Zeiss officially launches the 50mm f/2.8 Touit macro lens ($999 at BHphoto).

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Today Zeiss launched the new 50mm f/2.8 macro Touit lens for Sony E-mount APS-C cameras. You can already preorder the lens for $999 at BHphoto (Click here).

This is the official Press Text:

OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 30.01.2014 – More and more photographers are taking advantage of the growing possibilities afforded by compact system cameras with APS-C sensors. With the Touit 2.8/12 and Touit 1.8/32, ZEISS already offers two lenses with E- and X-mount that suffice in meeting the demands of ambitious photographers. Now, the new ZEISS Touit 2.8/50M expands the Touit family to include longer focal lengths as well as close-up coverage. 

The Touit 2.8/50M offers a magnification power of 1:1. As a result, the photographed object appears on the camera sensor in its original size. Details that cannot be seen with the naked eye become impressively visible at short shooting distances. This new Touit is therefore following in very large footsteps: ZEISS macro lenses with a magnification power of 1:2, such as the Makro-Planar T* 2/100 and Makro-Planar T* 2/50, have already established themselves as top macro lenses among SLR lenses.

Thanks to its moderate telephoto focal length, the Touit 2.8/50M is also perfect as a portrait lens. When allowing for a crop factor of 1.5, the angular field corresponds to a full-frame-equivalent focal length of 75 mm. Here, too, the lens’s enormous versatility pays off. The lens covers distances from infinity to a magnification power of 1:1. The Touit 2.8/50M is a versatile lens that harmonizes very well with the flexible application of compact APS-C system cameras. Its imaging power makes it an ideal choice for close-ups and portraits.

The Touit 2.8/50M also employs the floating elements design from ZEISS. This enables the lens to achieve a consistently high imaging performance, including up to the minimum object distance (MOD). The exceptional image quality remains consistent, independent of the focus setting. Two aspheres – lens elements number three and four – deliver an important contribution to the high image quality. Two additional lens elements with low dispersion – lens elements number two and nine – help ensure that the lateral and longitudinal chromatic aberrations are kept to a minimum.

A round iris with a total of nine blades gives areas of the motif outside the focus a soft and very natural-looking character. Focused objects before a blurry background are clearly accentuated, creating a harmonious and balanced bokeh. Excellent sharpness along all f-stops rounds off the performance spectrum of the Touit 2.8/50M.

“The new Touit 2.8/50M is for photographers who already use our other two Touit lenses; it’s the ideal complement to their portfolio. Owners of APS-C system cameras with Sony E- or Fujifilm X-mounts who are looking for a new high-end lens will also want to use the Touit 2.8/50M. Whether a photographer has an eye for the smallest details or likes sharp portraits and pleasing bokeh, our new all-around Touit will definitely be at the top of their wish list,” says Dr. Michael Pollmann, Product and Program Manager from ZEISS Camera Lenses.

The Touit 2.8/50M with E and X mount will be available worldwide in March 2014. The recommended sales price will be about EUR 755 (excl. VAT.)* or US$ 999 (excl. VAT)*.

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(SR3) Soon to be announced new E-mount cameras have on sensor stabilization?

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Right before the CP+ show Sony will announce the new NEX-6/7 successor (price 800 Euro). And well, there is some hope the new E-Mount camera(s) will have on sensor stabilization! And actually it’s quite funny to notice that the info comes straight from Sony: Just see the update page on the APS-C non OSS lenses like the Zeiss 24mm at Sony Germany (Click here), Sony UK (Click here), Sony France (Click here), Sony Italy (Click here), Sony Holland (Click here). All non OSS E-mount lenses added the info that E-mount cameras now have on sensor stabilization!

UPDATE: You will notice that the Sony EU sites contain errors and this is likely because they are working on it in these days. Still, what doesn’t look like an error is that design of a E-mount camera with on sensor stabilization. So take everything with a grain of salt for now, but to me the image is pretty clear. They will likely change the text and specs. But the image? Hmmm…

A couple of months ago sources told me that Sony was working with Olympus to implement their world class leading(!) image stabilization. What I dont’ know yet is if the soon t be announced new generation of E-mount cameras will feature the three axis stabilization of the E-M10 (announced yesterday and specs here at Amazon) or the superb 5 axis stabilization of the E-M1 (specs here).

P.S.: I had a dream. 5axis stabilization the next generation of Full Frame E-mount cameras. That would make my day!

P.P.S.: It’s hard to rate a rumor based on Sony pages itself. That’s why it has the average SR3 ranking :)


Message to sources: You can send me more info anonymously by using the contact form you see on the very right of your browser. You can also contact me directly at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com.
For readers: Subscribe the RSS feed (Click here) and Twitter (Click here) stream and the Facebook fan page (Click here) in order to not miss any news!

Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
SR2=rumor from unknown sources
SR3=50% chance it is correct
SR4=rumor from known sources
SR5=almost certainly correct!

