Patrick Murphy-Racey Sony a9 + Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM + Sigma MC11 Review

By Louis Ferreira | Published: February 1, 2018

Patrick Murphy-Racey shoots the Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM + Sigma MC11 at a football game on the Sony a9 and reports that it performs solidly. The combination doesn’t need to be reset unlike the metabones adapters and will also work very well with the Sony a7RIII. The only downside is that the Sigma 1.4x teleconverter shifts the lens into a AF-S mode, which might be fixed by a firmware update.

When shooting sports Patrick uses expand flexible spot the most and it works very well for him with AF-C. He also uses the Sony 55mm Zeiss on a second body when shooting action up close, which he might blind fire, which is a little odd. It’s also kind of crazy to see how far the ball moves even when shooting at 20fps.

Patrick also does a little mini-review of the Sigma 500mm f/4 at the end and says it’s as good as anything Canon or Nikon have to offer at this time even as adapted glass. It’s less expensive and has a better warranty than the competition and the only lens that might match or beat it is the upcoming Sony 400mm f/2.8.

While the Sigma 1.4x teleconverter won’t AF-C with this setup the Canon 1.4x teleconverter might, but Patrick doesn’t know, so if you do leave a comment for him on the video. It’s always great to help expand the communities knowledge. On a side note, Patrick makes a plea to support local camera shops at the end of his video and while I support this notion be sure you know any local retailer you deal with well because I recently got stuck with an almost 2k junk lens from a small retailer, which isn’t necessarily easy to absorb and even though I am still pretty upset with them I won’t put them on blast, but their name starts with U. Instead, I will say there are still great local retailers like Ace Photo and Dale Photo & Digital that are very helpful, but so are some of the larger online affiliate driven retailers that help support sites like this.

Sony a9: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sony a7RIII: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sigma MC-11: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

Posted in 3rd Party Lens, Sony a7RIII, Sony a9| Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Sony a6500/a6300 Firmware Updates

By Louis Ferreira | Published: February 1, 2018


Sony a6500 Update 1.05
This update (version 1.05) provides the following benefits:

  • Adds support for the SEL18135 lens
  • Improves overall stability of the camera

a6500 Download Here

Sony a6300 Update 2.01
This update (version 2.01) provides the following benefits:

  • Adds support for the SEL18135 lens
  • Improves overall stability of the camera

a6300 Download Here

Posted in Firmware updates, Sony a6300, Sony a6500| Leave a comment

Sony RX0 Firmware 2.00 Update

By Louis Ferreira | Published: January 31, 2018


Sony released a firmware update for the RX0 today and you can download a copy here.

  • Supports Camera Control Box (model CCB-WD1) for wired multi-view shooting
  • Improves wireless multi-view shooting with the PlayMemories™ Mobile application

    Notes:

    • PlayMemories Mobile application version 6.2 or higher is required.
    • Depending on the specifications of the access point, smartphone, tablet, and the radio wave environment of the installation location, the number of devices that can be connected will change. Based on testing, up to 50 units have been connected.
    • Use only on Wi-Fi connections with security measures.
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Analyst Predicts Sony Image Sensor Business Slowdown Due To iPhone

By Louis Ferreira | Published: January 30, 2018


Image Sensors World is reporting a potential slow down at Sony due to lower than expected iPhone sales, based on a Bloomberg report, but is it accurate? Even if iPhone demand slows demand for other phones will likely pick up the slack with Sony sensors in them. Plus Sony will continue selling their sensors to new manufactures, which will mitigate their loses from the iPhone slow down. I am sure there will be some restructuring due to the iPhone slow down, but I doubt it will have a serious affect on Sony in 2018.

via Image Sensors World, Bloomberg

Posted in Financial results, Press releases| Leave a comment

Sony a9 Free Multi–Interface Shoe Repair Clarified

By Louis Ferreira | Published: January 29, 2018


We previously made you aware of Sony repairing broken Multi–Interface interfaces free here, but now it has been further clarified by Sony.

Notice of free repair for some units of Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera α9 (ILCE-9) – 16th Jan 2018
Thank you for your interest in Sony products.

Some units of the Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera a9 (ILCE-9) may experience the issue of rattling of the Multi Interface Shoe that may occur in rare cases when an optional large flash unit is attached and high pressure is applied on it.

To address this issue, we will repair your affected model free of charge until March 31, 2020. If you have an affected model, please contact your local Sony service centre.

Thank you for your understanding and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Read More »

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Dan and Sally Watson: Sony a7RIII vs Nikon D850 vs Canon 5D Mark IV

By Louis Ferreira | Published: January 29, 2018

Kind of an interesting comparison by Dan and Sally, because Dan likes the D850 for the photos they were shooting, but Sally picks the Sony a7RIII as having the best skin tones. The cameras are very back and forth, with the Canon being the most behind the times and the Nikon having the worst live view performance. Of course, the Sony is smaller and lighter than the Canon and Nikon, but it comes with disadvantages like it being easy to press buttons by accident. Sally picks the Sony a7RIII as her favorite to shoot with and her overall favorite thanks to the skin tones. On the other hand, Dan picks the Nikon D850 as being great overall for photography, but since he has hybrid shooting needs the Sony a7RIII is his winner.

It’s kind of interesting how the post-Sony a9 performance of Sony cameras is really shifting photographers to Sony. The Sony a9 was basically too much for most photographers, but the implementation of its technology in the a7 series of cameras and future a6xxx cameras will certainly make Sony the top pick for many photographers. Maybe in another generation or two Sony will fix their UI and handling issues, but AF, skin tones, video, etc… is all there today. Sony might even fix everything by the time they release a Sony a9R, who knows.

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Sony a9: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sony a7RIII: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

Posted in Reviews, Sony a7RIII, Sony a9| Tagged , | 3 Comments