Metabones released the new PL to Sony E-mount T CINE Speed Booster ULTRA 0.71x. This is the press text:

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Sharper corners, less distortion, reduced vignetting

New optical design: advanced 5-element/4-group optical design incorporating ultra-high index tantalum-based optical glass to achieve extraordinary optical performance with improved corner sharpness, distortion and reduced vignetting.

Like the revolutionary original Metabones Speed Booster announced in January 2013, the Speed Booster ULTRA has a magnification of 0.71x, and so it effectively reduces the crop factor of mirrorless cameras with DX-sized sensors and Super35 camcoder, such as Sony E-mount, Fuji X-mount cameras Sony FS7 MARKII, from 1.5x to 1.07x. However, the new ULTRA design makes very effective use of exotic materials at the furthest limit of glassmaking technology, and as a result is well corrected for use with virtually all fullframe SLR/Prime lenses regardless of exit pupil distance. (More information can be found in the press release here)

Features and benefits

Design for attaching full-frame PL Prime Lens to Sony E-mount cameras/camcorders
Increase maximum aperture by 1 stop.
Increase MTF.
Makes lens 0.71x wider.
Advanced 5-element/4-group optical design incorporating ultra-high index tantalum-based optical glass by Caldwell Photographic in the USA (patent pending).
New positive-lock PL lens mount. (Patent pending).
Felt material flocked inside the opening to reduce internal reflection.
Compatible with Sony FS7 Mark II camera.
The tripod foot is detachable and compatible with Arca Swiss, Markins, Photo Clam ball heads.
Only support full-frame PL Prime lenses, e.g. Compact Prime CP.2 Lenses. Super 35 PL Prime lenses are NOT supported.
Speed Booster ULTRA is designed to cover an APS-C/Super35 image circle which is not big enough to cover a full-size 36mm x 24mm sensor. On a full frame camera body (A7 series, NEX-VG900) the camera needs to have “APS-C/Super 35mm” set to either “Auto” or “On”.

How to Get Better Battery Life From Your Sony Camera

Sony A99 vs A99 II: Should you upgrade? (Digitalrev).
Sony A6500 review by PCmag.
A7II review by Ken Rockwell.
Sony A6500, a review (Seb Imagery).
Kai and my Charters pole video with the a6300 (Dan Chung).
Zeiss Loxia 35mm f2 Review (Movingelectrons)

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Greg: “Free camera apps (star trails and multiple exposure) for UK owners if they register their camera before end of april. More details on the sony UK site http://www.sony.co.uk/regional/camera-apps#section-eligible”

Matthew: “I made a video of some tests I did on wind noise on the Sony A6500.  I thought it might be of interest to your site:
https://youtu.be/v-cdS-VBlZM”

Sigma released the new firmware update for the MC-11. Here is the press text:

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We would like to announce the firmware update for the SIGMA MOUNT CONVERTER MC-11 EF-E. This firmware update allows it to be compatible with the SIGMA 135mm F1.8 DG HSM | Art (Release: April), SIGMA 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary (TBD), Cine Lens 50mm T1.5 FF EF mount from FF High Speed Prime Line (TBD) and so on.

For customers who own the SIGMA MOUNT CONVERTER MC-11 EF-E, please update the firmware via SIGMA Optimization Pro by connecting it to a computer using a supplied USB Cable.
※ Before updating the MC-11 firmware, please ensure SIGMA Optimization Pro has been updated to ver. 1.4.1 or later for Windows, and ver. 1.4.0 or later for Macintosh from the following download page.

【SIGMA Optimization Pro Download page】
http://www.sigma-global.com/en/download/lenses/sigma-optimization-pro/

For SIGMA MOUNT CONVERTER MC-11 SA-E, firmware update announced on March 10th, 2017 allows it to be compatible with SIGMA 135mm F1.8 DG HSM | Art and SIGMA 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary.

【Applicable product】
・ SIGMA MOUNT CONVERTER MC-11 EF-E

【Benefits of this firmware update】
・It has become compatible with the SIGMA 135mm F1.8 DG HSM | Art and SIGMA 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary.
・It has become compatible with the Cine Lenses; SIGMA 20 mm T1.5 FF EF mount, 24 mm T1.5 FF EF mount, 35mm T1.5 FF EF mount, 50 mm T1.5 FF EF mount, 85 mm T1.5 FF EF mount from FF High Speed Prime Line, and 24-35mm T2.2 FF EF mount from FF Zoom Line.
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Sigma MC-11 at [shopcountry 55627].

Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM Lens REVIEW vs Sigma 85mm ART

Sony 35mm 1.8 vs Sigma 30mm 1.4 vs Sigma 30mm 2.8 (Mirrorlesscomparison).
Sony 85mm GM review by Ken Rockwell.
SIGMA Cinema Zoom Lens Review: 18-35mm T2.0 and 50-100mm T2.0 (Cinema5D).
100mm STF hands-on by Focus Numerique
Buying Guide: The Best Cameras for Vlogging (Adorama Learning Center).
The Tripod Explained (Explora).

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Frank: “tamron 70 200 G2 short test
http://frankster.digital/tamron-sp-70-200mm-f2-8-di-vc-usd-g2-image-test-quick-test/
http://frankster.digital/better-canon-holy-trinity-%EF%BC%9Ftamron-sp-70-200mm-f2-8-di-vc-usd-g2-short-review/
already made english version for english readers =D”

Bart: “I recently shot this short travel video on a7sII https://vimeo.com/204266089 . Fantastic camera. I thought some of the readers might be interested in seeing what you can pull off out of slog3.
If you feel like this might be interesting to the community, please feel free to share!“

This is the first image of the new IRIX Canon EF to Sony E-mount autofocus adapter. ePhotozine spotted the adapter first and writes:

Irix are also also showing the new Irix ILA-FE2EF Sony E-Mount Adapter, which is “coming soon”. The ILA-FE2EF is designed to let you used Canon EF mount lenses, such as the Irix 11mm f/4 and Irix 15mm f/2.4, on Sony E-Mount cameras. Pricing and availability is not yet known.

So it sounds like the adapter is optimized to work with IRIX lenses first. Other Canon EF lens might work less…”effectively”. This sounds a lot similar to how the Sigma MC-11 adapter works.

You can find IRIX lenses at Amazon US, Adorama, Amazon DE and Amazon UK.

Salvation Mountain- My FIRST Shoot using the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 on the Sony A6500

Sony FE 70-300mm review at Photoreview.
New ELB 1200 Elinchrom Ultimate Outdoor Unit announced.
For Your Listening Pleasure: Wired versus Wireless Headphones (Explora).
estimating the cost of jumping ship from Nikon to Sony A7ii/iii (SonyAlphaForum).
How To Shoot Video In Low Light (Harv Video).
Sony Showdown: a6500 vs RX100 V (Digitalrev).

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Imaging Resource interviewed Mr. Kenji Tanaka and Mr. Yojiro Joe Asai from Sony (UPDATE: IR removed the interview). They didn’t spill out any info about future specific products but they gave a more general idea of what kind of tech they are working on:

1. No outsourcing of best Sony sensors:
   “The sensor is a custom [design, meaning that] only Sony can use these sensors, and our strength is our in-house technology.”x
2. FF forecast
   “I think that this segment is stable. If the segment increases, [it will do so] very slowly”
3. Future key development:
   “Now we are focused on three essential factors. One is of course the resolution, and another is the sensitivity, and third is the speed. [For example] 20 frames per second and 30 frames per burst or 100 frames per second, everybody wants to [have] that kind of functionality, but I can’t say yes. Because they don’t know how to use this kind of technology, but if we can show the benefit for that, people [will] enjoy the new technology, I think.“
4. Object recognition drive AF and Exposure is a major technological key . And that’s possible because:
   “I think that Sony has been repeatedly saying about the advantage of mirrorless, is that not having a mirror, having direct information…”
5. FF and APS-C
   “Full-frame is our primary area. But as you said, we don’t ignore the APS-C market, and we can also grow the APS-C market.”
6. About US customers and market:
   “I think American people still think the DSLR structure with mirror and shutter is best. But the technology can change that kind of way. And I think only Sony can do it. So I want to explain why the future is changing. And sensor is one aspect, and the lens is another one. Of course, intelligence is another aspect, but there are many technologies we have, so these things I want to tell your users. And of course [by combining] these technologies we create new cameras. So I want to show you the new camera.”

Probably it’s very interesting to hear the fact that Sony will not outsource the sensor they use on their own cameras. Which kind will give Nikon a very hard time!