Full list of the brand new Sony camera and lens savings (First price drop on the superb 12-24mm FE).

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Sony US launched massive new deals today:

1) up to $900 off on Sony camera sand lenses. See full special page at BHphoto, Adorama, Buydig.
2) Up to $500 trade-in bonus to buy a Sony cameras. See special page at BHphoto, Adorama, Buydig, FocusCamera.

We have two first time price drops on new Sony stuff:

$100 off on the 12-24mm f/4.0 lens at Bhphoto, Adorama, BestBuy, Focus and Amazon.
$50 off on the Sony VGC3EM Vertical Grip at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.

I do own both and I do highly recommend them: The 12-24mm FE is of very high quality, surprisingly lightweight and also one of the few Sony FE lenses that is NOT overpriced compared to the competition. It’s the only zoom lens I love (I am a prime lens shooter). The battery grip is a must have if you want to have comfortable handling. My favorite lens also got a discount:

$50 off on the Sony 85mm f/1.8 FE at Buydig, BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and Focuscamera.

Here are all savings:

Sony Cameras:
$500 off on the Sony A7rII at Buydig, BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and Focuscamera.
$200 off on the Sony A7sII with free extras at Buydig, BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and Focuscamera.
$500 off on the Sony A7II at Buydig, BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and Focuscamera.
$200 off on the Sony A7 at Buydig, BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and FocusCamera.
$200 off on the Sony A6500 at Buydig, BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and Focuscamera.
$100 off on the Sony 6300 at Buydig, Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama and Focuscamera.
$50 off on the Sony 6000 at Buydig, Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama and Focuscamera.
$50 off on the Sony 5100 at Buydig, Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama and Focuscamera.
$250 off on the A6000 dual kit at Buydig, Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama and Focuscamera.
FF E-mount lenses:
$100 off on the 12-24mm f/4.0 lens at Bhphoto, Adorama, BestBuy, Focus and Amazon.
$100 off on the 16-35mm f/4.0 Zeiss lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$100 off on the 24-70mm f/4.0 Zeiss lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$100 off on the 24-240mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the Sony 28mm FE lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$25 off on the Sony 28-70mm FE lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$100 off on the 28-135mm PZ lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto
$100 off on the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$100 off on the Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the Zeiss 5omm f/1.4 lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$50 off on the Sony 50mm FE f/1.8 lens at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon, Focuscamera.
$50 off on the Sony 50mm macro at BHphoto, Adorama and Amazon.
$100 off on the Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$50 off on the Sony 85mm f/1.8 FE at Buydig, BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama and Focuscamera.
$100 off on the 70-200mm f/4.0 G lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 70-300mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 90mm macro lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$50 off on the Sony Fisheye Conversion Lens for FE 28mm F/2 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$50 off on the Sony Ultra-Wide Conversion Lens for FE 28mm F/2 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
APS-C E-mount lenses:
$100 off on the 10-18mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the 16-50mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 16-70mm Zeiss lens at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama.
$50 off on the 18-105mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the Sony E PZ 18-110mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto
$100 off on the 18-200mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 18-200mm PZ lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the 20mm f/2.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the Sony 30mm macro at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$50 off on the 35mm f/1.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$50 off on the 50mm f/1.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Accessories:
$50 off on the LA-EA3 A-mount adapter at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$50 off on the LA-EA3 A-mount adapter at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$50 off on the HVL-F43M at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$100 off on the HVL-F60M at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$50 off on the Sony VGC1EM Vertical Grip at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$50 off on the Sony VGC2EM Vertical Grip at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$50 off on the Sony VGC3EM Vertical Grip at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$50 off on the Sony ECM-CG60 at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.
$50 off on the Sony RX100 underwater housing at Amazon, Adorama, Bhphoto.

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Sony a7R III Training Tutorial by Tony Northrup

