The A-mount camera roadmap may changed and if the rumors I got are correct we will have to wait until early 2014 to see the first next generation A-mount cameras. And honestly I can’t wait to see if Sony can keep up the promise for a real huge step forward in the camera tech.
And according to one trusted source what didn’t change at all seems to be the A-mount lens roadmap. The updated 70-200mm, the 400mm and one more “surprise” and “completely new” A-mount lens will be announced within the next 6-10 months.
——–
Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
SR2=rumor from unknown sources
SR3=50% chance it is correct
SR4=rumor from known sources
SR5=almost certainly correct!
164 Responses
I’m guessing the 400/2.8 will cost more than the 500/4 does. Life sure does suck for us little people.
Indeed, if it’s more expensive or as expensive as the 500/4 we little people won’t be able to buy it… :-s
those lens are designed for professional… Same go to Canikon.. no brand design this range lens for amateur …
‘Professional’ is a meaninglessly amorphous concept in that context anyway. There are plenty of people who comfortably pay the bills with an APS camera and its kit zoom and equally there are many recreational photographers with big white lenses.
+1
I’m not professional in that I would have long ago starved to death if I had to live of the money I have made from the sales of my prints. Yet, I love my big white Sony 300mm f/2.8 lens.
You’d be amazed at how rich Japanese amateurs are. According to a very popular price search engine, a good portion (about 1/2) of the top selling lenses in Japan consists of L series and premium Nikkors.
OMG is this the ultimate A-Mount user attitude of those “little people” frequently bashing against NEX here to force their company into competing against “Canikon”, that they wanna pay less for fast 400mm f/2.8 than for 500mm f/4.0 because of the shorter focal length?
What can be this “surprise” and this completely new A-mount lens?!
Well if it’s a letter to Santa Claus, something like a ff-able 24-105/4 (or f2.8 :-D) or something like a 17-50/2. Obbiously, it would be SSM and not that expensive… I’m kind of dreaming guys, I know…
+1
+2
+3 for the 24-105 f/4 SSM or even SAM II like the 18-135 DT
50-150 (or 50-200) f2.8, please 🙂 to go with the 16-50 f2.8
PS. 50-150 (or 50-200) SSM f2.8, please to go with the 16-50 f2.8
Good stuff – they can throw as much money as they like at developing camera body technology but an incomplete lens lineup will always render them 2nd class to Canikon.
Alongside the rumoured lenses coming they need a range of 3 f/4 FF lenses (17-35, 24-70, 70-200 ish), a new 35 1.4 & a native T/S. That would pretty much render that argument moot.
All IMHO of course – a T/S will never please the accountants but would do wonders for the percieved “comleteness” of the system.
is that the suprise is 35mm f1.4.. challenge the sigma…xD
I hope so 🙂
A-mount need a better ultrawide
We need better non-ultra wides, too. All of the primes bar the 24/2 date to the 80s.
+++++!
what’s wrong with CZ 16-35 ?
it’s UWA on Full Frame only.
It’s not what I’d call UWA either. That’s the Sigma 12-24mm (and Sigma 8-16mm on APS-C). Those are w-i-d-e. 😀
Well, someone somewhere told that UWA on Full Frame is everything shorter than 24mm (or 15mm on APS-C) so I’d argue that this lens surely is an UWA on Full Frame.
for sure,
2000 for a cz ultra wide zoom is a bit tough.
plus something a bit wider than 20mm in a fixed.
There appears to be a focus on A-mount full frame, pushing APS-C to mirrorless and maybe even onto the E-mount?
I think all APS-C cameras will be E-mount and FF will be A-mount. For me it makes sense!
Last 2 years were dominated by APS-C releases, so you should be glad seeing FF release, instead of complaining.
You don’t appear to understand the difference between commenting and complaining. Feel free to point out where in my comment I complain.
I agree as well. It would make sense for many reasons; cost, intended customer base, and optical considerations like flange distance. Seems like a good plan!
And I dont think AlphaGuy was complaining, just throwing an idea out there.
We need 300 F4 and 400 F4.5. The 400F2.8 and 500F4 are too rich for all but corporate purchases or full time successful pros, so a very small market for sony at present with no chance of real profit.
im with you 100% on that i want a prime 3-400mm but know for sure 2.8f woudl place it far out of budget. on the other side tho with sony pricing being what it is the 400f4.5 woudl be over 2500 and thats not really in range for me (im jsut a hobbiest )
FF power zoom lens? 28-300mm perhaps.
