And here is a roundup of images and info I got from our readers:
1)Davide Roveri: “Yesterday, like some other of your readers, I’ve been lucky enough it pickup my α7R II here in London! I’m going to do a evolving hands-on/review of the camera in the next few days and i thought you may be interested! If you want to have a look, here’s the link to the blog page on my website: http://www.drlapse.com/sony-α7r-ii-review/“. Here is Davides unboxing video:
4)Ed Cheong also got that special A7rII cleaning kit. It has been given as a present by Sony Singapore on a special A7rII launch event. Sadly you cannot buy that :(
Zeiss posted an interesting blog entry to explain what photographers should know about the Sony-Zeiss partnership. They do that because photographers regularly ask what the differences and similarities are between ZEISS and Sony/ZEISS lenses. I repost the most important part of the answer to some of the most frequent questions:
Are lenses from ZEISS or Sony/ZEISS identical?
The lenses of the two lines are different, but optimized for the corresponding system. Because ZEISS’s know-how goes into every lens, both versions are highly sophisticated from a technical standpoint. Differences can be found in the focusing mechanism: for example, whereas Sony/ZEISS lenses always have autofocus, ZEISS offers a mix of autofocus lenses (e.g. ZEISS Batis) and manual focusing lenses (e.g. [shoplink 38831 ebay]ZEISS Loxia[/shoplink]). For the lenses of camera systems from other manufacturers, ZEISS relies mainly on manual focusing (ZE, ZF.2). Lenses that have the same focal length differ in their internal construction.
Who develops the lenses?
ZEISS lenses are developed exclusively by ZEISS. ZEISS also determines the features of the lenses, such as their focal length and internal construction, in line with the company’s product strategy. Sony/ZEISS lenses are jointly developed by ZEISS and Sony. ZEISS supports Sony throughout the optical design and development process and then tests and approves the prototypes. Finally, ZEISS determines the test specifications for serial production.
Adding the ZEISS logo on a Sony/ZEISS lens at a Sony factory after months of joint development, quality checks and final production.
Where are the lenses manufactured?
ZEISS still picture lenses are manufactured in Japan and ZEISS cine lenses in ZEISS’s factory in Oberkochen/Germany. It is still economical for ZEISS to produce its cine lenses in Germany due to the more sophisticated skills required to manufacture these special lenses for the film industry. In order to satisfy the much higher global demand for still picture lenses, ZEISS has established a partner network in the optics industry. During the entire development and production processes, ZEISS experts ensure that the high quality standards for which ZEISS has been famous for over 165 years are met.
Preparing a lens element for a ZEISS cine lens at a ZEISS facility in Germany.
Final inspection of ZEISS SLR lenses in a production facility in Japan.
Sony/ZEISS lenses are manufactured by Sony in factories across Asia. In these factories Sony uses lens testing equipment that has been developed and manufactured by ZEISS. An example is the MTF-tester K8, a versatile and compact instrument used to measure the modulation transfer function of photographic lenses, or similar systems, at an infinite object distance.
Quality check of Sony/ZESS ZA lens with ZEISS test equipment in Sony factory.
Who is responsible for customer service?
Owners of ZEISS lenses can rely on an established worldwide service network where they can send their ZEISS lenses for inspection and repairs. ZEISS also offers an online and telephone central support desk. ZEISS places great emphasis on providing customers with a personalized service, delivered by qualified experts in the company. The inspection and repairs of Sony/ZEISS lenses are managed by the Sony Service Centers directly.
Is the quality of both lines identical?
In all its brand partnerships, ZEISS sets the technical and quality standards to which partners, such as Sony, must adhere. ZEISS regularly audits the production process of Sony/ZEISS lenses in Sony’s factories. ZEISS experts examine the production processes, management systems and measuring installations. ZEISS certifies the suppliers and provides all the equipment that is needed to ensure product quality, including the equipment of third-party suppliers.
Inspecting a lens in a ZEISS production facility. The high quality standards are the same for all lenses that carry the ZEISS name – even if they are manufactured by its partners.Final inspection of a Sony/ZEISS lens.
Who sells the lenses?
Sony/ZEISS lenses are sold exclusively through Sony’s distribution channels. ZEISS lenses are sold exclusively through ZEISS’s own sales channels in all German-speaking regions and internationally. ZEISS also ensures that its local dealers have the required professional qualifications. Dealers who sell the company’s products are regularly trained by ZEISS experts.
Sony and ZEISS each follow their own product strategies depending on market and quality needs. With their outstanding image quality, fast autofocus and innovative features, the new ZEISS Batis lenses are in a class of their own. The ZEISS Batis 2/25 and ZEISS Batis 1.8/85 are the first full-frame autofocus lenses for Sony’s E-mount cameras. The Batis 2/25 and ZEISS Batis 1.8/85 lenses have an OLED display which shows the distance and depth-of-field range – a true innovation. As a result, a photographer can also compose creative images in the dark. For more information about ZEISS Batis lenses, please visit www.zeiss.com/batis
ZEISS Batis 1.8/85 and ZEISS Batis 2/25
Freedom of composition in photography was the guiding principle in developing the ZEISS Loxia lenses – a family of manual focus lenses for the E-mount full frame. They are optimized for digital sensors and electronic viewfinders as they are used in Sony’s α 7 mirrorless cameras and feature a mechanical aperture setting and the mechanical deactivation of the click stop (de-click) for ambitious videography.
