New 85mm GM, 24-70mm GM and A6300 reviews

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85mm

Jordan Steele from Admiringlight tested the new Sony 85mm GM lens:

The Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM is a lens that feels greater than the sum of its parts. Yes, it’s very sharp; it’s got great bokeh; it’s got good color and contrast. It also has some minor flaws. However, the combination of the imaging characteristics adds up to something truly special. The look that can be created with this lens is simply stunning: the sharp pop of the subject with a gorgeous fade in the background. Ultimately, it’s simply beautiful.
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Photogrpaphyblog tested the new 24-70mm GM lens:

Image quality is excellent. Chromatic aberrations are very well controlled, bokeh is impressive thanks to the fast f/2.8 aperture and 9-blade circular aperture, and the Nano AR Coating coatings successfully prevent contrast loss attributable to flare. The only real optical issues are some mild corner shading and slight barrel distortion at the 24mm wide-angle focal length, and a drop-off in sharpness at 35mm compared to the other main focal lengths.
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The A6300 got tested by Imaging Resource:

It was a tall order to improve upon the A6000, but Sony managed to pull it off. Build quality is better, image quality is better, video quality is better, and performance is better. Sure, there are some downsides, such as a still-limited selection of native crop-sensor E-mount lenses, no touchscreen and clunky menus, but the positives far outweigh the negatives in our eyes. At just under $1000 body-only, the Sony A6300 packs one heck of a punch in both features and performance, and undoubtedly gets two thumbs up as a Dave’s Pick.
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Mirrorlessons posted the full A6300 review too:

The autofocus performance combined with the Live View of the EVF is beyond anything we’ve seen from a mirrorless camera to date, and it comes packaged in one of the smallest bodies in the high-end mirrorless sphere. If all you shoot is sports and wildlife and are in search of a compact solution, this camera should be at the top of your list.

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Sony Tidbits…

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Voigtlander 15mm Super Wide Heliar III – Lens Review

Brazilian Zouk in Dublin, A FS5 shoot (SonyAlphaForum).
Primer: What is VR, and why should photographers care? (Dpreview).
Sigma 20mm f1.4 Art Lense with Commlite Adapter on A7R II (SonyAlphaForum).
Sony Alpha A6300 Full Review at ePhotozine.
Sony Joins Forces with Cogitai to Conduct Research and Development for the Next Wave of Artificial Intelligence (Sony.net).
Hands-on preview met de Sony RX10 III (Sony.be).

Taylor:I recently made this video of night snowboarding with the a7S: https://vimeo.com/165722611

Alexandre:I went to the Bangkok Motor Show 2016 and I shot the most beautiful Thai Models with my Sony A7R2, the Zeiss lens 35mmF2.8 and the Flash F43M . This is the link to my post :
http://traveljournalist.com/beautiful-thai-asian-girls-bangkok-motor-show-2016

 

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Dpreview: Sony RX10 III destroys the competition

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[shoplink 48252]rx10-iii_top_tele[/shoplink]
Dpreview compared the new [shoplink 48252]Sony RX10III[/shoplink] against the Panasonic FZ1000 and the Canon G3X. The Panasonic is as good as the Sony but does only go as far as 400mm. So the real contender seems to be the Canon:

The real reason people consider bridge cameras is for the reach, and Sony extended the RX10 III’s reach by a full 400mm over the RX10 II. That means it now offers the same amount of reach as the G3 X’s 600mm equivalent maximum focal length. The RX10 III’s lens is clearly sharper, but it has another thing going for it: its faster maximum aperture helps it combat diffraction. Remember that F4 and F5.6 on 1″-type cameras are equivalent to F11 and F15, respectively. Both cameras are limited by atmospheric distortion at these focal lengths (hence the drop to ‘print’ resolution in the previous comparison link), but it’s clear that the RX10 III exceeds the G3 X’s performance, while offering just as much zoom versatility. The Canon PowerShot G3 X’s trump card has been trumped.

RX10m3 store links to [shopcountry 48252].

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Pick the three top features needed on the new Sony A9!

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Trusted sources told us Sony will launch a new high end E-mount camera model placed above the A7 series. For now let’s assume the camera will be called “A9”. We know the camera is bigger than the A7 series, with larger batteries and dual XQD card slot. Little is know about the specs yet. But let’s hear from SAR readers how the A9 should be:

What should be the three main features of the Sony A9?