Could the surprise be a good one and we see one of the following lenses: 70-200/4, 300/4, 85/1.8?
PS I have given up on Alpha completely it is hopeless. My hope is to stay with NEX, but lack fo normal quality zoom and decent portrait lens are taking too long so I may stay with Nikon only in few months.
The future is looking quite easy to predict.
E mount mirrorless will be small cameras, focused on quality and portability.
A mount cameras will have a larger form, for use with larger lenses. Larger camera body size with the A mount will allow for more use of Full Frame sensor, IBIS/Steadyshot and cross over into professional video.
Adaptors will allow easy movement of lenses across the formats, subject to distances from sensor to flange etc.
Why people think the A mount is at risk is a mystery. E mount is all about the reduced distance from sensor to lens so that the camera does not need to be so large.
Not all cameras will be small. People want larger cameras too. A mount is for them.
Yeah, I kinda thought the same thing A/ AE Hybrids = mirrorless with IBIS, Nex = mirrorless without IBIS.
Maybe they’ll use the space gained by removing the mirror/ AF sensor to include improved mechanical IBIS.
+ 1
E-mount camera does not have to be small, there are several huge E-mount bodies already.
E-mount allows to have greater IQ because of greater freedom for optical designer. You don’t see it often because many E lenses are just adapted SLR lenses, or designers did not care about quality.
Things like f/0.9 lenses and Speed Boosters are simply impossible in A-mount.
For Sony – it does need to be small. Otherwise there’s no point.
I wouldn’t call the VG900 “small”.
FYI: It’s a camcoder. Not a camera.
@Boooe:
> E-mount allows to have greater IQ because of greater freedom for optical designer
Actually, the short flange-distance puts a tighter constraint on the optical designer. This is, however, a relatively-minor issue.
However, the IQ of the sensors should be identical (barring such elements as a translucent / semi-transparent mirror (degrading the image from SLT-body sensor), or a lens-design assuming a short-well-photosite sensor (degrading edge/corner performance on E-mount).
> You don’t see it often because many E lenses are just adapted SLR lenses, or designers did not care about quality.
> Things like f/0.9 lenses and Speed Boosters are simply impossible in A-mount.
Impractical for economic reasons, not impossible! CaNikon both have f/1 & f/0.9 lenses, and there are Leitax’ed treatments to install native A-mount onto them, for those willing to spend the money.
Any mount can get a “speed booster” adapter if the lens being adapted is simply for a larger format (and probably greater flange/registration distance, although the glassed adapter could likely compensate there… though I don’t think there ARE any large-sensor / short-flange-distance formats); e.g. a 645-format lens could get “speed boosted” onto any SLR-mount (Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, Oly, etc…) . The NEX is particularly tempting for this because it has become such a darling of the adapted-manual-lens crowd (focus peaking, anyone?), but the sheer NUMBER of CaNikon SLR bodies out there is likely to see speedbooster-style adapters for those mounts, in time…
The A99 is so terrible at video, it’s hard to see how any Sony slr style camera could cross over to professional video.
It’s not so hard once you realize that the A99 is the worst of the bunch. The APS-C SLT cameras are better than the full frame A99 and the NEX cameras seem to be better yet. Sony simply did something screwy with the flagship camera that’s not present in the others. So chances are that they’ve learned from that and the next pro camera will have a good video output.
-1000
You A-mount owners would love that, wouldn’t you? All 200 of you. Silly, delusional A-mount owners. Keep telling yourself there will be a market for A-mount in either APS-C or FF. There isn’t. Majority of buyers, including those who own Canikon wants an interchangeable FF mirrorless without the legacy of A-mount. This points to FF E-mount. I wish Nikon was more bold and do this. It appears Sony is being held back by A-mount beggars. Someone needs to build something like a FF NEX without the anchor of legacy DSLR lenses. I will lose all faith in Sony if they do not do this. If Sony doesn’t do this, the only hope left is Fuji.
I think we have seen that prototype camera, haven’t we?
Not sure why SAR’s broken commenting system loses posts. I was trying to reply back to my previous comment. Disregard those. I only read 2 sentences and immediately assume you were saying APS-C for E mount and FF for A-mount, which is ludicrous.
We were disregarding all of your posts already 🙂
New? Why not just update and re-release most of the lenses you have sitting dormant in your portfolio Sony? Let’s have some of those lenses, redone to AF motor in lens and bang, instantly double or triple the portfolio of lenses in the lineup?
Let’s have:
24mm f2.8
35mm f2
70-210mm f4
28-135mm f4-4.5
100mm f2
135mm f2.8
200mm f2.8
500mm f8 Reflex
There are probably heaps more that I wish I could buy new from Sony rather than having to trawl around for second hand copies, preferably with SSM or SAM II. Thanks very much.
Can you imagine how awesome an updated 500mm f8 reflex would be with nanocoatings and SSM?? That was one lens I loved when I shot Minolta…capable of very good images, but a challenge to use well.
The greatest surprise would be not a lens but the fact that the new A-mount cameras won’t support screw-driven lenses. Actually, that would be a logical step for Sony (less mechanics, more electronics, etc.) but quite a shock for us Minoltians. Pure speculation though.
Quite illogical until they have fully updated their own lens catalog which shows all except one (and a future one) CZ to have screw driven lenses.
It is possible that they would keep the motor for higher-end bodies, but remove it from the A3/A5 series to keep costs down, just like Nikon have.
A company like Canon or Nikon could get away with such a move but not Sony. I highly doubt they will take such a step at least not in the near future.
You don’t know Sony very well then.
Still quite illogical when almost half the existing lineup would be rendered without AF, including all super wide zooms and primes wider than 35mm, ultrazooms (which are relatively popular for entry level cameras) and the only DT Zeiss in existence too.
minus the Zeiss 24mm…
You are making the mistake of applying “logic” to “Sony”.
It hasn’t let me down in the past.
You are missing the point. This isn’t about you.
Of course it does. It could be a mistake if it has let me down in the past, but it hasn’t. In other words, where I use the word illogical, it applies for me.
Maybe you’re mistakingly projecting your disappointments on me. 😉
The in-body motor does not add significant cost, but it does take up a lot of space. I dont think they’ll drop it yet, but it is coming in the next few generations of cameras.
They probably will in the future, but I don’t see them doing it yet. Hold me to that.
That’s as random guess as it possibly gets. There isn’t anything to support your claim.
If you want facts, then you are in the wrong place.
Nope, but if there are any assumptions or guesses – it’d be good to have any base. I can take s*** out of the sky too if you want: E-mount will die after next generation of cameras. Bang, done.
Where did my comment vanish to??? Grrrrrrr
Good stuff – they can throw as much money as they like at developing camera body technology but an incomplete lens lineup will always render them 2nd class to Canikon.
Alongside the rumoured lenses coming they need a range of 3 f/4 FF lenses (17-35, 24-70, 70-200 ish), a new 35 1.4 & a native T/S. That would pretty much render that argument moot.
All IMHO of course – a T/S will never please the accountants but would do wonders for the percieved “comleteness” of the system.
Huh????!!!
It’s appeared again now….. What is going on with the commenting section here??
It’s a pain in the posterior!
Sometimes comments end into moderation. I approved your comment. That’s why yous ee it now 🙂
I would like to see just a few models (maybe just 3) of new cameras and not that huge range from A33 to A99. In my opinion they should concentrate on FF cameras for the Alpha series and APS-C for NEX.
My next Alpha has a 24-30MP FF Sensor, a huge body for big hands and an optional v-grip, more programmable buttons, a solid screen, complete weathersealing, increased steady shot and an optional version without built in ir and uv filter. ISO-performace from 50 to at least useable 3200.
THE HOT SHOE can be a multi interface shoe – BUT today I´m missing the accessories like a radio flash trigger.
I also hope there will be more lenses from Zeiss and maybe an update of the 1635 and 2470 with a complete metal body including the focus and zoom rings and a complete weathersealing.
@maxhcp: a 24-105/2.8 would be very great but please as a g or zeiss lens.
But these are just dreams and I´m getting tired of waiting for some news about a real gamechanger and solutions to get some radio flash triggers for the MI shoe.
I always wonder that is Carl Zeiss really helping Sony on lens development. The only advantage of Zeiss Lens is AF and SSM exclusively on Sony. However, Zeiss rarely update or doing any improvement on the lenses. On the same time, Sony just keeps making economic lens OEM by Tamron and seldom makes remarkable G lens on their own. In fact, this situation just keep lossing the loyalty from the user because they can’t see anything that can competitive with Canon and Nikon. Sony should learn from Olympus!
Sony for long, long while haven’t released any A-mount lens that would be Tamron OEM.
They did it while ago, but not any more.
Why do you think so?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc2PQ-9iTbc
Read again: For A-mount.
A is not E. I know that Sony releases garbage on E-mount, not a news really.
To start with, I am not a professional. I would call myself an experienced amateur to a (very) semi-pro. I do not sell prints but have and will to those who want them. I am like most of the people who follow this website. An avid photographer who loves to shoot photos, in my case, wildlife. The 400 f2.8 would have been my lens of choice. On the a77 it is an effective 600mm 2.8. With the 1.4 teleconverter it is a 4.0 850mm. It is “light enough to hand hold” The cost would be around 10,000. For me Sony took too long in the development of this lens. I bought a Minolta 600 f/4. Price range 5500 – 8300. Saved for 2 years to get it and if the 400 would have been available would have saved for a little longer to get that one and not the 600. More flexible and still a power lens. My main point is there are not that many pros out there to be an exclusive market for these very long expensive lens. Go to Yellowstone, Alaska or other places and you see a number of photographers with these lenses. I am a member of a Nature Photo Club with over 1000 members and at least 1/3 have a 400 or higher power lens. The market for these types of lenses, I believe, is large (comparatively speaking) and if a company wants to compete and be in the top 3, these lenses are a must have. An example is the Minolta 600. Hard to find and the price is the same or more than the lens cost when new. It is still a high quality lens that is still in high demand. (Maybe Sony should service this lens. Good marketing strategy to keep loyal customers.)
It shall be noted that mounting a lens on a crop sensor doesn’t magically buy you extra magnification (zoom). The 400mm has the same “power” on either sensor. The “effective 600mm” you’re talking about is merely applicable to the field of view of that lens, not the focal distance in the sense of “getting closer to the subject”!
You just made that up, the opposite is true.
Huh? Are you trolling? How could you get extra magnification w/o extra optics?
You are correct in that a 400mm lens on a cropped sensor does not “add magnification”, however, the size of the picture is the same as with a 600mm lens on a ff sensor. I have checked this with several friends who have a 600mm lens and a ff sensor. Same view ie same uncropped photograph size. They have the 18MP Nikon. I have the 25MP Sony Crop the 25MP shot to 18MP same effective magnification of the subject but a small field of view around the subject. With the 600 on a cropped sensor you have the magnification of 600mm and the size (crop) of a 900mm. Take that to 18MP and you have the same RAW photo at 900mm where the 600 on a ff senor would be 600mm. If both cameras were at the same distance, the Sony shot cropped to 18MP would be a tighter view of the subject – maybe if it was set up correctly by the photographer a better shot. I realize there is a great deal of therory here but in actural practice it does work out.
They need to release:
85mm f1.8 at no more than 400 euros.
24-105 f4 at no more than 550 euros.
17-40 f4 at at 700 euros.
These lenses don´t have equivalent in the used market.
Completely agree for 24-105 f4, a sharp one FF(even if we wan have f2.8!!!)
24-105 f4 would be an awesome lens too. I dont know what I’d do without my Nikon 24-120 f4. Not the best lens out there, but so versatile.
what kind of new lens can be ‘suprise’ comparing to 400/2.8G? Interesting.
An a-mount lens integrated with OSS, or a zoom with range of f2-2.8,or 100(90)/F2 macro 1:1, can make me feel ‘suprise’.
the next 70200/2.8 not coming on Sep but Nov or later? (May+6 montsh= Nov)
All FF, aren’t they? 😉
Most likely yes. We’ve seen loads of APS-C lenses recently, so some new designs on FF front would meet a warm welcome 🙂
You mean the latest iteration of 18-55? 😉
Or 18-135 and 55-300 from a year ago?
When there will be a 50-150/2,8?
There is no fast telezoom in addition to the great 16-50/2,8 available on the whole market (Sigma does not make it for the A-Mount), while the 70-200/2,8 is too long for me…
Yes, a 2.8/50-150 SSM would be great.
