New Zeiss Touit 12mm review. Lenses now in Stock in Germany and UK.

The new Touit video you see on top of this post has been posted by Zeiss. And Photographyblog (Click here) tested the Distagon 12mm lens on the Sony NEX and the lens gets “highly recommended”.

And finally the lens is in Stock in Europe:
the 12mm at FotoMundus DE (Click here), [shoplink 18829 ebay]CameraCentre UK (Click here)[/shoplink].
the 32mm on Amazon DE (Click here), [shoplink 18826 ebay]eBay Germany (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 18827 ebay]eBay UK (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 18828 ebay]CameraCentre UK (Click here)[/shoplink],

First two Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens tests: Surprising good performance at full aperture!

The world fastest zoom lens for APS-C sensors just got tested at Focus Numerique (google translated) and Digifoto (no translation because images will not be displayed by google). And both reviewers came to the same conclusions!
FN writes: “The results of the new Sigma zoom are impressive and worthy of a professional optical 24×36 mm f/2.8 zoom!
Digifiti noticed as only limit the high chromatic aberration: “We were surprised again after seeing the test photos. You expect from a zoom lens at fully open aperture somewhat lesser performance in the corners. The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 however scored exceptionally well, even at the 18mm f/1.8 corner tightened remains very good. The bokeh of the lens looks very stylish, and distortion remains well within bounds.

The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 (here at BHphoto) isn’t yet available for preorder as Sony A-mount. But as I told you last month they will certainly release the A-mount version within the year!

P.S.: Some image samples can be seen at Dpreview too.

Zeiss Touit 32mm vs Sony 35mm.

Image courtesy: Lensrentals.

Roger from Lensrentals (Click here) tested the new Zeiss Touit lens and compared it with the cheaper Sony 35mm f/1.8 lens. It is certainly not a surprise to see the Zeiss being the winner of the contest but the Sony performance is quite close! He writes:

The Sony 35mm OSS gives you slightly better performance optically, a wider aperture, and image stabilization for $449. At f/1.8 it’s pretty equal to the Touit in resolution and has less distortion. Stopped down just a bit, to f/2.2, though, the Touit gives much better optical performance than any of the other lenses. Worth $900? To some people certainly. To others, not at all. For me, taking actual pictures with it confirmed what the numbers suggested. The center resolution is probably the best I’ve seen from any lens on an NEX camera. That’s enough to make it a future purchase for me.

Roger also writes that the Sigma 30mm f/2.8 is the best bargain. But of course it’s maximum aperture is f/2.8 “Only”. If you need a faster lens the Sony my be the best bet. But if you want to have the ultimate image quality you better go for the Zeiss. In short…it’s up to you :)

Sigma 30mm f/2.8 at [shopcountry 7044].
Sony 35mm f/1.8 at [shopcountry 14169].
32mm f/1.8 at BHphoto, Adorama and Uniquephoto. In Europe at [shoplink 18498 ebay]CameraCenter UK[/shoplink] and FotoMundus.


12mm f/2.8 at BHphoto, Adorama and Uniquephoto. In Europe at [shoplink 18497 ebay]CameraCenter UK[/shoplink] and FotoMundus.

New Zeiss Touit Manufacturing video. Full Zeiss 32mm f/1.8 review on NEX.


Carl Zeiss Lenses – Manufacturing the new Touit lenses (official Zeiss video)

Wow, that new video from Zeiss really makes you “feel” the quality of the new Zeis Touit lenses!

ThePhoBlographer (Click here) posted the first full Zeiss 32mm f/1.8 review made on the NEX-6. He writes: “The build quality is excellent and is more than worthy of being considered pro. Image quality is exceptional and the price is just right for a lens of this quality. If you’re looking to up your game, then look no further.

And the lenses will ship any time soon! X-mount lenses are already shipping on [shoplink 18704 ebay]eBay US (Click here)[/shoplink] and Amazon US (Click here) listed the E-mount Zeiss. But amazon doens’t accept preorders yet so you better grab it here:

12mm f/2.8 at BHphoto, Adorama and Uniquephoto. In Europe at [shoplink 18497 ebay]CameraCenter UK[/shoplink] and FotoMundus.
32mm f/1.8 at BHphoto, Adorama and Uniquephoto. In Europe at [shoplink 18498 ebay]CameraCenter UK[/shoplink] and FotoMundus.

P.S.: TO get notified when the Touit for NEX will be sold on eBay save that Slidoo search.

Three Sony A-mount lens reviews!

DPreview (Click here) posted the comparison between the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR vs Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II: “On DX/APS-C format, the Sony compares very favourably to the Nikon. The former is a touch sharper wide open at the short end, but the Sony pulls well ahead for sharpness at 400mm F5.6. In other respects the two lenses run pretty well neck-and-neck.

Ken Rockwell keeps testing Sony stuff. He just posted the 28-75mm review (CLick here) and the 50mm f/2.8 review (Click here).

Sony 70-400mm preorders at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here), BHphoto (Click here) and SonyStore USA (via ACDeals).

Ken Rockwell goes crazy and admits he likes the Sony A99! ;)

Hold on guys….is this really Ken Rockwell using kind words on the new Sony A99? :) After years of Nikon-Canon DSLR reviews he actually got the A99 and guess what…he really likes the camera! I am just copying and pasting a part of his conclusion. Feel free to read the full article on his blog:

As soon as you realize that this is a high-performance full-frame mirrorless camera that just happens to look like a DSLR and takes MAXXUM and Sony SLR lenses, it all makes sense. I really like the images I can make with the A99. White balance and color are very good for people shots under any light, and exposure and focus are always magically dead-on. Regular DSLRs like the Nikon D600 and Canon 6D aren’t as consistent; I get to the right shot faster with the A99 than I can with a real DSLR that requires more fiddling to get the first good shot.

So finally, even long time Nikon-Canon owners are starting to see some of the greatness of Sony cameras. And I really can’t wait to see their reaction when the new cameras will be out in 2014!

And the price of the A99 is getting a tiny bit more “Interesting” too. Thansk to the great A99 superkit offer (here at Amazon) you can find the body only for a lower price on eBay at [shoplink 18663 ebay]Camwatch ($2,348.00)[/shoplink], [shoplink 18664 ebay]Samys ($2,449.00)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 18665 ebay]Electro Electro ($2,449.00)[/shoplink]. Superkit offers are also available at BHphoto (Click here). Not bad!

To get a full overview on US, European and Asian Sony deals join our new Dealsrunner.com site. Save the page with your settings to get notified when there is a new deal. And if you find a deal you can submit it easily through this form!

The Minolta Maxxum 7000 by Ken Rockwell

[shoplink 18439 ebay]

[/shoplink] The not so Sony fan Ken Rockwwell (Click here) posted an interesting review about the first A-mount camera, the superb [shoplink 18439 ebay]Minolta Maxxum 7000[/shoplink]! great to see that I can post some Minolta news form time to time :)

Why has the Maxxum been so important for the camera industry? Well, easy, it was the world’s first autofocus SLR. And as I wrote before it came with the brand new A-mount to allow this new feature. But it also had other great tech like a nice bright viewfinder (something many of us miss on today’s A-mount cameras) a life-sensing touch switch and a body quality that will last a lifetime.

I know most of you don’t shoot film in these days but I still do. Nice camera to hold and use from time to time. I bet that in 30 years from now I will shoot with my Maxxum while current digital A-mount camera electronics will be long dead!

-> The Maxxum 700 can be found used for around $300 on [shoplink 18439 ebay]eBay (Click here to see some auctions)[/shoplink].