SAR reader Phil sent me the image of the new A7-A7r underwater housing. He writes: “The housing appears to be rated to 40 meters, it has fiber optic cord points for external strobes and should be priced in the $2500.00 range. ”
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Specs and Preorders in US and Canada (Click on store name to see direct preorder page):
Dedicated Sony announcement page at Amazon US (Click here).
Sony A7r body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS. TheCameraStore Canada.
Sony RX10 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 24-70mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 35mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Zeiss 55mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
70-200mm A-mount at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony A to E adapter with mirror at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
A7/A7r leather case at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
A7/A7r vertical grip at Amazon, BHphoto, SonystoreUS.
Sony W Series Battery Charger at Amazon, BHphoto.
Sony FA-CS1M Off-Camera Shoe at BHphoto.
Semi-Hard LCD Screen Protector for A7-A7r at Amazon, BHphoto.
Specs and Preorders in Europe:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Zeiss 35mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT,
Zeiss 55mm at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, AT, SE, FI, NO, PT
Asia:
A7r at Digitalrev
A7 at Digitalrev.
A7 with 28-70mm lens at Digitalrev.
41 Responses
can’t wait to see the Hassy version of this – probably made out of rich, luxurious driftwood from the Carribbean – hand sanded, then meticulously dipped in a 5 step lacquer coating process…yours for only $11,000 😉
WTF is luxurious driftwood? Oxymoron. I think you mean Brazilian rose/Harmony or Thai and Chinese hardwood. China has best the best lacquer finish btw.
You don’t know the luxury woods, it looks like. A 100+ years old swamp soaked pine is worth several times that of the most expensive Mahogany. That would be resrved for the 36mp Solar. lol.
This image is via http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/img/dcw/docs/619/703/html/106.jpg.html
And the article was posted on 16th Oct… Sony says the case will have a changeable lens port.
I know you can’t understand Japanese, let me correct your source.
Wow at last! That is something i really need. It would have been awesome if the cam shot 4k video.
Yes isn’t it dainty? It really shows off the mirrorless advantage in fullframe…
what’s the point of fiber optic cords if the camera doesn’t have built-in flash? fiber optic cords are typically used to fire external flashes as slaves triggered by built-in flash, otherwise they’re no use.
they’ll just put an led on one end of the fiber, problem solved.
just to be certain I did an experiment and tried to fire my set of underwater flashes with led as trigger, of course it didn’t work even when the ultra-bright luxeon led was right in front of the photocell, not to mention when the light was guided by the fiber optic cable… soo… i don’t think you’re right, unless the housing is designed to be compatible with only sony underwater flashes with specially designed very sensitive photocell.
Ok. Why is the flash hot shoe backward? Sony wants us to be firing an underwater strobe at our faces?
Good plan.
That is a cold shoe not a hot shoe. It is used to mount things like a focusing light, video lights, strobe arms and other accessories.
Steve Huff has some quick test samples with the 12mm Voigtlander on A7 and A7r here:
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2013/10/25/quick-samples-from-sony-a7-and-a7r-with-12mm-voigtlander/
Can’t really say much about the quality, because high ISO, focus maybe not
set optimal etc. But well… looks ok maybe…
It’s a 12mm lens so a extreme test 🙂
That is a good test and encouraging. But the real torture will come with a Cosina 15/4.5- that lens is more problematic than the Cosina 12/5.6.
If he was going to do random snaps anyways, why didn’t he just put the camera on a table and shoot some images at base ISO?
only mad people buy a water-proof box for $2500
that’s a typical price for waterproof case for ILC cameras, they are often more expensive than the camera they protect. check prices of ikelite or nautica cases for Nikons or Cannons, they are exactly in this price range. and quite sane people DO buy them, because there’s not much choice.
