Sony’s last lens announcement was in August 2011. But until today many of these still are not so easy to find in Stock. Particularly the much requested [shoplink 8448]50mm f/1.8[/shoplink] for Nex. I was hoping to see some new lenses in Spring but things don’t look really good now. I have been told that even the newly leaked 18-135mm SAM lens you see on top of this post will ship in August only!
I talked with my sources and it seems that the real big lens announcements will take place the second half of the year. Sony didn’t expect that huge request of [shoplink 8450]Zeiss 24mm[/shoplink] and 50mm E-mount lenses and are still facing production shortages. Hope the Sony managers got the message and may try to increase the production and new lens release! The NEX E-system and the Full Frame A-system still lack of many important lenses.
Good luck to find these lenses:
Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 shop search links [shopcountry 8450].
Sony 50mm f/1.8 shop search links [shopcountry 8448].
67 Responses
“Hope the Sony managers got the message”
+ a lot
I still hope that Sony will abandon the poor performance SAM Lens and use SSM alike in all lenses..SAM is jokes, the NEX lenses have better motor than SAM
Keeps the cost down. They need to be cheap for the rumoured motorless A37 users.
what do you mean “…coming in August only”? It’s only going to be sold in the month of August?
Do you really think he means that? Honestly?
“Sony didn’t expect that huge request of Zeiss 24mm and 50mm E-mount lenses and are still facing production shortages”
It isn’t the first time Sony “wasn’t expecting high sales on *insert something here*” and then suffer from a shortage. Don’t they do market research? Oh wait…
I may have answered my own question 🙂
I was thinking the same, who ever is doing the product strategy @ Sony should be fired immediately!
Since the NEX line has been introduced enthusiasts are calling for a better user interface on the NEX bodies and fast and good standard primes for the equivalent focal lengths of 24, 35, 50 and 85mm. That’s not rocket sience, this lens lineup is standard since decades, Fuji was capable of getting it right at its first try.
It’s mindboggling how incompetent parts of this company are!
hehe, yea, I’m laughing from that too.
Oh wow, the two most basic primes are popular!!! Who would expect!?
Now: Get your arse Sony and release some good 85mm e-mount prime.
People have short memory.
Tsunami. Earthquake. Floods.
This is not a demand issue (these lenses for most part have not hit the stores yet so how can they be leaving the shelves!?), but it’s a supply side issue stemming from SONY still not being able to run their factories at capacity (the Thai rep I spoke to the other day told me the main factory is still not running). Saying its higher demand than anticipated is simply a marketing spin on the truth which is: “we are still not up and running”.
When are they planning on getting the factory up and running again? They could have knocked it down and built a new one in the time they’ve had.
Er, no.
boy are you ignorant.
No, Jonas, we do not have short memory.
It’s one thing to say “We’re suffering from a shortage due problems with the floods”. Which Sony did with the A65/A77 and Nex7 and (almost) everyone was pretty much comprehensive about that.
Another different thing it’s to say “Oh! Look! We’re selling many more units than we expected! How shocking! Now everyone will have to wait till we do something about it!”.
The second thing is pretty much avoidable if Sony did their research right.
You can’t predict demand from asking a few people questions.
So, every company release a new product and in certain quantities based on “feeling”?
“Oh, we THINK that the market requires this product and we will feed’em with THIS much and that’s because we think it’ll be enough”
I hardly think so 🙂
Sounds like you just described Sony’s production strategy, actually.
Today in the news, Sony was said to reduce staff by 10.000 people (or 6%) till the end of the year… does anyone believe that Sony will produce enough and good lenses or cams in the coming years under these conditions ? I do not even expect A57, A37 or A99 to be here in time, so welcome CaNikon and goodbye Sony… very sad, but I have to work hard for my money!
Your logic is so faultless I might have to submit it for a prize in the annual international faultless logic contest.
They probably lay off people in TV section. There is no indication that camera section will be affected since they’re doing pretty well.
half of layoffs were from the recently sold chemical business
I never realize they have chemical business.
You’ve been hanging around here for MONTHS saying that, just buy a bloody CaNikon!
it’s not my fault that the T4i / 650D or 70D are not yet out, after that i promise you to vanish 😉 by the way: you spend a lot more time commenting here than I do, and yet I don’t ask you to take a holiday from here 🙂
You’re allowed to post here if you agree with him.
