It’s official that Canon has some sort of announcement coming this week. But while we don’t know for sure what’s coming we can be sure there is no R1 flagship camera that will be coming any time soon. Ordinary Filmmaker reports that Canon has had issued on the prototype version of this camera and therefore the Sony A1 and Nikon Z9 can enjoy NO competition for the foreseeable future. I do believe that by the time the R1 will be on the market Sony will be very close launching their new A1II.
They are available for preorder but not in Stock at BHphoto, Adorama.
Why buy such cards?
No Sony camera yet has the hardware to support these Generation 4.0 cards. But there are three good reasons why to buy them anyway:
Those cards are backwards compatible and will work just fine on any Alpha camera on their max speed possible (900MB/s)
When you download the file to your computer it will be running at max speed of 1620MB/s Write via the new 4.0 card readers
I suspect that future cameras like the Sony A1II and Sony A7V will support those cards. So if you buy those cards now you are future proof if you switch to a future new Sony camera!
SonyAlphaBlog tested the new 24-50mm f/2.8 G lens and concluded:
The Sony 24-50mm F2.8 G is a very good compact and light lens. Its ergonomics, build quality, AF, sharpness are in line with latest Sony high standards but the range is quite limited and distortion and vignetting are high (but to be corrected automatically in post processing) Personally I prefer the versatility of the Sony 20-70mm F4 G that allow to use it from landscape to portrait, but if the range 24-50mm is enough for you the Sony 24-50 F2.8 G is a very good lens
GRAB this before it’s gone! Tamron 28-75mm III lens for $699 only at Amazon US. This is the lowest price ever on an excellent and much beloved kit lens!
More limited time deals:
For a limited time you get the Lexar 320GB Type A card for the lowest price ever at Amazon US.
Til May 6 you save 42% on the Samsung 4TB external storage sold by Amazon and BHphoto.
V90 fast 256GB SD card from Lexar is now available for $197 only at Amazon US.
Lowest price ever on the Lexar 2 TB portable SSD storage drive at Amazon US.
Testing in-store at ‘the Classic Store’ Leica Camera, Wetzlar Germany. Liam Arning of the store was kind enough to let me take his portrait. While never created as a portrait lens in mind, I decided to see what the compression of the 1600mm focal length would do to his face when taking a portrait – watch the video and see. disclaimer: this was not meant to be a promotional video nor anything serious. Just something fun to try the lens out on the new Leica SL3. It was quite sharp at the closest focusing distance I shot at, however it’s performance was optimised for longer distance shooting, so don’t look too much into the quality – just the compression of the very simple image.
BACKGROUND ON THE LENS:
In 2006, Leica Camera AG unveiled a groundbreaking creation: the Apo-Telyt-R 1600 mm f/5.6 lens, a true marvel of engineering. This extraordinary lens, weighing in at a staggering 60 kg and boasting dimensions of 1.2 meters in length (expanding to 1.55 meters with the lens hood attached) and a barrel diameter of 42 cm, redefined the limits of telephoto capabilities.
The genesis of this colossal telephoto lens traces back to a unique request from Sheikh Saud Bin Mohammed Al-Thani, the former Minister of Culture of Qatar. His vision for an exceptionally large and heavy lens pushed the boundaries of traditional optics, resulting in a piece that stands out not only for its technical prowess but also for its sheer size and weight. While its practicality may seem daunting, its creation marks a testament to Leica’s dedication to innovation and the pursuit of excellence in optical design.
And nope, you cannot buy this lens even if you sell your organs. Leica only made three copies of this lens and is to jealous to sell them! But if someone could bring along the R to E-mount adapter and share some image samples shot on the Sony Alpha I would love to post them here :)
