The AQUATICA A6500 Underwater Housing For the SONY Alpha 6500 Compact Camera

By Louis Ferreira | Published: March 10, 2017

Introducing The AQUATICA A6500 Underwater Housing For the SONY Alpha 6500 Compact Camera

Retail: $1,650.00 USD includes Housing, built in leak sensor, handles, hand strap, tray brackets, grip brackets and more!

The Aquatica A6500 is a housing designed to be small, compact and easily handled just like the camera that it is designed for. With 24.2 MP stills and 4K video capabilities coming in at a retail cost of $1,399.00 USD the SONY Alpha 6500 is a great camera for the beginner and professional Underwater Photographer alike.

THE SONY a6500 features

  •  24.2 MP APS-C Exmor CMOS sensor
  •  BIONZ X Image processor
  •  4K video capture
  •  In-body 5 axis image stabilization
  •  Built in WIFI for easy sharing
  •  425-point phase detection autofocus points
  •  3.0” 921.6k-Dot Tiliting Touchscreen LCD
  •  Bigger JPEG buffer
  •  Silent shooting
  •  Tough magnesium alloy body and robust lens mount

OUR INNOVATIONS:
This camera is a powerhouse of technology just like its predecessor, the A6300. We have made our Power saddle also available for this housing to allow the user to fully enjoy the system underwater.

Power Saddle:
The Aquatica Digital Power Saddle incorporates an optional rechargeable battery pack that plugs into the camera’s micro usb port and attaches magnetically to the camera’s mounting plate. This option can be purchased with the housing or purchased later as an add-on. Purchasing the Power Saddle will allow both still and video shooters to have the equivalent of two extra batteries in their housing, allowing the extra power they need to fuel their creative visions. Read More »

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Meyer Optik Gorlitz Trioplan 35mm f/2.8 Lens is Now on Kickstarter

By Louis Ferreira | Published: March 9, 2017


I tested a Meyer’s Optik Gorlitz Triplan 100mm f/2.8 a while ago, but it was a little long for me and I was expecting to recive a 50mm f/2.9. These are very interesting lenses for people that have the patience to plan out their compositions and now they are releasing a 35mm f/2.8 mm via Kickstarter, which has already reached its funding goal of $50k. The Trioplan 35+ is the final lens of the Trioplan Trilogy, which started with the Trioplan 100mm f/2.8 and the 50mm f/2.9:

The Trioplan 35+ is expected to be available at the retail price of $1,599 later this year but Kickstarter backers can secure the lens for a much lower investment. What backers will get is a groundbreaking lens.

Previously, it was thought too difficult to achieve the soap bubble effect in a wide angle lens. But Meyer-Optik engineers designed the new lens according to the historic Cook Triplet design but added two elements to boost the lens. The extra two lens elements is why Meyer-Optik decided to add the “+” to the name of the lens.

Technical data of the lens prototype:

  • Focal length: 35 mm
  • Aperture: 1:2,8, – 1:22
  • Angle: +/- 31,5°
  • Focusing Distance ∞ to 0,3 m
  • Clip on diameter:  41 mm
  • Filter Diameter: M 39 x 0,75
  • Size: Ø 61,5 mm x 50 mm
  • Weight: ca. 220g
  • Aperture blades: 12

Read More »

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Unannounced Sony Camera Surfaces: Maybe the Sony a7III

By Louis Ferreira | Published: March 7, 2017


Sony
WW 361847

  • China MIIT (2017 DJ 0805 · registered February 15, 2017)
  • Wi-Fi · Bluetooth installed

Hopefully its the upcoming Sony a7III.

Via Photorumors, Nokishita

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Sony α6500 Firmware Update 1.02

By Louis Ferreira | Published: March 7, 2017


A new firmware update has been issued for the Sony α6500. This utility updates the α6500 system software to version 1.02 and provides the following benefits:

• Improves operability of the left side of the PMCA (PlayMemories Camera Apps) keyboard during touch-panel operation

• Improves overall stability of the camera

Download the firmware update here.

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Phottix Ares II and Pixel Pawn TF-365 Wireless Triggers For Sony

By Louis Ferreira | Published: March 6, 2017

Phottix Ares II Transmitter Only – Receiver Sold Seperately

The Phottix Ares II Flash Trigger – 16 Channels of Awesomeness

Welcome to the family
Introducing Phottix’s newest budget-friendly flash trigger system – the Phottix Ares II. The transmitter and receiver system boasts the latest technology and is perfect for manual shooting with studio lights or hot shoe flashes. Better yet: The popular original Phottix Ares system was a standalone product within the Phottix ecosystem – not so for the Ares II. The Phottix Ares II will join the Phottix ecosystem and be compatible” with other Phottix products.

Features:
• Transmitter and Receiver with LCD display
• 16 Channels (Strato II compatibility on channels 1-4)
• 4 Groups, A-D
• Digital ID Codes (0000 – 9999)
• 150m Range
• Compatible with other Phottix products*

The Ares Wireless Trigger took the world by storm when it was released in 2012 the Ares was a simple and affordable way to use off-camera flash. The Ares transmitter and receiver units were popular and lauded by some of the biggest names in the industry for its design and reliability.

More Channels and Digital ID:
Pick from 16 channels. The first four channels offer compatible with the Phottix Strato II Receiver – and can be used to trigger Phottix products such as the Mitros+ and Indra series of studio lights with built-in Strato II receivers. Use the Digital ID function for the ultimate in secure triggering – no one can trigger your flashes unless using your four-digit Digital ID code.

Universal Hot Shoe
The Ares II Transmitters and Receivers have been design to be compatible with most major camera and flash systems (including Sony). The Ares II is at home on Canon, Nikon, Sony (MIS), Pentax, Panasonic, Fuji and Olympus cameras and compatible with most hot shoe flashes (triggering from the X-Sync pin)

Phottix Ares II Transmitter Only – Receiver Sold Separately

Available on Amazon / Adorama

Available on Amazon

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Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Tear Down

By Louis Ferreira | Published: March 5, 2017

image courtesy of Lens rentals

One of lens rental’s customers dropped a  Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS jamming the focus system, so they decided to do a tear down to fix the problem. The tear down took 6 hours to complete. The read is lengthy and is two parts long. Part one goes rear half of the lens tear down, while part two is from after their snack break and includes the front portion of the lens tear down.

  1. The Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM has a lot of solid construction with heavy metal barrels and proper weather sealing.
  2. The rollers, cams, and screws seem appropriate for what they do. They aren’t over-engineered by any means, but certainly adequate.
  3. The lens is designed to take apart in the middle. That’s really different for a 70-200 f/2.8, but we’ve seen some super telephoto lenses that are similar. I doubt it’s going to break in half if you drop it. Or more to the point, if you drop it hard enough to break it in half, other stuff would be breaking too.
  4. There’s a lot of impressive engineering in here, but not what we (from a take-it-apart perspective) would call elegant. It looks similar to a Nikon design, which isn’t a bad thing, Nikon makes lots of great lenses. That are a pain to work on. Pain to work on often (but not always) translates into expensive to repair.

Apparently Sony’s new lens is heavily inspired by Nikon’s lens design, but they try a lot of new things too. Like the image stabilization system is extremely well built so it shouldn’t break easily if dropped. Lens Rentals also reverified their poor image quality results and stand behind the their test showing that the lens is not very sharp.

Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

via Lensrentals

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