I’m not sure but last time I checked, the nautica cases were rated for more pressure than 40m.
well, that’s another problem: these are just amateurish cases. below 40m you’ll still need more lighting and bigger rig Sony is willing to provide, so you’ll get whole installation from “real” underwater housing company, and it will cost you 10000$, not 2500$ because of additional lights and battery packs. that’s the price of being pro 😉
they can not rate the housings for more pressure than 40m because of world diving federation dive depth limits. No dive base on the globe will take you down deeper, Padi and Cmas do not allow that for security reasons. I dive 60 to 80 some days, but I had mt first dive in 1965 when I was 15. Now, this is not a reason to encounter problems at such a depth. I am sure that this housing will make it to 65 meters and more without any problem, only the company can not claim this on their publicity. I use the Fuji F30 housing and it takes the 65m without problems. I live in Panglao-Bohol, 2 km from Alona, with view on Balicasag Island and Siquijor from my window, by the way.
while you might be rigth linking max rated depth of this housing to the typical amateur diving limits, you’re completely wrong with “no dive base on the globe will take you down deeper”. I quite often operate with bases that have the policy to take people as deep as their certificates allow – in my case 100m (IANTD Trimix Diver level). well, there are some bases that even don’t care about that – they just check your medical certificate and require that the diving plan was accepted by DAN if you’re going deeper than 100m.
I’ve also used 40m-rated camera housing much deeper, but this was cheap housing for cheap camera (sony cybershot dsc-p10) and I wouldn’t risk that with that pricey equipement. And sony does make housings that are rated deeper than 40m (eg. the Action Cam), so your logic regarding amateur diving limits seems a bit flawed.
What are you saying? I am rated to 65 for trimix. Many places will let me dive to 70m. Most let you dive to your certification. Very odd comment.
“sane people” = millionaire!!! So, the rest of us (99.9%) are insane! We got the point!
Have you ever thought about how much the ‘underwater housing’ for the person holding the camera at -40m is going to cost? Hint: it probably is not a good idea doing a deep dive with your basic Scuba diving kit.
Interesting Olympus seems to help Sony also at this part.
Try to compare to PT-EP08 for E-M5.
I bought one for nex7 for 150 quid and I don’t care if it leaks or not.
Diving by itself is an expensive hobby already. Hence the equipment priced at thos range.
Antique, ugly, pricey design. Its mechanical transmission of controls what makes these housings expensive. It should use existing remote protocols and avoid mechanical transmission entirely.
After heavy study and pre-orders and lurking and common sense and technical achievement – I’ve decided that moving to, or even just starting with the Sony a7 is a bad idea and seems clearly illogical. There is just not enough updated power for this to be worth it. If the Sony a7 shot 4k video or had IBIS or there were more FE-mount lenses… They spout about the BIONZ sensor but really if you must hunt to see the brilliance in technology then it really isn’t a huge step-up. I really wanted this camera so much but the next upgrade of cameras in 2014 is when you’ll want to move or buy. I’m telling you this because someone out THERE is going to read it and it’s going to save them 2grand. Stick with your NEX-5R or 7 and just wait pal, you’ll be fine. – WiFive!
I continue to be torn between the A7 and A7r. Really looking forward to more image samples and hands-on reviews, but assuming both cameras perform as expected and based on what we’ve seen so for, I can’t decide whether I want:
A) more detail and better sharpness (A7r) or
B) more dynamic range and better AF (A7)
I’ve got both on pre-order, but as the ship-date draws closer, I’ll need to decide soon (I can’t return the A7r once I take possession)
I don’t have a particular style of photography (I take a wide variety of shots right now – my flickr photostream is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mars_observer/)
but I find I enjoy low-light/night photography, and model photography the most (so I can see myself doing more of that type of work in future).
For those who have already decided, which did you choose, and why?
P.S. the ‘iconic’ images that comes to mind when I think of each are:
For the A7r, Brian Smith’s shots which really show off the detail and sharpness:
http://briansmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Sony-a7r-Haiti-1012.jpg
For the A7, Sony’s ‘window shot’ which really shows off the dynamic range:
http://www.sony.net/Products/di/common/images/products/uxc2/actualphotos/set1/photo_sample2.jpg
Appreciate your thoughts and comments!
4k video eh? I assume you have purchased 4k television already? 2014 would be an Interesting year. Technology is not going to stop.
No camera is going to be without complain about lack of this lack of that. Feel free to wait, but if you are chasing for latest camera with all feature you want in it
you might gonna have to wait all the time. Cause there is always ne camera after new camera, the better one after the best one.
