Samyang officially releases the new Lens Station for E-mount cameras

Samyang officially announced the new Lens Station for E-mount autofocus lenses. What itdoes is this:

– install firmware updates
– calibrate focus
– calibrate aperture
– calibrate MF sensibility

[Download User Manual]

Current Samyang/Rokinon AF E-mount lenses:
50mm f/1.4 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
14mm f/2.8 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
35mm f/2.8 at BHphoto, Adorama. Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
35mm f/1.4 at BHphoto, Adorama. Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.

First A7rIII and 24-105mm lens shipped to Chinese buyers

The very first A7rIII has been shipped today to Chinese buyers (Source Xitek). Some time ago Sony stated that China was the number one Full Frame market in terms of volume. I guess that’s why the camera is shipping earlier than in USA and EU. And as you can see from these images below both the A7rIII and the new 24-105mm lens are made in China too.

Preorders:
Sony A7rIII at Amazon, Bhphoto, Adorama, BuyDig, FocusCamera, Calumet DE, Wex UK. Photo Porst Neuwied. Sony Netherland. Sony Australia. Sony Japan.
Sony 24-105mm at Amazon, Bhphoto, Adorama, BuyDig, FocusCamera, Amazon DE. Calumet DE, Wex UK.

Join the A7rIII facebook group to discuss the camera features and tests!

Download the new 650 pages long A7rIII Help Guide

Not only the manual but also the 650 pages long Help Guide is available for download. Once you are read it all you will get an engineering degree for free :)

Preorders:
Sony A7rIII at Amazon, Bhphoto, Adorama, BuyDig, FocusCamera, Calumet DE, Wex UK. Photo Porst Neuwied. Sony Netherland. Sony Australia. Sony Japan.
Sony 24-105mm at Amazon, Bhphoto, Adorama, BuyDig, FocusCamera, Amazon DE. Calumet DE, Wex UK.

Join the A7rIII facebook group to discuss the camera features and tests!

And note that at Photo-Porst.de you get 5 year warranty on the A7rIII…

Interesting: Panasonic launches a sort of “mini Sony A9” for $1,700

Today Panasonic announced its first “sports camera” named G9. I read the reviews and many are referring to this camera as a sort of Sony A9 competitor on a budget. They base these claims on a few similarities:

  • G9 has electronic shutter mode to shoot 20fps in continuous autofocus.
  • No EVF blackout just like the A9.
  • Very fast Autofocus (Panasonic also claims to have the fastest autofocus of all mirrorless system camera).

Of course it’s easier for Panasonic to achieve the same A9 speed having to deal with a smaller sensor.  The big trade-off might be Image Quality and mid and high iSO performance.

For me this isn’t a Sony A9 competitor. But the G9 might pushes Sony to release a new A6700 camera with the A9 features and priced below $2,000. I am sure many SAR readers would love to get this one right?

Sony grows Imaging PRO Support Programme in Europe

Sony today announced the expansion of its Imaging Pro Support Programme which now covers seven European countries, responding to the increasing number of professional photographers, who are switching to Sony. From January 2018, professional photographers from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway will be able to apply for membership to make use of the Pro Support services offered, with a further expansion of the programme to France, Italy and Belgium scheduled for April 2018.

The Imaging Pro Support Programme offers support and advice on Sony equipment, including a special telephone helpdesk to assist professional photographers in the use of their α-camera equipment. Professionals also benefit from free collection and return services and complimentary replacement units while their equipment is repaired. Additionally, members are entitled to free image sensor cleaning and a firmware check-up, twice a year.

For eligible applicants[i], membership of the European Imaging PRO Support Program is currently free. It is accessible to professional photographers who have at least two Sony α camera bodies and three Sony α lenses from the list of valid devices. For a list of eligible products, please consult this list.

Imaging PRO Support is currently available in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, China, Russia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, and the United States.

[i] The program is intended for professional photographers. Anyone interested in becoming a member must therefore provide proof of income from photography work. Sony reserves the right to review individual cases.

Mitakon announces the new Nikon F to Sony Lens Turbo II adapter

Zhongyi just announced the new Nikon F Ai and G to Sony E Lens Turbo adapter. It should be in stock soon on Amazon and BHphoto (currently they only have the Ai version only).

The Nikon F Lens to Sony E-Mount Camera Lens Turbo Adapter Mark II from Mitakon allows Nikon F Ai and G lenses to be mounted on Sony E-Mount APS-C format cameras, increasing the angle of view by 0.726x and the maximum aperture of the lens by 1 f-stop. The second-generation Lens Turbo II series adopts a design in which the built-in lens protrudes backwards, and by being closer to the image sensor of the camera, image quality is greatly improved compared with the first lens turbo.

 

Sony A7rIII manual is now available for download

You can now download the new A7rIII manual at Sony Australia (PDF).

Personal note…I just bought this:
A7rIII: http://amzn.to/2yanY1u
12-24mm G: http://amzn.to/2znF9Ab
24-105mm G: http://amzn.to/2y7RDbz

I did own the A7rII (now sold to a friend of mine). And I had big trouble deciding if I should upgrade. But at the end the longer battery life (perfect for long tour hiking) was the main reason to upgrade. I am also curious to see the new “color” rendition from the Sony A7rIII. Wondering it will be a major improvement.

Preorders:
Sony A7rIII at Amazon, Bhphoto, Adorama, BuyDig, FocusCamera, Calumet DE, Wex UK. Photo-Porst.de. Sony Netherland. Sony Australia. Sony Japan.
Sony 24-105mm at Amazon, Bhphoto, Adorama, BuyDig, FocusCamera, Calumet DE, Wex UK.

Join the A7rIII facebook group to discuss the camera features and tests!

Thanks Martin for the manual tip!