Sony officially announces the new 500mm f/4.0 rugged lens! Price…13.000 Euro!!!

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Sony Europe (Click here) and Sony Japan (Click here) announced the new rugged 500mm f/4.0 lens. And that beast is yours for no less than 13.000 Euro!!! It will be in Stock by April. Those are the key features of the lens:

  • Longest-ever focal length G Lens from Sony
  • Bright F4.0 aperture for superior light gathering
  • Nano AR Coating on optical surfaces for flawless still images and HD video
  • Compatible with SteadyShot INSIDE featured in all α cameras
  • New SSM drive circuit for quick, accurate autofocus
  • Rugged dust- and moisture-resistant design: ideal partner for SLT-A77
  • Enhanced handling and operability

Technical specifications

Key Specifications 500mm F4 G SSM
Min. aperture F32
No. of aperture blades 9 (Circular aperture)
Max. magnification ratio 0.135
Min. focus 4.0 m
Filter diameter 42 mm (Exclusive)
Dimensions 

(Diam. X L)

 140 x 367.5 mm
Weight (approx.) 3460 g
Teleconverter compatibility Yes (1.4x: AF and MF Mode, 2x: MF mode)
Dust and moisture resistance Yes

 

That’s one of those lenses I know I can never afford to buy :)

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Good news! Sony announcement soon…and NEX-7 bodies finally shiping in USA.

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HOT: The last few hours rumors are coming in like raindrops. Soon Sony will announce new SLT stuff. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile I got more than twenty emails from USA readers saying that their NEX-7 body preorder from August/October/November/December and January(!) have been shipped by Amazon or Bhphoto! The screenshot on top shows a shipped January BHphoto order.

Teh Sony NEX-7 body is already in Stock in european stores like Amazon Germany (Click here), Sony Germany (Click here), Sony France (Click here), Sony Italy (Click here), Sony Netherland (Click here), Sony Sweden (Click here), Sony Switzerland (Click here).

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Nikon D800 with Sony’s 36 Megapixel sensor announced!

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Nikon finally announced the Nikon D800 which uses the new Sony 36 megapixel sensor. Interesting, there is even a Nikon D800″E” version that has not Anti Aliasing filter! There is no official info about who made the sensor. But I already knew since almost a year that Nikon would use a Sony produced 36 megapixel sensor this and I wrote it on SAR many times :) Sony will very likely use the same sensor inside the full-frame camera that will be launched in early 2013. The Nikon D800 costs $3000 at Amazon (Click here). The D800E costs around $3.300 at Amazon (Click here) and Bhphoto (Click here).

So let’s take a short look on the part of the press release were Nikon talks about the sensor:

“The new Nikon developed 36.3-megapixel FX-format (35.9 x 24mm) CMOS sensor realizes Nikon’s highest resolution yet, and is ideal for demanding applications such as weddings, studio portraiture and landscape, where there is no compromise to exceptional high fidelity and dynamic range.

The D800 features a wide native ISO range of 100-6400, expandable to 50 (Lo-1)-25,600 (Hi-2). Nikon engineers have created innovative ways to manipulate light transmission to the sensor’s photodiodes, giving users the ability to shoot with confidence in challenging lighting conditions.  Internal sensor design, an enhanced optical low pass filter (OLPF) and 14 bit A/D conversion with a high signal to noise ratio all contribute to a sensor capable of excellent low light ability despite the extreme resolution.  Every aspect of this new FX-format sensor is engineered to deliver amazing low noise images through the ISO range and help create astounding tonal gradation and true colors, whether shooting JPEG or RAW.

The optimized CMOS sensor reads image data at astoundingly fast rates, which results in less instances of rolling shutter distortion.”

So, do you like it? 14bit, no anti aliasing filter, fast readout for less rolling sutter. That’s all stuff Sony has to offer on their cameras too!

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(SR4) Sony about to release “organic sensors” in 2013. 100+ megapixel sensors for 2013-2014.