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A7r teardwon at Lensrentals. Canon glass test by Fred Miranda. Pulitzer Winner Brian Smith writes Lens mount adapters overview.

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Image courtesy: Lensrentals

Roger Cicala and Aaron Closz from Lensrentals (Click here) had some fun tearing in pieces the A7r and discovered how that is one hell of an engineering work!

This is rather amazing. The completely disassembled Sony A7R consists of about a dozen major pieces, held together with 29 screws of just three different sizes. A typical DSLR has around 120 screws of 11 different sizes. You might not care less about that, but do you know what I thought about? How much easier it will be to fix this camera when it breaks. How much simpler it must be to perform all the calibration that must be done during assembly. And how much simpler it must be to assemble the A7R in the first place. In other words, how much cheaper it must be to make this camera, than to make a DSLR.

Fredmiranda.com (Click here) posted the full Sony A7r review with a focus on the Canon glass used on the camera:

Even if Canon comes up with a high-megapixel body, and even if resolution and dynamic range are equaled, it’s tough to deny the benefits of Sony’s lightweight A7R. Especially, if you’re hoofin’ it to a remote location.
After a few days below sea-level in Death Valley, it’s always nice to come back home to capture a sunset by the pier in San Clemente. Watching the sky turn my favorite shade through the golden light, I still can’t believe the images churning out of this Sony A7R. Don’t let its size fool you, this baby packs a punch. For Canon photographers interested in landscape or studio photography, it’s a non-brainer. Combining this body with your arsenal of high quality Canon glass, makes for an unstoppable team.

Pulitzer Winner Brian Smith (Click here) gives you an overview of the Len mount adapters for your A7-A7r.

The.me (Click here) had the chance to play with the Zeiss 24-70mm FE lens.

Kirk Tuck (Click here) reviewed the Sony RX10.

Zeiss 55mm FE review by Daniele Cuccia (Click here).

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Specs and Store Links in US and Canada:
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.

Specs and Store Links in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT
Zeiss 24-70mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, SE, PT
Sony G 28-70mm lens at Sony DE, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO.

Asia:
A7r at Digitalrev.
A7 at Digitalrev, Amazon Cina.
A7 with 28-70mm lens at Digitalrev.

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Superb! Zeiss 55mm FE is the best autofocus lens ever tested at DxOmark!

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DXOmark (Click here) published the full Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 FE lens test and the results are extraordinary! It’s the best autofocus lens ever tested at DxO and the second best lens ever tested at DxOmark (full ranking here) after the manual focusing and 4 times more expensive $3999 Zeiss Otus.This is what DxO writes about the lens:

In fact, the Zeiss Sonnar has similarly high peak sharpness and outstanding uniformity with less than 5% loss in sharpness across the field at any given aperture value. Transmission is outstanding but while both distortion and chromatic aberration are quite well controlled, some slight CA is evident throughout the aperture range though it decreases when stopping down.
On paper at least the Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 55mm f1.8 ZA may seem somewhat unadventurous and over-priced given the f1.8 maximum aperture. In reality the lens is a bright 1.8TStops, and image quality is outstanding. Even the $1,000 price seems quite reasonable.

Yes, compared to the Zeiss Otus there FE version has 2/3 stop less. But damn, it costs 4 times less and gives you an almost “Otus” performance! Well done, Sony-Zeiss. We need more lenses like that for the new FE system!

If you don’t own the lens these are the directs tore links to grab one:
USA/Canada: Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonyStore US and Sonystore Canada.
Europe: Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT

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It’s back! Sony RX100 for $399!

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[shoplink 24234 ebay][/shoplink]
For a limited time you can grab the great Sony RX100 for $399 at [shoplink 24234 ebay]6ave on eBay US (Click here)[/shoplink]. A couple of weeks ago another US store sold the camera for that price and it sold out quickly. So be fast if you want one!
The Sony NEX-3n with 16-50mm lens now sells for $339 only at Amazon US (Click here).
The Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 sells with a huge $175 off at [shoplink 24235 ebay]Buydig on eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].

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Sony buys Nintendo chip factory to increase the CMOS sensor production.

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One of the few areas where Sony is doing really well is imaging sensor production. And today Sony announced the acquisition of the Tsuruoka fab from Nintendo! The fab used to make chips for Nintendo game console (Source: Image Sensor World). Sony reports:

This planned investment forms part of Sony’s mid- to long-term plan to increase its total production capacity for image sensors from the current capacity of approximately 60,000 wafers per month to approximately 75,000 wafers per month.Following the acquisition, Sony intends to convert part of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment that Sony is scheduled to acquire from Renesas Yamagata Semiconductor to CMOS image sensor manufacturing equipment, and also to install new manufacturing equipment for CMOS image sensors in Yamagata TEC. Yamagata TEC will primarily engage in the manufacture of photodiodes and wiring processes for stacked CMOS image sensors.

Now what we need from Sony is an increased lens production capability too and some really great new camera to put Nikon and Canon in the shadow.

 

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