A short break from regular A and E mount rumors to report two other news, pardon rumors 🙂
1) The Honami i1 smartphone will be unveiled on September 4 in Berlin. You see the teaser on top. This is good news for us because the same source said the NEX-FF is coming too (but not on the same day).
2) A new Sony sport cam will be announced too at the same event!
In short, on August 14 we could have a NEX-5t announcement (and maybe ILC-3000). On September 4 the new Sport cam and first smartphone with high quality image sensor (and maybe new JPEG engine). In late September (24?) the big NEX-FF and hopefully A-mount cameras too.
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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!
42 Responses
Honami is a very welcome addition. However, let’s wish the camera won’t be as bad as Xperia Z. Samsung S4 set the bar so high this year it’s really hard to top its image quality. Sony should also focus on 4K video as well it’s going to be a standard in the coming few years.
For the sport cam it’s going to be extremely tough because GoPro 3 is so good that almost everyone buys it instead of Sony.
Unless Sony had some crazy magic tricks like delivering extreme good quality with 4k30fps,1080p240fps,720p480fps I wont be surprised it will under perform yet again like last year.
The Lumia 1020 is eating your poor S4 for breakfast 😉
lumia running Windows is an absolute turnoff for most people
It is understood that “most” people have poor taste and would take a laggy, plasticky and ugly Android phone over a Windows Phone.
sorry but that’s your opinion, not the majority of the users who still like Android day by day
besides lumia 1020 without a 1080p display is a joke compared to other competitors
Ok I can see the plastic… but laggy? I have a Galaxy Nexus – which is I guess a couple generations old – and it doesn’t seem laggy to me, even if I make an extensive use of it.
Besides, WP still misses lots of applications that many consider to be essentials… yes, they will most certainly come (in some more time) but I pay today for my phone, so it’s only natural for a user to chose the phone which gives him, NOW, what he is looking for.
Last but not least… taste is largely subjective, and one can legitimately dislike WP and like Android or vice versa… good education would be not to treat those who don’t agree with you as if they where complete morons 🙂
@Simone
As a WP user you unfortunately quickly get defensive due to frequent attacks from both android and ios fanboys with a lot of flawed claims and patronising remarks. Kinda similar to some of the nonsense bashing some CaNikon guys do towards Sony shooters. During the past three years, I’ve used Samsung Omnia7 (WP7.x), SGS3, SGN2 and finally Nokia Lumia 920 (WP8.x). With the Omnia7 I was fairly happy though I felt the OS (WP7.x) needed some polishing, but I liked the basic ideas and looks of it. Then I gave Android a couple of serious tries with SGS3 and SGN2, but it never stuck to me. The messy OS did not feel as intuitive and fast as WP, and the handsets were quite flimsy and were not very good looking imho. Now that I have the L920 I am very happy with the phone and OS (WP8.x). The only thing lacking is, as you (and everyone else for that matter 🙂 ) points out some important apps. Some companies, Sony included unfortunately, are terribly slow to acknowledge WP. It’s a catch 22 since these companies claim there are too few WP users for it to be beneficial to develop an app, and since these apps are not there, a lot of people skips WP. But I am certain the apps will come eventually. I can do the most important things today with my phone, the rest is just bonus.
So, what about this Sony i1 then? Well there are two reasons why I am most likely not going to buy it. 1) I don’t like Android, simple huh? 2) Even though the camera is great, I honestly don’t think it will measure up with Nokia Lumia 1020, not even close. Future tests and reviews will tell.
Most people haven’t got a clue how good WP is.
Most people don’t like the 1980’s looking flat UI. Almost all UI’s in this day and age use bevelling, highlighting and shadows, but not WP8, its too cool for that. Instead you get big flat colored squares. Whoever came up with that is a genius…
@Stan
That’s exactly the kind of comments that comes from guys who has just seen pics of the phones or been fingering a WP in the shop at best, deciding in advance they would not like it. The flatness is not flat at all once you start using it. The UI has levels and smooth transitions. Much more subtle and tasteful than you first see. No fancy chrome wheels or neon light rods. Just good function in a sleek package. But you do stick to that toy store UI of Android if you prefer it.
Gopro is better in terms of IQ, I think it is better mpeg engine/coding. Sony has better frames per second, so more natural motion.
However people buy Gopro because it is an established, well known brand. You buy Gopro instead of actioncam. Compare it to apple, people buy an iphone instead of a smartphone.
The sad part is that the S4 and Z share the same camera module, yet the output couldn’t be further apart. So the new jpeg engine really has to make giant steps to make any new hardware count.
By sports cam, I assume we’re talking about a camera that is meant to be “GoPro” competition?
There already is, the AS10 and AS15. These beats the competition in regards of dynamic range and low light shooting, and has image stabilizing to boot. But GoPro Black has far more accessories and slightly better IQ in good light and more freedom in regards to settings in Protune mode. So my guess is we will ses another addition to the AS family.
