Sony α7R IV Conference Interview: Sony a7SIII is Coming and a New Focus on High-Resolution

By Louis Ferreira | Published: August 7, 2019


Fengniao attended a launch event for the Sony a7RIV launch in mainland China and conducted an in-depth interview with Sony (China) Co., Ltd. Sony Group Senior Vice President Gao Qiaoyang, Sony (China) Co., Ltd. President of Consumer Electronics Business Division Xie Wei, Sony Corporation Digital Imaging Group Marketing Department Senior General Manager Aoki Aoki and Senior Manager of the Digital Imaging Group’s Marketing Department of Sony Corporation, and Mr. Kang Jiayi. Below are excerpts from the interview (warning the translation is rough):

  • Right now Imaging Edge Edge has the best support for the a7RIV, but Sony working with other software manufacturers
  • The a7R cameras transfer a lot of data, so the max fps did not improve on the a7RIV over the a7RIII
  • The Sony a7SIII is still under development, but the a7RIV has a ton of pixels to work with, which bring many different advantages for shooting video
  • High megapixel cameras are difficult because Sony doesn’t want to sacrifice sensitivity
  • It also allows for high-resolution crops that will match the Sony a6400
  • Higher megapixel sensors also push lenses closer to their limits and push designers to create better glass
  • Sony thinks higher resolution is part of the future
  • The exposure compensation lock button was added because photographers bumped it a lot
  • Sony is studying what others are doing with their high megapixel video, but will not talk about their future plans at this time
  • Sony’s recent reorganization did not lead to new products being developed, but it makes each division more independent financially and R&D wise, which could lead to new space between TV, video, camera, mobile phones, etc…
  • Higher megapixel cameras consumer more power, but Sony engineers were able to reduce overall power draw to extend battery life in the a7RIV
  • Eye AF is different in video than for stills and in the future, Sony will increase eye AF performance for animals in addition to other areas

So overall it sounds like the Sony a7SIII is still being worked on and should equal or surpass its peers. It also sounds like Sony is getting ready for a resolution war across the board with their cameras so maybe 24MP won’t be the standard for much longer. I wish we got a little more information about Sony’s reorganization though and the Sony a7RIV is still a beast of a camera.

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Sony a7RIV: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

via Fengniao

 

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Samyang 85mm f/1.4 AF Continues to Impress

By Louis Ferreira | Published: August 6, 2019


The Samyang 85mm f/1.4 AF Continues to Impress after the ephotozine review. This lens is on my shortlist for lenses to purchase in the near future, but I have been putting a lot of money into shooting wide since it’s astrophotography season.

The latest review by Lenstips is simply glowing saying:

I think we don’t even have to write a very lengthy summary in this case. If a lens of an independent producer three times cheaper than its well-done brand name rival fares in most categories better than the said brand name lens, you really don’t have to be verbose.

We should be grateful to independent producers for their good quality lenses which are sold at normal prices. While developping new systems, brand name manufacturers are climbing new heights of absurdity with pricing new lenses launched on the market…

along with their lengthy list of Pros

Pros:

  • sensational image quality in the frame centre,
  • good image quality on the edge of APS-C,
  • moderate longitudinal chromatic aberration,
  • negligible lateral chromatic aberration,
  • practically zero distortion,
  • sensible coma correction,
  • very low astigmatism,
  • slight vignetting on APS-C sensor,
  • silent and sensibly accurate autofocus,
  • good price/performance ratio.

Cons:

  • a bit of problems related to spherical aberration,
  • weak performance against bright light,
  • huge vignetting on full frame.

If you need more information or want to see the testing check out the full review on Lenstips it’s a good one.

Samyang 85mm f/1.4 AF: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

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Sony Electronics Renews Alpha Female ‘Creator in Residence’ Contest to Support Next-generation Photographers and Filmmakers

By Louis Ferreira | Published: August 5, 2019
Photo Credit Brooke Shaden

Photo Credit Brooke Shaden

Sony Electronics Renews Alpha Female ‘Creator in Residence’ Contest to Support Next-generation Photographers and Filmmakers
Winners to Receive $21,000 Project Budget, up to $5,000 in Sony Gear and Industry-renowned Mentors

SAN DIEGO — August 5, 2019 —Sony Electronics Inc. today announced contest applications are now open for the second Alpha Female Creators-in-residence program.

Launched in summer 2018, Alpha Female is a program that provides extensive resources and opportunities to advance the careers of female photographers and filmmakers. In 2019, Sony is renewing the initiative and remaining firmly committed to promoting diversity and fostering the growth of all voices in the photography, videography and filmmaking industries.

