Sony Tidbits…


Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G Hands-On Review

My Atomos Ninja 2 Impressions (SonyAlphaForum).
Why DSLRs are deader than a doornail for top-quality photography (DearSusans).
No more shoulder pain with Camslinger Streetomatic bag! (SonyAlphaCameras).
I have a dream – Mechanically Shutterless A Mount (SonyAlphaForum).
Sony PZ 28-135mm Lens Review (Luminous Landscape).
a6000 vs x-t1 comparison (Mirrorlessons).
The Invisible Man from SONY (ActionCameraRumors).
New housing for Sony 4K camcorders by Recsea.

Sony Tidbits…


Weekend with: Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS

Gold Box on the Transcend 16GB SD card at Amazon Germany.
Sony RX10 M2 – first part of my review and a mini-comparison with the A7S and Canon 1D C (EosHD)
50mm Vergleich von 5 Objektiven an Sony A7 u. a. Bokeh (FotoWorkShop).
Canon nFD 4/300 L (SonyAlphaForum).
Comparing the Sony A7s vs Canon 6D shutter lag for light painting (Diyphotography).
RX100m4 test by German Chip.de.
My new Land & Cityscapes with the A7II (SonyAlphaForum).

Danas: “I have some videos made with Sony A7s and ActionCam AZ1. For example this travel video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jWlng3MfGE. Or blog from Bolivia (video coming in few days): http://offtosomewhere.net/bolivian-rum-diaries/“

Firmware updated for Techart EOS-E-mount adapter adds full A7rII 399 points phase detection support!

[shoplink 39255 ebay]techart[/shoplink]

If you own or plan to buy the [shoplink 39255 ebay]Techart EOS to E-mount adapter (here on eBay)[/shoplink] than we have good news for you! Today the company released a new firmware 3.0 which adds full Sony A7rII support (Donwload at STKB.co.jp). I means you can all those nice 399 phase detection points. Here is a video that shows how fast it works:

Links: Current Techart Sony adpaters are sold on [shoplink 39255 ebay]eBay (See the list here)[/shoplink].

Sony Tidbits…


The Track: Portrait Of A Runner: from Mike Kobal on Vimeo.

The Track: field report shooting with the Sony FE 28-135mm, Zeiss FE 16-35mm and A7s (Mike Kobal).
40mm Voigtlander Nokton being used on a Sony A7…(Fridaysushi).
Alpha-7 II and iOS remote control (SonyAlphaForum).
Sony A7s for broadcast Part II (Cinema5D).

Pascal: “this is a little bit off topic, but if you’re interested, I have published a small review of the panorama feature in LightRoom 6 using a Sony A7r and various lenses. It’s an amazing way of creating huge files. One of those in the article is 120Mpix and would print well 8 foot high. It’s also amazing for those, like me, who feel there are more beautiful frame formats than 3:2 :) http://www.dearsusan.net/2015/06/29/370-panorama-freedom-discovering-lightroom-6/”

Karlton: “My short film has just won Best Action Film for the My Rode Reel contest and it was shot entirely on the a7s. All between the hours of 1 am and 5 am. I’m quite excited about this, and really just feel like telling people, lol. Here’s the link: http://www.rode.com/myrodereel/watch/entry/690”

Matt: “a7s + Ronin m + beautiful model (warning: 18+ content!) http://vimeo.com/enigmatt/janniephan“

First Tamron 35mm and 45mm f/1.8 lens image samples and full details.

tamron_a

Today Tamron announced two new great A-mount primes which could be interesting for E-mount camera owners too because we don’t have cheap and fast native E-mount primes yet. So first of all you can preorder them now here:
Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di USD Lens for Sony A at BHphoto.
Tamron SP 45mm f/1.8 Di USD Lens for Sony A at BHphoto.

To see all specs and some really great image samples check out here:
Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di special Tamron page (Click here).
Tamron SP 45mm f/1.8 Di special Tamron page (Click here).
If you read German there is a greta test over at Blog.krolop-gerst.com. The reviewer says the lens quality is superb and easily resolves the 50MP from the Canon 5dsr. So if you are going to use this on the Sony A7rII you will be fine!

And this is Tamron’s official introduction video (note the lens comes for Nikon and Canon mounts too)

Great announcement! Tamron launches two nice 35mm and 45mm SP f/1.8 A-mount primes!