Furthermore I’d like to see a 1.8/35 SSM lens. The optical performance of the current 1.8/35 SAM combined with the build quality and weather sealing of the 2.8/16-50 SSM. Just perfect.
And lastly I’m “dreaming” of a 16mm prime lens with SSM and a LEAF-SHUTTER!!!
Yes that lens in the DT version would be great for me too.
“When there will be a 50-150/2,8?”
When they make it in E-mount.
It would be a real surprise if Sony ever discovered that interchangeable lens cameras are a System! Nothing they can do in just putting out a mere camera body can substitute for that.
Especially with their clear history of cutting out more and more of the system that Minolta offered with no replacement. Come out in 2014 or whatever year with a camera body, who’s going to trust them to even support that camera body for a reasonable number of years, yet alone have a supported system that covers a good part of a person’s lifetime? Buying and re buying entire systems is not economic, and that’s why Canon and Nikon have such a large and steady customer base, they support their customers. Their gear has been proven by millions of photos to be capable of taking excellent photos, new technology is not the demand, being trustworthy is.
Until Sony builds the actual system and shows through many years that they are supporting all it’s parts no technology they could come out in the camera body alone will substitute. It would be foolish to spend the cost of a full system that Sony’s behavior says they will likely abandon in a year or two. While we can point out a limited number of people rich enough for that, the major portion of the market cannot afford to do that.
Wonder just how many more years Sony will wave around the promise of a couple lenses, like they did for the 500mm, before bringing out a couple lenses of a very limited market.
Don’t blame Sony for your lack of money and frustration. I have money and I spend it on Sony gear and I am very happy with it. You lost, now move on.
Don’t be so presumptuous. Walt could have ten times your income.
Most people want to invest in a SYSTEM, one that is going to be around for a while and is fully supported by the manufacturer. Sony have consistently failed to convince the wider photographic community, in particular professionals, of their commitment.
If Sony had revamped the Minolta glass then they wouldn’t have had so many criticisms thrown at them about the lack of Sony branded lenses. They would now have had a SYSTEM, possibly higher dSLR sales and, here’s the shocker, maybe a bunch more professionals. It’s a self fulfilling prophecy.
Who cares about professionals? I buy all the equipment I want right now. I don’t need a system. Next year I will buy new equipment anyway because there will be developments in image quality.
BTW who is Walt?
Walt is an old school photographer from Georgia. If you read this Walt, I stuck a frog picture for you in the wildlife thread on DP.
What does it have to do with Sony rumors?
Walt is an old photographer who got bitter and twisted because Sony wouldn’t give him an OVF replacement for his A700. So he simply takes every opportunity to knock Sony – occasionally he says something that makes sense, but more often than not it’s just plain old FUD. BTW, Walt, the reason Canon and Nikon’s user base is so large has little to do with customer support – it’s got more to do with the fact that the majority of the photographic population simply can’t see past the Canikon badge.
Hopefully something good comes out of Sony’s financial crisis. Often, we need to be shaken to the core to realize what changes are necessary…maybe they’ll modify their vision of what it means to be a camera company that has an electronics division, instead of being an electronics company that also makes cameras.
WK you complained so many times already… Tell please about what you shoot, and which lenses you need but Sony doesn’t offer.
They have 24-70 and 70-200, 70-400…
If you were a Nikon user, would you whine because Nikon removed the screwdriver from lower end bodies? NNNAH, that is not a system anymore!! No adaptors available.
While E-mount bodies have adaptor that has screwdriver, if you need it.
+ 1
i sometimes regret not to start off with canikon.. A-mount`s EVF issue.. Change of hotshoe.. Sigh!
The japanese dude answered, when asked about the 35mm f1.4 G, “come to me later and ask me again”.
This might be the surprise.
Maybe they’re gonna throw on the market a lens that has the magical power to stop the whiners, haters and pessimists to be a pain in the ass on blogs! 😀
I really hope it is. Though with new Sigma 35mm f/1.4 on a market they’ll have a really hard time to sell a lot of these. 😉
“Maybe they’re gonna throw on the market a lens that has the magical power to stop the whiners,” – I think nothing in the universe would stop them. We are bound to read how A-mount is dead and E-mount will rule this quarter of a galaxy till we all get old and die.
