Lensbaby Velvet 56mm f/1.6 A-mount images samples on the Sony A7s.

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Image courtesy: Carline Jensen (please do not use them without the authors permission)

Sony Artisan Caroline Jensen posted a nice set of images shot with the brand new Velvet 56mm f/1.6 A-mount lens on the Sony A7s. See them all at carolinejensen website (Click here). She writes:

The Velvet 56  has a dreamy book too, and a killer build (very similar to all metal vintage lenses) with dreamy halation properties (the velvet look) from f1.6 to about f4. When you stop down the halation diminishes and it becomes a standard lens that is razor sharp. The only way I can describe it is that it has an “old Hollywood” feel. 

The lens can be bought at Lensbaby’s website (Click here).

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Image courtesy: Carline Jensen (please do not use them without the authors permission)

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Full Venus 60mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro Lens review at ePhotozine.

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[shoplink 34680 ebay]Bildschirmfoto 2015-03-20 um 09.05.28[/shoplink]

ePhotozine (Click here) posted the full review of the World’s First 2:1 Magnification Lens with Infinity Focus. So it’s worth to check out the review even if they tested the lens on the Canon mount version:

At 2:1 ratio, the front of the lens is just about 5cm from the subject which can lead to the camera and lens blocking ambient light, so something you have to learn to deal with. IQ is of course of prime importance, and this lens is very sharp. If your focus is precise, you will find the detail produced is excellent. My early experience in using this lens is that it is most definitely worth the purchase price and more!

You can buy the lens for $379 from [shoplink 34680 ebay]eBay Hong Kong sellers (Click here)[/shoplink].

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Free mic on all A7 cameras at Adorama.

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All Sony A7/r/s cameras get a Shure mic for free at Adorama (Click here).

More new Sony deals:
Lot of free extras like battery grip, case, SD cards coming with the A7 kits sold at Adorama (check out the list here) and BHphoto (list here)
A7/s/r lens/case superbundle again at Sony Store US (Click here).
NEX-7 with kit lens for $498 only at BHphoto (Click here).
The Sony A3000 with kit lens sells for $249 at BHphoto (Click here).
A77II kit with free grip at Sony Store US (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).

More refurbished deals:
Refurbished A7r sells for $1,399 at [shoplink 34937 ebay]Secondipity eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
Refurbished Zeiss FE 55mm lens for $749 at [shoplink 35071 ebay]Secondipity eBay US (Click here)[/shoplink] Refurbished RX100m2 sells for $379 at [shoplink 35140 ebay]Secondipity eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
Refurbished A5000 sells with two E-mount lenses and free 16GB SD card for $349 at [shoplink 34892 ebay]Secondipity eBay (Click here)[/shoplink] $300 off and free SD card and case on the A6000 double lens kit at [shoplink 34733 ebay]Secondipity eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
$100 off on the A3000 with kit lens at [shoplink 34732 ebay]Secondipity eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
Save $250 on Open Box Sony A7s cameras sold by [shoplink 34706 ebay]Samys on eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

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New image samples with the new 90mm FE macro lens (by Gustav Kiburg).

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Finally we see some nice real world image samples taken with the new 90mm FE macro lens that will ship in June/July only (sigh!). They have been shot by Gustav (JSvogel on Dyxum). Gustav writes:

all picture`s are taken handheld ….my first impression of the lens the build quality is very good , the lens is pretty big , and its held in your hand very good

Here are the images. Because this is a pre-production lens full size images are not allowed to be posted. All images are copyrighted by Gustav Kiburg (www.gkiburg.nl). Please do not repost them without his permission!

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The image below is the 100% crop of the image above:

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The image below is the 100% crop of the image above:

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All images by Gustav Kiburg (http://www.gkiburg.nl/)

So what do you think about the lens after seeing those images?

90mm macro preorder links:
In USA at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
In Europe at Sony Germany, Sony UK, Sony FR, Sony IT, Sony ES, Sony NL, Sony BE, Sony AT, Sony CH, Sony SE, Sony FI, Sony NO, Sony PT.
In Asia at Digitalrev, Sony Australia.

 

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Lensbaby Velvet 56mm f/1.6 A-mount lens officially announced!

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Today Lensbaby announced the new Velvet 56mm f/1.6 lens. The A-mount lens can be preordered directly at Lensbaby (Click here). An E-mount version will be released later this year.

Lensbaby writes:

Our Velvet 56 classic portrait lens gives you a velvety, ethereal start with a smooth finish, from the big picture to the smallest details. Bringing modern-day simplicity to the carefully crafted build and look of Golden Era-quality portrait lenses, this 56mm f/1.6 manual portrait and macro lens evokes an experience like no other. Embrace the moment as you easily go from capturing gorgeous, radiant environments to intimate details in the same scene.

Specs:

  • f/1.6-16 aperture
  • 1:2 Macro
  • 56mm
  • 62mm filter
  • Focuses from 5” /13cm from front element to infinity
  • Metal lens hood included with Velvet 56mm lenses for mirrorless cameras only
  • Dimensions (DSLR) 86mm at infinity to 112mm at Macro, 71.96mm diameter
  • Dimensions (Mirrorless without hood) 94mm Infinity to 120mm at Macro
  • Weight ~400 grams

A full review has been posted by ePhotozine.

As far as effects lenses go, this one seems to strike a good balance between blurring details for effect, and being able to produce usably sharp images. The hazy effect itself is quite pleasant. In some ways the effect is similar to what you’d expect from a soft focus filter, but in other ways the look it produces is more complex than that. The ability to focus close enough for 1:2 magnification is a huge bonus too, although the hazy effect may not be best suited for general macro photography.

Those who enjoy using Lensbaby’s range of existing products will surely enjoy this lens and the effect it produces. Others after something different to add to their arsenal may also consider it. So long as the effect produced is accounted for, it can be a very versatile lens, although it will surely be better for photographing some subjects than others.

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Konica-Minolta is designing the lenses for Sony curved sensor (for the iPhone?)

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This is NOT surprise. While Konika-Minolta HAS stopped MAKING their own lenses they still are in the business to design lenses for others! And a brand new Japanese patent spotted by Egami shows how they are working on a 20mm f/2.8 lens designed for a small-sized curved 1/3.2 inch sensor. I guess that kind of sensor will find his way in future iPhones as first. Just recently Sony also patented a 35mm f/1.8 lens for a Full Frame sensor. I guess we are now really close to see such kind of sensors used on smartphones and high-end cameras.

The advantages of having a curved sensor is that lenses do not have to correct for corner issues. It means lenses can be smaller and/or brighter compared to classic lenses designed for flat sensors.

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Sony Tidbits…

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10 Reasons You Don’t Need a DSLR

Sony Camera Club Challenge Winners (Sony Blog).
Planet Alpha is giving away a new Think Tank Urban Approach 15 backpack to one lucky forum member.
A Comparison Between the Canon 70D and Sony A7 (ilovehatephoto).
Professional Photography with E-Mount (SonyAlphaForum).
Sony’s 4K FDR-X1000V Vs. GoPro 4K GoPro Hero4 Black (ActionCameraRumors).

Eric: “I have a Kickstarter up and many of the images were shot on the A7r: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ehodgesphoto/alpamayo-to-yerupaja”

Andrea: “I’m Andrea Corticelli of CP tech srl Italy. The b-grip line. We have released a new holster specifically designed for mirrorless and compact sized cameras: http://www.bgrip.com/uno-en/“

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