Finally more specs and preorder options at Sony Europe!

Share

sony55mm

In Europe Sony had that special page at A7-A7r launch but no real dedicated page on the local stores. They are finally updating their pages and at least the Zeiss primes are now listed in almost all European Sony Stores. For now only Sony UK, Sony Sweden, and Sony Portugal also listed the full A7-A7r camera pages. I also added the first Amazon preorder links. I will keep an eye on all major Sony Stores and let you know when more products pages will be listed. Here are the links. Just click on the country code to visit the direct product page:

Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, SE, PT,  WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, SE, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, 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,

 

Share

New NEX-7 price drops and super A3000 deal (And A7r still sells fine)

Share

Short break from news to report brand new Sony US deals:

1) The NEX-7 just got the next price drop. You can get the body for $948 at Amazon (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here). The kit version for $1,098 again at Amazon (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here). The rebate is valid til November 2.

2) Sony Alpha A3000 with 18-55mm and 55-210mm Lenses with Ruggard Streak 25 Shoulder Bag for 500$ at BHphoto (Click here).  That’s like the price of these two lenses alone, and you get a cam and a bag for free!

3) The Sony SEL1670Z Vario-Tessar T E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS is now in Stock at Amazon (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).

A7r and A7 preorders:
The A7r still leads the Amazon mirrorless ranking (Click here to see the list) and still within the top list of the most popular digital cameras of all kind (list here).

Share

Things you have to know: A7r has offest microlens design (the A7 has not). A7 has electronic front curtain shutter (A7r has not).

Share

The offset microlens design from the A7r (the A7 has no such design).

There are still many questions regarding the A7 and A7r features and performance. For example we just learned that only the Sony A7r (36MP) has the offset microlens design. This is very important to know if you plan to use third-party manual rangefinder lenses on your cameras (for example [shoplink 15491 ebay]M-mount lenses[/shoplink]). And most of you likely didn’t know that the A7 has front curtain electronic shutter. So if you still don’t know if you should get the A7r or A7 here is a list that mya be helpful:

Pros for A7R
1) A7R is 36 MP while the A7 has 24 MP. Also an advantage if you want to use current E-mount lenses (you get 16MP on the A7r and 10MP on the A7)
2) A7r has missing AA filter which should give you a kick more per pixel sharpness
3) A7R’s sensor has off set micro-lenses designed to better capture light hitting edges/corners (might work better with Leica M lenses) — A7 sensor does not.
4) On A7R micro-lenses have gapless design. A7’s sensor doesn’t
5) Front panel on A7R is magnesium alloy. It’s plastic on A7.
6) Top two dials (exposure compensation and mode dial) on A7R are made from solid aluminium billets. On A7 the dials have rubberized exterior.

Pros for A7
1) Costs $600 less (and best price quality goes to the A7 with 28-70mm kit lens option)
2) A7 has AA filter which avoids major moiree issues and is also great to have if you shoot videos (it’s harder to get rid of moire on videos).
3) A7 has front curtain electronic shutter — A7R does not
4) Flash sync on A7 is 1/250. It’s 1/160 on A7R
5) A7 has on sensor PDAF. A7R doesn’t.
6) Continuous shooting: A7 — 5 fps. A7R 4 fps

Thanks “OneGuy” for completing the list!

Preorders in US:
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
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.

Preorders in EU:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, 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,

Share

Sony says: Two A-mount cameras to come. One with 4K and one Full Frame for sports photography

Share

Sony-Prototype-4K-DSLR-NAB-2013-616x409

The 4K Sony displayed this year at NAB show (Image courtesy: Engadget).

–

The swedish site Fotosidan reports the following info they got from Sony (Thanks Dennis for the translation!):

“More cameras on the way On the press meeting Yoshiyuki Nogama told us that a video-targeted system camera with A-mount is on the way/being developed. It shall compete with Canon EOS 5D Mk III and will have Ultra HD video (4K). We guess that this is a continuation of Sony a99. The Sony director also told us that further ahead Sony will launch a really fast full frame camera for action photography,”

This means Sony has not one but two A-mount cameras on roadmap!

Share

Lowest price in Europe: Sony A7 sells for 1362 at Amazon France (And super Gold Box in Germany)

Share

Bildschirmfoto 2013-10-21 um 09.24.10

I updated the preorder list and there is one good news for EU readers. The A7 sells for even less than expected (-140 Euro) at Amazon France (Click here).
Another great news for German readers: Double Gold Box deal on the A65 (Click here) and the 24-70mm f/2.8 A-mount Zeiss (Click here).

