(SR5) RX100M3 leaks out on official Sony manual!

Like I told you before Sony will announce more than just the A77II on May 1 at 10am London time. One of the smaller surprises could be the new Sony RX100M3 whose name just leaked out through a Sony manual (see screenshot on top). There are no specs or info yet but I am sure we will have them soon. But if you compare the images at the bottom you will see there seems to be a difference on the lens size suggesting that there may be some changes (hopefully the patented 28-100mm f/1.8-2.8 lens!). Meantime the current RX100II has already a [shoplink 26119 ebay]$100 off on eBay US (Click here)[/shoplink].

And from what I heard there will be ore surprises. So please stay tuned on SAR the next hours and days!

via Digicameinfo.

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Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
SR2=rumor from unknown sources
SR3=50% chance it is correct
SR4=rumor from known sources
SR5=almost certainly correct!

Sony is very very very serious about the curved sensor tech! New official announcements.

Sony sensor tech. Image source: VLSI Symposia tipsheet

A couple of weeks ago I showed you two patents describing a Full Frame curved sensor and a 35mm f/1.8 lens designed for such a sensor. Usually when you see Sony patents you well know that it could take ages to see it applied on a real world mass product. Well this could be one of the few cases where a patent becomes “real” in a very short time.

First of all the prestigious site Nikkei Japan reports that Sony has developed a curved sensor that doubles the sensor sensitivity. And Nikkei doesn’t spread a news based on patent :) It means Sony is really ready to launch that kind of tech!

And than VLSI Symposia tipsheet (via ISW)explained better how this sensor works:

“Curved CMOS Image System: When light transmitted by a lens strikes a perpendicular target such as a CMOS image sensor, it forms a circle of light called an image circle. It’s difficult for a flat (planar) CMOS image sensor to deliver high image sensitivity at high resolution (highly scaled pixel pitch) because of the fundamental physical limit known as quantum efficiency. To break through that physical limit and to achieve higher sensitivity anywhere within the image circle at higher resolution, Sony built and will describe an imaging system that comprises a hemispherically curved, back-illuminated CMOS image sensor (BIS) and integrated lens. It doubles the sensitivity at the edge of the image circle while increasing sensitivity at its center by a factor of 1.4, with a 5x reduction of dark current (Jd) compared to a planar BIS. Moreover, a common problem known as lens field curvature aberration (Afc) is mitigated by the curved sensor itself, and so the curved BIS enables higher system sensitivity with a brighter lens with a smaller F number (Fn) than is possible with a planar BIS. In addition, by controlling the tensile stress of the BIS chip to produce a curved shape in the first place, the energy band-gap (Eg) is widened and a lower Jd is achieved. (Paper T2.1, “A Novel Curved CMOS Image Sensor Integrated with Imaging System,” K. Itonaga et al., Sony)“

And as you know an anonymous source said the RX2 with curved sensor tech and 35mm f/1.8 lens will be announced in summer. it has to be seen if Sony can use such a curved sensor on an interchangeable E-mount camera…

(SR4) 16-50mm lens gets small updated with the A77II released.

Sony will “update” the current A77 by releasing a new A77II A-mount camera next week (announcement around May 1-2). As I told you before this is an “upgraded” A77 which means it’s rumored to have an updated 24MP sensor, 11fps (new rumor), WiFi, improved EVF and I have been told very fast autofocusing. Also Body layout will remain similar to the A77.

A trusted source also added that there are some minor updates on the 16-50mm lens too which will marginally improve the image quality of the lens. The lens is going to be announced along the A77II.

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Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
SR2=rumor from unknown sources
SR3=50% chance it is correct
SR4=rumor from known sources
SR5=almost certainly correct!

Sony A7s gets a pricing in Australia ($3499 AUSD).

The Australian Store Teds is accepting preorders on the A7s. And the price is set at $3499 AUSD. Converted this is about $3200 or 2350 Euro. This without to take in consideration the tax and other regional differences. And a “bird” told me that this should be a pretty accurate pricing (the AUSD pricing, not the conversion).

A7s Preorder or pure notification store links:
USA: Sony US,  Amazon and BHphoto.
Europe:  Sony DE, UK, ES, FR, IT, NL, SE, FI, PL.
Asia: Digitalrev

(SR3) Sigma is on fire: 24mm f/1.4 ART lens coming at Photokina.

Sigma wants to keep the momentum and they are “rumored” to launch a new high quality 24mm f/1.4 ART lens in September/October. It will be priced above the new 50mm ART lens (price $949 at Amazon or 999 Euro WexDE or 849 pounds at WexUK). This would be an exciting lens! As current alternative we have the Rokinon 24mm f/1.4  E-mount and A-mount manual focusing lens. But the Sigma will be for sure much better and autofocus!

Note: The current (superb) 50mm f/1.4 ART lens for A-mount can be preordered in USA Amazon (Click here) at BHphoto (Click here) and Adorama (Click here). and in Europe at WexUK (Click here) and WexDe (Click here).

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via Photorumors.

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Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
SR2=rumor from unknown sources
SR3=50% chance it is correct
SR4=rumor from known sources
SR5=almost certainly correct!

Glimps of a new digital photography revolution: New Lytro Illum camera announced!

The day will come, you will forget about what the word “autfocus” means. And looking at the newly announced Lytro Illum camera (https://www.lytro.com/) we will certainly not have to wait for a very long time! Unlike anything else you have seen before this camera has a 1 inch Light Field sensor. Which means it captures ALL the Light from all angles. You don’t have to focus at all because everything is “in focus”! You can add out of focus blur effect in post production if you want. That’s it. It is also simultaneously a 2D and 3D camera. You can change the perspective (to a certain degree) in post production too!

Just play with the image sample below. As you can see you can do quite a lot in post production:

And I am pretty sure Sony is working on a camera like that too…would you like an A7 or A6000 camera with such a sensor? Me yes!

UPDATE: There is a great interview at Theverge.com. This is an interesting line:

This is the future. Not the Illum, necessarily, though it’s one of the more exciting cameras I’ve seen in a while. Maybe not even Lytro, though it’s built a huge lead in its nascent industry. But light-field photography — the notion that the future is about turning the complex physical parts of a camera into software and algorithms, that capturing beautiful photos is little more than a data-crunching problem — seems almost obvious. Why capture one photo, from one angle, with one perspective, when we could capture everything? When I can explore a photo, zooming and panning and focusing and shifting, why would I ever want to just look at it?

The dead of classic photography?

(SR2) Sony RX2 with 35mm f/1.8 Zeiss and curved sensor to be announced in Summer?

 

Well, almost two months ago when an anonymous source told me Sony would release a half a million ISO camera I didn’t believe him and missed to report about it on SAR. I guess I have to post more SR2 ranked rumors in future because as I learned some of them actually become truth :)

So here is one of these SR2 rumors I received in these days:

“I received some information directly from Sony that the RX2 with curved sensor will likely be released this summer”

As you know Sony patented such a sensor for a Full Frame camera and they also patented the 35mm f/1.8 lens designed specifically for a curved sensor camera:

So I guess this is more than just an “impossible” rumor. This would become the worldwide first consumer digital camera with such a sensor! The benefits are equal sharpness across the Full Frame. Something you don’t get with any lens yet. The lens ould be also become much more compact.

So question:

Will you buy the A7c?

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Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
SR2=rumor from unknown sources
SR3=50% chance it is correct
SR4=rumor from known sources
SR5=almost certainly correct!