Today a source told me the Sony 500mm f/4.0 lens which was supposed to be announced on July 7 will be probably delayed…AGAIN! I don’t know the reason for that. It could depend from the recent power shortage problems and maybe other lenses will be prioritized. Don’t know 🙁
One more thing: While I got so many confirmations about the imminent A77 release I didn’t get any confirmation about the NEX-7 announcement. The last info I got over one month ago was that the NEX-7 will be announced along the A77. But since than I didn’t receive anything. Some of my sources may help me to figure out if something changed? Thanks!
For our readers: Be sure to be online on Friday Morning. Sony will announce the new A35 and NEX-C3 cameras. I don’t know the exact time but should be sometime between 7:00 and 9:00 (London time). You can join me on Facebook as I am often there to answer your questions. And on Twitter too of course!
52 Responses
what time will they release the new FW 4? im so excited!
Checking it now…
I like your question 🙂 NEx-7 info please!
Andrea, the lens 16-50 /2.8 coming soon along with the a77, will it be a CZ? Any confirmation yet?
Much thanks 🙂
Andrea, do you have any info on the price of this lens? Will it be ‘competitive’ or more along the lines of the Canikon equivalents (which cost way more than £5k in the UK)?
Thanks.
Well 5-6K I guess is the expected price a lot of money, but not that bad compared to the 3500£ of the Minolta 600F4, so we just get some more time to save.
I hope it will not be delayed to much. I think a lense like this is veriy importand if they want to hit c&n.
What will be the price for this 500 lens?
Hahaha
This is a bogus rumor. The July 7 date is for an *annoucement* not a data when it is released. So if Sony intends to produce the lens why would they delay the announcement instead of simply announcing a later date for availability.
Given that you claim that both Sony A77 and 500mm f/4 lens will be announced 7/7 I think this means that you or your sources may be getting ready to say that there will be no A77 announcement on 7/7.
Canon’s 500/4 is $7000; Nikon’s newer design is $8700. I wouldn’t expect the Sony to come in under $8000.
My friend just bought a canon 500 f/4 and paid $5299 to be exact. Judging from the other G lenses I don’t believe this lens will be available under $6500.
As things work out right now NEX-7 if at all on the roadmap will be much more interesting then a77 or I could be wrong…..
The nex-5 continues to surprise in great ways even 1year into using it. There is so much stuff packed into this tiny camera.
Shame they didn’t manage to pack an EVF into it 🙂
Mhh i dont realy get why everyone is so into getting basicly the worst of two worlds,the size of a small slt and the autofocus and lenses of a mirrorless.. i guess the nex7 will be quite close to a A55 when it comes to size so ill prefer to wait for a hopefully Nex5 sized Nex5c and inthe meantime add a A77 to my toys 🙂
I don’t think it will be the same size as an A55 though 🙂 The flange distance won’t be, and the lenses certainly won’t be, that’a already significant enough for me. Look at the size of the Fuji X100 body – that’s what I’m talking about. However, if it’s more like that Samsung NX10 I won’t be interested. They still have to keep is relatively compact 🙂
Completely agree with kiril! Imressed by NEX5, can’ wait for NEX7!
Wow in all the hype I forgot about the 500 f/4 lol, dread to imagine the required time to save up for this xD
Personally, I don’t have a need for this monster, but for those that earn a living with long-lens photography (not many use Sony, most are now Canon shooters) pay that type of dollars being guessed at for this lens is just a cost of business.
Now if Sony plans on charging Canon or Nikon dollars then it better be as good!
If it is, this lens and a few more like them but shorter will be a good start bring back the Minolta legacy and finely starting a professional still camera legacy for Sony.
Sure there arn’t many Sony users who do need a super tele photo lens atm.
But to be taken serious, Sony needs to start anywhere.
A sports camera is useless without fast tele primes.
But a tele prime might sell to users of slow fps cameras or the advanced APS-C users (A77).
Having a used Minolta lens is a no-go for business shooters.
If it breaks down you can’t replace it instantly.
That Sony has no professional support in the Still camera department is another story tho…
The 500/4 must be one of the most delayed lenses in recent memory.
I wouldn’t mind a tele prime myself, but I think the 400/4.5 or perhaps original 300/2.8 would be far more wallet friendly.
300mm f2.8 +1.4TC is not the same?
Stop whining about the NEX not having an EVF! Get over it!
Well dont buy it if you dont like it! there are actually people who prefer the tiny package without a viewfinder..i dont miss a viewfinder at all.
+1000 😉
Jesus, wake up on the wrong side of the bed? There is nothing wrong wish asking for something you want. A viewfinder is pretty important to most photographers.
Well the nex seems fine to most of its buyers..there are plenty of viewfinder mirrorless cams on the market.. but of course i also whish for the nex to have gps,pdaf,timelapse,in body os and a evf all in the same small package 😉
Think is 90% of NEX users are P&S upgraders/’soccer moms’. Very few are interested in photography to the level at some of us are, most will just stick with the kit lens. You’ll find very, very few ‘photographers’ that use a NEX as a first camera, as they’re just too limiting at the moment. I just like the concept so much and the posibilities that I want more, I want to be able to use these for work.
Sadly, no other mirrorless system solves these problems yet either, but I see Sony (alongside Fuji) with the most interesting path ahead, together with great sensors & Zeiss lenses, and they also seem to be making decent EVF now too (and perhaps great EVF, we shall wait and see in the A77 I guess) 🙂
I do believe you mean ‘football mums’, good sir.
Beat me why Sony keeps trotting this 500mm lens out and never shipping it…….
What will be a77’s battery? Will it be the same as a55’s? Thanks!
This lens should normally coming out with the next pro body FF A9X , isn’t it ?!
I think sony’s version will be the cheapest as it does not have IS.
Why create such lens which maybe only 10% of the society can afford!
Create CZ 200 2.8 & 70-200 /4 G surely those are hit!
????
Prestige.
There are already 200/2.8 and 70-210/4 lenses in the alpha mount, and the 200 is actually a damn good lens.
Whereas there’s no 500/4, and the existent 600/4 is pretty expensive and impractical.
500mm f4 L2 might be a factor…. it’s just way too powerful in terms of weight saving and IQ! (just see the all-over-95% MTF curves!)
Sony may need time to fine tune their version to exceed the L2…
Wondering if Sony can also bring a fast super-telephoto zoom like 200-400mm f4 or cannon’s radical 200-400mm (TC-built in to 280-560mm) f4/f5.6 L….
Maybe they should release it like Canon released it’s own telephoto lenses last year: “We release lenses, but they will be available in next year” – lol!!!
That’s exactly what Sony did with 500m F4.0, it was “launched” well over a year ago.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1002/10022103sony2010.asp
And the Canon 500mm F4.0 announcement was this year.
Nope, they announced that there was a mock-up. 😀
That’s why I wrote “launched” in quotes. The point is that they led people to belive that the lens was coming, almost 1.5 years ago. Canon said they “were developing” the 200-400mm and was a bit more specific about the new 500 and 600mm F4.0.
IMO these “road-map” statements usually are a good idea as it gives customers some knowledge about a system they might buy into. The problem is when they don’t follow up within reasonable time, and Sony havent’t done any better than Canon in that area.
believe sony will have supply problem for the a77
You probably will want to wait for a while anyway, let other people work the bugs out!
The earliest prototype of the 500mm was first exhibited with the prototypes of the a700 and a900, long, long, ago. Quite a running joke now.
The first mockup of the 500mm was shown at pma 2007. Yes Walt, I agree this is running joke and for sure it is a sign, that sony is not a real “pro” player compared to canon and nikon. The last four years I was eagerly awaiting this lens as a sign from sony to support the “pro” level as well. Right now I decided to wait for the nikon d800 and switch to nikon, if the sony 500mm lens is not available by then.
The lens design was probably inherited from Konica Minolta (who did have aspirations with the pro market, even though they always screwed things up), and Sony probably doesn’t know what to do with it.
At this point one can no longer blame Konica Minolta for anything Sony does wrong or anything they produce. Sony is responsible, including all camera designs they are producing, it’s their decisions and their R&D. And the 500mm is included in that. Unless folks are saying Sony is incapable of designing lenses, which would be a very serious problem.
I would rather that Sony get its 16-50 f/2.8 out on time. The 16-32 CZ is just too limited and the 16-80 CZ isn’t f/2.8. I wonder if they are simply getting SSM fitted to the Tokina 16-50 f/2.8 or they have cajoled Tamron into making a new lens for them.
AFAIK the 85 f/2.8, the 50 f/1.8 and the 35 f/1.8 were original Sony specs.
What about a macro lens with ssm? It is missing in the lens portfolio as well. Is there a sign that this lens will appear in near future?
Would be nice if they bought back the Minolta 200/4 with an SSM motor. That lens had a stonking optical design, but they’ve become collectors items now.