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One of the FALSE rumors that were spreading around the web was that the new Fuji X PRo 1 would have an organic sensor (see picture on top). It turned out to be false. But…

…now one of my best(!) sources has informed me me that Sony already has working prototypes of organic sensors! They will not hit the market this year, but they will in 2013. In general, Sony plans to bring major advances and more deeply expressed “sensor paradigm shifts” from the end of 2013 forwards with new Foveon-like sensors and organic materials allowing them to go well beyond the 100 megapixel barrier on a full-frame sensor. Sony has already officially announced that they will display a 100 megapixel sensor this year. The current (medium) format camera with the highest pixel resolution is the “Mamiya DM-Series 80Mp DSLR Camera Kit with 80mm LS Lens”. Price: $34,495.00 at Bhphoto (Click here).

I haven’t been told which camera will use this new generation sensor first. But let me dream for a moment. Imagine a full-frame NEX-9 camera with that sensor. I bet it would kick Fuji new Amazon hotseller (clcik to see ranking) in the butt ;)

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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New Sony NEX-7 video test and (and correction from 3Dkraft)

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U7 *NEX 7 test footage* from Andrew Reid on Vimeo.

Andrew Reid (Click here) posted a first impression review of the NEX-7 video quality: “In video mode the same strengths that the NEX 5N had over the GH2 are apparent but more so…. Colour is richer and more accurate, gradation and tonality are smoother, dynamic range is greater, latitude (especially in the lows) is increased and a flatter image profile helps to give more flexibility when grading the footage.”

Meanwhile 3Dkraft (Click here) updated their NEX- versus GH2 test because of a severe misinterpretatation of the 1080p25 files by Premiere Pro. So re-read the test!

The super busy SonyalphaLab administrator tested the new 8mm Rokinon lens on the NEX-7 and posted many image samples. That lens takes super pictures. But you still cannot preorder it yet :(

And while Sony Europe is doing their job well Sonystyle US (Click here) is again making a mess with many NEX-7 preorders. Many of our readers got messages like this: “We would like to inform you we are experiencing a delay with your Sony order. The following item NEX7K/B has been rescheduled to ship on 02/17/2012.“.

P.S.: NEX-7 image samples at Outbackphoto.

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Sony A77 in Stock in USA, Europe and Asia. NEX-7 in Europe.

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Trusted sources told me that Sony is in full A77 and NEX-7 production status and is holding back the production of the other cameras (like the NEX-5n).

The A77 body is in Stock in:
USA at Amazon and BHphoto

The A77 + lens kit is in Stock in:
USA at Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto
Europe at Amazon Germany, Amazon UK, Jessops, Sony DE, Sony FR and Sony NL.
Asia at Amazon Japan, Amazon Cina,

The Sony NEX-7 body is again in Stock in many european stores!
Amazon Germany (Click here)
Sony Germany (Click here)
Sony France (Click here)
Sony Italy (Click here)
Sony Netherland (Click here)
Sony Sweden (Click here)
Sony Switzerland (Click here)

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The new Sony 36 fullframe sensor specs (used by Nikon D800)

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The french magazine Chasseur Magazine unveiled the future Nikon D800 specs and as I told you over 6 months ago it uses the new Sony 36 Megapixel Full Frame sensor!

Here are the specs of the sensor:
CMOS Full Frame with 36-megapixel
This Exmor sensor provides high dynamic range and low noise images.
Expect grain free images, printed in A2 up to ISO 1600.
The D800 will range from ISO 100 to ISO 6400 (extended modes ISO 50, 12800 and 25600).
Full HD 1080p in 30p, 25p and 24 p. There will be a PCM recorder.
Like the D4, the Nikon D800 will be able to output uncompressed video on its HDMI port.

Of course Nikon is using their own Expeed engine to elaborate JPEG images and Video stream. As a filmmaker I like the uncompressed clean HDMI output and hope Sony will take notice of that :)

What matters for you to know is that the next Sony Full Frame camera will NOT use that sensor. It will have a newly designed 24 Megapixel sensor and I honestly welcome that news. Don’t like that Megapixel race and 24 megapixel should allow more per pixel sharpness and much higher ISO. Anyway, I expect one more Sony Full Frame camera to be unveiled in early 2013 having the same 36 Megapixel sensor.

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