Sigma announced the release of the USB dock for Sigma A-mount lenses. Price will be $59 but there is no preorder option yet. With the dock you can perform lens firmware updates and customize autofocus and OS! It will work with the new superb 50mm f/1.4 ART lens too. The lens can be preorderd in USA at BHphoto (Click here) and Adorama (Click here). And since today also in UK at Wexphotographic (Click here).

Source: Sigma Japan.

Jvdas Berra
SLT-A55 + SAL5018 – México
Jvdas Berra Photographer, https://www.behance.net/jvdas

These are some of this week most liked pictures on the SAR readers facebook wall (Click here). As usual feel free to share your pics and like those from others!

The A6000 is in Stock in Canada (via DL). The A6000 is still not in Stock in USA but at least there is one great deal back: $299 for the NEX-3n and kit lens at Amazon (Click here). And the camera now sells more than the A6000 (ranking here). The NEX-3n is also selling well in the overall camera ranking (Click here) lead by the surprising Go Pro Hero+.

More new deals or preorders:
DDSC-RX100 II Digital Camera + 2 Batteries, 16GB & More for $644 at [shoplink 25841 ebay]6ave on eBay US (Click here)[/shoplink].
Sony RX100 for $474 at Rakuten (Click here).
Sigma 50mm ART lens can be preordered at BHphoto (Click here) and Adorama (Click here).
Tamron 16-300 APS-C A-mount lens can be preordered at Adorama (Click here).

Sony 70-200mm f2.8 SSM G Series II Lens Review

Canon user that want to switch over to the Sony A7-A7r system shoudl read carefully the funny but also realistic 7 Stages switch guide from Leica Boss! I like the final stage 7 decription “Acceptance and hope”:

In this stage, you are now a Sony person. You know this means constant head-scratching, dealing with bizarre pricing and more camera body releases than lens releases. You accept that you’ll never see a meaningful firmware release. But you’re all-in. You love your A7 system. You’re an e-mount guy. You’ve got your eye on a Summilux 50mm. The world is your oyster, and you’re capturing it 36 megapixels at a time…

New Custom L bracket for Sony α7 PSL-a7II by Sunwayfoto.
Sony publishes some data showing its semiconductor manufacturing capacity (Image Sensor World).
Tamron 150-600mm test at Quesabesde.
Mirex adapter for Canon EOS to Sony ‘E’ Mount (OnLandscape).
Nauticam housing for the A5000.
Sony Xperia Z2 overview: Revised model takes first place in Mobile rankings (DxOmark).
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H400 Review (Photographyblog).
Tamron SP 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD – sample images on Lenstip (Shoot on Canon).
non technical review of the A7 by James.
Sony FE 70-200mm images at Kasyapa.
A6000 and Touit 12mm image samples at DC.watch.
Sony Too Applies for GS Pixel with Internal Storage (Image Sensor World).
A6000 test at Itmedia.
Sony A7R, 35FE and Sigma DP3 Merrill comparison at Massimocristaldi.com.

Phiniox: “I just wanted to share my initial experience modifying the Sony E 16mm f2.8 for full frame.
Without the modification; the needed crop is 1.25x resulting in 20mm ~15mp (4800x3200px). With the mod this reduced to 1.09x – 17.5mm 20.1mp (5500x3666px). So being that the A7 in APS-C crop mode makes 10mp files I recovered an extra 10 megapixels. Shooting at F8+ with the use of heavy lens correction can the vignetting and distortion is be cleaned to produce very usable results. I may actually prefer the crop SEL16F28 to my Tokina AF 19-35mm f3.5-4.5 A Mount. A 200 dollar native ultra wide is an attractive option to other more expensive solutions.
Initial Impression/Gallery: http://phinioxglade.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/modified-sony-e-16mm-28-for-use-on-ff-a7.html
Real world use/Galley: http://phinioxglade.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/modified-sony-e-16mm-pancake-for-full.html“

If you follow SAR closely you will remember I posted two great Sony patents: One about a Curved Sony sensor tech and one about a 35mm f/1.8 Full Frame lens designed for curved sensor. Now, usually it takes years before a patented idea will be materialized in a real product. But you know, Sony cannot afford to avoid to sit down and stay still. They have to make real inovative products in order to catch up with the big two Canon and Nikon.

And the good news is that this is no more a dream! Image sensor World reports a great news. Sony will officially present their curved sensor technology at the Technology Symposium! This is what Sony writes about the presentation they are going to make:

We realized an ultimately advanced imaging system that comprises a curved, back-illuminated CMOS image sensor (BIS) and integrated lens which doubles the sensitivity at the edge of the image circle and increases the sensitivity at the center of the image circle by a factor of 1.4 with one-fifth lower dark current than that of a planar BIS. Because the lens field curvature aberration was overcome in principle by the curved sensor itself, the curved BIS enables higher system sensitivity through design of a brighter lens with a smaller F number than is possible with a planar BIS. At the same time, we controlled the tensile stress of the BIS chip to produce a curved shape that widens the energy band-gap to obtain a lower dark current. The curved CIS can be applied to an ultimately advanced imaging system that is validated by the evolution of the animal eye in Nature.

