Many Sony Artisans and Sony manager Kenta Honjo will attend the Sony mirrorless expert panel at the School of Visual Arts in NYC on Ocotber 20. So many big names usually come together when there is also some new Sony products to be announced. Keep in mind the PhotoPlus show will start the day after and we are expecting Sony to announce their new FE lenses and an updated FE lens roadmap.
Here is the official event description:
MPS Digital Photography and Sony present department chair Katrin Eismann, Sony Alpha product manager Kenta Honjo, photojournalist Ben Lowy, photographer and filmmaker Ben Moon and portrait and wedding photographer Miguel Quiles in a panel discussion on how technological developments such as the mirrorless camera have improved the quality of digital photography, reduced the size and weight of cameras and increased accessibility to photography. Moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning celebrity and portrait photographer Brian Smith.
It’s free for people to attend!
64 Responses
I could probably make room in my camera bag for a 24/2.8…
The Mirrorless Devolution.
Cover the basics and everything else is just bonus.
I’d be super pleased with a 135mm f1.8 (or even f2)
+1000 🙂
Yea, they really need a prime for portraits – an alternative to the Batis 85/1.8 would be nice as well, maybe a 85/2.4 which is a bit smaller and lighter. However, I wouldn’t say No to a 135/2 (1.8) as well.
FE 200 F2.8 OSS and they could add a 1.4 teleconverter to the FE mount.
That way they could easily “fake” FE lenses by just remounting A-mount long teles and put a drop in slot for converter/filters and call that a feature.
It’s a funny idea. But you cannot simply drop-in a TC, the lens has to be designed for it. A TC shifts focal plane.
The main function of teleconverter is to magnify image in OVF.
Tell all these people who complain that sensors outresolve lenses that they should use cropping instead
Not true for A7S… For A7R…. hmmmm…. LOL
I was joking. Not true for A7R too.
I remember a northrup video about teleconverters:
The final statement for most lenses was: Yes for FF-bodies, no for APS-C bodies. And A7Rii is a 18mp APS-C….. hmmmm….
What s new about Photo+ in NYC too?
Unless Sony count on the A7x cameras users to buy all their FE lenses stocks they better make new camera, like APS-C high end A7000 or A6xxx as we request for long in order to sell some of their FE lenses to APS-C users too 😉 but indeed i m not working in Sony to give some logical advices :p
Splitting available R&D resources between two lines, on other hand, might result in not satisfying ANY of the potential customers.
that s true if u are talking about a small company :D…. which doesnt have enough ressources in brains and others :D…. If Sony took the time to conquer sensor market in mobile phone and camera , i wonder why they can’t employ more ” brains” to satisfy their two lines A and E mount and not just focus on a small sector ( in quantity) of E mount
Kaz Hirai was pretty clear from the begining nothing that isn’t proffitable will remain in the company, and guess what never returned nothing for them…
Every company, no matter how large, has some constraints on the resources. It could be cash. It could be time. Often for tech companies – qualified personnel. Do not forget about shrinking camera market and reorganization being done within Sony to increase profitability.
Their sensor division focusing on two product lines (mobile and camera) is not the best example, because demand for both will remain in foreseeable future. For A and E mount it’s different. There is only one technological advantage to A-mount right now – AF performance. Everything else (size, battery, controls, ergonomics, dual cards etc) has nothing to do with the mount whatsoever. Once the AF advantage is gone (and the gap is closing), there will be no reason to keep both product lines.
could do with the old 85mm f2.8 ported onto E-mount (similar size of FE55mm) adding G coating.
or a 35mm f2G will do just fine too.
The following lenses would probably shut most “pro” critics up:
FE 2.8/24-70
FE 2.8/70-200
FE 4-5.6/70-400
FE 1.4/85
FE 1.8/40 (compact)
FE 1.4/24
FE 2.8/14
If Sony then releases a dual card slot body for the ultra risk adverse, then we have a tremendous system.
No… theres -6ev AF with 16fps, bulletproof and a thermonuclear battery that lasts 10 years.
Costing less than $1000.
I believe the “pro” critics would be better served with an A99II. I’m not a pro by any means, but considering I already own some of those lenses in A Mount, it would be far cheaper for me to buy a single body instead. I also prefer a large camera body when using heavy lenses.
A mirrorless A99II with great AF would be amazing. I hate AF-Microadjustment.
“mirrorless A99II” = A7RII with EA3.
There’s no way they’re going to make a mirrorless A-mount, it’s pointless.
Only once has any manufacturer tried to make a mirrorless version of a legacy SLR mount and that was a massive failure that went on firesale (to the point where it was cheaper to buy the body+kit lens combo than it was to buy the kit lens alone) and was discontinued in less than a year. (Pentax K-01)
I’m curious if retailers have got losses from dealing with K-01 xD
I bought a Q after 75% discount,
Pentax failed because they didn’t have anything near that a A7rII have.
But: it is Pentax!
Pentax now tries to step into a shrinking market with two giants as competitors. And K-01 was a special use-case: It combined the negative-sides of both worlds: Slow AF of yesterdays mirrorless and the bigger bodysize of a DSLR. And with the option of buying a real DSLR.
All of those are reasons why an A-mount mirrorless would fail.
