Sony Announces Development of New G Master™ 400mm F2.8 Super-Telephoto Full-Frame E-mount Lens

By Louis Ferreira | Published: October 25, 2017


Sony Announces Development of New G Master™ 400mm F2.8 Super-Telephoto Full-Frame E-mount Lens

Launching in Summer 2018

NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2017 – Sony Electronics, a worldwide leader in digital imaging and the world’s largest image sensor manufacturer, has today announced the development of the long-awaited FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS Super-Telephoto lens, with a target launch date in Summer 2018.

The new lens will feature the incredible high-resolution and spectacularly beautiful bokeh of Sony’s acclaimed line of flagship G Master™ series lenses, while also offering a far-reaching 400mm focal length and F2.8 large aperture. This combination will deliver a new elevated shooting experience for all professional sports, news and wildlife photographers looking to capture all of the decisive moments with higher image quality.

Sony will continue to evolve their lens lineup in order to meet the demands of all types of photographers, videographers and multi-media creators, with many different offerings to maximize the power of the innovative α™ camera lineup.

Additional details and specifications on the new FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS Super-Telephoto Lens will be released at a later date.

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Under An Arctic Sky Filmed On Sony a7SII

By Louis Ferreira | Published: October 24, 2017

https://youtu.be/zU2IHXm_vx8

Chris Burkard and crew compiled a pretty amazing video called Under An Arctic Sky, which is available on iTunes using the Sony a7SII. The film, which is about finding the perfect surf is Island includes a lot of beautiful footage, which could only be captured with the low light abilities of the Sony a7SII. Amazingly the 5 a7SII that Chris Burkard brought with him all performed flawlessly according to the above video.

Photographing/recoding the northern lights and Astro takes specialized gear and knowledge and I can’t help but wonder if this footage would look even better without Sony’s star eater issue. It’s video footage like this that really makes me want an a7SII/a7SIII camera over an a7R camera. The a7S has an incredibly unique advantage over any other camera on the market.

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Sony a7SII: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

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Sigma Officially Announces Development Of 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Mirrorless Lens

By Louis Ferreira | Published: October 24, 2017


Sigma officially announced the new 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary mirrorless lens for Sony E-mount. The release date and price are TBD. The lens hood will be an accessory that must be purchased separately (LH716-01). Sigma is also planning to release another middle telephoto lens for Sony E-mount in the future:


Press release:

Development of SIGMA 16mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary

The SIGMA Corporation is pleased to announce the development of a new high-performance, large-diameter wide-angle lens, SIGMA 16mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary.

This is the world’s first interchangeable lens for mirrorless Sony E-mount cameras in the APS-C format to offer a 24mm focal length (35mm equivalent) and F1.4 brightness. This is the large-diameter wide-angle lens for which mirrorless camera users have been waiting.

With an optical system that rivals that of interchangeable lenses for full-size SLRs, the lens features a wide variety of high-tech optical elements. SIGMA has crafted a lens that leverages optical aberration minimization via the in-camera digital correction. This lens effectively minimizes optical aberrations and offers superb resolution at wide-open aperture and throughout the aperture range. The optical design and stepping motor deliver smooth autofocus during video shooting, while the mount features special sealing creating a dust- and splash-proof design.

Additional information can be found here.

via photorumors

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Lensrentals: Sony Is Now A More Popular Rental Brand Than Nikon Increasing 22%, While Canon And Nikon Decreased 8% And 10%

By Louis Ferreira | Published: October 23, 2017


Lensrentals gave FStoppers some insight into their 2017 rental request and the results are quite surprising. Canon is still the number one system by far, followed by… Sony, which has surpassed Nikon. Specifically:

“Sony is now a more popular rental brand than Nikon.”

“Canon lenses were far and away the most popular, taking up 9 of the top 10 spots, with the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM coming in at 5th”

“Sigma continues to gain ground, having become 20 percent more popular than in 2016. Fuji lenses skyrocketed, showing 96 percent more rentals. Sony lenses also increased 22 percent, while Canon and Nikon decreased 8 and 10 percent, respectively. “

“Nonetheless, Canon remains the most popular system at 37 percent, with the Sony E mount coming in second at 13 percent.”

This data lends some validity to Sony’s claims of surpassing Nikon to become the number two interchangeable camera company in the world as Canon and Nikon are starting to lose steam. With Fujifilm and Sony going after Canon and Nikon hard the two aren’t going to be able to hang onto their supremacy for much longer.

via FStoppers

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Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary Coming Soon

By Louis Ferreira | Published: October 23, 2017

First images of the Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN coming soon for Sony E-mount leaked from nokishita.

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Focus-Numerique Sony Interview Coverage

By Louis Ferreira | Published: October 23, 2017


Sony continues to claim A-mount isn’t dead in their interview with Focus-Numerique, but it sure would be nice to see a new lens or a second lower level body than the a99II if that were the case. What follows is some key points from their interview:

  • We will continue to develop A-mount cameras and lenses (first time they committed to developing lenses)
  • Translucent mirror has unique advantages
  • A-mount lets you use old Minolta optics
  • The focus has been on E-mount because there are more gaps
  • a99II has been well received
  • UHC-8300 and it’s 8k recording was brought up in relation to the 2020 Olympics
  • E-mount is better for video and A-mount is better for photos
  • There is a contraction in the professional video market because the difference between high-end video equipment and the consumer level is very little today.
  • Sony refreshes products frequently to stimulate the market, but continues support for a long time and sells old models for many years, unlike competitors.
  • They are always expanding their pro support
  • Sony doesn’t see compact cameras or entry level ILC going away due to cellphones.
  • Sony is doing R&D into a variety of new image processing techniques like L16.
  • Still not the right moment for them to enter medium format even thought hey could easily.
  • Their priority is to meet the demands of professionals.
  • Sony doesn’t do big firmware update because they believe the camera should be maximized when shipped.
  • Curved sensors are better for fixed focal length lenses and do not work well with zooms.
  • Can’t say anything about their multilayered sensors yet.
  • Sony made full frame lens development their priority and will now get back to APS-C, which might include a 100-400mm equivalent like the recently released full frame lens.
  • G Master is generally reserved for full frame
  • Sony’s biggest optical is making brighter glass for professionals.
  • There will be no full frame camera without an EVF.

You can read the full interview here, but it is interesting to note that Sony shares clear plans for E-mount full frame and APS-C, but not A-mount. Sony’s continued statements about A-mount not being dead seem like marketing over reality without something more solid. I think A-mount fans would feel more secure in making future purchases if Sony came out and said we see gaps in A-mount here, here, and here for lenses like they do on their other systems.

I have nothing against A-mount and I would sooner buy an A-mount camera one than a Canon or Nikon DSLR. The problem with A-mount is that it won’t grow as a system if people don’t see or hear about development. I seriously considered the a99II when it was announced since the a7R3 was nowhere in sight, but I am still waiting…

Sony Alpha a99 Mark II: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

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