In the successful inaugural year of the Alpha Female program, five women were selected from more than 6,000 contest applications to participate in the creators-in-residence program, each receiving a prize package that included financial support for personal projects, along with an assortment of Sony camera gear and a mentorship with one of Sony’s female Artisans of Imagery.

“This program inspired me to push myself further than ever before, while also opening so many doors for my career,” said 2018 Creator-in-residence winner and award-winning wedding photographer Megan Allen. “My work is light-years ahead of where it was seven months ago, and my clients are thrilled with the results.”

This year’s Alpha Female contest will recognize a total of six award winners: four in the category of Photography and Videography, and two in the category of Filmmaking/Cinematography. In addition to project funding and Sony gear, each winner will receive educational opportunities and invitations to specially organized networking events throughout the program.

“Alpha Female is a way for us to bring talented female creators out of the shadows and into the foreground in an industry where they are too commonly underrepresented,”said Neal Manowitz, deputy president of Imaging Products and Solutions at Sony Electronics. “We are continually inspired by their work and are proud to offer our support.”

Sony Alpha Female Artist-in-residence Prizes
Winners of the Sony Alpha Female award program will receive $21,000 and up to $5,000 in Sony equipment to help fulfill their creative projects, as well as access to additional loaner equipment to help bring their artistic vision to life.

Mentorship
Each winner will be paired with a successful Alpha Female Artisan photographer or filmmaker—women who have all been paving the way for the next generation of women creators. These mentors will impart wisdom and professional knowledge, helping winners to elevate their craft and career to new heights.

The Alpha Female mentors are among the most talented photographers and filmmakers in the industry. Supporting mentors of the Alpha Female program include Amber Baird, Brooke Shaden, Caroline Jensen, Cristina Mittermeier, Jean Fruth, Katrin Eismann, Marvi Lacar, Me Ra Koh, Nancy Borowick, Sara France, Taylor Rees and Zabrina Deng. Final mentors will be matched according to each winner’s needs and creative style.

Contest applications and official contest rules for the Alpha Female Creator-in-residence Program are available at www.alphauniverse.com/alpha-female

A variety of additional content related to Sony’s “Be Alpha” campaign, including articles, videos and events, can be found at www.alphauniverse.com/BeAlpha

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Sony Still Has 3 E-Mount Cameras Coming

By Louis Ferreira | Published: August 5, 2019


Nokishita updated their unannounced camera list the other day and Sony still has 3 cameras coming soon. Do you think you can match them up to the new sensors from Sony? We should see the Sony a9II and Sony a7SIII soon along with maybe the long-rumored Sony a7000/a6700.

Sony

  • WW594724
    • Equipped with Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) and Bluetooth
  • WW642826
    • Equipped with Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) and Bluetooth
  • WW942051
    • Equipped with Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz) and Bluetooth
Posted in Patents, Sony a6700, Sony a7000, Sony a7SIII, Sony a9II| Leave a comment

VILTROX 85mm f/1.8 AF Firmware Update v1.0.10 Released

By Louis Ferreira | Published: August 3, 2019


Viltrox just released an update to their excellent VILTROX 85mm f/1.8 AF that you can download here. Also, Amazon has them in stock at this time.

PFI RBMH 85mmF1.8 STM E-mount v1.0.10
1) Lowered aperture noise
2) Fixed delay problem of shutter releasing while using flash
3) Improved blank screen problem at small apertures

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VILTROX 85mm f/1.8: B&H Photo / Amazon

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Meyer Optik Görlitz is Coming Back

By Louis Ferreira | Published: August 2, 2019


Renewal of the Meyer Optik Görlitz portfolio on schedule

  • Optimization of the first lens completed
  • Further new versions of previous lenses in progress
  • First completely new development finalized / more to follow
  • Cooperation with Fotomuseum Görlitz & the City of Görlitz

Bad Kreuznach – Meyer Optik is pushing the revision and optimization of its existing portfolio and has already completed its first projects. The developments are thus on schedule and the first Meyer Optik lenses developed and produced by OPC will be available in late summer 2019.

“We have analyzed the entire existing portfolio, identified optimization potential and categorized it according to effort. This approach now enables us to efficiently optimize lens by lens and to publish in a timely manner,” explains Timo Heinze, Managing Director of OPC Optics. “We are currently in the prototype phase of the first optimized lens and are confident that we will achieve an increase in the mechanical quality and imaging performance of this and all other lenses. Depending on the individual lens, the scope of these improvements and changes will of course vary. The unique image language of every individual lens will be retained of course.” Read More »

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