Now combine that sensor tech with a small and fast 35mm f/1.8 lens and you will get a superb new RX2 camera! More compact, faster and of much higher image quality than the current RX1-RX1R. And we also can hope to see an interchangeable mount camera with such a sensor in near future too!

I cannot wait to get some rumors about the RX2. If it has that kind of curved sensor tech I am sure SAR readers will be exctided about this. Or not?

NEX-6 Firmware with Sigma 19mm 1.02 vs. 1.03

Sony RX10 review at ThePhoBlographer.
Touit and ZM lenses on the Sony Alpha 7R – a good connection (Zeiss Blog).
A7 and A7r review at Photographybay.
Sony A7 test at Polish site Optyczne.
Some overarching thoughts on Sony’s strategic position with the rumored medium format camera (Diglloyd).
Phase One iXU 150 aerial photography cam with Sony sensor announced (Photographyblog).
Not even the newest Canon entry level DSLR can come close to Sony sensor performance (DxOmark).
Organic sensor patent (Freepatentsonline)
Drei Tage mit dem Sony FE 4/70-200mm G OSS unterwegs (Berlin Backstage).
Sony A7R Wedding Camera Review at Studiorlphotography.

Jean-Luc: “I just uploaded a few photos form the Sony A7 + Kit Lens on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phychi/sets/72157641996184584/) It maybe useful for futur buyers to see how it performs in “real life”. The photos are from an “out of the box” camera I bought just an hour before (I already had a charged battery from my NEX-5N) and are taken in Strasbourg, France, at the end of the afternoon.”

Alex: “I thought I show you my first Video on the „Hohe Wand/ High Wall“ Mountain in Austria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1adw0qAK44. Since I do photography for almost a decade I could use a lot of my knowledge in composing the scenes in video. I made it with the Sony A7R and the 35 and 50 Summilux 1,4 ASPH FLE The Scene where you see me is shot with the 50 in APSC Mode and I used the „almost selfmade“ Igus Slider which comes cheaper than ready made sliders. for the Voice I used the Rode NT1A and I edited all in FCP X. I used to be a canon shooter an skeptical about the EVF but for the A7R I sold all of my Stuff.”
Gavin: I finally published my detailed A7R review and setup guide and would be delighted
if you’d share it on SAR.

Gavin: “Rather than rush a review after a few days of use, I thought I’d get three solid months of usage under my belt before publishing the review: http://www.fototripper.com/sony-a7r-review-setup-guide/”

Dierk: “Seit Kurzem nutze ich die NEX-6 an 4×5″ Großbild und bin ganz begeistert. Hier sind erste Bilder dazu:
Sinar P: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dierktopp/sets/72157641670093123/
Gandolfi: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dierktopp/sets/72157641081324295/”

Henri: “I want to share my website with you which I just launched. I am an enthousiast photographer, and I use my Sony Nex 5R to for travel photography. Lenses I mostly use are the 35mm 1.8 and the Sigma 19mm 2.8. I hope you like my work! henrivanbavel.com”

Massimo: “http://portfolio.massimocristaldi.com/-/galleries/photo/documentary/scicli-2014 all taken with the subject settings, autofocus, low lights, PP with Silver EXF (A7R, 35FE, ISO6400, 1/80, f2.8)”

Alexandre: “I shot some beautiful thai models with my Sony A7R and the Zeiss FE35mmF2.8: http://thailandfacts.com/models-bangkok-motor-show-2014-impact-thailand/“

UPDATE: It’s now April 2. Time to say you have been fooled :)

This is the Fool news:

After many weeks of work I can finally unveil that Sony is about to launch two new Full Frame cameras based on the same brand new Sony 3 layer sensor (Similar to Foveon tech). On May 1 Sony will unveil the A91 A-mount and the A9 E-mount cameras featuring the 54 Megapixel 3 layer sensor.

3 layer sensor: Every layer captures 18 megapixel. The resolution and color richness is said to be world-class leading. No other camera of the world can nearly match the IQ from those cameras!

AF: The sensor contains 345 phase detection AF points covering 97% of the imaging area.

A and E-mount: The cameras are very similar but the A91 will have on sensor stabilization. The A91 will also be the first A-mount camera that is completely mirrorless and without the SLT mirror!

I have no other specs nor price info yet. But stay tuned!