Sony vs Viltrox 16mm F1.8 Showdown | Which One Should You Buy?

Today deals at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, FotoErhardt DE, FotoKoch DE.
The Secret to Getting Tack-Sharp Landscape Photos Every Time (Explora)
Flashpoint vs. Godox: What’s the Difference? (42West)
Sony ZV-E1 vs. LUMIX S9: The Choice is Easy!? (Geeky Nerdy Tech).
One Lens To Rule Them All (Mark Bennett).
Cine Cameras: Are They Worth It? (42West)
Strategies to Improve Your Landscape Photography (Explora)

Follow our new Youtube channel.
Join our SonyAlphaForum.
I kindly invite you all to follow our Discord channel, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and Twitter to not miss news and rumors

We have our own Facebook camera groups you can join to discuss the upcoming new cameras in detail:
Sony Alpha group. Sony A1 group. Sony A9 series group. Sony A7r series group. Sony A7s series group. Sony A7 series group

The new Sony FX3a has been announced an dis now listed on stores like BHphoto, Jessops.

1. LCD screen resolution upgrade: from 1.44 million dots to 2.36 million dots
2. USB-C connection in place of the older USB 3.2 Gen 1 port
3. Standard charger from BC-QZ1 to BC-ZD1 model.

That’s it.

The good news of this news: Our sources were spot on. They told us that today we would get the FX3a and therefore also the second part of their rumor is correct: In late May a NEW camera that is somehow related to this camera and this camera lineup.

–

Thanks Coenfilms for sharing the Jessops link!

If your dream is to print your images on EVERYTHING you can now preorder this UV printer on Kickstarter (Click here). With their new UV tech you can print your images on over 300 materials and in all possible 2D and 3D shapes!

Here you will find some instructions and reviews:

Sony launched an official teaser for a new Sony Xperia One announcement on May 13. As you can see from the video Sony is teasing the telezoom features of the new smartphone. And indeed it’s rumored to have a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with a 70-200mm focal length.

Rumored specs via Xpertpicks:

• According to other reports, the Xperia 1 VII’s OLED panel will support a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 4K resolution, and a 120Hz refresh rate. It will come preloaded with Android 15, like recent flagship phones.
• Under the hood, the Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered phone will offer 12GB / 16GB of RAM, 256GB / 512GB of storage, and a 5,000mAh+ battery with 30W fast charging support.
• On the front, it will feature a 12-megapixel selfie camera. The camera module on the back will have an OIS-assisted 48-megapixel primary camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with a 70-200mm focal length.
• Expected to break cover in May globally, the Xperia 1 VII is likely to carry a starting price of $1,399.

300-600mm preorders at BHphoto. Amazon. Adorama. FotoErhardt. Fotokoch. WexUK.

Mark Amir-Hamzeh, President of Sigma America just sent out this statement:

Dear customer,
Thank you for your continued support and trust in Sigma. We are writing to inform you of an upcoming pricing adjustment to our products, effective June 2, 2025.
Due to the recent implementation of government-imposed tariffs, our costs have increased substantially. We have made every effort to absorb these added expenses, but the sustained impact of the tariffs now necessitates a price increase to ensure we can continue delivering the quality and service you expect.

Key details:

• Current pricing will remain in effect for all orders placed through June 1st, 2025, subject to product availability.
• New pricing will take effect on June 2, 2025, and will apply to all new orders and any unfulfilled items.

We understand this is difficult news to hear, and please know this decision was not made lightly. We have always prided ourselves on delivering unmatched value to our customers, and we are doing everything we can to continue to do that while providing the same service and product excellence.
We sincerely appreciate your understanding and continued partnership.

Sigma manufactures all its lenses in Japan. And Japan has been slapped with a 10% tariff. How high the final price increase will be is unclear. The 10% tariff applies to the price of the imported product, not the final price you pay in the US shop. I therefore estimate that the actual price increase for consumers will be about 5-7% on top of the current price. This is something you can feel with the more expensive lenses. The new 300-600mm is available for pre-order for $6,000. An increase of 5 % would mean a price of $6300. A real world example of a price increase can be seen on Leica M11-P. The price rose from $9195 to $9839 (+7%). The camera is manufactured in Germany, which is subject to the same duty rate of 10% as Japan.

The uncertainty lies in the negotiations. It could be that the tariffs are ultimately set to zero again or that the tariffs are increased further if the negotiations fail. But this is all political speculation and I don’t want to guess what will happen in a few months’ time.

If you like to avoid paying the extra price you should consider preordering now your lens on those Sigma pages at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama.