Ubergizmo got that official invitation from Sony. On January 5 Sony will have a major press release with product announcement. As you can see on the image we have a Sony A7rII camera. So maybe maybe maybe we will finally get a clue about the new Sony FE lenses and A6xxx? Sony delayed the FE lens roadmap presentation this autumn. Probably because of roadmap changes to satisfy the customers demand of fast primes and fast zooms.
FE lens rumored so far are:
24-70mm f/2.8 G
85mm f/1.4 G
24-70mm GM (compact zoom)
new telephoto lens
–
found via Photorumors.
123 Responses
Two 24-70? the second seems like the 24-70/f4 version II: smaller and (i hope) sharper across the frame. IMO the two lines are now well defined: pro huge fast lenses and enthusiastic smaller lenses. So the 85 would be as big as the FE35/1.4, because should be in the first line. If you want a smaller 85, buy the Batis (smaller, practical, OSS, and maybe the same price…)
Maybe without OSS => sharper / smaller / cheaper
and why not 24-105/4? or something new? 30-90/4 ? 🙂
A7m3?
yeah it’s about time !!! i’m even expecting a7m4 by the end of 2016 🙂
I was hoping for a A7RMV.
Will Sony announce the end of Nikon as a client?
Question is: Will Nikon stop totally with Sony sensors, or will they, in the end, use both kind of sensors. At this moment the Samsung sensor is great but Sony could lepfrog that in some time from now, so maybe Nikon will use that Sony sensor in their cameras after a while…
We have to see.
I think it is very good to have some competition for Sony, so I am glad this is happening!
I doubt it. Nikon doesn’t use all Sony sensors now. As long as they keep the D810 they will keep buying that sensor from Sony. Seems doubtful they will continue to for future designs if this is true!
Switching rapidly to Samsung sensors would be too high-risk for Samsung.
Just look at Apple – it’s taking them 4-5 years and they’ve only partially switched away from Samsung CPUs.
Sony’s dominance in sensors, especially sensors for Nikon, is roughly equivalent to Samsung’s CPU production facilities, especially since Samsung has built-out fabs specifically for Apple I believe.
Does Nikon build FullFrame cameras? Is there a Samsung FullFrame Sensor?
So I bet Nikon will use Sony Sensors at least for a while.
I wouldn’t deduct anything from Samsung not having an FF sensor on public display – they know how to assemble nice sensor cells into an APS-C sensor and have vast foundry capacity, both in volume and technological capability. And having new sensors come out from nowhere isn’t unheard of when you look at high end cine cams. Built to spec is quite normal there.
Long term contracts could be another aspect although. And of course the whole rumor thing might be just that…
According to rumors Samsung already has a new ff sensor, and a complete ready to release new ff mirrorless camera specifically built to Nikon specifications.
Note that niether Samsung or Nikon have anounced any major new camera in a long time….while Canon and Sony have been battling head to head.
It is a very reasonable assumption that something major has been goung on quietly behind the scenes for quite a while now.
I cannot imagine either Nikon or Samsung have been working on nothing new all this time.
interesting, but reasonable though
do you have a link to a source of this rumors you mentioned?
Mirrorless Rummors…today..plus they link to the sensor rumor.
Also in January at CES Samikon…Nikon/Samsung…will anounce that Nikon has purchased Samsung imaging, entered a new Samsung sensor/developmrnt agreement, and that a new pro level Nikon ff mirrorless camera is ready for prodiction with a newSamsung ff sensor developed just for Nikon.
And that the camera utilizes all current NX technology.
I suspect the recently closed Samsung camera factory will soon reopen to produce these cameras, and that production was already set up before they closed.
Nikon is about to challenge Sony mirrorless…big time.
Check out MirrorlessRumors for the breaking story.
I was just about to ask why that news was not reported on this site yet. 2016 will be very interesting. My friend works as a nikon rep and I work as a sony rep can’t wait until I see him again.
At this point M.R. is very certain this is true, but almost everyone else is skeptical.
I could easily accept an integration between Nikon and Samsung regarding sensors, but I’m not sure how much ‘NX technology’ outside that would be of significant interest, and I have strong doubts that Nikon would be looking at greater manufacturing volume, certainly in the short term.
