The Cameras of the year at BH by John R Harris.

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CameraofTheYear

On behalve of BH John R Harris selected the cameras of the year (full article here).

The A7rII got selected because:

“those who were clinging to their DSLRs until a “worthy” camera came along have been convinced to make the mirrorless move to this camera.”

The RX100m4 got selected because:

“the RX100 demonstrates how a well-designed compact camera will create much better images than your phone and will still fit easily in your pocket.”

All current Sony Christmas deals:

$200 gift card from Amazon US:
There is a new “hidden” Black Friday deal offer: You get $200 off on all major Sony cameras  if you click on that Amazon link (Click here) and use the code “CAMERAGIFT” at checkout. Here are the detailed Instructions: http://amzn.to/1lLDni1
Plenty of photo accessory Gold Box deals at Amazon US (Click here).

Sony A6000:
$50 gift card on the A6000 superbundle sold by FocusCamera (Click here).
Free extras and an additional $50 gift card for free with the A6000 double lens kit sold at Adorama (Click here).
$150 off on the Sony Alpha a6000 Mirrorless Camera w/ 55-210mm Lens & Acc kit at BHphoto (Click here).
$230 off on the Sony Alpha a6000 Mirrorless l Camera w/ 16-50mm Lens & Acc Kit at BHphoto (Click here).
Sony Alpha a6000 Mirrorless Digital Camera – Body only Deluxe Bundle at Amazon US (Click here).

Sony A7rII, A7 and A7II:
Free $200 gift card and free Metabones Smart adapter with the A7rII sold by BHphoto (Click here).
Sony a7R II Full-Frame Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera, Body Only Deluxe Bundle at Amazon US (Click here).
2% reward and free extras with the A7II sold by BHphoto (Click here).
Sony A7 with free $100 gift card at BHphoto (Click here).

RX100m4:
Free $100 gift card with the RX100 IV at BHphoto (Click here).

Full Frame E-mount lenses:
$100 off on the 24-240mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
Camera Hotlink deals at Adorama (Click here).
$80 off on the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 FE lens at BHphoto (Click here).

APS-C E-mount lenses:
$50 off on the 50mm f/1.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$50 off on the 35mm f/1.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 10-18mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the lens 30mm macro at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$150 off on the 18-200mm PZ lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 18-200mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$50 off on the 16-50mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$200 off on the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.

A-mount lenses:
$50 off on the 11-18mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$50 off on the 16-50mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 16-105mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the Zeiss 24mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the 30mm macro lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the 35mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the 50mm DT lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the 70-300mm II lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$25 off on the 85mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$50 off on the 100mm macro lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.
$100 off on the Zeiss 135mm lens at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto.

Upt to $300 off on Sigma A-mount lenses:
$250 off on the 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$250 off on the 70-200mm F2.8 DG OS HSM at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$300 off on the 105mm F2.8 DG OS Macro HSM at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
$250 Instant rebate on the 17-50mm F2.8 DC /OS at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
50mm f/1.4 ART for $849 at Amazon and Bhphoto.
Save $370 on the Tamron 150-600mm A-mount lens sold by [shoplink 42888 ebay]BuyDig on eBay US (Click here)[/shoplink]. Add the $120 mail in rebate and you pay $699 only.

Hasselblad:
Huge savings on the Hasselblad Lunar and Stellar Sony camera clones at BHphoto (Click here).

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Tutorial: SD memory card numbers explained.

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SD_cards

As you know SD cards to display many information on their front side. But what do they actually mean? Explora (Click here) posted a detailed tutorial where you can learn how to understand the info on SD cards.

In very short:

  1. Name: some card manufacturers identify their card by the targeted user; in this case, the Lexar Professional series is aimed at photographers and videographers.
  2. Read Speed: the speed at which data is read from the card.
  3. Type: as mentioned above, this will either be SD, SDHC or SDXC. Differences in capacity or speed are shown elsewhere on the card.
  4. Another speed rating, which can be calculated into MB/s with this formula: x rating/6.6666 = MB/s. 1000 ÷ 6.666 = 150 MB/s
  5. Class rating: this is the minimum sustained data writing speed, and class 10 is the highest right now, capable of 10 MB/s. The slowest rating is Class 2, which has sustained data writing speeds of 2 MB/s.
  6. UHS Rating: The UHS rating and the Class rating are closely intertwined. UHS rating of 1 means that the minimum sustained data writing speed is 10 MB/s, and UHS 3 is 30 MB/s. However, the UHS rating is more important for shooting 4K video, as the minimum data rate must be higher so frames are not dropped. For photographers, a UHS 1 and a Speed Class 10 is basically the same thing; however, the UHS cards are more effective in a device that supports UHS bus architecture, and not all devices do. So conceivably, you could have a Speed Class of 10 and a UHS 3 rating, but without a UHS device, it defaults to the speed class rating of 10.
  7. This number shows what UHS standard this card conforms to—I or II. There are four bus speeds for memory cards: Normal, High, UHS I (Ultra High Speed), and UHS II. This number shows what the bus architecture of the card is. These classifications were designed for theoretical jumps in speed, and added as the cards got bigger. There is no difference to the end user between a UHS I or UHS II card.

