Top sources unveiled that the NEX-F5 will be announced sometimes this summer. They also confirmed now that there will be new E-mount lenses too. And one of them expressly said: “I am talking about very high stuff, not a cheap 18-200mm lens like we had it now” …LOL 🙂 About time!
P.S.: The Sony NEX-5n $50 rebate will end soon at Amazon (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here)! And the super nice and cheap 50mm is back in Stock via J&R at Amazon (Click here).
110 Responses
“Cheap 18-200mm lens…”? What is the Sony guy talking about? Is the price or the quality of the lens “Cheap”? The build and IQ quality of the 18-200mm lens to me is decent, to say the least. If he thinks the $900 price tag is “cheap”, he must be out of his little mind.
I believe the source is referencing the just announced cheaper SEL18200LE. i.e. the lens(es) announced in summer will actually either A) Present a different focal length(s)/apertures than current lenses or B) Be of a higher optical quality (such as the supposed new standard zoom). Either options or both are welcome.
The build quality and the IQ of the 18-200 is definitely “cheap,” not to mention how slow it is. I just picked up the 16-50/2.8 and the LAEA1 adapter and it completely spanks the kit lens and 18-200, both in IQ and build quality. So many people complain about the size of Nex lenses, speed and IQ are my complaints. Who wants a lens with a maximum aperture around f/5.6 at just 50mm? Hopefully the upcoming G zoom raises the bar, until then its the 16-50 and a bunch of primes – E mount and adapted Rokkors – for me.
the G lens is coming earlier 😉
Source?
I’m guessing he means the new 18-200 just announced ?
And “top sources” doesn’t mean “Sony guy”.
Sorry – that comment was intended as a reply to Bill and others suggesting that “cheap” refers to the $900 SEL zoom.
That’s just a photo from a road map Sony presented at some point in time; no reason to believe it’s a new picture.
I guess the high end lenses are for film makers and will cost much more than $900.
Don’t forget that Sony have been in professional video for a long time, and the E mount is as much for movie cameras as for still cameras (that can do a bit of video as a bonus).
Dear Sony Digital Imaging,
Stop bombarding us with entry level and mid-range cameras. You just came out with some awesome pro-sumer cameras (A77 and NEX7), we bought them and we are very happy with them. Now come out with more lenses for the E-mount or improve your A-mount line up.
Sincerely…
A pissed of wedding/runway photographer
P.S.
Your road map sucks… If you continue with this you’ll alienate all your professional and semi-professional followers…
I don’t see how they are alienating the pro market, let’s not forget the E-mount is also for video, pro videographers need more zooms
Remember, this is a Photokina year so all the good stuff gets saved up for that. That’s why nobody is announcing higher-end stuff right now. Everybody’s getting the low-end product refreshes, which are on a 12 month cycle these days, out of the way. I’d expect the bigger items to start getting announced mid-July, for late August/early September shipping. It’s going to be a big year all-round, with Nikon’s D7000 and D300 replacements, Canon likely to replace the 7D and 60D, Sony will only have a new FF body and the NEX-F5, so Sony’s likely to load up on the lens announcements, I’d expect we’ll 4-6 A mount lenses (the 4 new ones mentioned plus a couple teasers for in-development stuff like how the ZA24 and 500G were initially presented) and around the same for E mount, with a similar split (3-4 for short term release and a couple teasers for next year).
lenses = want!
bring me a 35mm, 85mm or 135mm
Read again. No primes. ZOOMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Read again. No primes. ZOOMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ooops….Mid-telephoto lens might be prime…Hmmm…100 macro?
They would state a macro as a macro. My bet is 85/1.8.
85mm/f1.8 = +1 😉
Read again – NO ZOOMS!!!!!
Sorry, I’m the one who misread
I’m down for the 35 and 85, but I really want the G and Wide zooms (well, as long as the Wide zoom is any good, unlike the DT 11-18). 135’s long enough that I’d really prefer it be A mount, I’d love to see a return of a compact 135/2.8 to the line, the old Minolta doesn’t work for me due to poor manual focus handling.