Riiiight. Cause you have bionic eyes to be able to identify individual pixels on the 1020’s screen. Anyway, it’s not a suprise that Lumias are very popular in Italy. totally understand why. Unlike other people, Italians are well versed into styling.
Sounds all good and dandy, but what happened to the NEX-7.
FF NEX is out of my reach until the 3rd generation comes along.
A NEX-5 I already got, so the 7 would be my next step, if it staysa NEX.
Hi Andrea. Do you have definitive spec list on the ILC 3000 already? And possible design? Thanks.
working on it.
what happened to the 4k rumor?
More info on the sportcam please. Is that a new Action Cam?
yes.
@Andrea: What happend to the high rated firmware rumor? Was it cancled?
Andrea, I’d also like some info about the A77 firmware. Now that Honami is being used can we expect to see it in a new A77 firmware and when?
so… what are the nex-5r specs?
What abt new lenses for e mount ???
Andrea give me NEX G-lens 16-80 2.8.. SR2/3/4?? pleaseee 😉
Most likely is something similar to what already exists so 16-50 f/2.8, 16-80 f/3.5-4.5 and 16-105 f/3.5-5.6. I’m hoping for 16-65 f/2.8-4, similar size and weight as Sigma 17-70. But if the 55-150 f/2/8 rumor is correct, then they need a 16-55 f/2.8 to match.
Poor Andrea is like Santa Clause now! 😉
Honami leaked photos through here : http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_honami_teaser_image_leaks_confirms_event_date-news-6539.php
Any info about 5T vs 5R changes ? I’m hoping for Olympus jpeg quality, more pdaf points, and pdaf in video, maybe better screen too.
And in a kit with 20mm f/2.8 please Sony ! Thank you !
Sounds great.
What happens the Nex 7 successor? When’s that be unveiled ?
So maybe a 4K AS15 replacement to rival GoPro?
I was thinking 4K in NEX FF.
Since Sony is moving to the standard hot shoe. Are they working on making any new or remaking their current flashes with a standard hot shoe?
I really hope they will show something at IFA… I just reserved for my trip to Berlin around those days and I would like to go take a look 😀
It would be nice for Sony to add WL remote flash(with a built in transmitter) ability to the NEX-9 (FF) . It would be nice not to need to spend extra money for accessories to wirelessly use your flash that has built in WL receiver/transmitter.
And news of the A77 firmware upgrade fades into obscurity…….
Yep, was hoping for the flash overexposure fix on my A65 and maybe a few features on top. That last firmware that was supposed to fix the flash, just stabilized the randomness of overexposure, I still need to dial it down by 1.7
I just cannot get excited about a Sony phone. They always seem to be too little too late. They’re also extremely slow on upgrading the version of Android. Do I also have to mention the bland look of their phones? Currently, I think Apple, HTC, and Nokia makes the best looking phones. Sony’s phone look no better than plastic junk from Samsung. Sorry, a new jpeg engine isn’t exciting no matter how much SAR pumps it.
Why people keep mentioning 1020 is like a God of camera?
I’ve seen many samples and yes they are some really Huge pixels but they are not necessarily sharp enough as a genuine 41MP camera. The color is a bit off as well. What’s the worst part is its Video recording ability. They are all wobble as hell like a webcam and totally unusable. No Micro SD card slot? WTF…..
The technology and sensor size is pretty good but Nokia sucks pretty bad. Choosing Windows OS with so many lack of apps is def a huge turn-off. The design is also terrible to be honest on Windows UI it looks like we go back to 2000.
What you think about the UI in WP is your opinion, you are in title to that, no problem. I think it looks brilliant with its clean, informative purposeful simplicity. I prefer the airport signage approach, you prefer the pizza menu, it’s okay. I am just a graphic/product designer, so what do I know?
And the everlasting claim that there are too few apps for WP is quite tiresome. Yes, there are a few that I wished were there, no doubt about it. But none that makes the phone useless or would hamper my daily life in any way, and probably not yours either.
The rivalry around WP vs iOS/Android is remarkably similar to the one I see around Sony vs Canon/Nikon. “Everyone” knows there are too few lenses and accessories for Sony, “everyone” knows the SLT tech destroys image quality, and “everyone” knows the EVF is laggy and flickering. So, it’s smarter to invest in a well proven Canon or Nikon huh? Everyone else is doing it so it must be better right? We who actually use these junk cameras, know that there are enough lenses and accessories to satisfy most, except for those with very specific needs as for example tilt/shift lenses. And we also know there are indisputable strengths with the SLT and EVF tech you only learn after actually using the stuff. And pretty much the same goes for WP. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough for most, and it has some pretty smart tricks up its sleeve too.
Oh gosh, I 100% subscribe to your comment – that’s precisely what I’m experiencing too as a WP & SLT user
lol, with DSLR i buy Nikon/Canon for better lenses
for better apps / support I go with iOS/Android in a heartbeat