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TABLE OF CONTENTS: 00:34 A7RIII Manual 00:48 USB Charging 01:18 Battery 01:43 Memory Card Configuration 05:08 Choosing Memory Cards 05:57 You Saved My Butt 06:00 Buy Cheap SD Cards 06:44 Ports 07:39 Taking a Picture 09:02 Diopter 09:44 Raw Compressed 11:18 Back-Button Focus 14:06 APS-C Super 35 17:10 Focus Magnifier 18:12 Reviewing A Picture 19:25 Auto Review 19:52 Rate Pictures 21:01 Modes 21:45 Bulb Mode 22:36 Remote Shutter Trigger 22:56 DOF Preview 23:54 Books! 25:18 Shutter Modes 26:25 Continuous Shooting Length 27:20 Focusing Modes 28:24 Focus Points 31:26 Manual Focus 31:56 Changing ISO 33:26 Exposure Compensation 33:55 Bracketing 35:07 Bracketing 36:15 Self-Timer 37:09 Timelapse 40:00 Interval Timer 40:28 e-Front Curtain Shutter 42:02 Adapted Lenses 43:26 Adapted Lens Recommendations 44:23 Silent Shooting 45:20 Copyright Info 46:28 Format Card 47:05 My Menu 47:46 Video 48:45 File Format 50:00 Dual Cards 50:28 Slow Motion 51:08 Audio Levels 51:52 Peaking Levels 53:19 Zebras 53:58 White Balance 54:27 Metering Modes 54:52 Custom Settings 56:59 Pixel Shift 59:14 Wi-Fi 1:05:37 Bluetooth 1:07:21 Recommended Settings 1:07:27 No Beeps 1:07:49 AF Illuminator 1:08:23 Enable Monitor 1:09:28 Function Menu 1:10:18 Lens Suggestions 1:12:17 Flash Suggestion 1:14:15 Tripods 1:14:41 Mobile

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This week SAR readers photos selection

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Don Vilfer‎
The Sony A9 did a great job continuously focusing in limited light for this shot. Halter horse running in the barn past an open window shot
with A9 and Sony 24-70 2.8GM at ISO 1600.

1) Submit your picture with a message and picture here: facebook.com/sonyalpharumors or on the SonyAlphaForum image section.
2) Like and comment the pictures from other readers here: facebook.com/sonyalpharumors/posts_to_page/ and on SonyAlphaForum.
3) A selection of most liked pictures by the community and by me SAR admin will be posted weekly on SAR.

Note: When sending a pic feel free to also add a link to your site to promote yourself!

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Top deal: Save $120 on the Samyang 35mm f/2.8 FE lens

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For a limited time you can grab that Samyang 35mm f/2.8 FE autofocus lens for $279 only at Amazon US (Click here).

Reminder:
The A7rIII with free accessories is back in Stock at Amazon and FocusCamera.
The new Godox Xpro-S now available for preorder at Amazon and Adorama.
Meike Battery Grip for the Sony A9 and A7rIII in Stock at Amazon US, Amazon CA, Amazon DE, Amazon UK.
10% discount on Capture One 11 (Click here) and Capture One 11 for Sony (Click here). Use the coupon code “AMBSAR“.

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How to shoot continuous frames with the A9 and external flash, my findings (by Alin Popescu)

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How to shoot continuous frames with the A9 and external flash, my findings
by Alin Popescu – Sony Image Ambassador, Romania

My very first frustrations with the A9 and event photography was the use of flash in different situations. This was actually my only complain about this magnificent camera.

What bothered me most, except the lag before the shot was taken, was that it was almost impossible for me to take continuous sequences with flash, without getting a miss or two, and by that I mean a flash-missfire or out-of-sync during the continuous shoot. I knew Sony cameras can do it, since the launch of the A7R III back in London when we shoot at 10fps with Profoto gear.

So today I tried everything I could, with every setting I imagined it might have a “saying” in this situation and I’ve finally found the “perfect” solution. I’m not saying I’ve discovered the wheel, maybe I was too stupid and did something wrong before, but trust me, I’m no beginner at this.

What I did?

First of all, I’ve upgraded all my equipment to the latest firmware. So this is what I’ve used:

Sony A9 – v. 2.0
Sony Zeiss Distagon 35mm f 1.4 – v. 02
Godox Wistro AD600B – v. 2.5
Godox X1T S – v. 16

Even if the Godox is the TTL version, for consistency between frames, I prefer to go full manual and set the trigger accordingly to shoot at 1/32 power.

A9 was on continuous M and Mechanical Shutter (the only way you can use flash on the A9), at 1/125s and F4, with an ambient value at -2.0 EV so I could clearly see if a no-flash shot happened during my sequence. ISO was set to 100 for no variation either and focus was AF-C.

I’ve filmed this with my iPhone on Slow-Mo at 240 fps, just to be able to “see” if flash popped at every shutter opening.

What I’ve discovered?

The lag we all noticed before is still present, but only at the first frame of the sequence. You can see in slow-mo, the complete black-out of the LCD, just before the first flash was fired, and then no black-out or any other lag. I’ve tested also afterwards if focus is working accordingly and it did, moving the camera to close and distant objects, did the trick.

