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Photographyblog (Click here) posted the next Sony review. That time they tested the new Sony A65, the little sister (with the same sensor) of the A77. And the camera gets Highly Recommended! Here is the reason: “Image quality is excellent, with results from the 24.3 APS-C sensor easily rivalling the DSLR competition. The OLED viewfinder is simply the best EVF that we’ve ever had the pleasure of using. The A65 is still a fantastic SLT camera that is a genuine threat to the more conventional prosumer DSLRs on the market.”
The A65 is in Stock almost everywhere in the world now: Check at [shopcountry 8452].

And there is also a new NEX-5n review at Pocket-Lint (Click here): “The NEX-5N has two major things going for it: image quality and its HD movie mode. There’s no other compact system camera out there that can better the 5N’s images (except, perhaps, for the as-yet-untested NEX-7), though the distortion at wide-angle settings can make for edge softness issues. As for the second point: the 1080p movie mode is exceptional in quality, control and performance terms. In fact we’d go as far as saying there’s no other CSC out there at this price point that’s as good in this department.“.
I own the NEX-5n and also highly recommend it: [shopcountry 8459].

And here are two more links about the A77. First an A77 versus A700 image comparison at Dpreview forum and than ISO samples at Photographybay.

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Photographyblog (Click here) posted a new full Sony NEX-5n review: “It may not be the smallest (at least with a lens attached) or sexiest compact system camera on the market, but a winning combination of excellent image quality even in low-light, a refined and customisable interface, and fast and responsive operation does make the Sony NEX-5N one of our current favourites. Highly Recommended!”

While I fully agree with Photographyblog when they say that the camera has an excellent image quality I do not agree with the lack of sexiness! I use the NEX-5n with the also highly recommended [shoplink 9725 ebay]Voigtlaender Nokton 35mm f/1.4 lens (Click here to see them on eBay)[/shoplink]. It’s a terrific sexy combination! I am currently to busy to post a review now but as soon as I am back from my NYC work trip I will shows you a first preview of my NEX-5n+Nokton kit. Maybe we should do a sexiness contest to see which lens looks better on the NEX :) Do you have some ideas?

P.S.: You need an [shoplink 7984 ebay]M-mount to NEX adapter (Click here to see the list on eBay)[/shoplink] to use the Voigtlaender Nokton 35mm lens!

The Sony NEX-5n is in Stock at [shopcountry 8452]. And there is also that nice (a bit expensive) NEX-5n viewfinder [shopcountry 9110].

And the new NEX lenses can be (pre-)ordered here:
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8450].
Sony 50mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8448].
Sony 55-210mm [shopcountry 8444].

Luminous Landscape (Click here) posted a full Sony DT 16–50mm f/2.8 and LA-EA2 adapter review: “As with all new Sony Translucent mirror equipped cameras there is a light loss of between one third and one half stop. Some people are concerned about this. Well, in this day of noiseless ISO 800 cameras, and decent image quality up to ISO 6400, if a third of a stop concerns you then you definitely shouldn’t buy an EA2 or any Sony camera using this technology. On the other hand, if you are a sensible photographer who is more concerned with practicing their art and craft then the loss of less than 1/2 EV shouldn’t be of concern.”

Soundimageplus (Click here) made a Sony NEX-C3 and 5n High ISO noise test: “However the NEX-5n is definitely “cleaner”. I thought at first that it had smudged more detail, but if you look at the middle word on the headstock, the 5n has actually recorded more detail.”

You can now download the new Image Data Converter v4 (Click here to download). DK from Photoclubalpha (Click here) explains you the changes.

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New [shoplink 8461]Sony A77[/shoplink] reviews are coming in from all sides. The next one is from Pocket-Lint (Click here). The camera earns 4.5 stars of 5 and earns a “hot Product” status: “Super-fast and super-sleek: Sony’s SLT-A77 is a grand replacement for the long discontinued A700 model. The camera’s OLED viewfinder is fantastic (though still not perfection), and the camera’s 12fps burst mode and clever continuous autofocus are matched with a sterling all-round performance. The A77 will put SLT cameras firmly on the map.”

I have heard that the Thailand flood will soon also affect the A77 shipments. There are plenty of A77 in Stock now in Europe and Asia but there might be a shortage of cameras in a couple of weeks. The only big country that has no A77 in Stock is USA. The good news is that Amazon US is shipping their A77 preorders (and has the A65 in Stock here).