Now you know what card you need for the Sony A7rII :)

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Back in Stock: Perfect Sony A7r/A7rII/A7II model replicas!

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[shoplink 43101 ebay]A7rII[/shoplink]
The image above doesn’t show a giant hand with the A7rII. It’s a tiny A7rIi replica USB flash drive! And you get now get them on eBay in different models
[shoplink 43101 ebay]A7rII replica 16GB USB flash drive (Click here)[/shoplink].
[shoplink 43092 ebay]A7r replica 16GB USB flash drive (Click here)[/shoplink].

And as you can see you can really mount the USB-lens on the camera:

[shoplink 43092 ebay]A7rIIlens[/shoplink]

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Could the new High End Camera be the first with Full Frame curved sensor?

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The first picture of  Sony’s curved sensor via Spectrum.

A source sent me this:

I am not sure if this applies to the new secret high end camera, but seems possibly even more so likely:
Sony has been churning out the new curved sensors in full frame for the last couple of months.
According to their required market reports they increased their yield from 800 sensors to 1200 per month (raising it to ~80% yield).
The benefits are astounding. Increased sensitivity and higher sharpness towards the edges. The underlying sensor design is independent of this process but necessary a back side illuminated. My hopes and best guess is the A7RII sensor is used as a base, but Sony will surprise us again and do with a completely new sensor design…

Also in the patent
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20150077619.pdf
They describe a couple of new lenses specifically designed for the curved sensor, most notably a 35mm f1.8  
These lenses will need a new mounting system.
Also the additional slightly risky step to produce a sensor will increase the cost of it significantly (50-70% increased sensor cost)
Both in combination could only pushed to the consumer in the very high-end market.  Also a curved sensor really would be a revolution on it’s own, because all films until now have been more or less flat.

 

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New Nocturnus 35mm f/0.95 APS-C E-mount lens is now in Stock and shipping

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[shoplink 42362 ebay]nocturnus-0.95-35mm1-600x519[/shoplink]

The new (and very expensive) Meyer Görlitz Nocturnus 35mm f/0.95 E-mount lens is in Stock for the very first time on [shoplink 42362 ebay]eBay Germany (Click here)[/shoplink]. These are the lens specs:

Technical information:
Light intensity & focal length: f0,95; 35 mm
Optical design: 10 elements in 7 assembly units
Number of aperture blades: 10
Minimum focusing distance: 0,3 m
Angle of view: 46° (APS-C)
Gewicht: 680g
Optimised for APS-C sensors

Characteristics:

  • Exceptional light intensity
  • Ideal for low-key situations and shooting with available light
  • Minimal chromatic aberration
  • Well-balanced bokeh
  • Near-silent aperture and focus adjustment
  • Also ideal for video use
  • Precise, high-quality workmanship
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World record? Biggest photo print by SALON IRIS, shot with Sony A7II

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Lazarus@Photo+Adventure1

Stefan Fiedler sent me this:

At the recent Photo+Adventure trade show in Vienna, Austria my photo and fine art printstudio SALON IRIS proudly presented the giant panoramic photo print “Twilight Light” by Brooklyn, NY photographer Lazarus Jean-Baptiste. It is what we believe is the biggest ever in one piece printed and mounted photo exhibition print.
http://www.photoadventure.at/
http://www.photoadventure.at/weltrekord-megaprint-by-salon-iris/

Lazarus@Photo+Adventure4

Printed by SALON IRIS with an HP L28500 latex printer at photographic quality with 1200dpi resolution at the gigantic dimensions of 8,2 x 31,8 feet and mounted in one piece we could impressively demonstrate state-of-the-art photo and printing capabilities.

Brooklyn, NY based photographer Lazarus Jean-Baptiste (a.k.a. LAZARUS2020) was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He moved to NY at the age of 11 where he became a successful make-up artist. Over the past years the skyline of Manhattan has become his prefered “model”. He describes his photographs as “UHDR2” (Ultra High Dynamic Range and Resolution Cityscapes).
http://lazarus2020.com/
Please also see Lazarus´ bio attached.