Does anyone else have the 55-210 for e mount on order? I don’t see the lens anywhere in stock. The 50mm is more in stock in holland then the zoom. Anyone have an idea When the zoom will be available? Furthermore @ blabla, thats not official news,its a rumour. And of its true you dont know in which departments the people will be fired. So its possible that the cameradepartment stays the same or even grows,while the tv department shrinks. Of you wanna jump the ship do it already
Sony UK shows that the 55-210mm will be available in 2-3 weeks:
http://www.sony.co.uk/product/ddl-nex-5-nex-3-lenses-and-a-mount-adaptor/sel-55210
Wierd, I’ve seen that 55-210mm e in every Sony store I’ve been to in the Vancouver area (Canada). Actually, I’ve seen/tried all NEX lenses except for the “mythical” 50/1.8 e. Hopefully, Sony will get more lenses (and NEX-7) to the stores.
So, when will the A99 ship?
Early 2013?
Wouldn’t be surprised if it would be true in the end …
Perhaps even Q2-Q3 2013. The Alpha division has never given an impression of great urgency. The A700->A77 delay comes to mind.
+1
Why do I have the same feeling?
What makes you think there was a delay with the A77? Oh wait, you listened to RUMOURS and of course RUMOURS are official announcements….
Well SONY had no 7 class camera for about a year and a half!
But that might have been careful market strategy …
And now, there is no class 9 (or FF) and I’d bet to venture that with all the promised delays it will take at least till new year to see something new.
And FYI, I am a personal friend of a SONY CEO. He admitted that they do not have commercials on the air for the alphas (that was for the 55 already) because they simply can’t deliver enough units. So there is your careful planning – they know what the demand is, but SONY japan doesn’t listen to them at all. It smells bad management from SONY japan a lot! Hopefully this will change soon.
And a small rant!
I make about 25% of my annual income by making reportages from local events. Now that there is no new replacement, I will simply swap system if my A850 and it’s A700 backup dies. Can’t afford a system where a whole class of cameras is not available for years at a time.
To hell with such support.
Management in Japan refusing to listen to anyone else? Sounds like Minolta.
BMan, then please tell your friend, there’s a strong demand for new lenses and carefully designed cameras, not just mere replacements with a few “software” addons, we need more options. Really. If something can make a change, you can be our man with your contact.
If it was intentional, then that’s even more mind boggling.
I have strong feelings that Sony still realy don’t know what the photo-company must do. Especially for some thing that have market success, like E-mount. Because that way any success can be killed.
I believe the lens shortage issue means Sony’s market share is only rising.
They probably underestimated their growing consumer share.
Ken, hopefully, no one wants to buy it in September, or they’ll be SOL.
will we ever see the NEX SEL35F18, this one is really missing…
The Zeiss 24mm is pretty much a 35mm equiv.
Yes. And the SEL50F1.8 is a 75mm equivalent. Your point? An SEL35F1.8 (although I’d really prefer slightly faster or slightly wider) would be a 50mm equivalent in 35mm terms. Very different than the Zeiss 24mm. Very different.
I’m amazed how often I read posts from people that think just because its close it’s good enough and we should not complain and be happy.
A 24mm presents a much different image on a full frame than a 35mm and if you need an f1.4 an f2.8 is not going to do it.
And a 35mm is equivalent to 52mm (basically normal) on APS-C. Sony has a 35/1.8 for alpha and I’ve been wishing since day 1 they make one for NEX.
Sony always claims they didn’t expect such a demand. Total bs at this point. I’ve heard it so many times from them it’s clearly not true. Perhaps the first time it was!!
Yes, it’s a marketing spin on something more inconvenient.
We will never know the trough. And while on NiCan rumor sites one hype after the other is coming, we alpha users are just getting more and more frustated by not admitting that the others are better, have more intresting products and are not that short of supply… One new A-lens per year… Whau what a fantastic modular system… You can even mount them on a NEX… Haha!
Nikon not in short supply? Where have you been for the past few months, living under a rock?
