Zeiss 24-70mm FE lens gest DxOmarked!

The new Zeiss 24-70mm F/4.0 is finally in Stock and shipping in many stores: In USA at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. And in Europe at Sony DE, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, SE, PT (Click on country name to see the lens site).

But how good is the lens?

Well DxOmark (Click here) just posted the full lab test results and writes:

Performance of the Zeiss Vario-Tessar is good overall but it’s not without some idiosyncrasies. On the one hand it has very good uniformity, barring a dip wide-open at 24mm, it’s sharp right out to the corners.
Control of other aberrations at the wide end – chromatic aberration, distortion and vignetting isn’t quite what we would expect, but at all other focal lengths the lens performs well. Given the not unreasonable price of the lens (and the camera body for that matter), Sony has managed to deliver a balance of performance and value, while at the same time offering something different to the mainstream options. There’s little doubt it’s an attractive combination, but it’s not quite the resounding success we believed it would be.

And here are more recent tests:

Zeiss 24-70mm lens test by Tim Ashley and this is what he thinks about it in very short:

It’s not perfect but I think it is the single most useful lens in the world right now. I really do. And it is a whole barrel load of fun.

And Leica Boss writes:

flexible zoom with a lot of very impressive qualities that will probably never dazzle me… but will certainly get the job done well.

Unboxing video by TheDigitalDigest:

New A6000 Hybrid AF explained by Sony LearnTV.

If you ever wanted to know what how phase and contrast detection AF works than check this out the well made video made by Tim and Tuki from Sonylearntv. It explains you in easy words why the A6000 is faster the previous NEX cameras.

P.S.: Tim and Tuki, Funny name combination ;)

Sony A6000 preorder list with US and Europe links:
Sony A6000 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here). In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT, WexUK.
Silver A6000 at WexUK (Click here).
Sony A6000 with lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here)Sony Canada (Click here), WexUK (Click here).
Silver A6000 with lens at WexUK (Click here).
Sony 70-200mm FE at Amazon (CLick here), BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here). In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT

Sony NEX-6 vs NEX-7 vs A6000 AF test.

The video on top shows you a Sony NEX-6 vs NEX-7 vs A6000 AF test. Again, in normal light conditions the A6000 simply rocks!

P.S.: A6000 Image samples at Zol China.

Sony A6000 preorder list with US and Europe links:
Sony A6000 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here). In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT, WexUK.
Silver A6000 at WexUK (Click here).
Sony A6000 with lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here)Sony Canada (Click here), WexUK (Click here).
Silver A6000 with lens at WexUK (Click here).
Sony 70-200mm FE at Amazon (CLick here), BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here). In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT

DxOmark: Red Epic is the first camera to (slightly) outperform the 36MP Sony sensor.

Image courtesy: DxOmark.

From all cameras tested to date by DxOmark the Red Epic is the first to outperform the Sony 36 MP FF sensor. Well you have to pay $17,500.00 for the Epic “brain” only (no accessories included) to slightly beat the Sony A7r performance. Obviously, the Red main feature is the 5k video recording. But I am pretty sure Sony will release a 4K FF soon too :)

I am now wondering how well the new 50 Megapixel Sony medium format sensor will score at DxO. I am pretty sure it will overrun the Red Epic! P.S.: Hasselblad 50MP Sony sensor camera is available for preorder at BHphoto (Click here).

One more Sony A6000 AF test…

On top you can watch a new short Sony a6000 AF speed test. Again, pretty impressive!

Sony A6000 preorder list with US and Europe links:
Sony A6000 at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here). In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT, WexUK.
Silver A6000 at WexUK (Click here).
Sony A6000 with lens at Amazon (Click here), Adorama, BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here)Sony Canada (Click here), WexUK (Click here).
Silver A6000 with lens at WexUK (Click here).
Sony 70-200mm FE at Amazon (CLick here), BHphoto (Click here), SonyStore (Click here). In Europe at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, AT, NL, BE, CH, FI, SE, PT

Next A7 and A7r news and test roundup!

Chile – from Patagonia to Valparaiso – 2014 (1080p version) from Hacky on Vimeo.

A journey from Chilean Patagonia across the land of Volcanos to Valparaiso captured with the Sony A7R (3D-Kraft).
A7r video review by SonyAlphaLab on Youtube.
Zeiss 35mm FE image smaples at Optyczne.
One Journey, Two Cameras: The Sony A7r and the Leica M Monochrom (PetaPixel).
Plenty of Canon lenses tested on the A7r at Mobile01.
A7r RAW and JPEG noise test at AlphaNumerique.
Sony A7r – Again! Sony FE 28-70mm and Minolta 70-210mm lenses (Soundimagesplus).
A7r review at Digital-photography-school.

George:Here is the best price you will ever see for a sony a7 – complete with a bonus vertical grip! Approx. AUD$1000 less if bought on retail prices…http://www.firstdutyfree.com.au/category/technology/tax-free-digital-slr-cameras/45088-sony-ilce7kb-single-lens-ilc-camera-black. Hope u can let readers know,especially if they are travelling overseas. And don’t forget to ask for the bonus vertical grip as well…

Bruce:I’m a long-time reader and a fan of your site. I thought you might be interested in a couple of posts I made today. Last week I was stuck in a snowstorm in West Virginia and shot some footage and stills with my a7r. I used a Sony-Zeiss 55/1.8, an Olympus Zuiko 28/2, a Leica 90/2 and a Contax 135/2.8. See them on my tumblr page: http://behyer.tumblr.com

Specs and Store Links in US and Canada:
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.

Specs and Store Links in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT
Zeiss 24-70mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, SE, PT
Sony G 28-70mm lens at Sony DE, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO.

Asia:
A7r at Digitalrev.
A7 at Digitalrev, Amazon Cina.
A7 with 28-70mm lens at Digitalrev.

TheCameraStoreTV: Did the RX10 just kill the camcorders?

Well, one of the best Sony cameras to date is certainly the Sony RX10. It’s a camera that has no competition and that can do many things right in one simple package. The team from TheCameraStoreTV tried to understand if the RX10 can also replace high end camcorders. Just watch the video to get the answer!

And if you want the camera keep in mind that in US you get $240 of free Select Accessories with the Purchase of camera at Amazon and SonyStore.