One thing Sony could do is develop a dual-mode AF protocol, so future A mount lenses with SAM or SSM motors could get decent AF performance on the LA-EA1 adapter by operating in E mode but would present to A mount bodies as regular A mount lenses.
35mm FTW! 😀
+1
I’m all about that G!
Good,
With todays 24MP and higher sensors (notice I didn’t say better sensors)Optics are the limiting roadblock to sharpness.
I’m looking to buy something smaller and lighting than my big and heavy full-frame and top quality fast lenses without sacrificing the image to much in the process and the Sony NEX-7 or later looks to be more promising if the lenses are as good as I want them to be.
And before someone starts writing about how you can use this lens or that lens from this company or that using an adapter I ‘m not interested in loosing AF and control or making the NEX body bigger using some third party adapter…………..I want a native and integrated solution!
Can’t wait to spend my money on something I want!
I’m also looking to replace my DSLRs.
The Sony NEX has good APS-C sensors, but no lenses and a really effed-up menu.
The Olympus OMD EM-5 has a smaller than I’d like m4/3 sensor. They also have a better than most menu. Their 12mm f2.0 and 45mm f1.8 primes are great, plus they have a 75mm f1.8 (= 150mm FF) due soon (the long prime I’ve been waiting for).
The big question mark is Canon, what will their Mirrorless be? A POS Rebel with a small sensor and kit-zoomz or a prosumer APS-C camera with both zooms and primes?
All of our questions should be answered by Photokina. Who will have the right answers for a pro mirrorless system ??? Then it is decision time!
The OM-D has a better menu? Go use one, Oly’s menus are just as bad as Sony’s. Fuji’s are even worse. Frankly the NEX-7’s menu issues are mostly irrelevant, the only time I ever menu dive is to format cards, everything else I need is directly accessible or accessible via the Fn button.
The Canon mirrorless will be crippled to preserve Rebel sales.
I heard this “new lenses coming” so many times before that I don’t even know if I believe anymore…
Well the roadmap does say 2012 for the launch of 3 lenses and since we are still safely within 2012 the rumor makes a lot of sense. 🙂
That’s what im talking about :D, bring us compact G and Z lenses that has render quality of A-Mount. I love my SEL24f1.8 very much however its till unable to surpass my 24f2ZA in term of rendition.
LA-EA that shiz 🙂 surely it can’t be THAT much bigger.
It is that much bigger. The LA-EA1+Minolta 24/2.8 are just about exactly the same size as the ZA E 24/1.8. The ZA 24/2 is a fair bit larger than the MinO 24/2.8, not as massive as a 24/1.4 for sure (or even close) but it’s about twice the volume of the 24/2.8.
*still keeping fingers crossed for a 16-105mm f4, but getting cramps for having them crossed for months now.
Do you prefer it with SAM or SSM G?
Even if it’s a 16-85 G, I would be very happy too!
+1, I will/would buy the NEX-7 to go with it. Actually my ideal would be 16-80mm f2.8 (5x like R1) but this would be a very good alternative especially if it was more compact.
I’m down for f4 and 16mm, but a 16-105 would be just too damned big if up to G standards. I want a 16-50/4 and the later non-G mid-range zoom can be a 16-105 with a variable aperture.
I’ll laugh, a sad sad laugh, if the lenses turn out to be the white and pink versions of the 18-55 and 18-200.
Well that’s what they mean by “very high stuff”…
Pack, lighter, gurgle gurgle exhale… “awe dude this would look great in pink”.
What a negative comment & respond.
I hope it become to reality. SOON
I think the Sony 18-200 “Black version” is a rebadged Tamron 18-200, compare the minimum focus distance, dimensions and the optical elements of the two
Sony should release 4-8 lenses E-mount this year & have superior optics.
What about A-mount lenses?!!
Sony releasing eight lenses in a year for all mounts combined would be unthinkable.
hahahaha Sony? 8 E-Mount lenses in a year? Maybe different color, rebranded or upgrades… but new ones, don’t think so.
Sony… For E-Mount:
15/2
20TS/2.8
30/1.4
40TS/2.8
75/1.4
120Macro/2
250/2
30-80/2 Portrait Slayer
Do this and rule the world.
How could they rule without zoom lenses.
10-30/4 A-E mount
16-50/2 E-mount
24-105/4 A-mount
70-200/4 A-mount
Prime lens 500/8 reflex A-Emount
As long as the zooms are constant aperture, they’ll get my attention. We’re oversaturated with variable aperture zooms currently. I can’t believe the 55-210 is variable aperture. Make that lens an f4 and it would be stellar. At f6.3, my bag will never see it.
AGREED.
I try three lenses with variable aperture. I mess most of the time a decent moment.
WELCOME TO CONSTANT APERTURE ZOOMS.
Heh, the 55-210 is only $300. Sony are trying to satisfy the majority of their users first, in this case, people whose NEXs are their first advanced camera.
Agree but for the 250/2. Such a lens would heavy, if it should have decent image quality. Say maybe 4kg? Also a 250/2 would be equivalent to 275/2.8 on full frame. Have you seen the Nikon 300/2.8 or the 200/2? Both are about 2.9kg. I used the 300. Beautiful images. But way too heavy for amateur use.
I went to mirrorless because of the weight. A lens wishlist should contain weights, too then.
I’d prefer a 250/4 or even a 200/4 that I can actually carry. Ideally 400g but up to 1.5kg would be fine by me.
Actually a 250/2 would be bigger than a 300/2.8. A 250/2 requires a 125mm aperture where a 300/2.8 only needs a 107mm aperture. You’re looking at something more akin to a 400/2.8, which would be the closest common FF equivalent to a 250/2 for E mount.
btw, if you want a 200, the 200/2.8G is compact, relatively light and quite excellent. Not too spendy either, you can usually get one for $900. Personally I’m looking at Sigma’s 150 OS to fill the gap in here for me. And yes, that’s for my NEX-7, I don’t expect to buy anything longer than 85-90mm in E mount, long lenses are big enough that I’ll just buy them in A mount and adapt, they’ll be on the tripod using their tripod mount anyways. I already use a Nikkor 300/4.5 AI rather successfully with my 7 (and hey, for $150 and able to handle the 7’s sensor at f8, why not?)
A 250/2? That would be insane!!! I think some of these may be a little unreasonable.
Sure I understand. 250/2 would be better for Alpha adapted to NEX. If E-Mount, f4 or even f2.8 would be more appropriate.
But my point here is that Sony should think far far outside the box and create system lust with some very exotic glass. It will raise the view of the entire system. They need a trophy, an icon that says “seriously look at us”.
You can have that already, if you’re willing to pay the price. There’s an OM 250/2 ED that is rare but findable.
I think some of your lens suggestions are unreasonable.
O.K
Let us hear your reasonable suggestions please??
Reasonable & realistic, some of these we got already lucky enough.
24mm f/1.8, 35 f/1.8, 50 f/1.8, 80mm f/1.8
16mm pancake
~34mm pancake
~50mm pancake
12-16mm f/3.5-5.6 UWA (this gonna be big, no doubt… but well… uwa needs to be there regardless of size, and reduced focal range should make it possibly small)
18-50 f/2.8 – smaller version of A-mount lens for people needing high-end standard zoom.
And we’re done.
As for Clyde’s suggestion:
TS? You won’t see any of these on E-mount from Sony.
250 f/2? This goes for A-mount.
30-80 f/2 – too big, too specialized. A-mount or make it f/2.8 and 18mm at WA.
120mm macro – won’t happen. They can’t even release it for A-mount. 50mm f/2.8 macro is far more realistic though I don’t see it happening in coming 3 years. It’s very-low-priority lens. Especially because you already have 30mm macro lens.
Portrait Slayer FTW!! 🙂
30-80/2?
You realize that zooms faster than F2.8 are extremely rare? Actually, I only know one, the Olympus 35-100 F2, and that is for M4/3 (not counting the Tokina 28-70/2.6-2.8 which is negligibly faster than F2.8).
Do it. You’d buy one just like me. And we’d gladly pay dearly for it. And those considering other systems would submit to Sony wanderlust.
Zooms faster than f2 aren’t exactly uncommon in the video world. Oly also has two, the 35-100 which is actually a Sigma-originated 70-200/2.8 optical design with a 0.5x integrated telecompressor and some serious tweaking) as well as their 14-35/2 (same deal, Sigma-originated 28-70/2.8 optical design with an integrated 0.5x telecompressor and some serious tweaking by Oly. And yes a 0.5x telecompressor means these should both be f1.4 lenses, which they are optically, they actually stop down to f2 when mounted to improve performance, you can actually mount but not lock the lenses to comfirm, you’ll see about 2/3rds of an extra stop on the meter.
10/2.8
70-250/2.8
12-70/4
30/2.8 Pancake retractable. Extend lens shade to use for focus ring.
No more variable aperture zooms please.
I’d settle for the 12-70/4 or an 11-16/4.5
+1
Yes no more variable aperture zooms PLEASE
12-70? ROTFL. I guess you can’t imagine the size of that thing and pathetic image quality.
You see: there is one magical reason why noone makes zooms for APS-C reaching from sub-16mm to over 50mm.
what about tokina 11-16mm?
I’m blown away by the desire for a constant aperture zoom for NEX. The variable aperture zooms are already large enough, and the constant aperture zooms will be relatively huge…granted, I can’t imagine wanting a zoom at all on NEX, myself.
I’m alpha user, my suggestions not only for E-mount but also for A-mount.
I do not care about E-mount but could not ignore other needs & I love to see almost full line-up.
f/1.4 lenses are overrated especially in mirrorless camera. Give me a f/2, I mean usable @f/2, I will be a happy camper.
Wishlist:
12 f/2.8
16 f/2.8 decent, no need to be a pancake
30 f/2
90 f/2.8 macro, stabilized
+1. Looks good to me.
Please Lord, let the zoom be a Zeiss with a constant aperture. That’s all I ask.
It’s a G lens. It says it right there on the roadmap.
Roadmaps can change.
And Sony roadmaps do change and often with a different year placed on it.
When was the last time we saw a roadmap for the A-mount?
Sony must have one right???
or maybe that don’t and don’t what us to know?
We do get rumors of exciting new and/or updated A-Mount lenses
The fact that Sony refuses to post an A-mount roadmap is disturbing and a much bigger reason for me to consider a move, but with so much up in the air I’ve been renting if I really need something I don’t have.
I think Sony is on the right path, but not sure if Sony plans to take the path………
I want a full-frame mirrorless camera that uses and has a lineup of high quality fast lenses and that has fast AF, peeking and a EVF as good or better than the a77.
This camera needs to tethered and have all of the other features and build qualitys of a top of the line Canon or Nikon to replace my old a850’s next year and I’m still hoping Sony will do it.
At the end of the day Sony will do whatever it wants and redraw its roadmap whenever it feels like it. Since the last lens roadmap, Sony has changed CEOs and reorganized its priorities. And they’ve announced that their digital imaging division is now a priority. So who knows what will happen. But I think it’s a safe assumption that the old roadmap is going to be changed in some way.
Sony doesn’t publish roadmaps for A-mount. Neither does Canon or Nikon. Somehow noone complains.
Hm… you all write your fine wishlists – you realized that this blog is about Sony? There will be a few more nex and slt before there will be a 12 f2.8 or something else like that…
I have found 16 e-mount lenses available at the moment:
11 primes:
Samyang / Rokinon 8mm f/2.8 fisheye
Sony pancake 16mm f/ 2,8
Sigma 19mm f/2.8
SLR Magic 23mm f/1.7
Sony Zeiss AF 24mm f/1,8
SLR Magic 28mm f/2.8 w/ 1:1 Macro
Sony 30mm f/3.5 macro lens
Sigma 30mm f/2.8
SLR Magic 35mm f/1.7
Sony AF 50mm f1,8
SLR Magic Hyper Prime 50mm f/0,95
5 zooms:
Zunow 4K Ready Super Wide Vari-Angle lens E 11-16mm f/2.8
Sony 18-55mm f/3,5-5,6
Sony 18-200 mm f/3,5-6,3
Tamron 18–200 mm f/1:3,5–6,3
Sony 55-210mm f/4-6.3
Surely, there is a wide scope both in their quality as well in their price. This is may be a modest number, depending on your attitude, but they are here.
SLR Magic 23mm f/1.7 has been cancelled after it underperform during testing
I would be absolutely fine with three pancake primes for NEX:
– wide angle (even the current 2.8/16 will do, though something even wider would be nice)
– normal (1.8-2/35)
– tele (2-2.8/85) or similar focal length macro (1:2 magnification and f2 would be great but not sure how doable in pancake form)
The heavy, large high quality glass I’d prefer to keep on the A-mount side. Tiny, “good enough” lenses would be preferable for me on the NEX.
I would be absolutely fine with three pancake primes for NEX:
– wide angle (even the current 2.8/16 will do, though something even wider would be nice)
– normal (1.8-2/35)
– tele (2-2.8/85) or similar focal length macro (1:2 magnification and f2 would be great but not sure how doable in pancake form)
The heavy, large high quality glass I’d prefer to keep on the A-mount side. Tiny, “good enough” lenses would be preferable for me on the NEX.
show me a good example of another 85 pancake ever made…sorry but this seems to me just non sense.
Maybe the 35 is more possible but f/2.8, not f/2 If they want to keep the small size like the SEL16F28, but if you’re ok with a few mm more in lenght to match the Samsung 30mm f/2+registration distance of NX-mount that are about 25.5mm compared to the 18mm of E-mount then yes, it’s possible to have a 30mm f/2 or 35mm f/2 but don’t know if it enters in the pancake category of most users.
Ah Sony lens roadmap, we meet again…
*seigh*
Please don’t give up! This (“roadmap to nowhere”) is a source of endless entertainment! Sony is after all in the entertainment business! LOL!
iam a macro guy 🙁 i just need a 100mm macro
thats all !! pleas sony !!
Give me:
– 12mmf2.8 pancake (but with useful corner-resolution)
– or 10-20mm f4
– 35mmf1.4 Zeiss
– 60mm f2.5 macro
all in the same nice design of the Zeiss24/1.8
and I0ll buy!
“I am talking about very high stuff, not a cheap 18-200mm lens like we had it now”
SEL 24 F/1.8 ZA Silver?
here’s my wish
zooms
11-16/3.5
16-50/2.8
50-135/2.8
primes
10/2.8 fisheye
35/1.8
60/1.8
90/2
simple and eficient
E mount needs constant aperture zooms:
16-50 f2.8
16-105 f?
16-135 f?
For the strobists:
Hot Shoe Mount Adapter for the Accesory Port, and an option to turn off the preflash. The flash options are shameful on everything but the Nex-7.
I had the Nex-3 and now the Nex-5N. Getting into lighting and flash and I could not recommend the NEX system to someone who wants to do off camera flash. I use the Yongnuo YN-560 Flashes that ignore preflash, but it is a hack at best.
Pie in the Sky:
Nex-9 with maximum sensor size that will fit in the E-Mount. Maybe a 1.1 crop and destroy the full frame market.
16-35 f2.8 pleeeeeeease 😉
I would love that one! Plus a macro between 60mm and 90mm with f2-f2.8
I hope the e mount G zoom is f4, not brighter.
That way it will be small, not much bigger than kit lens. All these people asking for f2.8 and f2 – the lens will be so big you might wa well use a DSLR..
17-50mm F4 G – and Frickin’ sharp…
Agreed. I want really good f4 zooms for the wide, the G and a short tele (I’m thinking a 50-135 or 50-150/4). f2.8 zooms just won’t handle well due to size, or you’d be giving up optical performance, particularly control of vignetting. Give me a good trio of f4 zooms and I’ll buy them.
If I wanted f2.8, I’d have bought an A77. It’s simply going to handle better with big lenses which are short enough to handhold (the NEX’s do surprisingly well with big lenses on tripods).
35 1.8
I’ll hope for a 16-60mm F2.8 constant with OSS & is super sharp & contrasty. A a 70-300 F4 constant zoom to complement 😀
The current lens line up just couldn’t cut it on Nex 7 24MP, only exception is the CZ 24mm.
Sony WAKE UP!!! You’ve got great products, don’t shoot yourself in the foot!!
OMG!!! 900USD is cheap!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????
My wish list:
E mount 35 mm f/1.8 OSS
After it, maybe an E mount 75/85 mm f/1.8 OSS, but I would like a fast and not too expensive normal prime, as a 35 mm, before anything else.
Well, this certainly looks encouraging. And I have to cast a shadow of doubt over such nice sounding news, but…
This looks suspiciously like the old roadmap. The one before the G zoom got pushed out to 2013. (Why is the just-announced black 18-200 not on this map?)
Please, tell me I’m wrong.
I will answer to end your questions. This is the old roadmap(the original plan). As you can see, it only shows up to 2012. The new one shows up to 2013 with the introduction of the high magnification zoom (SEL18200LE), just type in E-mount roadmap in google and you will find it with some green colored new additions.
+1
A small 28mm prime thank you, speed nor relevant.
28 is the normal for 1.5x crop (sensor diagonal) – I am a bit puzzled why lots of people hope for 35mm – it’s a bit on the long side.
For the same reason people use 50mm rather than 43mm lenses on full frame.
The new $1,000 lenses will be available in January 2013 (in limited quantities). Enjoy!
Ok if I had to have a wishlist, I would like Sony to do the following:
A-Mount –
Easy choice 16mm 2.8
Easy choice 24mm 2-2.4
Easy choice 135mm 2.8
Easy choice 200mm 2.8-3.5
E-Mount –
Replicate easy choice lenses, simply make them less ‘chunky’ than easy choice A’s with LA-EA1 ie slim them down in E-Mount lens style. Oh an OSS on longer FL lenses.
Maybe throw another macro in there around 90mm.
Admin: Is there any way you can tell us the specs on the F5 sooner than the day before it’s released ?
Many of us who follow SAR were shocked at how you had NO information on the F3’s specs until a couple of days before it’s release. If the information is from only one source, use your own system and make the rumor a SR1 or SR2. This is not the New York Times. You don’t have to get 3 independent confirmations on each rumor. No-one will sue you if a rumor doesn’t pan-out.
all i need is some primes that can accommodate the 24mp sensor.. whats stopping me from buying the NEX 7.. is unfortunately only the Zeiss can accommodate the sensor..and all the bad rep about the 16mm and 18-55mm.. so lets see some fine (affordable) lenses in 2012 please !!! .
The Sony 24 and 50, and the Sigma 19 and 30 are all fantastic on the Nex-7.
If the 30 was an f1.8 with same performance, they’d sell bazillions of them, even at double current price. They’d sell more than the current 2.8 model at a higher profit margin.
Why isn’t anyone getting ballzy with the mirrorless lenses. Combine the VoigtMagic speed, with native AF mount and the winner is…
I waiting for a new NEX lens from Samyang. Manual lens is supposed to be smaller than lens with auto-focus and image stabilization. Samyang 8mm for NEX does look cute.
http://www.thephoblographer.com/2012/01/27/exclusive-hands-on-review-rokinon-8mm-f2-8-fisheye-sony-nex/
Did that ever make it to market?
I think the lenses will be: 11-18 f4-5.6, a 16-50 f3.5 G, and an 85 or a 75 f1.8
Very positive news that more pigs are flying in!
I’m sure one day the NEX system will be a viable compact AF “micro system” that I will want. I’ll have another look then, but that will be many thousands of pictures down the line for me.