It’s not hard to understand why Nikon would be interested in superseding the advances Sony have made in the past couple of years and bringing out their own mirrorless FF design, but taking into account the shrinking market I can’t see them forecasting huge numbers of sales.
I would imagine such a camera could be very lucrative, if they get it right but, as we’ve seen from Sony, even when you produce an astonishing camera (such as the A7S and A7Rii) there are still many willing to criticise.
Assuming this interpretation of the rumour is true, how well it will be welcomed by existing Nikon users depends upon the compatibility with their system and the quality of the viewfinder. If they can’t use existing lenses and the EVF is not stunning then there will be an uproar. It could be fun to watch!
The interesting ‘NX technology’ for Nikon are the 28 mp BSI sensor, image-pipeline with 15fps and OSPDAF. This allows the DSLRs to have good video-AF – better than Canon Dual-Pixel-AF.
Maybe Nikon waited for that before releasing a D400 🙂
There will never be an D300 successor. That boat sailed a long time ago.
Come on – let me hope for a D400.
If it really comes, there might be a chance for A7000, too 🙂
Not just the sensor! Both Canon with their Dual-Digic and Nikon with the faster FPS when cropped could use an overhaul in the processing department. The whole 4k reluctance points in the same direction.
Samsung has a lot to offer there, and with Sony not sitting on their hands…
Talking out of your butt again Barry, or should I say, man without honour?
To be honest I don’t think Nikon-Samsung merge can challenge Sony in mirrorless within the next 3-4 years. Every company merge causes a lot of trouble. Especially if there are 2 teams, in different countries, different languages, each having a complete infrastructure to develop and produce cameras.
Management decides to drop existing departments and orders that people to support the other team. This results in frustated employees on both sides and the output will be worse than one company would have alone. It takes some years until there is a real gain of a merge of two companies. I hope Nikon/Samsung will survive this hard times.
Yeah, IF the Nikon thing is true (could be a big pump-and-dump stock scam since it’s only supported by rumor sites so far), it’ll take 2-3 years for it to actually result in anything significant. I probably wouldn’t expect to see Sony sensors replaced in any important Nikon products for 3-4 years.
But why would Nikon have to produce a mirrorless camera too when in fact IQ and performances are the objectives ? I don’t understand the obsession with mirrorless.
Is mirrorless camera technology definitely delivering better IQ and performances by design than DSLR ? Could a DSLR with a 40-50MP BSI stacked sensor not deliver better IQ and performances than its mirrorless equivalent ?
And here is a relatively logical piece on why the whole Samsung/Nikon thing could be nothing but a bunch of bunk.
http://nikonrumors.com/2015/12/02/10-reasons-why-nikon-acquiring-samsungs-camera-business-doesnt-make-any-sense.aspx/
True or not, it’s probably the most interesting rumor in a long time.
Why does it have to be mirrorless ?
What’s the heck with mirror vs mirrorless when in fact IQ and performances is the objective ?
Admin, do you think Sony will release any new E mount APSC lenses next year?
Hopefully they’ll announce that they’ve slowed progress on E mount lenses and re-dedicated their engineers to A99ii development.
@admin
Will Sony stop selling Zeiss lenses and focus on G series only?
No.
ok, the thing we know now: they will NOT announce any lences on that week. Or did they ever announced something worth on their press conferences? 🙂
Two 24-70s? Where did that rumour come from?
and we already have a 24-70 and a 28-70 😛 This will be more crowded than 35mm
New ff mirrorless cameras will be announced at CES by Nikon, and/or Canon.
If Sony does not introduce a pro level body mirrorless camera at CES they will regret that decision.
Since you did not add the year, did you mean CES 2017? Because there is no way there will be FF mirrorless from either Nikon or Canon at CES 2016.
Don’t forget – end of 2017 Canon will dominate the mirrorless-market!
*justkiddin*
But realistically, why would Nikon and Canon have to release mirrorless cameras when in fact IQ and performances is the objective irrespective of whether the camera has or does not have a mirror ?