So true about the hard challenge against Sigma, but let’s not forget that the two old 35mm from Minolta (35/f1.4 G and 35/f2) are still considered a really excellent option (at least it looks like from reading around internet) and they’re now rare and expensive (at least the f1.4 G): so it might become a new f1.4 G.
So far, especially after the rumors about the new APS-Cs coming, not so many are whining and saying that the A mount is headed for the boot hill: maybe the spell has spread already? Hahahahahaha
Just stop with this A-mount is dead and E-mount is the new standard for Sony. It isn’t true (at least for now) and you don’t have any clue about this.
If you read again Sky_walker’s comment, he said exactly the same: that unluckily we’re gonna be reading about “A mount is dead” for long time, since whiners are gonna be always around. 😀
Your reading comprehension needs some polishing.
Why should they do another 35mm f1.4 G?! They already have one (ok it’s quite old) and Sigma’s 35mm seems to be very good. I think they may do something new, something they don’t have yet (maybe something which doesn’t exist for CaNikon or Sigma/Tamron), don’t you think?
Quite simply, you can’t rely on third parties like Sigma to provide indispensible parts of a system like lenses, and secondly because the 35 f1.4G is quite old. Sigma’s 35 f1.4 may be good optically, but isn’t weathersealed like the upcoming 50 f1.4ZA and isn’t supported by firmware either.
Sony needs to understand that it needs to cover its bases natively, from cheap to expensive. And not only cover the bases, but be competitively at that too. Although Sony got most focal lengths and apertures covered, there are no f4 zooms (cheaper and lighter) such as 16-35 f4, 24-105 f4, 70-200 f4, and very few affordable FF primes; no affordable 85 f1.8, 100 f2, 135 f2.8, 200 f2.8, 300 f4, etc. Now, to upgrade, you have to make a very big jump from the cheap Sony/Tamron/Sigma lenses (kit lenses and primes) to very expensive Sony G or Zeiss glass.
Hopefully by putting cameras on the back burner this year, they can / will focus more on lenses & accessories which would do more in the short-term to attracting users. The current cameras are great, but there are holes in the lens line-up, serious availability issues and the flash / lighting accessories need work.
I agree with Maxhcp. Sigma 35 is very good, don’t try to improve on that. Also 35 mm is popular lens from the past but it is unclear what purpose it serves today. Next there already is RX1 if 35 mm is what you need most.
Sigma’s the one to beat, but their track record on compatibility always makes me nervous. We had SLT issues last time, so I’d not be hugely surprised if we run into similar issues with the mirrorless a-mount. I’m taking a rain check on it until we see how nicely it play with the new system…
Maybe if the surprise is a 35mm lens it might be possible it will be half a stop faster to make it different from the sigma.
A 14mm/2.8 or 15mm/2.8 rectilinear prime lens is missing from the lens lineup. Zeiss already produces a 15mm for Canon & Nikon so the development should be relatively painless. Canon’s 14mm/2.8 rectilinear is one of my favorite lenses, I’m hoping for a Sony / Zeiss A-mount equivalent.
I hope sony will include closer focusing into thier new 70-200 and 400mm lenses.
A max magnification ratio of 1/2 or 1/3 would make them much more usefull to wildlife photographers and simply require additional barrel extension to achieve.
A focus limiter would be necessarry to improve af speed.
Sony is lacking a long macro. That would make a good surprise lens.
+1
A long true macro (150 or 180mm) would be welcomed!
You can easily create a long macro from an 85 or 135 mm lens by adding a macro extension ring. And you get a focus limiter for free!
I believe extension tubes only get you a shorter focusing distance but won’t give you the magnification needed for true macro (1:1 or more).
If an extension ring is not enough, use a macro bellows. Same idea, but longer and variable extension.
Its not the same.
Macro primes are much higher quality and no animal will wait for me to put on or take off a tube every time I move in or out.
Ofcourse it is not the same. A canon 24/2,8 is not the same as a Nikon 24/2,8. However a skilled photographer can get the job done with any of these. Use a reverse mounting ring if you need better quality. Be creative. Use liquid nitrogen. Do whatever it takes. Stop bothering us.
The macro prime is the best tool for the job.
I do not choose to use inferior tools however I acknowledge that it is possible to do so.
I consistently comment in favor of higher resolution cameras. For me to use inferior optics would be ludicrous.
