Before Sony introduces the new NEX-F3 and A37 camera let’s talk about the just announced A57 and FS700!
Whatdigitalcamera (Click here) is the first website posting a full A57 review. The camera earns a great Gold Award with the following motivation: “Anyone looking for a camera which marries entry-level simplicity with enthusiast control should, without question, add it to their shortlist along with the similarly-priced Nikon D5100 and Canon EOS 600D.”
Another test has been published by the dutch guys from Focusmedia (Click here). They say it has a “combination of excellent image quality, powerful camera specifications and an attractive price.”
Den Lennie (Click here) posted a report about the Sony NEX FS700 on Location.
I searched for some NEX-FS700 video samples but didn’t find anything on the web. Sony marketing should release some video to promote their camera instead of leaving us in the dark 🙁
One more thing: On the NEX-FS700 official product page you can find the NEX lens picture including some of the new upcoming lenses. It says “Sony has big plans for the E-mount lens lineup“. Great, but the problem is that we are already waiting a long time for new high quality NEX lenses. It’s taking a it too long and big words want make it good.
P.S.: And where is our 50mm f/1.8 for NEX lens? Search here: [shopcountry 8448] 🙁
53 Responses
We should organize a hug-a-nex-user-who-has-been-waiting-for-quality-lenses-for-like-forever day, because this is getting sad 🙁
“… you can find the NEX lens picture including some of the new upcoming lenses.”
Actually, the product shot is quite old; I have a similar one dated 09.09.2010. I think they are the mock-ups from the last Photokina.
Upcoming for two years.
What about A mount lenses? 🙁
I really hope for huge lenses refresh after A37 release (which probably will be the first Sony camera with no build-in motor), including new 50F1.4, 100F2.8, 11-18, and some UWA prime (16F35? can be APS-C). I guess also Zeiss primes could use water-sealing and SSM update (eg. 80F14).
Actually: there’s so many lenses that could use an update that I just cannot believe it.
A37 😉 Don’t you just hate not having an edit function here? 😀
I fear the lenses still won’t be updated even after an A38 or A39.
Well, Nikon made the refresh after removing motor from bodies – even very good one putting almost-SSM in all the lenses. Hence the hope…
Although I share the fear….
Sony should never have made an emount anyway. They should have done an alpha mount for all its users that already had a lens. I refuse to buy that camera because of that. I am waiting for the a1x a99 a9cx or whatever its going to be called. I love sony but its already ridiculous how nothing works on sony but sony so we have to wait for new flashes, lens, ect to come out. How about a built in radio trigger for professional studio photographers, how about a wireless trigger system for people that have their speed lights. Try looking at some of the professional photographer needs if your going to tell us you want to make a dent in that market.
Yes, Sony should never made an E mount because a Brian wouldn’t buy it. That makes a lot of sense.
I’m very sorry for you, but other thousands around the world have already bought an E-mount camera (NEX-3/5/C3/5N/7/VG10/VG20/FS100) and brought back joy for photography by using MF lenses or letting people get high quality pictures when otherwise, they could just leave their dSLR cameras and go out with a P&S that doens’t deliver the same DR or DOF as the NEX-series cameras (i.e, while out in a party at night or while hiking). I’m sure Sony doesn’t care if you like NEX-series cameras or not because they’re making big money with NEX-series in their main market: Japan.
Can someone specify whether they’re wood or ceramic mockups? ^^
I hope the a99( or the square sensor camera) will have some new lens to accompany it… Im still deliberating between investing a lot in Sony because I love the SLT technology or in a H4D camera…
Just pre-ordered my a57 yesterday! I’m upgrading from the a100. I can’t wait to get it.
That’s a nice update.
Where are the 3 new NEX cameras? I am very disappointed regarding the lack of new NEX cameras. 🙁
:)))
As companies like Sony improve the resolution and overall performance of sensors and the surrounding electronics we are seeing that high performing quality optics are becoming important.
I think it’s now common knowledge that what was a fantastic lens on a film camera only a decade back now shows flaws that were ether unnoticeable or considered as part of photography (most of my old Minolta lenses are like this) and we now expect an expensive product like a lens to hold-up and survive a little rain or dust.
Canon and Nikon both recognize this and have been improving and replacing lenses constantly. Big sellers like the Canon 70-200/f2.8 have been upgraded/updated every few years as an example.