What is to be solved? This mysterious blackout at the initial start of shooting. I have no explanation for this, since it wasn’t a TTL sequence I could blame on, as the flash/camera needed to perform pre-ttl flash to measure everything. Hope Sony will give us a no-lag system soon, but until then I’m happy I can shoot sequences without missed frames.

Please let me know of your findings!
aLLin

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Sony to Begin Shipments of VENICE Full-frame cine camera with Dual native ISO (New A7sIII to have it too?)

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Sony announced that it’s now shipping their new VENICE Full Frame Cine camera. And interesting news is that they added a Dual native ISO feature (ISO 500 and ISO 2500). This could be something we might see on the new A7sIII too. This camera is likely to be announced at the next NAB show.

Press text:

Sony Announces Upcoming VENICE Features, Including Dual Base ISO and Future Planned Support for High Frame Rates

 

Sony’s much-anticipated VENICE, its next-generation CineAlta motion picture camera, begins shipping to customers in February.

As previously announced, version 1.0 features in VENICE will include support for Full-Frame 24x36mm recording. Now, continuing its approach of incorporating customer feedback into the camera’s development, Sony is announcing several new capabilities including a “Dual Base ISO” mode. With 15+ stops of exposure latitude, VENICE will support an additional High Base ISO of 2500 utilizing the sensor’s unique physical attributes. This takes advantage of Sony’s unique sensor for superb low light performance with exceptional dynamic range – from 6 stops over to 9 stops under 18% middle gray.

This new capability is a result of requests to increase exposure indexes at higher ISOs for night exteriors, dark interiors, working with slower lenses or where content needs to be graded in High Dynamic Range, while maintaining the maximum shadow details.

An added benefit unique to VENICE is its built-in 8-step optical ND filter servo mechanism. This can emulate different ISO operating points when in High Base ISO 2500 and also maintains the extremely low levels of noise characteristics of the VENICE sensor. This new flexibility significantly expands the range of creative possibilities for production professionals.

VENICE also features new color science designed to deliver a soft tonal film look, with shadows and mid-tones having a natural response and the highlights preserving the dynamic range.

Sony has also developed the VENICE camera menu simulator. This user-friendly tool is designed to give camera operators an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the camera’s operational workflow before using VENICE in production via an intuitive, elegant menu system.

Additional upcoming features and capabilities planned to be available later this year as free firmware upgrades in version 2.0 include:

  • 25p in 6K Full-Frame Mode will be added in Version 2
  • “False Color” has been moved from version 3 to version 2

VENICE has an established workflow with support from Sony’s RAW Viewer v3, and third party vendors including Filmlight Baselight v5Davinci Resolve v14.3, and Assimilate Scratch v8.6 among others. Sony continues to work closely with all relevant third parties to ensure a cohesive workflow including editing, grading, color management, and dailies.

Another often requested feature is support for high frame rates, which Sony is working to implement and make available at a later date.

The latest public demonstration of VENICE is at the BSC Expo 2018, which begins today in Battersea, London. Internationally renowned British cinematographer Richard Blanshard will showcase Full-Frame content shot with the VENICE camera system. He will also deliver a seminar titled “Full-Frame shooting with CineAlta VENICE.”

VENICE Key Features

  • True 36x24mm Full Frame imaging based on the photography standard that goes back 100 years
  • Built-in 8-Step Optical ND filter servo mechanism
  • Dual Base ISO mode, with High Base ISO 2500
  • New color science for appealing skin tones and graceful highlights – out of the box.
  • Aspect ratio freedom: Full Frame 3:2 (1.5:1), 4K 4:3 full height anamorphic, spherical 17:9, 16:9.
  • Lens mount with 18mm flange depth opens up tremendous lens options (PL Lens mount included).
  • 15+ stops of exposure latitude: Exceptional Dynamic Range, whether you’re shooting in searing sunlight or almost no light.
  • User-interchangeable sensor, an industry first, requires removal of just six screws, enabling future upgrades and production flexibility.
  • 6K resolution (6048 x 4032) in Full Frame mode

The VENICE CineAlta motion picture camera system will be available in February 2018. VENICE version 2.0 firmware upgrades will be available in summer 2018. Optional licenses are required for Full Frame and anamorphic shooting. For more information about the VENICE platform, please visit www.sony.com/VENICE.

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