Tamronlenses

Today is a good day for A-mount owners! Tamron just announced two great prime lenses:
Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di USD Lens for Sony A at BHphoto.
Tamron SP 45mm f/1.8 Di USD Lens for Sony A at BHphoto.

tamronA

Bildschirmfoto 2015-09-02 um 10.22.50

Full details are disclosed at Explora (Click here). There is also a Hands-on at ResourceMag with some image samples:

The lenses take very, very sharp photos. The bokeh is incredible and the lenses themselves are wonderfully light weight. Specifically, the 35mm is a fun lens to shoot with, feels great on my camera, and I’m absolutely loving what it does for my images.

Here is the description of the 35mm lens:

An update to a classic wide-angle prime, the Sony A mount SP 35mm f/1.8 Di USD from Tamron pairs the versatile focal length with a sophisticated optical layout for enhanced image quality. One Low Dispersion element, one eXtra Low Dispersion element, and two aspherical elements help to control a variety of aberrations and distortions for consistent and even illumination and sharpness, as well as reduced color fringing, and eBAND and BBAR coatings work to suppress flare and ghosting for increased contrast and color fidelity.

Complementing the imaging capabilities, this 35mm f/1.8 lens is also characterized by a ring-type USD motor, which provides quick, quiet autofocus performance with full-time manual focus capabilities. An inner focusing design and Floating System are also used, and aid in achieving a minimum working distance of 7.9″ with a maximum magnification of 1:2.5. The lens’ construction is also notable in its inclusion of various seals to protect against moisture, as well as a fluorine-coated front element to guard against fingerprints, smudging, and water.

A wide-angle prime, this 35mm lens is designed for full-frame Sony A mount DSLRs, and is also compatible with APS-C models where it will provide a 52.5mm equivalent focal length.
Fast f/1.8 maximum aperture benefits working in low-light conditions and also avails selective focus control.
One LD (Low Dispersion) element helps to minimize chromatic aberrations in order to achieve greater clarity with reduced color fringing.
Two aspherical elements correct for spherical and comatic aberrations, as well as distortion, for consistent edge-to-edge sharpness and illumination throughout the aperture range, as well as a reduction of sagittal comatic flare.
eBAND (Extended Bandwidth & Angular-Dependency) and BBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) coatings have been applied to lens elements to reduce surface reflections and prevent lens flare and ghosting for increased contrast and color accuracy.
Ring-type USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) motor is employed for fast, precise, and quiet autofocus performance that benefits both stills and video recording. This motor also enables full-time manual focus control without having to shift into a dedicated MF mode.
A Floating System is employed that moves a single group of elements to control focus in order to provide faster AF response as well as working distance of 11.4″ and maximum magnification ratio of 1:3.4 for enhanced close-up shooting.
Moisture-resistant construction incorporates seals around the lens mount and other areas to benefit working in inclement conditions. Additionally, a fluorine coating has been applied to the front lens element to repel water, fingerprints, and smudges for easier cleaning of the lens surface.
Rounded nine-blade diaphragm produces a pleasing out-of-focus quality when working with shallow depth of field techniques.
SILKYPIX Developer Studio 4.0 for Tamron software is included with the lens, which, aside from enabling basic raw processing and image adjustments, works to specifically correct for various aberrations, including color fringing, distortion, and peripheral light fall-off, using dedicated optical data from Tamron’s SP-series of lenses.

Here is the description of the 45mm lens:

Slightly wider than the venerable 50mm standard focal length, the Sony A mount SP 45mm f/1.8 Di USD from Tamron presents a unique perspective and pairs it with a sophisticated optical layout for enhanced image quality. One Low Dispersion element and two aspherical elements help to control a variety of aberrations and distortions for consistent and even illumination and sharpness, as well as reduced color fringing, and eBAND and BBAR coatings work to suppress flare and ghosting for increased contrast and color fidelity.

Complementing the imaging capabilities, this 45mm f/1.8 lens is also characterized by a ring-type USD motor, which provides quick, quiet autofocus performance with full-time manual focus capabilities. An inner focusing design and Floating System are also used, and aid in achieving a minimum working distance of 11.4″ with a maximum magnification of 1:3.4. The lens’ construction is also notable in its inclusion of various seals to protect against moisture, as well as a fluorine-coated front element to guard against fingerprints, smudging, and water.

A normal-length prime, this 45mm lens is designed for full-frame Sony A mount DSLRs, and is also compatible with APS-C models where it will provide a 67.5mm equivalent focal length.
Fast f/1.8 maximum aperture benefits working in low-light conditions and also avails selective focus control.
One LD (Low Dispersion) element helps to minimize chromatic aberrations in order to achieve greater clarity with reduced color fringing.
Two aspherical elements correct for spherical and comatic aberrations, as well as distortion, for consistent edge-to-edge sharpness and illumination throughout the aperture range, as well as a reduction of sagittal comatic flare.
eBAND (Extended Bandwidth & Angular-Dependency) and BBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) coatings have been applied to lens elements to reduce surface reflections and prevent lens flare and ghosting for increased contrast and color accuracy.
Ring-type USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) motor is employed for fast, precise, and quiet autofocus performance that benefits both stills and video recording. This motor also enables full-time manual focus control without having to shift into a dedicated MF mode.
A Floating System is employed that moves a single group of elements to control focus in order to provide faster AF response as well as working distance of 11.4″ and maximum magnification ratio of 1:3.4 for enhanced close-up shooting.
Moisture-resistant construction incorporates seals around the lens mount and other areas to benefit working in inclement conditions. Additionally, a fluorine coating has been applied to the front lens element to repel water, fingerprints, and smudges for easier cleaning of the lens surface.
Rounded nine-blade diaphragm produces a pleasing out-of-focus quality when working with shallow depth of field techniques.
SILKYPIX Developer Studio 4.0 for Tamron software is included with the lens, which, aside from enabling basic raw processing and image adjustments, works to specifically correct for various aberrations, including color fringing, distortion, and peripheral light fall-off, using dedicated optical data from Tamron’s SP-series of lenses.

More images (Click on it to enlarge).

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Sony Launches “Alpha Universe” Community Site to Engage, Empower and Inspire Photo and Video Enthusiasts.

alphauniverse

Sony launched a new Sony Alpha Universe site! It is a new Sony Alpha online community portal and here is the full press text from Sony:

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SAN DIEGO, Sept. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Electronics today has officially launched the “Alpha Universe” website (www.alphauniverse.com), an online community site that will serve as a window into the world of the Sony Alpha brand.

The site will feature a variety of engaging photography, videography, instructional and news content designed to educate, inspire and empower individuals throughout the greater imaging community.  Highlights include a blog-style home page for feature stories, a continually refreshed “Social” page that showcases select #SonyAlpha posts from various social platforms, an “Artisans” page that features profiles and portfolios from Sony’s Artisans of Imagery and an interactive calendar outlining Sony digital imaging events throughout the United States.

“Today’s photo and video enthusiasts are utilizing Sony cameras to capture imagery with a level of detail and resolution that they never could have imagined,” said Neal Manowitz, Deputy Vice President of digital imaging at Sony Electronics.  “Alpha Universe gives us an ideal platform to showcase their work.  Featuring an innovative and artistic design, the new site shines a bright spotlight on our growing army of ambassadors and their passion for the Sony Alpha brand.”

Alpha Universe will source its content directly from a variety of contributors, influencers and working professionals while also repurposing and reposting relevant articles and videos from throughout the online community.  It will also become the chief outlet for exclusive breaking news and information direct from the Sony imaging team.  The main sections/tabs of the site are as follows:

  • Home – A “blog style” format with continually refreshed feature stories and upcoming events, plus a link to apply for Sony’s PRO Support service program for working professionals.
  • Artisans – The new in-depth homepage for Sony’s rapidly evolving and expanding Artisans of Imagery program. This page features profiles of all 40+ Sony Artisans of Imagery including artist bios, feature galleries and videos.
  • Social – This highly visual page will showcase a curated social media livestream of photos that have been tagged with #SonyAlpha by customers throughout the world, ranging from amateurs to pros.
  • Calendar – An interactive calendar that highlights all Sony Imaging events taking place throughout the country, including retail events, trade shows, Artisan workshops and speaking engagements and more. Users have the ability to filter and search by zip code.
  • Discover – An engaging archive page hosting all historical Alpha Universe stories. Particularly useful for those looking to expand their photography / videography knowledge of a certain topic, site visitors can easily search and access content based on a series of pre-selectable keywords/categories.