Various other ZEISS lenses, for example those from the ZEISS Touit family for cameras with APS-C sensor and E-mount, compete with Sony/ZEISS lenses. Both companies will continue to develop their respective product portfolios, and in doing so offer customers even more choice.
This puts photographers in a comfortable position: they can choose their desired lenses from a broad portfolio provided by both brands in order to meet their specific requirements.
–
Many Thanks Zeiss for writing that!
Both Batis lenses are now available for preorder in USA and Europe (UK/Germany)
Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 lens in US at Adorama, Bhphoto. In Eu at Amazon DE, WexUK. In Asia at Digitalrev.
Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2.0 lens at Adorama, Bhphoto. In EU at Amazon DE, WexUK. In Asia at Digitalrev.
In Europe and Asia the Loxias can be found in Stock via [shoplink 36456 ebay]eBay sellers (Click here)[/shoplink] and Digitalrev (Click here).
Well I guess soon SAR will have to talk a bit about Drone Cameras too! Sony officially announced their new “Aerosense” company that will focus on Drone development. It may be possible that they will even use E-mount cameras on those. The QX1 E-mount camera is already used for this. For example on that [shoplink 38730 ebay]Skywalker 1900 (here on eBay)[/shoplink].
Tokyo, Japan – Sony Mobile Communications Inc. (“Sony Mobile”: President and CEO Hiroki Totoki) and ZMP Inc. (“ZMP”: CEO Hisashi Taniguchi) have agreed to collaborate on the development and launch of enterprise solutions using autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles for image capture combined with cloud-based data processing. Sony Mobile and ZMP will jointly found “Aerosense Inc.,” a new company slated to be incorporated in early August of this year.
Sony’s camera, sensing, telecommunications network, and robotics technologies will be leveraged alongside ZMP’s automated driving and robotics technologies together with their business experience in industrial fields. Aerosense Inc. will combine these assets and develop comprehensive solutions that meet needs including measuring, surveying, observing, and inspecting. It will aim to roll out these services for enterprise customers beginning in 2016.
Sony Mobile is proactively engaging in new business creation initiatives, with a particular focus on the Internet of Things (IoT) sector. This joint venture represents a part of this push into IoT, as Sony strives to provide its customers with additional value by developing and managing total package cloud solutions.
ZMP’s stated mission is “Robot of Everything: To create a safe, fun and comfortable lifestyle with robotics technology.” In line with this, ZMP has developed its automated driving technology and put it into use in various fields. To date these solutions have been limited to the ground; with this joint venture, ZMP will take to the skies and apply its expertise in an entirely different realm, as it aims to create new services that were not possible on land.
No more photos of public buildings in Europe? (TheNakedCamera).
Lack of GPS Function in Sony’s New Cameras (SonyAlphaForum).
The BMX get’s an Artist! PAINT by Sony (ActionCameraRumors).
Jesse: “I had shot a short film entirely on a Sony a7s. Luckily, it had also won a local film festival here in San Francisco. I’ve also attached two separate links of the short film below for your viewing. https://vimeo.com/jessetugas/thewalk or http://youtu.be/OfF9CMhKC-g”
Winston: “Large portions of tonight’s season finale of VICE on HBO season 3 were shot on Sony a7s, including some of the interviews and the open sequence inside the Kremlin: https://youtu.be/zZpOOACeg0s”
Alexandre: “I wanted to share with you this new article reporting my visit yesterday at the Bangkok Car Show; I shot beautiful thai models of the Bangkok Auto Salon 2015 (Car Show) with my Sony A7R, the Zeiss lens FE55mm1.8 and the flash F43M. I shot at aperture F1.8 most of the time to have a shallow depth of field and a nice bokeh in the background. http://traveljournalist.com/bangkok-car-show-girls-auto-salon-2015-thailand/“
Brian at Iridient Digital is happy to offer five free licenses along with ten 25% discounts to our Mac OS X readers! Iridient Developer is highly regarded for its exceptional RAW processing quality, sharpening, noise reduction, lens corrections, monochrome conversions and more. Check it out at: www.iridientdigital.com
For this Giveaway, Brian is offering
– A total of five free Iridient licenses (one for each site: Iridient, SonyAlphaRumors, 43rumors, FujiRumors, CanonWatch)
– A total of ten 25% discounts (two free licenses for each site)
You can enter our giveaway and win simply by visiting any of the participating sites on Facebook and/or following them on Twitter. To win one of the prizes use the dedicated giveaway box above.
The more sites you visit on Facebook and follow on Twitter, the more entries you’ll gain and hence increase your chances to win one of the prizes.
If you instead visit just the SonyAlphaRumors Facebook page, then you’ll enter SonyAlphaRumors’ giveaway, but you are missing the chance to win anything on the other sites. So, like and follow to increase your chance to win! The more social you are, the more chances you have to win.
PLEASE NOTE: To enter this Giveaway, the Option “Follow Iridient on Twitter” is mandatory.
Miguel Quiles I managed to get my hands on the Zeiss Batis 85mm 1.8 last week and used it at my “Dramatic Portrait” class at Adorama. The lens feels well built, focus is quick and is one of the sharpest native lenses I’ve used so far! Here’s an example shot taken at f/1.8.
