extremely fine subjects or patterns with different sizes. Greater magnification can also be achieved by stacking extension tubes or bellows. The high magnification is extremely useful for scientific purposes. The lens can only be used in macro distances and cannot focus to infinity. A 58mm filter thread is also available.

The enclosure of the lens is made of metal to strengthen its durability. Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony FE, Sony Alpha, Pentax K, Sony E, Micro Four Thirds, Fuji X mounts are available.

Sample Images

5 years warranty only covers the lens but NOT the accessories (i.e. tripod collar & LED light)

National Geographic picks the Sony A6600 and RX100VII among the “Best new compact cameras for travelers”

National Geographic selected the ten best cameras for travelers. We have two Sony cameras:

RX100VII:

The seventh-generation RX100 line is packed with features yet each camera fits inside a jacket pocket. This version comes with real time AF, from Sony’s pro line, giving photographers highly reliable eye/face autofocus that now works with animals as well as people. No other camera in this size has autofocus or shoot speeds close to this little wonder. We’re talking 20 frames per second (FPS) with real-time autofocus/auto exposure. Thanks to new sensor tech borrowed from Sony’s flagship a9 series, this model also shoots electronically with almost no distortion of moving subjects. In practice, this means silent shooting and high shutter speeds for working in bright light. The RX100VII also sports a 24-200mm equivalent zoom lens that, while not as bright as I would like, covers a wide range for the traveler. I have regularly described this camera line as my “desert island” choice. Is it a high price for such a small camera? Yes, but it does deliver performance in spades.

A6600:

The a6600 is the first Sony APS-C camera to use the larger Z-style battery that powers all of Sony’s newer generation full-frame mirrorless cameras, pushing through roughly 800 shots on a single charge. It’s also Sony’s first APS-C camera to have IBIS. Additionally, this model’s best-in-class autofocus technology, borrowed from Sony’s professional FF cameras, makes it easy to capture critical moments, like your kid’s big soccer goal or a majestic falcon’s soaring flight. That alone makes the a6600 a solid choice.
Tip: Pair the a6600 with the 16-55mm F/2.8 (24-82mm equivalent) lens

Sony Tidbits…


Samyang AF 18mm f/2.8 FE lens review with samples (Full-frame & APS-C)

Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 DG DN Art review so far (CameraLabs).
Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel Explains 3 Different Camera Lenses (Mirrorlessrumors).
Photo Tips and Favorite Gear for Successful Fall Foliage Pictures (Explora).
LanParte Factory Tour (Personal View).
Sony Imaging Edge Mobile App – Transfer Photos to Mobile Device and Remote Control Camera Using Sony RX100 VII (SonyAlphaLab)

Laurent:

I’m attaching a link that might interest some of your video centric crowd. It’s a trailer, it’s in 4K, French spoken but with English and Spanish subs.

https://vimeo.com/314210603

I directed and shot this web-series, that will be presented at the MIPCOM film market next week, using a Sony a6500 and an a6300 as B-camera. Lenses were a mix of Zeiss glass Touit, Batis as well as some Sony-Zeiss. I chose those cameras for the autofocus speed/size ratio, and they did not disappoint. Setting was SLOG2 as I felt that with the 8-bit and 4-2-0 (about time to step things up on that regard Sony!!) it was more satisfying in tests compared to SLOG3.

The video files were post-produced in UHD by adding a layer of very slight 4K Film Grain, a layer of diffusion to selectively blow the highlights and a final letterboxing layer as we were delivering in the 2.0 aspect ratio. Edit was done in FCPX. The episodes were then graded on DaVinci Resolve.

We produced a DCP and did a premiere on one of the biggest screens in Paris (the Max Linder Cinema), which it turns out had a 2.0 ratio. So the image was projected on a roughly 110 square meter screen. At first I was afraid the grain structure would be as thick as basketballs, turns out the quality was impeccable.

I was happily surprised how well a little 900€ camera you can buy on Amazon held up to the rigours of a film set and produced a quality image. The a6500 is already a bit old by now, I certainly hope the A7S3, although there is no perfect camera, does stand tall in front of the competition, at least codec wise.

Personal photos and tests from SAR Admin Andrea on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and 500px.

Join the new Sony Alpha Camera Facebook group.
To get news from our Forum subscribe that RSS feed.
I kindly invite you all to follow our RSS feed, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to not miss news and rumors

Sony Tidbits…


Sony a9 (Three Years Later) Review: Part 1 | 4K

Sony A6600 recommended lenses and accessories (Enthusiastphotoblog).
Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG DN Art Review (Photographyblog).
Purchasing Your Next Lens (Explora).
Tokina FiRIN 100 mm F2.8 FE vs. Sony 90 mm F2.8 G OSS | Makro-Objektive im Vergleich (ValueTech).
Sony A9 II review: Best pro camera ever… and Canon 1D X III killer? (Artaius).
A9II presentation in China (Fengniao).
Aputure Introduces the Compact MC RGBWW LED Photo/Video Light (Explora).

Personal photos and tests from SAR Admin Andrea on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and 500px.

Join the new Sony Alpha Camera Facebook group.
To get news from our Forum subscribe that RSS feed.
I kindly invite you all to follow our RSS feed, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to not miss news and rumors