For the first time the Sony 55-210mm E-mount lens is in Stock at Amazon (Click here). The 30mm macro lens has been in Stock since a couple of days (Click here) and the 50mm f/1.8 preorder status changed to “Temporarily out of stock” again at Amazon (Click here). The most expensive (and highest quality) new NEX lens, the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8, will be available in November.
One more thing: A couple of stores are having the A77 in Stock. Click on these links to check it: Jessops UK, Pixmania FR, Digitalrev HK, Kameraexpress NL and of course [shoplink 8461 ebay]eBay[/shoplink].
40 Responses
When is the a77 coming to America?
When enough people and $$$ helps out to clean up the flood, and remnants of it, in Thailand, then after the roads are fixed, etc etc 😀
Any review for this lens yet? I’d like to see the quality comparison with the older brother 18-200
Hi, just though I should let everyone know that Sony Store in Sweden has had it in stock since saturday. (Maybe not online but sthlm store got it, and so do I 🙂 )
Isn’t it ugly?
Big? Yes. Ugly? *shrug*
i got my a77 in my local sony center last friday
Your location? UK/Japan?
Denmark 🙂
so now that you have a great camera what excuse do you use for poor pictures ..?
My subject? 🙂
“the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8, will be available in November”? According to SonyStyle website, it states Dec. 17th.
I have a few shots made with this lens at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zacheryjensen/sets/72157627758006491/
These are not lab shots, they are real, processed results.
As for how the lens looks and feels, it’s great. It is small, it feels good. It handles well, smooth zoom, etc. It’s as good as any 55-200 type lens I’ve used on any other system. The only issues I have encountered are the AF under such a narrow aperture at the long end. I blame the camera, of course, as it’s doing the AF, but it’s something to consider as all the NEX cameras are basically limited in AF capability.
Still, it’s officially a staple in my carry everywhere bag. I’m quite happy with it.
Not bad at all. It has a nice bokeh. $350 is a steal 😛
Is it so slow, like 18-200 at 200mm?
I had this lens (18-200) and i gave it , because it was so slow on focus…
Focus speed depends on available light but it *IS* slower at longer focal lengths than shorter in the same situation as it’s a much narrower aperture.
This is not a high speed lens and its focusing speed is pretty much what one should expect for this class of lens.
Thanks for letting us know it’s in stock. I just ordered it!
A77 available in The Netherlands!
When I got the email I raced to the shop from work.
I notified SAR and the shop had over 10 items in stock…
Zachery, your pelican is a great shot with excellent detail and IQ. I can’t wait to get my hands on this lens.
And no, it is not ugly. Ugly to me is having aching shoulders from my big telephotos. This lens will be fun and much more likely to be with me.
Alpha 77 kit and body only are starting to ship from Sony USA. Mine is scheduled to go out tomorrow. Lots of comments on DP Review on people getting shipping notices and credit card charges.
Now that is one big…. lens.
It really isn’t that big. The stock photos of it make it look huge. I have taken a couple pictures of it on a camera with the 16mm next to it for a sense of scale:
http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/26933788/1/55-210%2016%20Comparison?h=ea303b
It’s very slender, and though it is longer than a regular DSLR’s 55-200, you have to remember the shorter flange distance must be compensated for. The complete package feels far more compact than my D7000 with the Nikkor 55-200 vr ever felt.
To be specific, when compared to the Nikkor 55-200mm, this lens is *ONLY* 8.5mm longer but is an entire centimeter (10mm) narrower. It has a built in motor and OSS. The only thing the nikkor has on this is a slightly wider max aperture at full extension. This lens is also made of metal (on the outside and mount anyway) and has a much better feel to it both in terms of quality and in zoom smoothness.
Frankly, Sony has done a fantastic job on this lens. It even has tolerable bokeh which is practically unheard of in this class of lens.
Can you tell us what the F-stop is at various focal lengths (e.g. 55-100 F4.5, 100-150 F5.0, 150-180 F5.6, 180-210 F6.3)?
I sure can. It is approximately this:
ƒ/4.5: 55-62
ƒ/5: 63-84
ƒ/5.6 84-176
ƒ/6.3 177-210
(84 appeared both on the edge of ƒ/5 and ƒ/5.6 so it’s probably somewhere around 83.5. But one thing anyone being this concerned about these sort of details should realize is that all of these numbers on all lenses are estimates. If you get down to actual measurements things are rarely so exact, even the patents tend to reflect this.)
Do you have a pic of the NEX+55-210 next to the D7000+55-200? 🙂
Nope, I sold that combination to fund my upcoming NEX-7, 24mm, 50mm, etc. etc. purchases LMAO. But it doesn’t much matter, it’s trivial to look up the specs on the cameras and see the size differences between the lenses are barely noticeable (I already stated them) while the camera is far smaller (in the case of the NEX) than the D7000. So the whole combination is clearly much smaller.
Thank you very much for this research. I’m quite disappointed though that 4.5 holds through 62mm only.
Thank you, Zachary for doing this research. Sony really should provide the various focal length f-stops in their data sheets as this is important information (especially to documentary and wedding videographers) who often shoot in dimly lit churches where you cannot supplement the lighting.
Thanks for the pics! The lens is quite long! Question: Does the barrel extend when you zoom in?
Yes it does, which is the case with any other similar lens. Internal zoom would be cool. We might get that in a future “fast moderate zoom.” I’m actually kind of hoping Sigma will release a 50-150 ƒ/2.8 HSM OS DG for E mount.
Not super optimistic, but hoping anyway.
Sigma has a 70-200 f2.8 HSM OS for around $1,300 street price. Hopefully Sony will fix the LA-EA2 so that this lens will give us autofocus and image stabilization on the NEX line. BTW, I think you lose a little light with the LA-EA2 (because of the mirror) and that f2.8 would be f3.5 constant.
Sorry, in Hong Kong, October 13 already sold started, I have bought one @@”
And in other news, the Canon EOS 1D X is supposed to be announced tonight. The spec sheet looks impressive and raises the bar:
http://www.canonrumors.com/2011/10/canon-eos-1d-x-possible-press-release/
Truly ISO into “the hundreds of thousands”!
Nikon will probably follow suit shortly, so it’ll be interesting to see what Sony comes up with by next year.
For everyone worrying about the size, I’ve posted a couple more pictures in my size comparison album where I’m holding the camera in my hand. It might help you better understand that this is indeed a relatively small package (considering you’re getting 210mm on an APS-C sensor).
http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/26933788/1/55-210%2016%20Comparison?h=ea303b
Thanks! It is small for this kind of lens. Wish they will make a high end model for anal folks.
Dang, it looks pretty sexy. Looks like a camera 007 would use.
Zachery can you post a picture with the lens fully extended (at 210mm)?
Just received my lens in today, here are some photos. The lighting is bad and the ruler is useless lol, but I’ve put some text info on the pictures.
http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/2977/55210ext.jpg
I have to say I am disappointed in the lousy AF of this lens at the long end in anything but bright light. It’s a good lens in good light, decent AF and quite sharp. But not only can it not AF in low light, I also can’t manual focus in low light because I can’t get MF Assist to come on in that situation. I am not talking here about nighttime shots, just shade for instance. I almost wonder if I have a defective copy. In any case I will return it and stick with my DSLR and 70-300 for telephoto. I wish Sony would make a 300mm f4. It would be heavier but at least it would do its job.
In contrast, I also got the 30mm macro and love it.