Sigma 30mm and 19mm lens tested at Photozone.


Image courtesy: Photozone

Photozone (Click here) posted the full Sigma 30mm lens review. And the reviewer quite likes the lens: “While we didn’t formally test the bokeh this time it seems to be pretty good when looking at our sample images. Sigma’s new linear AF motor is both speedy as well as silent. Combine all this with the extremely low price tag and it’s obvious that you are getting lots of bangs for your bucks here!

And they also tested the 19mm Sigma (Click here to read the review): “The Sigma AF 19mm f/2.8 EX DN has certainly an edge over its obvious competitor – the Sony E 16mm f/2.8 – so if you are feeling an itch for compact primes it may be a reason to go for it. Price/performance-wise it is just an average offering though.

The lens is now incredibly cheap (99 Dollars or Euro) as a double kit at BHphoto (Click here) as single lens ->the 19mm is available here at Uniquephoto and the 30mm lens is also at Uniquephoto. In Europe at Technikdirekt or on eBay (via Slidoo).

RX1 roundup with great review by Utpott. And new $2599 deal in US.

Björn Utpott shows us how reviewers should take pics of cameras! The nice image on top introduces his last RX1 user report you can read here: http://bmupix.com/reviews/2013/1/29/rx1-user-report-with-raw-samples.
He writes: “Like every camera, it has some flaws, but none of them come close to overshadowing the incredible feat of miniaturization that the RX1 represents. If you’re happy to shoot at 35mm, then there’s no longer any need to sacrifice image quality in order to have a compact kit.

And now the $2599 deals on the RX1 are back at [shoplink 16823 ebay]BigValue (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 16822 ebay]Cameraland (Click here)[/shoplink]. That’s 1.920 Euro and a price difference of almost 1.200 Euro compared to the best price at Amazon Germany. EU readers will be red in face right now :)

More RX1 bits: Image samples at Photographyblog. A perplexing Sony RX1 mystery solved and a sneak peek at ongoing camera tests (Imaging Resource). Electronic Viewfinder first time in Stock at Uniquephoto. RX1 thumb in Stock at Amazon US.

Metabones first impressions on DPreview. Canon FD, Minolta MD and Amount to be supported later.

The holy grail of the adapters got tested at Dpreview. And they basically come to the same conclusion of other reviewers: “Image quality is very impressive, with results that compare exceptionally well against a full frame sensor. You do pay a small price in terms of corner softness and CA.

If you have more questions about the adapter check out this FAQ on Metabones website. And the interesting news you can read on it is that “We will be looking into [shoplink 16763 ebay]Canon FD (lens here on eBay)[/shoplink], [shoplink 16762 ebay]Minolta MD (here on eBay)[/shoplink] and Sony Alpha in the future.

UPDATE: SAR reader Vivek sent me a link to his super nice set of image samples with the Speed Booster: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vivek-iyer/sets/72157632630886829/

The EF to E-mount adapter is now shipping via the Metabones website. To get notified when more adapters are in Stock on eBay save this search on Slidoo.

Picture of the best looking RX1 accessory :)

DSLRmagazine (tranlsation here) posted the second part of their RX1 review. But what I really like is that picture they made of the RX1 with the Russian multifocal viewfinder with parallax correction. You can find plenty of them on [shoplink 16644 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

And RonMartBlog (Click here) posted the RX100 review. The absolute news for a reviewer is that he actually also let the wife draw her own conclusions :)

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RX1 links roundup:
RX1 at [shopcountry 15824].
RX1 Gariz accessories:
1) They made a new half leather case in Black and Brown ([shoplink 16437 ebay]Click here to see them on eBay[/shoplink]).
2) The new lens cap ([shoplink 16439 ebay]Click here to see them on eBay[/shoplink]).
3) The new entry is the anti loose button(!) ([shoplink 16438 ebay]Click here to see them on eBay[/shoplink]). Don’t know if that will be really useful for you RX1 owners. Someone has it and call it how it works? Thanks!
4) And this is the really first time I see that. A special Leather skin hood! ([shoplink 16441 ebay]Click here to see them on eBay[/shoplink]).

