Archive for the 'Sony' category

Nikon launches a Nikon D3000 (entry-level SLR), a Nikon D300s (enthusiast SLR). Sony reveals accidentally the future Sony Alpha 850 as a relatively inexpensive complément to the Sony Alpha 900 (Full Frame SLR).

Find all about it on YLovePhoto.

I’m just out of eBay where I bought a second-hand Minolta 1.4x lens converter to extend a little my tele-lenses when I put them on my Sony Alpha 700 and the old faithful Konica-Minolta Dynax Maxxum 7D.

I think it is going to support me when I go to Nepal (Bardia National Park) in next October. With Alain Pons and Amawanda.

If you are looking for the latest news and the next rumours about the Nikon D800, you can now join other visitors on my new web site dedicated to the digital SLR cameras and digital photography: YLovePhoto.com.

Nikon D700

After the launch events of this Summer and this Fall (before and during the Köln Photokina), there are two brands leaving important questions open. This is Sony and Nikon. While the two near-friends had us used to seeing them working together around the Sony digital photo sensors, we discovered two very divergent/different announces about 35mm Full Frame dSLR cameras: A Sony Alpha 900 pushing the resolution to record levels (24.6MP) and a Nikon D700 limiting its resolution in favor of maximum sensitivity (12MP).

Sony Alpha 900 - publicité

Some would have us thinking that Nikon would have rejected the sensor offered by Sony (used on the Alpha 900) for reasons of insufficient image quality. It does not seem so obvious when looking at the results actually obtained by Sony, but why not? After all, Nikon did obtain a special edition of the Alpha 700 sensor in order to build its Nikon D300…

So what?

It is not very difficult to forecast. Nikon is preparing a Full Frame SLR photo camera with very high resolution (the Nikon D800 of the rumour mill or the D4 promised around Christmas?) and Sony will derive a low resolution version of the Alpha 900 (most certainly named Alpha 800). Their moves will be opposite but very complementary (and predictable).

In both cases, you can say that Canon will not be forced into running with the pack. With their EOS 5D Mk II (and the last EOS 5D, sold at bargain prices), there is enough to sustain the pressure, but Canon will need to react in 2009, before Summer.

What can be forecasted of the most important (in my eyes ) announces expected before the Photokina fair in Koln.

Beware: We said announces, not releases.

Already done:

Beware: This will be updated as often as needed. This may lead to repeated publications in the RSS feeds and some publication date changes.

When a dSLR like the Sony Alpha 900 is presented as if it was a Hollywood movie, we get this result :

Among today’s Sony announces (to go with the new Alpha 900) we find a couple of nice pro lenses that were expected (according to the recent leaks):

• Sony 70-400mm f/4-5.6, to finally offer a great tele-zoom
• Carl Zeiss 16-35mm f/2.8, to have the wide-angle zoom lens that could drive sales of the Sony Alpha 900

Now, Sony has a full range of f/2.8 zooms from 16mm to 200mm.

Availability of these two zooms: January 2009. Let’s be patient.

In preparation of the Photokina 2008, Sony just announced its newest digital SLR photo camera in Full Frame sensor size, the Sony Alpha 900.

Sony Alpha 900

Specification

(more…)

You never can hide anything from the keen eyes of the Internet photo lovers. The Sony Alpha 900 has been seen used with the Carl Zeiss 16-35mm f/2.8 lens.

Notice the small trapezoidal LCD screen on top of the camera body, the nice position of the drive and exposure buttons on top of the grip, nearly under the finger:

Source: DP via PB.

We were waiting for it, we were speaking about it, we were murmuring. Here it comes. Sony just let some information leak about their new super-tele-lens to complete an already rather rich list of good quality lenses:

The Sony 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G SSM is described in the PDF documentation of the Sony 70-300mm f/4-5.6 G SSM. Obviously, they were designed together. It is a twist-zoom. This will differentiate quite notably from the push-pull type of others like the Canon 100-400mm and it should protect it efficiently against dust entry (and we know that this is the bane of push-pulls.

The technical features can be read from this table. I can imediately notice that the diaphragm is staying between f/4 and f/5.6 (the golden standard of this type of zoom), that the weight is rather high (heavier than the Nikon and the Canon, nearly as much as the Sigma equivalnet) and that the minimum focus distance is very competitive.

Let’s wait for images and tests (and the price), but this could be the ideal lens to go and shoot in a wild-life safari.

Source: DPreview forums. See also my previous article about high-end tele-zooms.

A Danish photography magazine just leaked the official name of the new flagship camera from Sony.

Sony Alpha 900 - magazine ad

As everybody expected, it will be named Sony Alpha 900. Also,this tends to contradict the possibility of additional similar cameras (possibly with a different/smaller sensor).

Features

• 24.6 Mega Pixel Full Frame Exmor CMOS Sensor
• Dual BIONZ Image Processing Engine
• Intelligent Preview
• 100% Viewfinder (with 0.74x Magnification)
• 3.0”, 921K-pixel Hybrid LCD
• 9-point double-cross AF (with f2.8 wide-area sensor & 10-point secondary sensors)
• 5 fps continuous shooting
• SteadyShot on the sensor

Update: Yet another ad has been found.

Sony Alpha 900 - Magazine ad

The DPreview forums are currently providing the latest bit of information about the Canon EOS 5D succession. The EOS 5D is dead, long live the… EOS 7D and EOS 5D MkII. The first would be for a low cost option (around $2000 – I told you that this low price point would be critical in the battle of the Full Frame cameras in 2008-09), the second would be staying up against the Nikon D700 and replace honorably the original Canon EOS 5D. Or it would be a set of Canon EOS 3D and Canon EOS 7D…

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 7D

Anyway, do not expect to get any reliable information now. Canon has put under NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) all press representative and has provided the pre-production cameras for the initial hands-on reviews to pop up everywhere when the embargo is lifted.

This is exactly the reason why  we no longer have any information about the upcoming Sony Alpha 900 which will be fighting in exactly the same market. Possibly with exactly the same weapons (two cameras to simultaneously cover both the $2000 and $3000 ranges).

According to German photo magazine, Foto Magazin, the future Nikon D3x pro SLR camera will be fitted with the Sony image sensor that was presented a few months ago and that is expected to appear on the Sony Alpha 900 camera (high-end D-SLR from Sony). If this is confirmed, it would mean that the Nikon D3 will have a successor under the name of Nikon D3X (or D4) and that the Sony sensor is really of the utmost quality.

We knew that it was coming with 25 million pixels, but it could have been short on quality compared to the D3 (or D700) sensor because of its small (but many) pixels. For Nikon to accept to use this Sony sensor (and not a better one) at this level of products, they must be sure to have the best possible silicon piece: Pros want wonderful images, not only big figures (a big bunch of pixels).

I was thinking differently, but this could tilt the scale toward a very high price for the Sony Alpha 900 camera (I had hoped to see less than 2500€ or even less than 2000€, but -now- I would not be surprised if the label looked like 3000€).

However, it would leave some space left in the Sony camera range for an Alpha 800, with an intermediate price. This could be quite neat if it allowed to have a super-featured Full Frame camera around 3000€ (the Sony Alpha 900) and another Full Frame under 2500€ (the hypothetical Sony Alpha 800).

With such arguments, nobody would be surprised in seeing a brother to the recent Nikon D700: The ruored Nikon D800?

Let’s see at Koln Photokina opening next month.

Tomorrow, Sony will present to a tighly selected audience a few new photo products among which everybody expects to find the flagship camera taht was announced already more than a year ago. This camera will be the first Sony camera using a Full Frame sensor with 24 millions of pixels.

Most people think that the camera will be christened Sony Alpha 900 (the 9 figure has been used by Minolta for its pro lines). But, well, uhm, the rumor is running free. In Chasseur d’Image, we read that there could be a declination of the camera. Is Sony going to play to the same tune as for the Alpha 300 and Alpha 350?

Why not? It’s only a matter of launching simultaneously a Sony Alpha 900 and an Alpha 950. Both would share the same nice robust body seen previously here and there. But the digital sensor would be different. Imagine:

• Sony Alpha 900 with a 14MP Full Frame sensor
• Sony Alpha 950 with a 24MP Full Frame sensor

or even:

• Sony Alpha 800 with a 14MP APS-C sensor
• Sony Alpha 900 with a 24MP Full Frame sensor

Check here later.

Amateurs of sports photography and wildlife photography are generally well aware that the Holy Grail of lenses seems to be a (relatively) light tele-zoom lens of 100-400mm range and an aperture under f/5.6. This set of features allows a lot of versatility (tele range with the ability to quickly and easily change the frame) and a good behaviour in terms of AF (most modern AF behave correctly up to f/5.6 but no further than this).

This is the reason why the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS UM and Nikon AF 80-400mm VR f/4.5-5.6 D ED has been so successful despite their obviously high prices (around $2000). When I’m on photo safari, I’d say that about half the people around me have one of the Canons as their main lens (somtimes, it’s even their only lens).

Some time ago, Sigma added its own version of this lens (see this high-end zoom lens comparison). And it was a winner in terms of price-performance.

Now, we can expect several significant news in this range of products coming from different manufacturers.

• Sony presented about a year ago a mockup of a zoom lens corresponding well to this range. The word is out that it will be a 70-400mm f/5.6 zoom presented to the European press on August 14th (for an official launch in the beginning of September, probably at the same time Sony launches the Sony Alpha 800 and/or Sony Alpha 900 Full Frame camera(s)).
• According to some rumors (mainly originating from an unsubstantiated initial post at NikonRumours), there will soon be a Nikon AF80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED VR update. And this should be explaining the reduced availability of the original version.

I would even be tempted to read between the lines of a recent test article of Chasseur d’Image and say that Canon will also be hard pressed to provide an update to its aging 100-400mm. After all, it’s a real cash cow and a sure sale for owners of top- and mid-range cameras like the Canon EOS 40D (and possibly its successor EOS 50D – next year?).

The current rumour is that top hats from Canon Japan are currently travelling to China to support the imminent launch of one or two new SLR cameras for the brand. It would be the replacement for the Canon EOS 5D (the most repeated name is now Canon EOS 7D, but who knows) and the successor to the Canon EOS 40D (obviously named EOS 50D).

Since the EOS 5D MkII is expected around this time and no later than September PMA fair, this is quite a possibility and having a handful of these cameras in the hands of pro photographers for all to see would be a very nice promotional opportunity for Canon. This is much needed after the thunderous launch of the Nikon D700 and just before the arrival of the Sony Alpha 800/900 (direct competitors in the Full Frame SLR camera market).

I’m still sceptical about an EOS 50D that would be arriving a little too early according to Canon habits in terms of launches, except if it was a low-cost version of the previous Full Frame camera. And, there, it would be a great event. Think about it! Simultaneous launch of two war machines hitting right into the center of the preoccupations of the most enthusiast photographers.

Some people expect the announcement to happen on Monday.

For sure, we heard a lot of rumours more or less tolerable, but here is one that does not seem to have a lot more ground than the wishes of some Sony customers afraid of discovering too high a price for the upcoming Sony Alpha 900. Guess what? 24 millions pixels could ask for a steep price, nearer to 3000€ or 4000$ than the target of 2000$ that you could maintain if you are ready to purchase a bargain end-of-life Canon EOS 5D (nearing official retirement but not dead yet, for sure).

The arrival of the Nikon D700 with a Full Frame sensor of a lower resolution than the high-end cameras like the Nikon D3 (or the Sony Alpha 900) had people murmuring that maybe (and I have to heavily insist on this maybe word) Nikon and Sony would share a 12-16 million-pixel Full Frame sensor. Nikon would launch a Nikon D700 and Sony would launch a similar Sony Alpha 800 sometimes nicknamed “flagcheap” (”flagship” designating the top-of-the-line Sony, the Alpha 900, “flag-cheap” is a word game on “cheap” for a cheaper camera).

It is impossible to tell if there is any truth to it. Assuredly, the lack of recent information about the Sony Alpha 900 (and most importantly its price target) had heads spinning and marketing laws or logic law being what they are, plugging a price hole in the Sony SLR camera range may become an urgent necessity. Sony could fill it with the Alpha 800. And it previously occured that Sony hid some products behind the visibility of another camera (see the example of the Alpha 300/350).