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P.S.: Join the Sony A9 facebook group ;)

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How to peel off Sony a7R built-in factory LCD protector (by José Ramos)

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Sony a7R LCD protector removal 2

This is a guest post from José Ramos.To write a guest post follow the instructions on that page. Thanks!

———————-

I think you should share this with your fellow readers, as there isn’t any available info about this on the web.

As many people do know, Sony a55, a77 and the Nex series all had a removable factory built-in LCD protector. For those who didn’t put a new screen protector in their cameras when they bought them, the screen would soon start getting scratches and stains. Many photographers sent their cameras for repair and others tried to change the LCD, until David Kilpatrick found out that Sony was actually putting a factory built-in screen protector in their LCDs, which you could remove and then just put a brand new protector. It was a bit of a scary procedure, not because of technical difficulty, but because you had to pull the protector with considerable strength, as the glue was very strong. I did it to my a55, a77 and nex5 and it worked flawlessly.

Sony a7R LCD protector removal 7

Last week I was trying to find a 2nd hand backup a7R for my Iceland photo tour next week, and found a portuguese photographer who had one. I bought it and upon close inspection the LCD was in very bad shape, with lots of scratches and small stains all over it. I immediately remembered the good old screen protector technique and decided to do a quick research about that procedure in the a7 series. To my huge surprise I found nothing about it being possible. As a matter of fact I found the opposite, with many photographers stating the a7 series LCD was different, and it was no longer possible to peel off the LCD protector. I started getting really worried, because not only I had spent a lot of money in the camera, but also because I had no time to return it and search for a new one before my trip. I spent several hours trying to find an answer on the web, including youtube and forums, and still got no answer. People who had damaged LCDs were going through the trouble of ordering new LCDs from ebay and doing a complicate procedure to install them, some of them ending up with non working LCDs.

Following a recommendation from David Kilpatrick, my usual savior and favorite Sony Guru, I decided to ask the question on the a7R Facebook group. Fortunately, not only I got the usual “it’s not possible!” answers, but also got feedback from three photographers who had done it to their a7 cameras with success.

Sony a7R LCD protector removal 9

I checked and re-checked asking if it was really doable, and filled myself with courage and went ahead. As you can see by the images, the screen protector is fully removable, just like it used to happen with the previous Sony Cameras. I have no idea why this is not disclosed by Sony, and some people were actually advised by Sony to wipe their screens with lens wipes or to send the camera for repair! You need to apply a scary amount of strength while trying to remove the protector, and make sure you are properly grabbing the LCD with your other hand, to avoid damaging it. As you can see in the images there was a lot of residue accumulated below the built-in screen protector, and I had to spend a bit of time using Zeiss wipes to remove it, including glue residues in the LCD margins. There is still a bit more to clean, but at least I’ve finally solved it.

This was a nerve wrecking experience but all ended up well. I definitely think this should be shared with the Sony Community!

Cheers!
José Ramos

UPDATE: One word of caution: you should try to avoid having your LCD in such bad shape, so always make sure you put a screen protector as soon as you buy your Sony camera. If your LCD is severely scratched and/or is severely stained, then do this procedure at your own risk, knowing that it might void the camera warranty.

http://www.joseramos.com
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Sony Tidbits…

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10 Bit vs 8 Bit – Sony FS5 vs Sony a7Sii a7Rii – Is 10 Bit Always Better?

Sony A6300 Review: 48 hour affair (Ata Adnan).
2016 Roundup: Interchangeable Lens Cameras $800-1200 (Dpreview).
The Future of Image Sensor Technology – Beyond the Bayer CFA (Cinema5D).
Motorcycle Adventure in Italy – 5 Days with the a6300 (SonyAlphaForum).
Firmware update for the FS5 (Sony UK).

Loup:I have done a video with the A7R II and RX100 IV which in my opinion really shows the potential of what you can do with it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO603YjuIoY

Florian:Quick link to a cinema graph done with the sony a6300, 16-35mm f/4 (canon, adapter via commlite), nothing special but shows nicely how much detail in the shadows and highlights the a6300 can retain even in video mode. https://media.giphy.com/media/26vUucU5JEANiAvQc/giphy.gif Slog in that tiny body is incredible…still can’t wrap my head around the size and power of it!

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