Sony just sits on its hands and releases cameras…
It’s incredible that a company that has all of the resources that Sony has, and the ability to leverage optical giants like Zeiss, and with the reputation earned over the years in video, that Sony refuses to even try when it comes to lenses for still cameras like the A-mount and the NEX.
We have rumors that some will do something, but will it really and when?
the last Zeiss lens for A-mount full-frame was in 2010
+1
that’s why (and price of course) I bought a lot of Sigma lenses for Alpha the last years. Now I wait for Canon’s 650D, hoping it will come with an up to date AF field and better burst rate…
@andrea: what will be the differences between A37 and A57 ?
;( Ehh…. I still don’t know why Sony cannot really see the importance of releasing new lenses.
I made lenses timeline back in 2010 – ever since Sony released like… 2 or 3 lenses for the A-mount? In two years? While Nikon and Canon kept their curve quite high all the time…. not as high as in 2010 but never the less: they still kept releasing more lenses every year than Sony did.
(ps. it reminds me I need to update the info on this page… >_< )
Thank you for the link and the charting of Sony’s lenses.
You chart tells the story, but I would like to point out that for photographers shooting full-frame, you can’t really count the plastic-fantastic 85/f2.8 budget lens, for the money it’s okay but not in the league of the Zeiss 85 or Canon or Nikon fastest full-frame pro lenses.
In 2008 Sony released two quality lenses and in 2010 released one. This is the issue for photographers deciding to invest in a Sony system or not.
Sony released the a900 and a850 and did next to nothing to support the cameras.
If Sony was disappointed in how the full-frame product sold, maybe the lack of lenses has something to do with the problem.
The 85/2.8 is just fine optically, it doesn’t give up anything rendering wise to the 80-200 and 70-200. Yes it’s cheap and feels it, but you could simply buy another one if it breaks.
Could not agree more.
SONY are looking foolish and, without lenses, the CAMERA OF THE YEAR “bloom” will be off the rose before the end of 2012…, and it’s already April. It’s easy to call it an interchangeable lens camera but not if there are no lenses to change to.
The Zeiss E24 is excellent. I have one. And with it, the NEX-7 sings. But only one tune.
The SONY E50 has good initial reports. THAT’S IT. All the others come with excuses for their inadequacies. THIS IS A SYSTEM???
It is beginning to look like the “E” in NEX stands for EDSEL. That was before SONY existed. Someone should tell them that story.
It is essential that there be an array of new “E” and “A” lenses–to select from. That Lens Road Map that was put up a couple of months ago was pathetic!!!
Exploit that Zeiss relationship. People will pay for that level of quality. Sales of the Z24 prove it.
I had a discussion after NEX7 release with one of people leading Sony Team in one of the European countries – he told me that the E mount roadmap we’ve seen was pretty much all that NEX cameras will get from Sony Corp. All the other lenses are in hands of Sigma, Tamron and various different 3rd party developers (propably there will be some small additions but it won’t double the amount of lenses for sure). Sony aims towards making NEX half-open system earning best profits from cameras while leaving lenses mostly to others.
He told me that A-mount is the primary focus for Sony as an ILC system although people working in company are split in various ways.
Like between these thinking that OVF cameras should be released and these considering
OVF a half-dead dinosaur. Or between these thinking that NEX will make money with A-mount kept for prestige and these thinking that A-mount should be primary focus while NEXes kept as a simple bridge camera replacements.
You know – listening to him I thought that it all makes sense – all these struggles inside Sony could be a reason why there’s no such basic thing like SSM 50mm f/1.4 prime, while at the time we have A77, FS700 and plans for releasing A37 without build-in motor(!?). Complete mess.
It hard for people like us to know for sure what’s going on inside Sony, but as a NEX supporter I’m going to be careful how much I invest into this system.
Yea, especially when you talk with people who earn money by making you invest cash into their system. So I always try to think about these with distance. (learning lesson from constant fails of cgarrard in that matter).
“If Sony was disappointed in how the full-frame product sold, maybe the lack of lenses has something to do with the problem.” – hehe, true, true, but when you go to talk with Sony guys all you’ll get is: “but you have everything that’s important!”, lol.
It is too bad SONY seems so short-sighted in this. Why bother to continue to invent great and imaginative cameras if they cannot be used to potential.
The idea, value, and benefit to the NEX is that, compared to others it is small, manageable, and capable of producing extraordinarily high quality images–all very important.
No excellent lenses means no excellent pictures, and, from what I’ve seen and heard, Sigma and Tamron lenses aren’t worth much more than the Sonys.
Can I spend several hundred bucks for a lens adapter and use a Zeiss 16 – 80 A mount zoom on the NEX 7? Sure, but it will be twice as heavy as the NEX 7 with the Zeiss 24mm E mount.
What’s the point??? It’s just dumb!!!
“Everything important” to whom, though? There’s a whole swath of different approaches to photography, and with it different tools to achieve the desired goals.
Still waiting on the NEX-F3 and A37 camera announcements. I have a feeling the NEX-F3 will be the best selling NEX camera to date.
sorry, comment was for upper post 🙂
Well, my local store told me they’d sold several Sony SEL-50F18 already, where the dealer also told me Sony improved their care for retailers. Additionally this lens is available in Europe via mail order beside the big online stores: http://skinflint.co.uk/eu/675211?v=l
For that price I agree to sell myself a copule of times! Plus iternational delivery…close to 500$.
…these are absolutely usual European prices and nevertheless they’re containing high VAT rates here, they’re still higher than what you’re paying in the US – even after Sony’s recent price increase.
Yes, where is 50/1.8 OSS? Even Sony USA site can’t give the information when it will return. What happening with this lens for God sake???!!!
The tests shown by soundimageplus are not well made. He underexposed the 5n in the other iso’s. Should it have been properly exposed (in comparison to the fuji) I think the difference would not have been so great. I agree the Fuji is better at higher ISOs, no doubt, but I dont think the 5n looks anywhere near that bad.
Than man used to polish his esteem with the NEX 7 and now he appears to be polishing his buyer’s remorse with the X Pro 1 by showing a camera that, albeit not better, is nowhere near as bad.
I don’t call for the test to be re-made, but I do tell all of you that the hype wont last. See the x100 and x10. Now everyone mentions the x100’s shortcomings openly and without saying ‘…but the image quality makes up for all of that’. As I used to say with my 5D2, there is no point in having 21mp when the f@£*ing camera won’t focus properly. This, by far, is Fuji’s biggest shortcoming and the most important. All else (but video) being excellent. I know this because I too considered selling my nex’s for the fuji, but silkypix showed me nothing much better than the out of camera jpegs and the camera failed to focus in subjects that would have been no problem for any nex (nex’s also being not perfect at focusing but, in my experience, more reliable than 5D2 but not as fast)
I have suggestions for future NEX 5n/7 software:
1) NEX 7, smaller flexible point of focus (it will help with distant subjects shooting with the 24mm lens)
2) If firmware is the problem, keep working with the 5n AF algorythms. The NEX 7 is still faster.
3) Please decompress video and properly face Panasonic with it. Panny GH2 has, out of box, better video. 5N could have even better video than GH2 if Sony decides to uncompress it. Another advantage would be to lure other APS-C video users into Sony (the ones using DSLRs) because the truth is in the pudding and better video shows that people (see EOSHD forums) are willing to buy into m43 instead of 5D3 because the video is no better than a $600 camera.
I have faith in the Sony/Zeiss game. Really, that 24mm 1.8 was enough to make me change systems because I shoot 90% of my work in 35mm focal length in FF.
Are you able to manually control the a57 in video? I didn’t see any info on that in the reviews. Does it have the capabilities of the nex 5n as far as video goes?
Where is the NEX-F3 coverage, admin.? I can’t recall any Sony camera recently where you didn’t list the specs ahead of it’s release. If YOUR not interested, please believe that some of us are. Please ask your sources for more information about the NEX-F3, we have heard enough about the A57.
what is that NEX F3?
rumoured new NEX with watersealing.
Not so sure the optimum route on lenses is just redoing existing focal lengths. Sony needs to expand the lens choices, not stagnate at the current focal length list as some seem to be suggesting. Though a rework of the Zeiss 16-80 is way overdue.
My last big year for Sony/Zeiss lenses was 2008, where I have all 4 put out then and they see lots of use. Since then the 30mm macro is the only Sony lens I added, and that only happened as I’m a macro nut, probably should not have bothered.
Oh, I definitely agree that we need new lenses too. T&S, fisheye zoom, Sony’s version of Minolta 3x-1x 1.7-2.8 Macro, bright & small APS-C ultra-wide prime (16mm f/2.8?), mid-range zooms with good build quality and SSM but worse aperture (eg. f/4 series, brand new 70-200 f/4 anyone?) are the first things that come into my mind.
Never the less problem is that even some of current lenses weren’t as good as they could be back in 2006 not even saying about nowadays when we have 24 MPx sensors and video recording (which by default requires quiet lenses). So if I’d have to choose: I’d ask for revamping of older lenses more than expanding offer while the roots are rotten.
I can see the fixed aperture G lens:) will they be able to release in 2012?
Yeah Sony sells!
Sell your “stupid” customers a “Ferrari with a state of the art 500 hp engine” and give them the joice between 5 cheap Fiat 500 wheels with a 160km/h speed limit!
Ah, I forgot you can buy an “extension kit” and turn your lightweight “Ferrari” into a big “Porsche Cayene S” where lots of oversize performance wheels are available!
So, do photo enthusiasts really need additional performance optics for Nex??? or a decent 50mm 1.8 lens available to buy?
Having looked over the dpreview comparison tool, the a57 image quality looks better than the competition such as the nikon d7000 and the canon t3i. The a57, to me, looks right on par with the 5n image quality. i also compared the a57 against the a55, the a57 is much improved over the a55 image. The a57 seems to be a very good offering even with the slt in place, they seem to have worked hard to match the 5n quality.
You know what is ironic?
People complaining about the lack of superb/exceptional lenses for the NEX cameras… but then what is the #1 complaint about the new Sony Zeiss? THE PRICE IS TOO EXPENSIVE!
Does anyone complain about the price of Leica lenses? Uh, no! But the typical review on the new Sony Zeis is “great lens… but high price”.
Sorry, folks… if you want the Sony Zeiss auto-focus lenses you HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE FOR QUALITY.
Peace…
I agree brother. You want pro performance…pay for it.
hey bruce,
maybe we others are to stupid to the Seven?! But i actually wonder how one mounts “three” zeiss 24mm (3x24x1,5= 108mm ff eqi) to the body so I get my near 100mm eqivalent for smooth but sharp portrait shots..
I may be in the minority, but the 18-200mm Tamron (and Sony) are useable with the NEX-7. Are they the sharpest, most contrasty lenses you can use on the NEX-7? No, but they are more than adequate for many people. I don’t know what Sony is thinking and unless you’re in the company’s inner circle recently (after Stringer announced his retirement and Sony’s alleged refocus), nobody does. So I am hopeful that new lenses will show up for both A and E mounts. Good quality, affordable ones. There is room for the high end, but it’s the middle tier that sells the best. The 85mm f2.8 and the 35mm f1.8 on the A-mount are good examples of what Sony should be providing (as far as primes are concerned).
Oh, I wouldn’t say that either 85F28 or 35F18 are mid end lenses. These are definitely a low-end. Mid end could be something like 16-105mm – quite solid construction, internal focusing, etc. With high end being superb image, constant aperture (or very bright in case of primes), preferably also SSM and water sealing.
I don’t know what the hysteria is all about. Since I’ve had my 5N w/SEL1855 kit in mid-February, I’ve already bought 3 more native lenses (SEL55210, SEL16F28 + VCL-ECU1 + VCL-ECF1, and Sigma 30mm) in addition to the couple of CZ legacy primes I had originally bought the 5N for. I’m probably going to pick up the SEL50F18 when it becomes more widely available, and *possibly* the Sigma 19mm (not sure, needs to be much better than the 16mm as there is a bit too much overlap).
How many lenses are you guys wielding to be so vehemently complaining about this supposed dearth of lenses?
And if the complaint is no “good” lenses, then you must have all necessarily much have finished collecting the SEL24F18, SEL50F18, Sigma 30mm, and SEL18200/Tamron 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III VC, not to mention the various Contax G and Voigtlander rangefinder primes.
Well?
Or is this really just the same-old m43 “we’ve got lenses!” FUD campaign?
While I do agree that they are struggling with the lenses and the system would benefit from more.
I own a NEX 7 and have owned a 5 and 5n before that, when I hear people moaning I do have to wonder if they have actually used the camera’s extensively or just read reviews or used them in a shop.
Forget about Sony. Let only Sigma do the E mount lenses, because it seems they are much much better and available on time. Not to mention a LOT cheaper… Sony are you sleeping or something?
I think the FX700 announcement is a good sign that Sony is serious about the e-mount world although I would certainly believe there is strife and disagreement inside Sony about how best to proceed.
Personally I’d love to see a remake of the venerable Rokkor 58mm f1.2 specifically for the APS-C sized sensors. I find that such a useful focal length at that sensor size and that lens is great just needs a few tweaks (and selfishly a native adaptation to the e-mount).