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Showing posts from January, 2013

Sigma 60mm DN Lens for Sony NEX Cameras Announced

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Mockup of Sigma 60mm on NEX-7 Sigma is adding a third lens to their Digital Neo series for E-mount cameras. It is the 60mm f/2.8 macro in native E-mount. The lens is similar to the one found in Sigma's new DP3 Merrill. Here is Sigma's description of the 60mm DN. Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN- Featuring the natural perspective of mid-range telephoto lenses, together with a shallow depth of field, this lens allows the photographer to capture a single part of a subject with great bokeh effects. It has an angle of view equivalent to 90mm on the E-mount system (35mm equivalent focal length). The minimum focusing distance is 19.7 inches; the maximum magnification is 1:7.2. This lens also contains Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass, which helps minimize axial and transverse chromatic aberration. Mockup of Sigma 60mm on NEX-5R Sigma Corporation announces four new lenses at CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show 2013 YOKOHAMA, Japan — Jan. 29, 2013—Sigma Corporation of America a leading researc

Metabones Speed Booster Review by LensRentals

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Canon 50L Sample on NEX-7 with Metabones Speed Booster (effective 35mm f/0.9) LensRentals posted their review of the Metabones Speed Booster. The Speed Booster lens adapter tested was a Canon EOS to Sony E-mount variant mounted on a Sony NEX-7 . The lenses used were all Canon EF autofocus lenses, 14mm f/2.8 L II, 50mm f/1.2 L, and the 135mm f/2.0 L. The Speed Booster promises a one stop light improvement and a 0.7x focal length conversion. The lenses are effectively converted to 10mm f/2, 35mm f/0.9, and 95mm f/1.4 as seen by the Sony APS-C sensor. So what was their conclusion after their test? I think it was pretty obvious that I came armed for battle, ready to slam this product as some marketing overhype. I was wrong less correct than I might have been. The Speed Booster does what they claimed it would do, much to my shock and surprise. It creates a wider-angle, greater aperture lens while retaining resolution and acutance. Read the whole Metabones Speed Boooster review wi

New 20mm Pancake Lens for NEX Cameras

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New 20mm f/2.8 E-mount Lens for Sony NEX Cameras. Here is the new E-mount lens from Sony. The 20mm f/2.8 pancake lens, part number SEL20F28, from Sony is a native E-mount lens which means full compatibility, autofocus and auto-aperture, with all the NEX cameras. The 20mm pancake is 20mm in depth, the 16mm pancake is 22.5mm in depth. This means a slightly more compact package on NEX bodies, see the NEX-5R with 16mm below. The lens will provide an equivalent fov of 30mm when used on the APS-C sensor. The SEL20F28 20mm pancake lens will sell for $350 and will be available in April of this year. It makes the $250 16mm pancake seem like a bargain. NEX-5R with 16mm Pancake. 20mm Pancake (SEL20F28) Technical Specifications Sony SEL20F28 20mm f/2.8 Pancake Lens Lens Mount Sony E-mount Lens Configuration 6 groups, 6 elements Focal length (35mm equivalent) 30mm Aperture blades 7 Aperture Range f/2.8 to f/16 Maximum magnification 0.12x M

Fuji X100s Digital Split Image Focusing

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Fuji X100s Digital Split Image Focusing Demo Here's a nice feature of the upcoming Fuji X100s that we'd like to see in a future NEX camera. They are using the PDAF sensor to create a digital split image to mimic classic manual focus slrs and rangefinders. You can also see that they've finally included focus peaking to one of their cameras. All NEX cameras include focus peaking since June 2011 .

Sigma 19mm and 30mm Two For One Deal

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Get Both the Sigma 19mm and 30mm EX DN Lenses for $199 Here's a great deal from B&H Photo for the Sigma autofocus lenses for the Sony NEX system. Get the Sigma 19mm and 30mm EX Digital Neo lenses for $199 . Each are normally priced at $199. The kit shows as backordered but B&H states that they can be ordered and they will ship and charge when the Sigma lenses come into stock. Happy ordering.

How The DSC-RX1 Is Assembled

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Assembly of the Sony DSC-RX1 Here's a treat from the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, Sony posted a video of the assembly of the DSC-RX1 . Play it backwards and we have a disassembly video. Use at your own risk. :D

Voigtlander 21mm Ultron Aspherical on Sony NEX-7

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NEX-7 with Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8 Ultron via Novoflex Leica M to E-mount adapter . TechTalk with Ron Sheffler tested the new Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8 Aspherical Ultron against three other Leica M 21mm lenses on the Leica M9. He also used the lenses on the Sony NEX-7 and found that the Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8 the best at farther distances and large apertures. The Leica 21 f/3.4 Super Elmar-M came in second, the Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Biogon in third, and the Leica 21 f/1.4 Summilux at the back of the pack. At f/4 all the lenses performed equally well on the NEX-7's APS-C sensor. Here are some samples from the NEX-7 and the Voigtlander 21mm wide open at f/1.8. You can see more samples at TechTalk. Sample Images from NEX-7 with Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8 Check out TechTalk with Ron Sheffler for an extensive review and comparison between the four 21mm Leica M mount lenses mentioned above. There are also plenty of sample images from the Leica M9 with the lenses. Voigtlander 21m

Metabones Speed Booster NEX Lens Adapter

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NEX-7 with Metabones Speed Booster Lens Adapter with a Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens Metabones Speed Booster Sony NEX Lens Adapter Test by James Miller So what does the Metabones Speed Booster NEX lens adapter do? Increase aperture by 1 stop. e.g. f/1.4 becomes f/1.0, which means more light to the sensor. Increases MTF, which means better resolution all across the frame compared to a standard lens adapter. Provides a focal length multiplier of 0.71x, NEX's APS-C 1.5 * SB 0.71 = 1.065, a 35mm lens = 37.7mm equivalent focal length. Metabones Speed Boost Sony NEX Lens Adapter The EF E-mount Speed Booster Lens Adapter shown above also provides automatic electronic aperture control, image stabilization with IS lenses, EXIF information, and autofocus (albeit slow.) Read more about the Metabones Speed Booster from the Metabones web site and white paper . It's pretty amazing what the NEX has spawned from the third party manufacturers.