And this is the updated preorder list with new Amazon Europe preorder links for the A7:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, 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,

Preorders in US:
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
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.

Share

Sony A7 and A7r: Sunday news roundup!

Share

 

It’s Sunday but the A7-A73 news storm still isn’t over. Here is a roundup of more tests and samples:

1) National Geographic photographer Michale Yamashita posted a set of Landscape pictures on Facebook.
2) DearSusans writes:  “I noticed quite a few negative comments about the pricing of the news Zeiss lenses for Sony. I think that’s ridiculous. Have you read Brian Smith’s preview ? Have you seen the pixel peeper 100% enlargement of the eye ? The lens is sharp but what really stunned me is that this doesn’t look like a CMOS image. To me it looks like a CCD. I *know* it’s a CMOS, but it *feels* like a CCD. It is so clean and free of digital artifacts such as demosaicing and noise. I’ve never seen such quality outside an M9. Even the M240 doesn’t have it ! I wrote to Brian about it and he tells me it’s probably the BIONX Z engine. I can’t wait to see this for myself !”
3) AAron: “youtube a73 -> Well this is a Korean photographer reviewing Sony A7/R. I don’t think you should post this since it is in Korean.. but you should note that he was AMAZED by A7R’s detail, almost similar to medium format camera. Also he mentions the new microlens technology vastly improves sharpness in the corner I am not sure you knew about this but Sony implemented new diffraction correction technology (also mentioned in dpreview). He shot some images at f22 at night with 55mm f1.8 and images are still sharp. You can probably post this video that he made with the camera :)”
4) Nasim posted an article comparing A7 and A7r on Photographylife.
5) Hands-on video, many new photos – also size compared to nex6, rx1 and omd at Fotopolis.
6) Article with pictures taken with a7 at Dutch press-event at Photofacts.
7) Sony Alpha 7 & 7R: Vollformat-DSLM im Praxis-Test at Chip.de (German)
8) A7-A7r ISO comparison at ZOL.
9) Sony A7/A7R-samples on Flickr.
10) Sony A7 video samples and RX10 video sample by Camerahoarders.
11) Sony A7(R) — Optical Options by Tim Ashley
12) Hands-on report by Photoscala (German).

Support SonyAlphaRumors: After months of FF mirrorless rumor work I would be glad if you can support my work by making your A7-A7r purchase by using these links below. I will earn a small commission and you don’t pay one single penny more! Thanks!

Specs and Preorders in US and Canada (Click on store name to see direct preorder page):
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
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 Preorders in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE.
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE.

Share

You have to see this: Ron Scheffler supertest with Leica, Zeiss and Voigtlander lenses!

Share

It is Ron Scheffler super well made 21mm test that convinced me to grab the [shoplink 21602 ebay]Voigtländer Ultron 21mm f/1,8 (here on eBay)[/shoplink]. But the question is…how good do M-mount lenses work on the new A7-A7r cameras? Well, Ron just published an impressive(!) list of image samples taken with a huge amount of Leica, Zeiss and Voigtlander lenses. You can read the article and download tons of image samples here: http://www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?p=224.

Important note: Ron tested the A7 and not the A7r. And it looks like it’s the A7r and not the A7(!) has has offset micro lenses  that might do better with rangefinder lenses (Source: Sony.net A7r and Sonynet A7 and Sony Australia video at 17:30).

The conclusion is quite negative for the A7.

I’ll spill the beans now – none of the rangefinder lenses performed as well on the a7 as they do on the M9, specifically referring to image smearing into the edges/corners. Some are not so bad and are good enough when stopped down sufficiently, but some are outright horrible (ZM21, 28 Cron), to the point where one would think the lens was defective. Naturally there were some variable that couldn’t be tested, such as whether the Novoflex NEX-Leica M adapter I used was perfect.

and

My take on the results: I’m hoping these lenses will fare better on the a7R. Results on the a7 are for the most part disappointing. All I can surmise at the moment is that the toppings on the a7′s sensor work against achieving optimal (or in some cases, good enough) results with the rangefinder lenses I had available for this test.

I would wait before to draw any conclusions yet. The camera wasn’t final production, the adapter may be not perfect, there are still some uncertain factors that could have influenced negatively the test.

Specs and Preorders in US and Canada (Click on store name to see direct preorder page):
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
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 Preorders in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, WexUK, WexDE. Amazon DE, UK, FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, WexUK, WexDE. Amazon DE, UK, FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE.
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE.

Share