1) Two giants in a shrinking market – CHECK
2) Poor body size – CHECK
3) Poor AF due to the limitations of A-mount lenses (OSPDAF is very demanding of the lens compared to legacy PDAF) – CHECK. The best Sony could do AF-wise currently is to match the A7RII with A-mount lenses, and this would be a complete waste of money to develop compared to the existing A7RII+LAEA3 combo. Any improvements to AF that would allow an A-mount mirrorless to not suck would also be added to E-mount bodies with an adapter.
E-mount with a dslr shape kinda like the a3000 with features of the a7rii or better is really all they need, they can throw in a ea3 for free. Seams to me the complaint is the body and balance with larger lenses. This would also allow them to maker faster zooms and primes without the worry of size.
Very good list, maybe add a long working distance macro like a 150 or 200 and a faster 300 than what you would get with the 70-400, perhaps a 300 f/4. And then to go into complete fantasy land, something like a 500 f/5.6 using Phase Fresnel optics to keep the size/weight down 🙂
A9 (slightly bigger, more controls, dual cards, faster/dual processors), 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8, 85/1.4, 135/2 and it’s done for MOST working pros. Fancy wide angles for landscapes or architecture can be adapted from other mounts. Fast long telephotos need next generation of AF performance to be viable alternative to CN sports cameras.
Also, pretty please, make a new A-mount adapter and/or firmware choice to allow stopped down focusing with A-mount lenses (or perhaps there already is a setting for this on A7rII with LA-EA3?) or increase the speed at which it closes the aperture when taking a shot. Currently there is quite a delay between aperture closing and picture being taken when using A-mount lenses with closed apertures. Quite annoying for action.
Aahahah Fony plastic superzooms incoming ahahaha
135mm would be pretty cool, but my real hope is toward some sort of pancake lens, preferrably in the 28-35mm range.
They already exist… 35/2.8 and 28/2. Light and compact.
The 28mm is actually already too long. The 35 works fine. 24 pancake would be really great. Or 50/85…
6cm x 6cm in 200 grams is too big???? Well.. use MFT system then! There is 55/1.8.. 7cm x 6xm in 280 grams! Just 1cm longer than Panaleica 25mm 1.4 for MFT! But the same weight.
True but I’ m talking about true pancake lenses. Something that would allow me to actually carry my A7R in my jacket pocket.
They should try to make a collapsible AF prime like they used to have on point and shoot film cameras, there’s a lot of great ones, so it should be easily done.
Contax T2, Minolta TC-1, Fuji Klasse/Natura (24mm f1.9), Ricoh GR…
you could try the 20mm 2.8 you will end up with 18mp since its apsc but it will fit in your pocket and af.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I recall a rumor of an 85mm F1.4? 135 would be great as well. ?
Related to 85/1.4 and 135/1.8 I would bet on ZA SSM versions.
If there is a 85/1.4, then it is time to release a 1.4 TC, and you have a kind of 120/2.0.
that’s tomorrow and I’m blocks away..wonder if I can get in?
You can definitely get in! Just visit this link to register for the event.
http://www.sva.edu/events/events-exhibitions/mirrorless-camera
thanks MQ!
From prime point of view I am well served with the Sony Zeiss and the Batis, maybe a short one (14 to 16 with filter thread and detachable hood) and/or a long one (135). Although I doubt that there will be a FE 135 – a fast one would not significantly be smaller than the ZA.
Two fast Vario-Sonnars at 2.8 would be very welcome – photographer’s bread and butter 24-70 and 70-200.
And maybe we get a pro flash, too. Something like an FE optimized HVL50 (to keep as compact as possible) or so.
Yeah, the HVL-F60M looks like a joke on A7rII, gripped or not 😀 I am considering the Nissin D700A – it’s smaller and has TTL over radio. Wish Sony came out with radio flash system already.
Yeah, and it really looks comically big on my A6000. Does the job, though…
Nissin Di700A and air commander is vastly superior to Sonys over-heating joke of top end flash.
I am a 100-400mm away from switching from Canon to Sony
135 with OSS Please! And the switchable manual focus ring that the 90mm macro has. I’ll buy it, I promise
Everybody talks about 85 or 135! Why not 105 like my old Nikkor 105/2,5 that I loved in the old analogue world? I’d buy it any day.
I want the affordable and super compact Minolta 250mm f5.6 mirror lens.
And perhaps a 70-200 f2.8
Agreed, for me it’s ideal, in an f/2 though!
I’ll be there. Nice way to ramp up to the expo later in the week.
Damn 7-9 PM? That’s just a few hours til photoplus…
Hope to see some ‘leaks’ earlier
I concur with you. I want 105 or 100 more than 85. I still keep my nikon 105 dc after i sold all nikon bodies
135/2 and a 100-400 and I’ll be happy and near complete I think.
Currently own;
16-35/4
35/2.8
55/1.8
85/1.8
100/2 Zeiss Planar Makro
Isn’t that sad that a post about LENSES doesn’t get any atention. That’s what you get by giving trolls what they asked for.
Still waiting for the new lenses
I use a 105mm 2.5 pc on my a7, love it.
So, this is happening right now, any word?
SR0?
i guess the secret is safe with somebody : )