Here are all the A77 links I usually check to see where the camera is in Stock. As usual click on the shop name to check the availability and price:
[shoplist 8461]

Sony HVL-F20S review

There is a new Sony Alpha NEX-C3 review at CameraLabs (Click here): “The NEX-C3 is smaller, lighter,and more fully featured than the first generation NEX models. It provides increased sensor resolution at little or no cost to its excellent image quality and delivers improved handling both for compact upgraders and enthusiasts. All-in-all, more than enough to gain it our Highly Recommended award“.

Sony E55-210 Vs Pentax F80-200 Brief Shootout (RiceHigh)

Sony 135mm f/2.8 lens tested on the A77 at Ctec.

Sony A65 image samples at Optyczne.

Sony A77 review at Kamera&Bild.

Test à hauts ISO des Raw du NEX-C3 développés avec Lightroom 3 (AlphaNumerique).

Sony NEX-5n review at Photographybay (Click here): “Once you become accustomed to the control scheme, the NEX-5N is fast, accurate and delivers solid images. The inclusion of a 1080/60p video capture is a huge bonus for those interested in overcranked footage for their 24p sequences. All-in-all, the NEX-5N is a great camera that is marred by an unfortunate problem with its audio recording capabilities“.

Sony 55-210mm tets iamges at DC.watch.

Sony VG-20 review at Slashcam (Click here to read the google translation).

Why you should chose SOny over Nikon/Canon (improvephotography).

The video on op shows a german NEX-7 presentation made by Chip.de.

Photoreview (Click here) posted a full NEX-7 review: “For an EVF, the NEX 7’s finder is quite impressive. It’s big, bright and information-rich – and also very sharp. However, its dynamic range is a bit restricted and, depending on the subject and how you’ve set the finder’s brightness, in sunny conditions you can find highlights or shadows being clipped. It also suffers from a slight (but perceptible) lag in refresh rates.” and “Colours in test shots appeared natural and even traditionally difficult-to-record blues and purples were handled very well, as shown in the sample images below. Imatest showed saturation to be well-contained but revealed a few hue shifts that affected mainly the warmer hues. Skin colours were a tad warm, which some people may prefer.”  About the noise: “Image noise only became visible in test shots  at ISO 6400 and it was mainly  the granularity of luminance noise.”
The camera earns an overall rating of 8.6/10 and gets the Editor’s choice award.

And here is a good news. A german SAR reader wrote:
“I live in Germany and today I got a phone call from a Sony employee regarding my preorder of the Nex 7.
They asked to change my Adress because they cant send to a p.o. box (Packstation in german) and that the scheduled shipping is 11.11 but maybe a bit erlier! I even asked about the flood and she confirmed once again : Shippig will be in first days of November, 11.11 beeing the last day of the shipping span. (for my preorderd Nex 7)
So good luck to everyone who preordered ! Btw: I preordered the Nex 7 Kit (incl. 18-55mm black lens)”

P.S.: Sony Alpha Nex-7 Camera test Shooting speed 10 fps (youtube) and Sony NEX-7 prototype video test at the Denver Zoo (Vimeo).

New NEX cameras and lens preorder links (Click on shopname to check price and availability):
Sony NEX-7 [shopcountry 8454].
Sony NEX-5n [shopcountry 8452].
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8450].
Sony 50mm f/1.8 [shopcountry 8448].
Sony 55-210mm [shopcountry 8444].
NEX-5n viewfinder [shopcountry 9110].

Sony Nex-7 HD Video Samples – AZ State Fair 2011 (Steve Huff).

Steve Huff (Click here) posted his full NEX-7 review. It is a very long, detailed and personal view on the NEX-7. There is a lot to read, analyze and see. And I couldn’t agree more with Steve when he says: “all in all, this is a killer camera system and the NEX line has now matured into a camera that most of us have been asking for over the past 2-3 years. This will be a big one for Sony. Mark my words!“. The NEX-7 is indeed the hottest camera announced this year. Let’s hope the Thai flood will not delay the release for a very long time. George Boyd, a spokesman for Sony, told the BBC: “However, we are taking measures to move production to our third factory in Thailand which is operational and also to other sites“.

A couple of more NEX-7 related news:
Focus Numerique (Click here) posted a NEX-7 image gallery. New NEX-7 Photocomment poadcast (Click here). One more thing: For unkown reasons we noticed a huge price drop on the NEX-7 at Sony France (Click here). -100 Euro!!! A bit weird if you think that it is not even in Stock!

The NEX-7 can be preordered at [shopcountry 8454]. ALong that two amazing new NEX lenses, the 50mm f/1.8 at [shopcountry 8448] and the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 at [shopcountry 8450].