Maybe the D7000 was hard to find but no problem for the D3100, D5100 or D700 over here, and now the new D800 and D4 are all over in the news and even D3200 is nearly here and plans for D5200 or D7100… at least this can be called a living modular system and I’m sure the alpha could be at this level if Sony didn’t spoiled all that time with NEX, E-mount, EVF and other funny but useless things. It is unbelievable that all you young guys are not seeing the trough: from the A900 to A55 the bodies got more and more plastic and of short living (especially when used outside) and now Sony forces me to use this awful EVF at prices equal or over Canon… and still fan-boys here are claiming the usefulness and awesomeness of this degrading situation. I don’t tell you yet to switch to CaNikons, but at least I would expect here that all of you would say Sony with one same voice that they should stop experimenting with new lines of cams as long as the original alpha line is not up to date. They had a good Minolta basement, it is really sad what they made out of it!
Some of us are happy with the tools we are using and couldn’t give a fuck what idiots like yourself blabla or anybody else chooses to spend their money on. I make a living with Sony, and for now I see no reason to change that. I also know that I will not earn any more money using canon or nikon. Piss off?
Admin,
Where is big news?
Any news about 50 1.4Za, 70200G II, 70400G II, and the revamp of 85Za and 135Za?
Sony really REALLY needs to get their act together around lenses.
Are we going to have the big news u mentioned..? I wait till ZZzzzz… Ha
Does anyone know if this lens will be weather resistant like the 16-50 kit lens?
A Sam lens weather resistant? Sam lenses have one purpose, to be cheap and lowest quality build.
Sony has decided that folks will cheer for lowest quality and buy, so why build quality equipment? Build short lived throw away equipment and charge like it’s the well built stuff.
+1 thanks Walt, you are one of the few experienced guy’s here that I really like to read !
I agree too. building it cheap is fine but charging like it is well built is not!
It sounds like Canon will be able to release their new 18-135 kit around the same time. If it can compete this new SAM should be a good kit lens for general buyers. I don’t see this replacing the 16-105mm.
As far as E-mount, that wasn’t well thought out. Sony is their own worst enemy these days. Time for an Alpha mirrorless body.
+1
Sony has shown over and over it often doesn’t think about complete solutions when it comes to alpha/NEX. They pump-out camera body after camera body and then wait to see what sticks and then acts surprised and claims to be working to catch-up, and never really does before moving on to something else that draws attention away. We are still talking about availability of lenses announced many months ago, and now new announcements rumored for maybe the end of the year.
Sony had the chance to step up in the global market share, but if they keep like this, their lack of action will be the end of any action at all. It seems they’re not willing to invest in new production plants to accelerate release dates of new and upcoming products, even if they’re still rumored to be released.
And what about the lack of easy choice lenses like new SSM or SAM 24mm f/2.8, 28mm f/2.8 FF-“able” designs? I think they discontinued the 28 and they never released a new cheap 24…even if they want to release those in DT only designs, it’s ok, but the more the merrier, and some people will be happy with those optimized “cheap” lenses.
And on the long end, 85mm f/1.8 or 2, 100mm f/2 will be appreciated. Imagine a 300 f/4 weather sealed G lens design? For less than 1500USD it will be a great companion to the A77 and A99. A new 200mm f2.8 would be great too.
I don’t know about zoom department, but at least a 70-200 f/4 G (around 700/800 compared with Canon offering) will be the perfect choice to people on the budget that don’t want to spend 2000USD on the f/2.8 lens. People is buying Sony stuff..but if they don’t invest, they will never see a huge increase on sales.
I wonder if a new 300/4 would still have the same appeal if it came with a similarly rich pricetag as Sony’s other tele primes? Say $2000?
Does »real big lens announcements (…) second half of the year« include ANY POSSIBLE E-mount lens?
Yes.
From Sony E Roadmap released officially long ago:
2012:
– High-magnification zoom
– Standard zoom
– Wide Angle zoom
– Large Aperture standard
so yea: The E mount gets nice big things.
I’m only worried about A-mount: So far we’ve heard only rumors about 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 SAM which… well… it’s a SAM lens so not really exciting.
I’m afraid this will only be properly announced in 2012, but most likely not available for purchase.
Ok, thanks! From looking back I guess we will not see any new Sony E-mount lenses in any shop before mid 2013 then …
Nikon and Canon through real focus motors into their lenses in the $200-500 range… why can’t Sony? Why does a Sony lens have to cost $700+ to get SSM? I find myself not caring what Sony does with lenses at all.
What Sony should be doing is making lenses that have silent focusing motors for video because the SLT and NEX cameras are perfect for video.