I do not understand this mirrorless thing at all costs unless we are looking for more compact cameras but some people are asking for large and heavy gear…
Could Canon, Nikon and Sony not compete whilst offering different technologies ?
Mirrorless is simply the future. On the one hand it is much cheaper to produce because of less mechanic inside. On the other hand a mirrorless AF system works while recording video, too. And it is more accurate than DSLR AF.
“New ff mirrorless cameras will be announced at CES by Nikon, and/or Canon”
Sorry, not going to happen.
Definitely? Is that posted with the same amount of certainty as “there will be no more A-mount cameras”?
No, it’s just “definitely” this time.
A-Mount was “Dead, gone , finished , no longer made, no more A-mount, never again, deceased, extinct, done, not gonna happen, get over it.”
Pro can only mean two things at this point: Dual card slots, faster AF and slightly larger housing for battery and better ergonomics.
I don’t see it happening. How would they market that? Look over here…our “Pro” body A9 next to our not-so-pro A7RII/A7SII. 4 cameras is just too much.
That’s true. Pro will be A-mount.
Yep, it’s more likely they’ll just phase most of the changes into the mk3+ releases. Thus giving us reasons to spend money on them. Some ergonomics tweaking had been done in the past & will continue.
Hmm…perhaps a safari edition or very explicitly sports related could find a spot in the lineup? That would require the matching lenses of course – a large scale project for a small target audience.
I bet they skip a year on the MK III’s, announce a ton of fast lenses- then drop the A7III as a sports “capable” camera. It won’t be explicit but that’ll be the general marketing focus. I imagine it’ll have the performance on paper of the A6000’s AF and hopefully more accurate. You know that’s all they’re doing right now…sitting around trying to figure out how to squeeze more AF out of that damnn thing. Oh, and BSI for A7III- total given.
Even if Sony fails with sports-camera stuff, they can release a mk3. Adding touchscreen + joystick, USB3, 4K, a bigger buffer and maybe 6fps is worth a next generation.
Finally, someone have interest publicly for A7 iii !
So not only me ^-^ mark ii is old but have everything right, price, phase detection points, bigger body, 24 mpx, IBIS. But not 4K, touch screen, bigger buffer for uncompressed raw, etc.
Mk2 is old !!?? Already !!
Give me a break mate !
That’d be the smart move, IMO.
agreed, I also think a7 III won’t show up on 2016
Actually there is only 1 FF camera.
It’s the A7, and there was a mk2-facelift.
Talking about S/R versions is mainly just another sensor.
In the good old car analogy this corresponds just to a car-model with a different sized engine and a different price-tag. It’s like BMW 3 series. You get a 318 / 320 / 330 and so on. Nobody talks about different cars – just different engines.
I’d prefer some kind of housing that allows 2 current NPFW50 batteries rather than a new battery
I would be curious to know what proportion of camera sales, both now and historically, have been to the ‘pro’ sector. Also, what is the relative profitability of such sales?
I suspect that much of the motives behind supporting the needs of working pros is down to advertising and brand image, rather than an independent money making exercise. As demonstrated very well by Canon who have been the most obvious major player in the public eye and consolidated that by having the lion’s share of lower level sales.
If I’m right, then it would take a very definite decision of Sony to invest a huge amount in such a policy to ‘topple’ the big two. However, I’m not sure it’s even possible now without offering some huge, unique technological benefit and, even if they could, whether it would be worth it given the shrinking demand for cameras in general.
I’m beginning to think that Sony have targetted a very specific market, spanning the bottom of the pros and the top of the amateur demand, minimising risk and maximising profit. It would be very astute business, but not easy to maintain in the long term. Should it prove to be the case, the odds of a full-blown pro model would be very slim indeed, unless they could make use of their ‘parts bin’. Unfortunately, that would likely attract severe criticism from all quarters…
Sony seems to rarely announce anything significant at major tradeshows these days.
January 5 is the day before CES, so we can expect typical Sony CES announcements: Point-and-shoots, some headsets, a few oddball gadgets, and maybe some PlayStation news.
Sony is having a press conference to announce the merger of Nikon and Samsung.
LOL, Sony will say: “Because Nikon is not anymore buying all our FF sensors, we can now fulfill the high demand of the A7Rmk2. And by the way: There is a new A7mk3 because some old FF sensors are left.”
My wish list in priority:
1. 135f2
2. 70-200 f2.8
Same, but in the reverse order. As for 24-70/2.8 – the adapted SAL2470Z or SAL2470Z2 work very well on A7rII with LA-EA3, much better than the SAL70200G.
Whats the flange distance?
We Sony users know its an important part of photography, like composition and lighting.
I think that’s something the Canikon people don’t understand. If they spent a little more time on flange distance and a little less time on the A7r II’s battery performance and single sd card slot they might understand mirrorless is the future.
And before you point out that 98% of professional photographers use Canikon, I dont care. Sony is #1.
What are you taking about? Flange distance is what it is. It doesn’t affect your photos, it affects what lenses you can use with and/or without adapters. The lenses affects the photos.
My wish list is a new supertele zoom..better than the current 150-600 ones,
And a new mirrorless camera that is actually capable of focusing it…high resolution too
12 fps.
Are you still using the Tamron 150-600 lens Barry?
Yes
I pick one up, it arrived yesterday. The weather here has been overcast and dreary, not optimum for this type of lens but I’m happy with the few test shots.
Did you get the a mount?
There is a used Canon mount at my local shop for about $550 but I don’t think it will focus as good as the amount version on LAEA3
Yes, the A-Mount for use on the A99 and A7R with adaptor. Attached some samples, nothing spectacular here but I just had to get out there and do some test shots. The weather was overcast, 37 degrees with a 15 MPH wind, the lens mounted on the A99 used handheld at ISO 1000. The internal image stabilization seems to be working well, looks pretty sharp at 600 mm at 1/160 second exposures.
A mount version with laea3 is the only one that focuses well on a7rii.
I have the laea3, so that should work out well.
I was very close to pouncing on that deal, but ended up having to put my $$ elsewhere. Will be interested to hear what you think of it as you use it more.
I definitely need a monopod, hand holding this beast is like going to the gym :). But it seems quite sharp for a long zoom lens.
Lensmaster makes a compact gimbol specifically for monopods…sturdy, inexpensive , lightwieght, compact…you need to buy direct from lensmaster but its worth it.Y will also need a 5″ arca swiss plate..available bundled with monopod.
Buy either a parade style flag carier…web style best….or a small tool holster and belt.
Place the foot of the monopod in the holster/holder and use the gimbol for a head.
Use both camera and lens strap for safety.
With this rig you can effortlessly carry and handhold the lens.
Capacity of all support equipmentshouldbe at least 15 lb.
I use 24lb capacity.
Forbest results lock both elbows to your sides, and if possible lean your back against solid object such as tree.
Sounds like a great setup, I’ll get the monopod right away and perhaps the gimbal and holder later.
If you use a ballhead make sure it has drag control….it is dangerous to operate a big lens without drag control.
P.S.
The lrnsmaster monopd gimbol is only a little over $100….well worth it and as economical as a good ballhead.
Agian…make sure capacity of all components is at least 15 lb.
I will, good tip.
Nice cat 🙂
The squirrels around here are fatter than I’ve ever seen them, normally by December we would have had several snowfalls. Last year at this time the snow totals were around 5- 6 feet, this year only a trace of snow has fallen which breaks a record going back to 1899.
Looking at the cheapest gimbal (RH-1) the cost with shipping is 135.95 pounds which translates to $205.22 US.
RH-M1
Is the monopod head.
£75 for the head
£95 with plates.
Since the lens has a single thread you may want a 5″ arca swiss plate with lip
But the lensmaster long plate is fine even though it does not have a lip.
You will need at least a 5″ plate for your lens, mount it as close to the front of the lens as it will go.
Your balence point will be close to the font of the lensring shoe.
The rh-1 or rh-2 are good for tripod
The mi is definitely best for monopod.
If you want to use the same head for both then go with rh-1, for tripod only I like the rh-2
Still a bit pricey with shipping and exchange, $167.53 US with plates.
A lot less expensive than any GOOD gimbol out there.
There are some really cheap gimbols but they are garbage.
Remember the m1 is for monopod only
For that use it is the best I have seen.
I just looked this Lensmaster gimbal for monopods up. What is the advantage of attaching your long lens to it rather than to the monopod directly I wonder? It is just an L-bracket with a quick release plate. It will move the centre of gravity of the lens slightly off-centre I guess. When you attach the lens to a quick release plate attached to the top of the monopod, the gravitational force’s vector runs straight down the monopod provided you hold the monopod straight, of course. This way, the setup should be easiest to balance. For this reason, my favourite gimbal for tripods is the one from Manfrotto. It is symmetrical and inexpensive. Just asking.
Mounting direct to monopod provides no movenent/control.
Mounting to ballhead or monpod head(single axis of movemen) via the lens ring provides full movement but gravity makes the lens/camera want to flop over.
A gimbol pivots all movements on the center of gravity..therefore the lens does not want to flip over and moves effortlessly.
The 5″ arca swiss plate allows you to move the center of gravity forward or back for proper balence.
Gimbols normally provide verticle and pan movement…necessary on a tripod…the lens ring allows rotational movement.
A monopod does not require pan movement because the monopod itself can pan.
The monopod gimbol does not have pan movement and so is smaller, lighter, and less expensive than normal gimbol.
Monfroto gimbol is sturdy and economical but huge and heavy.
I would not recomend it for monopod use, especially with a handheld rig such as I described to Emph.
For tripod use Monfrotto is very popular and a good choice, I personally like all the lensmaster models and have 3 different models.
Lensmaster are simpler and more basic than other gimbols, sturdy and econmical.
They do lack certain movenents and are desighned not to lock in position.
This protects your eqiupment from bumps and friction is quite adequite to hold a well ballenced lens in place.
For tripods there are many good gimbols, but for monopod use I know of no other gimbol that compares to the lensmaster monopod model.
I see, the monopod gimbal allows vertical rotation. I did not spot this immediately when looking at the photo on their website. I thought it was just an L bracket with a QR plate. I tend to tilt my monopod but this is awkward when the angle gets big.
Overcast is good…it’s the best lighting.
I was also quite dark for daytime, had to use ISO 1000 and still had relatively slow shutter speeds (1/160-1/250)
Try…if using a7rii…set minimum sjutter speed 1/1000 auto iso to 12500 aperture priority….from f6.3-f8 depenting on conditions.
Good fpr BIF.
This lens also good for a77ii.
Thanks for the tip, plan on picking up an A7rII by summer of 2016. In the meantime will be using it on the A99 primarily.
My wishlist. Bigger wallet
It is called Nikon 5.6 200-500 which you can now adapt to and apparently also AF on the latest Sony FF mirrorless cameras with the new adapter by this Chinese manufacturer.
Not big enough for my needs.
Currently using 150-600 f5.6
Want 300-600 f 4.8 or f5 with drop in dedicated 1.8x tc and 150mm barrel extender for close up/macro.
For mid $3000 price range.
Quite a tall order. How about the Sigma Monster f2.8 200-500mm if you save up a bit. A dedicated 2x converter is included in the price. Actually at its price, a mule to carry it should be included, as well :-).
No
What about full frame A-mount camera?
What for?
We have FE news already. Maybe some a-news for a change?
RSS feed for the website is broken.
Apparently they still call this a “press conference” which sounds so retro-cool. In reality the “press” is just bloggers and reviewers sucking up, and there is no “conference” because they don’t actually answer any questions.
But we can start the APS-C rumor cycle all over again for another year, right?
It’d be nice if we could get a native 16-50mm f/2.8 on par with the A-mount version, but I’m not holding my breath. It seems like lens development for APS-C has all but stopped.
I am still happy with my A-Mount lenses on the NEX-6. Held the A6000 in my hands recently at a large camera store. It did not feel right. Had a flimsy look and feel to it and I do not need 24MP in an APS-C camera. Also, I do not need AF. I have never felt the need to have it, really. Have taken too many out-of-focus wildlife shots because the stupid camera (Alpha SLRs and SLTs) was focusing on a leaf of grass a yard or two in front of the animal. Never happened to me when I focused manually.
What? You’re not a hyperventilating gear-head, anxious to spend thousands on new cameras and lenses to take yet more snapshots of your kids on expensive vacations? You already have the equipment and skills you need to get the pictures you want? You don’t need enough pixels to print 6 feet across? You are not Sony’s target market, my friend. Best not to talk too much or you might be blocked from forums like this one.
If Sony offered an affordable FF I would buy it any day. Problem is that they are currently not passing on the savings they are making from not having to put a prism and a mirror box into their camera bodies. I thought this forum was independent of the Sony corporation. Tell me more if it isn’t.
Just kidding Jerry, independent forum of course.
This is “SR0.”
How about an LA-EA5?
Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. You know, an LA-EA5 and a firmware update that allows all the neato gee-whiz AF features to work with smart-adapter-connected lenses would -almost- render new FE lenses unnecessary. Well, not totally. But certainly make the demand for them a lot less urgent.
So much for November sources and rumors.
F* Sony for not releasing high end APS-C camera yet !!!!!
They have. It’s called the A77ii. 🙂
🙁
lol good try ;)… i meant APS-C E mount camera
I figured you might have. The A77ii is a great camera though. But what’s wrong with the A6000? It’s less than 2 years old and from everything I’ve heard, it takes great shots. What’s missing?
IBIS to compensate image stabilisation with unstabilised lens like some A mount lenses or third part lenses
BSI to get a greater IQ in particular light conditions
and i think the lossless or uncompressed 14bit raw
But indeed i enjoy using A6000 and have fun with old lenses right now
The A6000 has sold like hotcakes so there wasn’t much of an incentive for Sony to up the ante on APS-C. They will though especially now that the V2 A7 series are done. I think some APS-C lenses will come too.
But Sony sold 27% less units than last year. The A6000 hotcake has cooled down and many are just waiting for the successor.
A successor to the a6000 has been rumored so many times, for so long, that Sony almost has to release one. Many people won’t buy the a6000 now because they feel it must be near the end of its run. I know I wouldn’t suggest it to someone at this point. It’s either about to be replaced, or the APS-C line has been abandoned, and either way it wouldn’t be a smart buy.
Jason Lanier says that he has a few lenses that are top secret in this video at 5:30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyvnR7ouqdw
This is like the 150th rumor about the FE lens annoucement lol
I won’t keep my hopes up high. I hope to hear it around CP+
Still no A6000 successor? APS-C at Sony is going the same way as the A-Mount by the looks of it, i.e. down the drain. As long as they start bringing down the price of FF cameras with the latest on-chip phase detection AF, soon, I don’t mind.
IMO sony will announce two cameras at CES – a rediculous priced high end pro model to compete with canon and a a6000 successor + 2-3 fast ff lenses
The reasons are simple
1. sony is listening to their customers, more than any other company in the market ( keep in mind that they have to compromise)
2. Sony has shown us how fast their development teams are
3. Non of these two cameras will compete with the a7 line ( aps-c vs. FF; a- vs. e-mount…i think the pro model will be a-mount because of the available glass and third party manufacturers)
4. Sony has to use the momemtum – the whole market is looking at them
5. Everybody will be happy – fast lenses for a7 customers to shut up, apsc-folks love the a6000and are screaming to buy a new model, pro model to show a-mount folks that its not dead
6. And last but not least – those two bodies are already sitting in a desk for a long time
“The roadmap changes to satisfy the customers demands”
Oh come on!!! As if you were able to make a lense that took years to develop and manufacture faster in just 3 months, just because customers asked it, yeah right!!! Anyway, I hope Sony don’t start making the same mistakes that in the old NEX days, like releasing 5 lenses with the same focal length!!! New 135mm OK, power zoom kit OK (to sell with the new cheap ff line), 25-50 f2 OK (if they can make the 55 so small and light, they can make a 25-50 f2 smaller and lighter than the 24-240) whats not cool its two more 24-70 NOT OK, another 85mm NOT OK, not same focal length lenses until you at least had 20 lenses