Tomorrow (January 5th at 5pm PST) Sony will stream a live video presentation from the CES show. But as reported previously it’s highly likely that Sony’s new A99x and A6100 system camera will be introduced after the CES show at or right before the CP+ photo show in late February. The CES show is more “mass consumer oriented” and as I leaked previously there will be new actioncameras, handycams and maybe some compact cameras only.
Our “SonyNinja” source (cool name!) already visited the Sony CES booth and reported this:
“At CES in the booth past few days. No new big cameras, but new line of TVs and heavy focus on HDRaudio and “lifestyle.” PlayStation VR has a big presence this year along with lots of interactive elements around the booth…”
It may be that like it happened with the A7sII Sony takes out a system camera out of nowhere to avoid any leak. But just to keep your foots on ground don’t expect yet anything granted for tomorrow.
But the good news is that the same sources who were right on the Batis and RX1rII rumors also told us the A99 successor and A6100 are finally coming as next (shipment within March).
P.S.: Virtual Reality seems to be the big thing this year at CES!
SAR reader Vitaly got the new Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 E-mount lens that sells for $129 on [shoplink 43686 ebay]eBay (Click here to read all details on eBay)[/shoplink]. He shared some unboxing pics and image samples on Flickr (Click here):
Did some test pictures and process of unpacking. Impression: Well build, good quality pictures. On downside -very short, narrow turn for focusing. Also my copy has small mark/dot inside metal part that not affect optic.
Lens Features:
Focal Length: 25mm
Aperture Range: F1.8-16
Focusing Range: 18cm-Infinite
Dimensions: Ф60mm X 33mm
Weight: 142g
Materials: Multi-coated Optical Glass / Metal body
Color: BLACK/SILVER
Available on [shoplink 43686 ebay]eBay[/shoplink]
Today Phase One has announced the XF 101 megapixel back. The CMOS sensor was developed by Sony and uses a similar [shoplink 43671 ebay]Sony A7RII[/shoplink] sensor design. Phase One says this is a “Full Frame” sensor. What they mean is that it has the real field-of view size of 53.7 x 40.4mm. It means unlike previous Phase One backs there is no crop.
Original Phase One 101 MP file (left) and 4.5 stop overexposure (right). Image courtesy by Ori Cohen
Our reader Ori Cohen made a short test with the files available for download at Phase One’s website:
“The XF 100MP boasts at being the “ultimate camera system”, powered by the world’s first 100MP sony sensor. Phase One generously gave us a few TIF sample files to inspect, and they are simply stunning. This much detail is every photographer’s dream, but it comes at a high cost of not just money, but also processing power. My system can handle huge files, but editing a 500MB TIF demands more than an I7 and 32GB of memory. I was excited to see that one of the files was under-exposed. The image in question is the dramatic mountain that was shot at ISO100, and its histogram is leaning to the left, with the help of LR I recovered the shadows and blacks in order to see if there was any noise in the shadows. In fact, the majority of the image’s pixels are dark blue\gray. Recovery of the shadows and blacks to 100% did not show any noisy pixels. In a second attempt to force the noise to appear, I pushed the “exposure” slider by +4.5 stops, and there was still no noise! obviously the highlights and whites were blown, but with a small amount of highlights and whites recovery they stayed within the histogram. The only reason I did not add +5 FULL stops of exposure was because the highlights and whites recovery sliders’ range is too narrow for this 16 bit file and can’t push the over exposed pixels to the left of the histogram. Although this observation was done at the optimal ISO, as a comparison I could not recover a similarly under-exposed A99 RAW file without seeing noise at ISO 100. I believe that this camera can recover shadows by more than 4.5 stops without showing noise artifacts, but in order to do that Adobe needs to give us the ability to dial in more than 5 stops in each direction, and extend the shadow/darks/highlights/whites recovery range.”
Phase One just announced the world’s first 100+ Megapixel medium format camera! And the sensor is made by Sony! The camera costs $48,999 and those are the key features described by Phase One (website here):
Joint sensor development and optimization
Phase One and Sony have been development partners for years, the 50MP sensor being the first milestone of our cooperation, now found in the XF IQ3 50MP. Creating the full frame sibling to the 50MP CMOS system has been a top priority of Phase One for years. We’re proud to now deliver a solution that achieves the image quality requirements Phase One customers expect, all while providing the performance advantages inherent to 100MP CMOS sensor technology. Phase One sensor experts have been working hard to optimize the complete use of the 100MP sensor for the worlds most demanding photographers.
100MP Full Frame Medium Format CMOS Perfection
We’ve always strived to offer our customers the ultimate photographic flexibility. We were the first to offer Full Frame Medium Format CCD systems and now we’re proud to be the first to offer a Full Frame Medium Format CMOS solution. The Phase One XF 100MP Camera System offers the same great advantages of full frame usability with the added benefits of CMOS. No lens crop factors, no focus screen masks, just uncompromised image quality from edge to edge.
16 bit analogue feel
For quite some time Digital Photography has surpassed analogue films in terms of resolution, ISO and Dynamic Range, but often at the sacrifice of one feature for another. Manufactures and engineers continue to strive towards reproducing the textures and tonal feel inherent to analogue photography while maintaining all possible benefits of digital photography. At Phase One this pursuit has always been central to what defines ultimate image quality. With the introduction of 16-bit Color Depth, coupled with CMOS ISO flexibility, the XF 100MP delivers a natural texture and tonal feel never before seen in digital camera system. For photographers striving for perfection, 16-bit Color is an essential addition to the versatility and resolution of the XF 100MP Camera System.
15 stops of dynamic range
The Phase One XF 100MP Camera System delivers an unparalleled 15 stops of dynamic range, retaining unmatched detail in both highlights and shadows. This is the highest performing system in terms of dynamic range that the Medium Format world has to offer. The Phase One XF 100MP Camera System is engineered to provide the detail and unmatched quality,demanded by the worlds leading photographers.
Clean ISO from 50 – 12800
By combining new sensor technology and years of experience in noise suppression through Capture One software, the Phase One XF 100MP ISO range delivers unparalleled creative freedom and performance in all shooting conditions. With a previously unthinkable base ISO of 50, the Phase One XF 100MP delivers the flexibility of longer exposures and unrestricted use of fast lenses, all while providing the cleanest possible results. Expanding on CMOS technology, the XF 100MP can offer higher ISO versatility and, with Capture One software, retain excellent noise suppression and file render.
And the image quality is astonishing! Just click here to download 800MB of images…actually only two images (Thanks Ori Cohen for finding this):
Two more images here:
And here you have the two Phase One XF100MP presentation videos:
Now who want Sony to make a medium format RX camera with that very same sensor? :)
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Current A6000 with [shoplink 26006 ebay]Gariz case[/shoplink].
The last 48 hours I got two messages from a trusted and a new anonymous source:
Trusted source: He confirmed the new camera will be named “A6100” and it will ship in March. He said latest he heard from his Sony source was that it uses a new 36 megapixel sensor. He said he will try to confirm the sensor resolution info soon.
New source: Also that source said the new camera is named A6100 and it will feature a 36 megapixel BSI sensor.
To sum up: SR5: Three trusted and one anonymous source now confirmed the A6xxx is shipping in March SR3: Has new 36 megapixel sensor.
It’s unclear if the camera will be announced on Tuesday Jan 5 at the Sony press event (follow live her eon SAR at 5pm Pacific time). Keep in mind the Cp+ photo show event is taking place by end of February…
One more thing: A source told me the A6xxx replacement camera got delayed twice last year simply because there was no “serious” competition. Sony had it ready for launch but at the end decided to launch it in early 2016 only.
DxOmark (Click here) tested the Tamron 15-30mm SP lens. They used the F-mount version on the D810 which uses the same A7r sensor. The A-mount lens can be ordered at BHphoto (Click here) and at Adorama (Click here). So how good is the lens? DxO writes:
All lenses are a compromise, but the Tamron has a good balance, with high central sharpness wide-open and sharpness improving across the frame on stopping down, and with generally good control of chromatic aberration. On the downside, it has some slight field curvature at 30mm and it has quite high levels of both barrel and pincushion distortion that are more noticeable than the Nikkor equivalents. However, at least the Tamron doesn’t exhibit complex distortion, so it should be relatively easy to correct with software. In physical terms, the lens is large and heavy and doesn’t cover the popular 35mm focal length, but as a 24-47mm equivalent on an APS-C-format DSLR, it remains a versatile offering. Combined with its good performance and the lure of built-in stabilization, at around $1,200 it looks very tempting.
Although the Sony has good center sharpness throughout much of the range, the exception is at 50mm, where field curvature can be problematic and stopping down doesn’t help. It also has quite noticeable chromatic aberration at the edges of the frame at 16mm and when stopped-down mid-range (24-35mm), making it look like a somewhat problematic lens. On balance, however, after taking the high speed aperture, stabilization, sonic type motor and price into account, it remains an attractive option for Sony users. But if brand loyalty isn’t a concern, potential buyers could look at the offerings from Sigma or Tamron.
A source (Thanks!) sent me that info that I still have to double-check with other sources. He told me that:
Sony will announce at least two new lenses designed for APS together with the A6100. One is a average 16-50mm f3.5-5 zoom. the other is a 16-200mm f4.0-6 super zoom. Both lenses lack in lens stabilisation
Finally some non super expensive APS-C E-mount lenses for the A5/6000 camera owners?
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Warning to sites copying rumors: We make small “personal” changes on our rumor specs and details. That way we can spot who copied our rumors without crediting us as source. 2-3 days from now we will reveal the small change and readers can spot the sites who copied us :)
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!
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Current A6000 with [shoplink 26006 ebay]Gariz case[/shoplink].