Lazarus shot 26 individual photos with a Sony Alpha 7II at two rows of 13 images which were stitched for the giant panorama. The lens he used was a Canon EF 200mm F2.8L. He shot from from the New Jersey shores 1,5 miles away. Still individual persons can easily be identified in the windows of the Manhattan skyscrapers!

Interesting side note: Stefan Fiedler only met Lazarus Jean-Baptiste recently and by mere chance in front of the Photoplus Expo 2015 at the NY Javits Center when they started talking about the same Sony Alpha 7RII camera that they had both hanging around their necks. Over a cup of coffee Stefan discovered the incredible talent of the self-taught photographer Lazarus and they both decided to show Lazarus amazing work to the world – starting with the sensational panoramic print and more fascinating ChromaLuxe prints at Photo+Adventure.

——-

SALON IRIS (www.salon-iris.com) is a leading photo- and fine art print studio. It was founded 1996 by Stefan Fiedler in Vienna, Austria. The studios name refers to the legendary Iris inkjet printer that the studio used in the early days.

The highly successful Photo+Adventure trade show in Vienna, Austria attracts more than 20.000 photo and outdoor enthusiasts every two years.

Lazarus_Twilight Lights

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A comprehensive view on the Zeiss Milvus family tested on the Sony A7 (3D-Kraft).

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A7_Milvus

Milvus 50mm on the A7 (image courtesy: 3D-Kraft ).

The new Zeiss Milvus lens comes in native mounts for Canon and Nikon DSLR. Of course you can sue it on Sony FE cameras too. But how much sense does it make to use those lenses on a Sony? 3D-Kraft (Click here) posted a comprehensive view on the Zeiss Milvus family tested on the Sony A7. The conclusion is:

“As a mirrorless shooter always striving for highest achievable image quality with equipment as lightweight and compact as possible when on the move, I must concede that I am in a kind of conflict with the Milvus line. Their extraordinary solid mechanical quality in a wheather sealed metal housing comes for the price of size and weight. Most of the Milvus lenses seem to be better balanced when used on full frame DSLRs but on the other hand, manual focusing is far better supported by mirrorless systems with in-body stabilization working in live view mode with focusing aid by zoom magnification and peaking. For Sony Alpha with FE mount meanwhile you get many native and more compact pendants from Zeiss in the same price range like the Loxia line (a Loxia 21 review will follow soon, stay tuned!) or primes including AF support like the FE 1.8/55 and Batis 1.8/85.
However, the optical quality (sharpness, bokeh, micro contrast, flare resistance, distortion control) – especially of the new designed 1.4/50 and 1.4/85 – is very good, the only weak point is their lack of apochromatic correction so that you will see some axial CAs (“boke fringing”) at open aperture especially from the f/1.4 lenses. Usually this type of CA can be removed in post processing quite easily. If you look for “no compromise” apochromatic corrected lenses, you might consider lenses of the Otus line (Otus 1.4/28 review coming soon on this site!) but those do not have features like wheather sealing or declickable aperture ring, which you find in the Milvus line.”

Read the full detailed test at 3D-Kraft

Here are the detailed Lens info and preorder links:
Zeiss Milvus 100mm f/2M ZE Lens for Canon EF at BHPhoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here).
Zeiss Milvus 100mm f/2M ZF.2 Lens for Nikon F at BHPhoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here).
Zeiss Milvus 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Canon EF at BHPhoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here).
Zeiss Milvus 21mm f/2.8 ZE Lens for Nikon F at BHPhoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here).
Zeiss Milvus 35mm f/2 ZE Lens for Canon EF at BHPhoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here).
Zeiss Milvus 35mm f/2 ZE Lens for Nikon F at BHPhoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here).
Zeiss Milvus 50mm f/1.4 ZE Lens for Canon EF at BHPhoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here).
Zeiss Milvus 50mm f/1.4 ZF.2 Lens for Nikon F at BHPhoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here).
Zeiss Milvus 50mm f/2M ZE Lens for Canon EF at BHPhoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here).
Zeiss Milvus 50mm f/2M ZE Lens for Nikon F at BHPhoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here).
Zeiss Milvus 85mm f/1.4 ZE Lens for Canon EF at BHPhoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here).
Zeiss Milvus 85mm f/1.4 ZE Lens for Nikon F at BHPhoto (Click here), Adorama (Click here).

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