Your response is silly, I was you two days ago, seriously read the comments on the last five posts. Then I did my research and realized fully exactly what I said in this previous post above. The facts are that the only thing this camera has going for itself is thee elusive BIONZ sensor, headphone out and drum roll please…..It’s size! The more the Megapixels on a camera does NOT mean it takes better pictures. The video looks almost no better than the NEX and unless you’re rich then the full-frame is more of a burden then anything without providing better results. Trust me there was no better advocate for this camera two days ago, then I saw the light. The low-light;) The Sony a7 is just not a big enough technological achievement above the other Sony cameras. Next year the kinks will be mapped out with precision and the next full frame will be sick but most of all the NEX-7 successor is going to be a force to be reckoned with.
The size is a pretty big deal though, don’t you think?
I love having a camera that will fit in my jacket pocket. I’ve almost always got one with me, every day when I walk to-and-from work, etc.
I think there are definite advantages of full frame sensors depending on the type of photography you do, but notably for low light and subject isolation.
If you just need something small, buy a NEX camera, the quality is there. Let’s say you already have a good camera. There is not enough that the Sony a7 offers to sell all of your other stuff to get into this. To dump into this camera and start fresh I think is also a waste of your money. Think about the shots you’re seeing on these sites with the a7’s. The really good shots have mostly come from the Zeiss lenses. If you put a nice Zeiss lens on a NEX-5R it’s going to be sharp and sexy too. It’s just an opinion but really it seems like common sense. More Megapixels only offers more crop options yet not necessarily a better picture. If you know what you want out of your picture and you understand how to use your camera then you can make a gorgeous image and if you have a Zeiss on that camera and dare I say a tripod? Well, world look out for significant documentation.
stop your stupid bashing. Do this with other FF cameras that are rediculously overpriced, FAT and HEAVY! Yes, APS-C is also good enough for me, I’m an amateur, enthusiast, own the NEX-7 and some Zeiss lenses and am fine with it. But I think the FF cameras are mainly targeted at professionals. They will get more resolution, faster speed, better high ISO, good manual controls. And the price isn’t even higher thanComparing this to a NEX 5 which doesn’t even bring an EVF is just rediculous. Sleep and think another 2 days and make the decision for you. But theres no need to come to SAR and convince people to not buy the cameras because they are not 200% better and make enough sense for YOU
I’m not bashing, I really wanted to love this camera and have been waited for something like this to come along, just not this specifically. They are not fast at all especially compared to any NEX and they are three times the price of a NEX-5R. Yes, they will give you more throw away resolution to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside if that helps convince you to go ahead with the purchase but seriously, you’re not going to be printing a billboard. I’m just offering an opinion, a well versed one at that. I would expect other people to do the same exact thing and I would be grateful and would never take advantage of others for my personal gain, NEVER. If you’re buying a camera because of it’s weight and or size specifically then you are a fat rich prick and this camera is all for you. (I’m sure one of those describes you) “It’s light, it’s small with great manual controls and it’s new – the Sony a7 for wanna be photographers that don’t know anything about photography, don’t you know – full frame means better!”
I”‘ll build a box for anyone who wants one. I’ll even cut the price in half and only charge 1250.00. Who’s in?
Nauticam housing rated to 100m for NEX7 costs around $1850
Given the battery life of the a7/a7r, it will NEVER be a serious underwater tool.
very good point, esp. when the water is cold (I typically dive in water that is 2-4 deg C) the batteries depelt 2-3 times faster than on the ground
John D, who is a chat sales guy at sony direct, has informed me that this housing is real, and will be out in January, theoretically.
yes…..Finally a Nikonos 15mm adapter-worthy housing! (NB Nikonos is rated to 50m) Sony always did the 40m Spiel. Not much to do with dive limits, but design and market placement IMO. Subal is usu. rated to 70m, Hugyfots and Nauticam say 100m, UK-Germany rates to 60m AFAIK….I’m pretty sure all, bar plastic housings, would survive 100m (I know that you can e.g. take a Nikonos V and RS to at least 84m)….Still, all a bit steep, price-wise, but most housings models have pretty small runs compared to the camera they’re made for.