If you are satisfied with the quality of image your method will produce then go for it.
Your solution is not right for me.
Youre statements are technically accurate but will not produce the resolution that I require.
Animal photography involves many challenges to get a good pose and composition from the subject.
Cumbersome and difficult to use equipment will greatly reduce the number of good shots regardless of skill level.
I begin shooting ss I aproach an animal as I cannot be sure when if it will leave.
In order to get the close shot at all a smooth transition from far to close up is necessary.
Sony should not enter niche markets. Leave it over to lens specialists like Sigma.
Where do you come up with nitch market?
Every manufacturers lens collection includes ma ro prime lenses.
No single lens is owned by every camera owner but a system must neet the needs of all.
Macro lenses also function as regular lenses and most serious photographers have at least one.
You talk about how someone that does not buy a real macro can get similar results with extra efforts and lesser results. Then you say Sony should not make a real macro. Who do you work for? Canon or Nikon?
Also note that lenses are assembled by hand and most of the cost of a good lens is for labor.
Lenses do not have to sell as high a volume as cameras in order to be successful.
Peter please stop it.
Lenses have to be designed for macro work.
If you put non-macro lens on bellows, sure, many lenses can focus up to 1:1, but this greatly icreases field curvature and astigmatism. In some cases its enough to have 3 mpx resolution, but again, it’s inconveneint and it’s probably better to use macro-enabled small-sensor camera.
Has anyone considered that the surprise lense might have a negative focal lenght? Like a -50mm or a -70-200? That would be so awesome! It would mount from the back of the camera!
Dinkerhooter, If intended to be a joke, its a good one!
If not, I think your imagination needs a firmware update. What are you trying to say?
It sure was a joke! But it was no fun…
Incidentally, such lenses are present in both Canon, Nikon, Sony and everyone’s else lineup, except they are usually called teleconverters…
Is this in a parallel universe?
How about surprising us with a tilt/shift lens? Something like the Schneider 28/50/90mm but with electronic aperture, maybe even autofocus! Dreams…
A 17mm t/s would be nice, or if possible, an official tilt/shift adaptor would be better to use on all a-mount primes.
Um huh? i saying that i want the wide lenses. All the sony lense are long focal lengh and we need the short ones for wide angle work. and u mount from the other side so it gets wide angle instead of short. u must not be pro. sorry.
I’m guessing theres a language barrier at work here?
Sony does need to release a tilt/shift, agreed. But with the big empty mirrorbox of the new suspected cameras, I wonder if they can do it with the sensor plane, so every lens could be tilt/shift?
Wouldn’t shifting the sensor bring it out of usable lens image circle? I thought the deal with the T/S lenses is their image circle is large enough to accomodate their tilting and shifting.
Tilting the sensor might work but would be limited to the central axis I guess… interesting though!
You’re probably right; that makes logical sense. Maybe they’d have the camera enter an intelligent (or user selectable) crop mode to rid of any vignetting?
Also with the mirror gone, they’ll have more space to increase the functionality of the in body image stabilizer. Imagine 8-10 stops of stabilizer!
Mount any FF lens (which are plenty) on APS-C camera – and you have PLEEEENTY of image circle to crop from.
Also, tilting doesn’t require larger image circle, only shifting
When you invest in expensive glass, nobody wants a surprise. Sony is lost.
You do realize that this is a rumor site, right? Sony isn’t promising a surprise lens, the rumor site is stating that they predict another lens, of which the focal length and specs are a mystery to them hence the surprise.
I have to stick my hand to my head now. The lenses that Sony are missing is
12-24 f.2,8 if. No more than 1000 euros
24-105 f.4,5 IF. No more than 800 euros
150 mm macro IF. No more that 750 euros
400 mm f. 5,6 IF. No more than 1000 euros
100-300 mm f.4,0. IF. No more than 1000 euros
and of course a T/S. About the same prize as Canons 17 mm T/S. Could we dream about a 14 mm f.2,8 T/S maybe. And if they then put a autofokus in it, so we could use it as a standard 14 mm f.2,8 lens. Then i would have my wettest dream come thrue
I don’t think there are any autofocus tilt-shift lenses. The mechanism probably conflicts with autofocusing.
