(SR5) New A-mount Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 SSM coming with the A9x!

After a long pause I can finally share a new SR5 (top rumor) with you! According to trusted sources Sony will release a new A-mount Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 SSM lens in 2012. I am not sure yet about the exact month but it could be announced along the new A9x in Spring. I have also no idea yet about the price. Easy to guess it will be more expensive than the [shoplink 7134 ebay]Sony 50mm f/1.4 lens ($399)[/shoplink]. It should be more in the price league of the manual [shoplink 10196 ebay]Zeiss Planar 50mm f/1.4 lens ($700)[/shoplink].

A couple of months ago the Japanese blog Egami found a new Sony patent that describes the characteristics for two new standard lenses. A new 50mm f/1.2 and a new 50mm f/1.4 fullframe lens. You see the lens specs on top of this post.

One more info: Sony postponed all Sony fullframe lens releases from 2011 to 2012. They will all come with the new FF cameras. So expect a nice bunch of new lenses! Stay tuned on SonyAlphaRumors! And don’t forget to join us on facebook (Click here).

Poll:

What's the camera that would be able to steal the spotlight from Canon/Nikon?

  • new FF E-mount camera with larger body, new menu design, with great weather sealing and ergonomy (18%, 1,338 Votes)
  • Sony A9r 60+ Megapixel camera (17%, 1,271 Votes)
  • Camera with curved sensor (14%, 1,054 Votes)
  • Classic design and Rangefinder styled FF E-mount camera (13%, 980 Votes)
  • Camera with 3 layer RGB sensor (aka Foveon) (12%, 888 Votes)
  • something else not mentioned here (write your idea down in comment system) (7%, 546 Votes)
  • Medium format RX (7%, 519 Votes)
  • new 645 medium format system mirrorless camera (6%, 447 Votes)
  • camera with the first 100MP sensor. (4%, 298 Votes)

Total Voters: 7,341

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Links:
Sony 50mm f/1.4 lens at [shopcountry 7134]
Zeiss Planar 50mm lens [shopcountry 10196]

Current Zeiss fullframe lenses for Sony:
SAL-1635Z 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* AF SLR Lens [shopcountry 9773]
Distagon T* 24mm f/2 SSM Wide Angle Lens [shopcountry 9769]
SAL-2470Z 24-70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* Autofocus Lens [shopcountry 9776]
SAL-85F14Z Telephoto 85mm f/1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar T* Autofocus Lens [shopcountry 9782]
SAL-135F18Z 135mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* Autofocus SLR Lens [shopcountry 9771]
SAL-135F28 135mm f/2.8 Manual Focus SLR Lens [shopcountry 9772]

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 36 Megapixel sensor for Nikon and Sony (Nikon leaked). Is it too much?

Our friends over at Nikonrumors leaked the first picture of the Nikon D800. And why should we care about it? Because it uses the new 36 megapixel Sony sensor that we first reported here on SAR almost a year ago. The leaked picture confirm that the rumor is 99% true. Before to talk about the megapixel madness(?) I want to remind you that unlike Nikon Sony will first release a 24 megapixel FF camera in early Spring and a couple of months later the much more expensive 36 Megapixel FF camera which will probably have a built-in vertical grip. Both camera will be SLT (no optical viewfinder).

The good news here is that unlike Nikon Sony will offer us both, a low resolution and high resolution choice. But the question is, do we really need so many megapixels? Carl Garrard writes on Photographic Central: “I think the average consumer is starting to realize that megapixels isn’t all that important anymore, and the term itself at least in the US is becoming increasingly less popular in conversations I have with everyone. In other words, most people don’t give a crap about megapixels as much as they used too.

I believe there is no problem if Sony is going to release a camera with 36 megapixels as long as we they also offer the low resolution option (24 Megapixels). Carl also hopes that Sony will offer an optical viewfinder version. But I already know that this is not going to happen. There will be a new generation of OLED viewfinders which is even better than the currently very good [shoplink 8461]Sony A77[/shoplink] viewfinder.

Now let’s hope Sony will release the Sony A9x sooner than expected. I know many are pushing to announce the camera before the planned Spring release!

(SR3) Sony A77 1.04 firmware update being tested now. Not coming this week :(

Asian sources told me today that the new 1.04 firmware update has been released to Sony related photographers and reviewers. They are now currently testing it to check for issues. The firmware is not going to be published this week. Sorry, there has been a communication mistake between the sources. They first told me that Sony would release the firmware this week but only now they understood that it is just an “internal” release.

Please understand that this is a rumors website, it’s hard to get every time 100% reliable and super correct info. Anyway, the update should be very soon available for us normal customers too!

More about the A77/65 firmware update (+ Apple RAW support)

I got the translation from Asia about the upcoming firmware upgrade changes. It doesn’t get into the detail but I expect this to bring some major improvements. Here is the list (remember it’s translated by an Asian source):

1) expanded the number of automatic compensation of compliant lenses
2) Improvement of Responses
3) Improvement of IQ
4) Improvement of Usability

The firmware 1.04 will be released this week!

And one more news: Apple updated the Digital Camera RAW Compatibility (to version 3.9) http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1473. This update adds RAW image compatibility for the following cameras to Aperture 3 and iPhoto ’11: Sony Alpha NEX-5N, Sony Alpha SLT-A65, Sony Alpha SLT-A77.

And here it is the first NEX-7 competitor: The Fuji X leaked.

That is going to be a tuff competitor for Sony! The first Fuji X pictures surfaced at Xitek. Like the NEX-7 it has a built-in viewfinder but Fuji is using the same optical and electronic hybrid viewfinder they use on the [shoplink 6075 ebay]Fuji X100 (Click here to see that cam)[/shoplink]. I expect the Fuji X to cost much more than the NEX-7 but I admit that the viewfinder technology is a real hit. I have no info about the sensor size yet but I guess it’s APS-C. Anyway, I think Sony has a much more advanced sensor and OLED viewfinder technology (compared to the Fuji X100). And I don’t think the Fuji X will be good at video.

Maybe it’s just me, but I would like a NEX-7 version with hybrid viewfinder. And you?

...what do you think about the new 18-135mm?

View Results

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(SR2) Is this the new upcoming 30mm f/2.0 lens for NEX?


Click on the image to enlarge the size

 

UPDATE: Weeks ago I received the image of the 30mm f/2.0 lens for NEX. I am still not sure if that is just a well made PS job. What’s interesting is that a good source said that there is really a 30mm NEX prototype lens. Could the sender of the picture tell me more about this picture?

 

Free advertising for Sony. Sony is facing a hard challenge in Thailand. And I know from my sources they are working day and night to rebuild a new factory. The NEX-7 will not be available this year but feel free to get that amazing little and extremely powerful NEX-5n. It’s a way to help Sony and a perfect camera for shooting your Christmas time. Get it here at [shopcountry 8452] or in other stores you like. And if you need a nice cheap lens, get the Sony 50mm f/1.8 lens too at [shopcountry 8448]. I can highly recommend that amazing combo! I do own the NEX-5n and you get many mroe times what you pay for!

One more thing: Don’t forget to vote your future fullframe lens wishlist: http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/poll-vote-the-future-fullframe-lenses/

All new Sony cameras and lenses links:
A77 at [shopcountry 8461]
A65 at [shopcountry 8459].
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].

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!

720p OLED viewfinder for the A99?

The chinese website ZOL says the upcoming A99 could use a new viewfinder with 720p, ultra-fast response time (less than 0.01ms) and super brightness (greater than 200 cd/m2).

Here are two more screenshot with the new viewfinder specs: