In Europe Sony had that special page at A7-A7r launch but no real dedicated page on the local stores. They are finally updating their pages and at least the Zeiss primes are now listed in almost all European Sony Stores. For now only Sony UK, Sony Sweden, and Sony Portugal also listed the full A7-A7r camera pages. I also added the first Amazon preorder links. I will keep an eye on all major Sony Stores and let you know when more products pages will be listed. Here are the links. Just click on the country code to visit the direct product page:
Sony A7r body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, SE, PT, WexUK, WexDE.
Sony A7 body at Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, SE, PT, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony A7 with 28-70mm kit Sony DE, UK, FR, IT, FI, FR, WexUK, WexDE, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR.
Sony RX10 at Sony DE, 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,
61 Responses
Thanks ! All this is becoming more real by the minute. Now for some real tests. Puhleeze 😉
Sony Store cancelled my A7R + lenses order “due to payment security reasons” although full amount was already drawn from Paypal account and Paypal said “payment finalized”. Now I find myself on the end of the preorder queue again. fu.. 🙁
And now Paypal lets you wait befor returning the money for a couple of weeks .. that sucks.
That’s how Paypal uses our money..
It was returned immediately, but that’s the only good thing in this story.
3D, I cancelled my order with Sony and paypal confirmed it. It was never charged in the first place.
Despite an eager wait, I cancelled the preorder because I am not so sure about either of these cameras. Going by the NEX history, I expect better cameras in the next iterations. 2014 is only months away. 🙂
Sony store has just taken my money for the A7 preorder… this is ridiculous from such a big company. I know this is totally legal since it is mentioned in their Terms page, but one of the guys from Sony store I chatted with told me my credit card wouldn’t be touched until the camera shipped. Result: I canceled my pre-order…
Why do you guys order from the Sony Store, instead of B&H or Adorama? Just curious.
Because I live in Europe and at the moment Sony Store was the only one offering the pre-order. One week later I can pre-order from almost all of my usual web stores and cheaper. Anyway I decided to wait a bit and read the first real world tests with production models. One thing is clear, I’ll never order a single thing directly from the Sony Store.
FWIW, this guy got a hold of an A7 and had good things to say about the kit lens. There’s image samples in the thread too.
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/52374882
If it started at 24mm it would be a no-brainer, but even as is I can’t pass it up for the sake of an extra $300 so I’ll be getting it.
I just ran my A7r through some tests with 1st, 2nd & 3rd party glass & adapters. The raws look soft, especially along the left and right sides of the frames. Also, the corners are really difficult to work with in every raw developer I’ve tried.
Sure, I’m just a skateboarder with a cam, but I know enough from all the great pro togs that I’ve met. Just my opinion and wanted to share it with all.
Interesting. What lenses?
Hmmmn, Ok I finished reading the rest of your comment.
Have you got some links to the images to share with us? I would be interested to see them. Is your camera a final production version?
I’d be very interested to see images too… if they actually exist.
More specs on 70-200mm F2.8 G2 plz.
I checked the Swedish Sony Store linked to from this post, and I must admit that it is sad to see that people at Sony does not have a full understanding of their own nomenclature.
In the technical specifications there is a line for A-mount compatibility, and the info there says Yes, but adds that you need an adapter for “α-fattning” (that’s Swedish for α-mount).
What is α-mount?
I know about A-mount. I know about the Alpha line of products.
It is sad when Sony themselves adds to the confusement by not knowing how to use their own names.
And the real ZEISS lenses are about to come as well: http://www.mirrorlessrumors.com/zeiss-full-frame-manual-lenses-for-the-new-sony-fe-system-coming-by-end-2014/
This may mean ZM line is not enough for A7R and higher and that there is no new sensor coming that would work with M-mount lenses properly.
ZM Biogon’s are really poor on these sensor! especially in the corner … their design need to be recalculated and an E Mount Zeiss ZM line is welcome 😀 …
No DOF-check control and no IR-remote control of the A7/A7r, according to the technical specification at the Swedish Sony website!?
It’s not all of us that has compatible smartphones…
And I like the possibilities with the DOF-check control both at taking landscape and macro photos…
They use continuous Live Viev and thus an extra DOF control is obsolete. Remote control seems to be available only via wire with RM VPR1.
No, normal Live View is with full open aperture and DOF control shows the Live View at the selected aperture – at least is it how it works on my Sony A55!
No what u see in live view is exactly what u get! DOF included … 😀
Not applicable for stopped down lens in night shooting. Toy system. It looks like I’m passing this generation and hope for smarter than Sony manufacturer.
@emacs
why is that not applicable in night shooting? would you care to explain? besides, for such applications like night shooting a large and bright display seems to me a better alternative/solution than a classic OVF.
What are you on about, Emacs?
Explain what you mean, or I’m just going to assume you’re trolling, as usual. Toy system? Wouldn’t that be perfect for you?
It doesn’t work like your A55. NEX/e-mount systems stop down the lens when you adjust aperture. DOF preview is not needed.
The A7/R has an infra-red receiver, it just doesn’t ship with a remote control.
Thanks for your explanation 🙂
The IR-remote control is very nice when one for example take a self portrait at a distance from the camera. And also at night photo with long exposure times.
99% of the cameras on the market have certain limitations. learn to live with them and find your workarround or look for another camera (with another ‘flaw’). by the way taking selfportraits by controlling the camera with your phone or even checking the outcoming photos on your camera without needing to go to the camera is FAR superior.
Yes I agree if you has a compatible smartphone is it nice to be able to control the camera via the smartphone 🙂
Why such a harsh tone in your comment?
I just try to learn about these two new nice Sony cameras.
I have to know the pros and cons to be able to make up my mind about which cameras I can live with and which ones has functionalities that I will be missing!
I hope it is OK to take up the missing thing too, to see if I have understand it right…
Wow…look at that pricetag! did they just change the $ sign for a £ sign!?
Way more than just a tax markup for EU customers… would be getting this shipped from overseas for sure.
Some more photo sample from this Taiwanese website.
Looks no better than Nex7 with kit lens and certainly not the RX1 standard.
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=254&t=3605172&last=46794355
how can you judge it from such a small, resized pics?
click on the picture and it will enlarge to 100%
The files look better than the NEX-7 ones to my eyes 🙂
You just pay for the Zeiss brand. It does’t mean Zeiss lenses have better optical quality than their Canon, Nikon, Olympus or Sigma counterparts (The new Sigmas outperform the lenses of the big producers). Instead of offering Zeiss lenses, Sony should have sticked with Minolta technology/prices = more bang for the buck and Zeiss = third party lens maker!
Isn’t it great to make make generalizations and have loose definitions! 🙂
Sigma, as amazing as they are, don’t outperform Zeiss for microcontrast or color. Whether those are important for you or not is a different question, but they are a part of optical quality. But you do have point when it comes to the Touits.
And, Sony will obviously bring “regular” glass to the lineup.
Are you excited about todays iPad event (20:00 BG time as usual) ? I can’t care less for the iPad but it’s final time for OS X Mavericks to be released and I’m hoping now is that final time 🙂 Like it’s time for Sony to make cheap 2.8 35, 50 and 70-90/4 macro without the expensive blue rectangle.
Of course! Mavericks is coming with file tagging, I can finally use the system as a DAM.
This lens would have been so much win win at f/1.4.
I guess I’m just a spoiled Canon user, but so far all the lenses for the A7R are slow as turtle. 🙁 I’ll be using my EF glass adapted.
Thats bullshit what u r saying. All Canon lenses are soft as shit at 1,4 till 2.2!
AlL OF THEM!!!
This is sharp from 1.8!!! and much lighter like 3 times and smaller.
Sad but true. A lot of Canon users see that red ring around a lens and automatically think it has been recommended by the Lord Almighty himself.
50mm f/1.2 L – Fast, yes, but what’s the point when it doesn’t sharpen up well until f/2 or f/2.8? The edges and corners never sharpen up. You’re paying for speed and lots of glass, but that’s it.
35mm f/1.4 L – Again, not sharp wide open and edges never sharpen up. Sigma 35mm f/1.4 wipes the floor with it, but that lens doesn’t have a red ring.
Fast lenses. Great. But what’s the point when the performance is compromised?
Great point, and I feel most people don’t think of that when they’re complaining about these “slow” zeiss optics. Going with those Canon lenses mentioned I guess, can be useful wide open if you are purposely going for a more “dreamy” look to your images with super soft background and softened foreground. I suppose this would appeal to portrait photographers as you wouldn’t necessarily want to emphasize all the imperfections on a person’s face with a super sharp lens, but for all other needs, being able to get sharp images immediately at F1.8 or even F2 is much more preferred and I’d take that “slow” lens any day if that fast lens doesn’t match it until F2.8 or something.
I absolutely love taking my Zeiss 24mm around on my 5n knowing that I would still get great images if I left it wide open. Being a wide angle lens and on a crop sensor, if I want any sort of bokeh to show up behind a subject, shooting at F1.8 is critical.
Though personally I would love to see faster glass myself, no argument there, I personally don’t see much difference between a 1.4 lens and a 1.8 as far as any significant speed bump for low light or softer bokeh in the background. For a full frame sensor, primes at 1.8 and zooms at a constant 4 seem to be the best compromise in my opinion for speed and size. These are tiny cameras after all and who would want to attach a massive 2.8 zoom to the end of it?
In terms of DOF and light gathering the difference between 1.4 and 1.8 is minimal, barely visible.
Andrei, I’m seeing a big difference in light and bokeh between my 50 f/1.2 L and the 50 f/1.8. Same thing between my 35 f/1.4 L and the 35 f/2.0.
The speed of these lenses is only for depth of field now days. The sensors are so fast, and getting faster every year. Let’s be realistic. Having a 50 f1.2 is more about d*** measuring, than light gathering.
You are seeing a difference of a full stop in your example compared to the half a stop you are complaining about. I agree with Andrei that the half a stop difference is nothing.
Yep, I am seeing a difference too. Almost half a kilo.
Michael, sorry but the bokeh on the 50mm L at f/1.2 verges on ugly sometimes. Fast doesn’t mean good.
The Canon L 50mm f1.2 is a mediocre lens at a premium price. The 1.4 and 1.8 non L versions are better optically! The only advantage for the 50mm 1.2 are the construction and weathersealing. The maximum aperture is really bad!
see the tests of the nex SEL- lenses at A7
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3562406?page=3#forum-post-52374631
too bad 🙁
apparently, the crop lenses in full frame mode are not working at all 🙁
what’s wrong with them? these are just cropped images as it was expected. people will be hardly investing in an ff system to be used with aps-c glass.
plus sel-50f18 result
http://forum.ixbt.com/topic.cgi?id=20:30787-27#882
Yeah, so? I don’t see a problem here. That’s what it looks like when you mount an APS-C lens on a FF sensor. Just put the camera in crop mode and be done with it. With A7R you still get pretty much the same pixel count as on NEX-6.
Where are the 100mm+ macros at? Why another 50mm….lame.
oops…ignore…wrong post