I always read about Sony needing so many lenses in their lineup but Its only kinda lean in the FF area… But why wouldn’t it be? They only have the (Not selling well) a99… I would recommend picking up some older Maxxum lenses and save a little money if you are missing something… yes I know they focus slower and don’t have the newest and best focusing systems but if you are shooting still(ish) subjects you cant go wrong for the price you can pick them up at….
Here are some you can get pretty cheap considering the image quality they produce…
(All the higher quality metal lenses, Not the plastic Minolta Lenses even though some of them are ok considering the price)(Sony has versions of most of them too for more $)
20 2.8 Never used one
24 2.4 Amazing for price
50 1.7 Great
50 1.4 Great
85 1.4 Amazing
28-70 Great
100 2.8 Great
135STF Great
28-135 Great
35-105 Amazing
70-210 Over Rated
75-300 Much better than 70-210 in my opinion unless you need the F4
And More…
Even in the old Line up of Maxxum lenses and cant imagine a picture I could not capture the way I would like to without one of these lenses… Then add on the Sony/Zeiss Line up… So… I would still have to say we are in much greater need of FF alpha bodies over lenses since there is only one “current” model…
I’d buy a 24-105/4 or 24-120/4 with SSM and weather sealing in a heartbeat. Even better would be a 24-135/4-4.5. It’s a big gap in the Sony FF lineup since the demise of the 24-105. (I own a Minolta version and although it is fun, the iq is a bit lacking.)
+1
28-135
joker from SONY !!!
The lens I am really looking for is the 100-400f4 or 2.8 I wouilds pre-order that lens as soon as it opens
Still no aps-c 50-135 or 150 f/2.8? Blessedly, Sony is the only camera maker that offers a pro zoom (the 16-50mm f/2.8) as a kit lens; it appears to be a terrific lens, has the weather sealing of the comparable Pentax and Nikon (even if the Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 may be the best of the lot optically [just don’t shoot anywhere near dust or water I guess]) and is (with the a77) in the same price range as the Tamron one.
But without an f/2.8 tele-zoom companion lens, or even a new aftermarket option – those Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8s seem to be very hard to find now – I’m left wondering how many months or years I would have to wait for Sony to get around to filling this (for me) important gap.
Fully agreed, see my post before!
I think there should be some more lenses in the build quality (weather selaed, SSM)of the SONY 16-50/2,8 for APS-C
10/2,8 Fisheye (though Sigma is fine)
10-20/2,8 (Sigma is existing with 3,5, but I do not use that lens yet)
50-150/2,8 (NOT at all existing on the whole market!!!)
35/1,4 (only G lens, too big and bad ratings, though I have not tried yet)
50/1,4 (only Zeiss expected, too expensive for a simple 50 prime)
85/1,4 (only Zeiss, too expensive and without SSM!)
150/2,8 Macro (Sigma is existing, but I do not use that lens yet)
A pitty, too many lenses missing, but that there is no 50-150/2,8 at all, I cannot understand!
Totally agree about the 50-150 zoom. This is a range that is missing. When im using the 70-200. Then i miss some on the widest angel of the zoom. So i hope that Sony could inntroduce a 50-150 zoom. I also want a 100-300 f.4 zoom that handle a 2x converter well. sigma had one and aborted it
Just need a Zeiss 35mm f1.4 to complete my system, hope the ‘surprise’ is this lens.
My comments keep vanishing!!
An extension tube is not the same as a macro prime.
The quality is not the same and no animal will wait for me to put on or take off an extension tube every time I move in or out.
So exited about the new 70-200 coming soon. Hope its kick ass..
Maybe 35/1.2 ZA as a surprise lens.
But zeiss haven’t maken huge aperture lens for years.
Or?
You just gotta love when Sony marketing department “informs” us about a surprise lens.
If it was an actual leak, we would know what lens it is… 😉
50-150 F2.8
Sony, if you make this lens i will buy 2 of them immediately.
yessssss!!! another one for me…
To TWM and dear readers
You are correct – here in Switzerland (not Sweden) the mayor sellers & discounters incl. newspapers do not advertise for sony a57 a65 a77 a99. even sony switzerland saves the money for adv. the buying people read only canon and nikon as good cama sony hides himself because customers could bring work in form of demanding support service better firmupdates etc.
sonys philosoph: do not spend money ergo you earn this money… good for sonys future presence