RX100 links roundup:
RX100 price search links: [shopcountry 13014].
Cases: [shoplink 13347 ebay]Official Sony LCJ-RXA case[/shoplink], [shoplink 13344 ebay]Gariz case[/shoplink], [shoplink 13345 ebay]more leather case[/shoplink].
Batteries: [shoplink 13346 ebay]NP-BX1 Battery[/shoplink].
Special stuff: [shoplink 13343 ebay]Multi-Coated LENS ARMOR UV[/shoplink]. Magfilter at Amazon (Click here). RX100 filter adapter on [shoplink 13486 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]

Sony TidBits…

There are plenty of Sony related news I summed up into this post. I am also going to post a SonyAlphaRumors readers work roundup soon. If you have something good(!) to show drop me a message and link to your work at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com. Thanks!

Matthew Durr tested the Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSS E-mount lens: “The 35mm f/1.8 is a fantastic lens, despite its focusing limitations dependent on CDAF. The only “real” knacks against it—heavy vignetting and noticeable fringing wide-open—can easily be worked around depending on the situation, what settings you shoot at, and how much post-processing you are used to doing.
Sony DT 55-300mm SAM f/4.5-5.6 Review at Photographic Central: “I do like a good bang for the buck, so an overall 8/10 rating for this lens which is very good considering a 10 would be a perfect performance in every aspect of a lens review. Comparatively the Tamron 70-300mm VC would get a 7.5/10 overall from me- but more on that at a later time perhaps!
Sony NEX-6 terrain test at Focus Numerique (translation here).
Which NEX Lenses Are Compatible with Sony’s Hybrid AF? (ThePhoBlographer).
Sony 10-18mm F4 OSS Wide Angle Lens (ThePhoBlographer).
Sony A99 review: Feature-packed, fast-shooting, full-frame DSLR proves it’s ready for the pros (Imaging Resource).
Sony A99, with Zeiss 24-70mm/2.8 and Sony G 35mm/f1.4 at Milleica.
HyperPrime CINE 35mm T0.95 at Domisljije.
Sony NEX-6 with the Minolta MC 58mm f/1.4 Lens at SonyAlphaLab.
Auto HDR and Zero Sharpness at Photographic Central.
A few thoughts on the Sony Nex 6 and the Fuji X-E1 (Mike Kobal).

 

 

Sony RX1 lens performance test at DSLRmagazine.

The JPG and RAW resolution graph (Courtesy of DSLRmagazine)

The Spanish reviewers from DSLRmagazine (translation here) focused their efforts on analyzing the Zeiss 35mm f/2.0 performance. And as you can see from the graph on top the delivered image quality is excellent. DSLRmagazine writes: “We can see that the combination of lens and sensor paired brings dramatic results, the highest level achieved to date in our tests of digital cameras.

And the resolution is already superb at full f/2.0 aperture. Something you really don’t see often on fast 35mm lenses. The best quality can be reached at f/8.0 aperture although the gain is minimal. Of course shooting in JPG instead of RAW makes you loose a bit of resolution. Vignetting is low at f/2.0 and there is a bit of distortion. But these are really non issues because you can easily correct it in Post Processing.
Terrific what that RX1 sensor+lens combo achieved! But is that performance really going to boost the RX1 sales? Would love to know how good (or bad) the camera is selling in stores!
P.S.: Some sample photos at ePhotozine. Some nice RX1 images at RX1 files.

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RX1 at [shopcountry 15824].

RX1 Gariz accessories:

1) They made a new half leather case in Black and Brown ([shoplink 16437 ebay]Click here to see them on eBay[/shoplink]).
2) The new lens cap ([shoplink 16439 ebay]Click here to see them on eBay[/shoplink]).
3) The new entry is the anti loose button(!) ([shoplink 16438 ebay]Click here to see them on eBay[/shoplink]). Don’t know if that will be really useful for you RX1 owners. Someone has it and call it how it works? Thanks!
4) And this is the really first time I see that. A special Leather skin hood! ([shoplink 16441 ebay]Click here to see them on eBay[/shoplink]).