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Yongnuo announces the 16mm f/1.8S DA DSM autofocus lens for Sony E mount APS-C

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Yongnuo has announced the new Yongnuo YN 16mm f/1.8S DA DSM lens. This autofocus lens is available in both Nikon Z and Sony E mounts. The lens popped up on the Yongnuo website to absolutely no fanfare whatsoever, but it’s also available to pre-order in the USA for $288. It has a very minimal layout with just a single ring for focus, an AF/MF switch, a custom function button and a USB-C socket.

It features a quiet DSM stepper motor, which Yongnuo says offers “quick start-stop response, high focusing accuracy, smooth autofocus” that’s quiet enough to use for video. The Yongnuo website only lists the lens as being available for Sony E mount, although B&H lists it as being available for both Nikon Z and Sony E. There’s no dropdown list on the pre-order page, so I think it’s probably just Sony E for now. Amazon agrees.

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PSA: Don’t update yet – Sony pulls Sony FX3 and FX30 firmware updates after bootloop bug cripples cameras

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Well, this post was going to be about the newly released firmware update for the Sony FX3 and Sony FX30 digital cinema cameras Sony announced yesterday. This post is still about the new firmware release, but not just that they released them. It seems there are bugs and Sony has since pulled both the FX3 and FX30 firmware updates from their websites while they figure out the problem.

For Sony FX3 users, the news looks like the new v2.01 firmware is probably ok, but a number of FX30 owners who have updated their cameras to the newest v1.01 firmware have reported a bug that keeps their camera in a constant boot loop, where it simply powers up, shuts down, rinse and repeat. Several users have posted video of the phenomenon and talked about their experiences on social media.

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Sony faces class action lawsuit over lens serial number stickers falling off

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It appears that a class action lawsuit has been filed in California against Sony. It alleges that the serial number stickers on Sony lenses are prone to falling off. While this doesn’t affect the operation of the product – unlike the other class action over dead A7 III shutters – it does prevent the owners from taking advantage of the warranty and getting repairs when needed or participating in product recalls.

Essentially, the serial number falling off makes the lens worth less because if it ever dies, it’s useless. And that’s kind of a big deal, especially on expensive high-end G Master series lenses. The plaintiff, Joseph Mursharbash claims that he has experienced exactly that situation as it’s simply a low-quality sticker that’s prone to falling off. And during a product recall of the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens, his serial number was nowhere to be found.

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Sony’s new A7R V comes with a completely new AF system and 8 stops of 5-axis stabilisation

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As expected, Sony has today announced their new high-resolution mirrorless camera, the Sony A7R V. If you were hoping for another big resolution jump, though, don’t get too excited. Unlike the A7R IV, which bumped up the A7R III’s 42-megapixel sensor up to a 61-megapixel sensor, the new A7R V keeps the 61-megapixel resolution of its predecessor. It does come with a lot of new features and hardware, though.

For a start, it has an entirely new autofocus system with AI deep learning capabilities. The autofocus system takes the A7R IV’s 567 AF phase detection points and brings it up to an impressive 693 points. It shoots 8K 24fps video (cropped) and full sensor readout 4K video at up to 60 frames per second. It also features the heat sink design of the Sony A7S III, allowing it to record 8K video for up to 30 minutes without overheating.

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“Leaked” Sony A7R V photo shows a very different top button design to Sony’s other mirrorless cameras

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The Sony A7R V talk has been hotting up a bit lately. It’s not surprising given that an announcement for Sony’s new high-resolution camera is expected to come in a little over two weeks on October 26th before an official Sony Creative Space event begins in New York on the 27th and 28th. Already, though, we might have our first glimpse at what the camera looks like. Maybe. I’m not convinced it’s legit.

It was sent to Photo Rumors by a reader and shows a top camera bearing the A7R V mark and shows a significantly different layout to pretty much every other Sony mirrorless camera. Most notably, the mode dial seems to have moved over to the left side of the camera. It marks a notable shift in direction for Sony, with the A7R series adding the record button of the A7 IV and A7S III while keeping both of the A7R IV’s custom function buttons on top.

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Sony A7R V and OM Digital OM-5 announcements likely this month after both companies schedule events

Both Sony and OM Digital have scheduled events for late October, suggesting that recently rumoured Sony A7R V and OM Digital OM-5 camera bodies are expected to be announced very soon. There have been a handful of OM-5 leaks with a possible announcement at some point this month but there hadn’t previously been any specific dates mentioned. Now, their OM SYSTEM PLAZA Fan Event 2022” is coming on October 29th & 30th in Tokyo, Japan.

The Sony Creative Space 2022 event is scheduled to take place in New York City on October 27th and 28th making the rumoured October 26th announcement date seem pretty plausible. This is usually the time when Sony has its own event at the same time as PhotoPlus Expo (or “Create NYC” as it’s now called) but with the event being cancelled this year, it looks like Sony’s pushed their date back to later in October.

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A pair of Sony’s new 640GB CFexpress Type A cards costs more than your Sony FX30 preorder

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Along with the announcement of the new Sony FX30 APS-C cinema camera, Sony has also released two new capacities of their Sony Tough CFexpress Type A memory cards. This expands their existing 80GB and 160GB capacity versions with 320GB and the largest CFexpress Type A card to date from any manufacturer at 640GB.

The new large capacity cards offer maximum write speeds of up to 700MB/sec and sustained write speeds of up to 400MB/sec for the kind of 4K 120fps high bit rate video shooting that the Sony FX30 and FX3 provide. They’re also part of Sony’s “Tough” line, which means they’ve been certified waterproof, dust proof and durable enough to withstand harsh environments.

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Sony officially announces the new FX30 APS-C cinema camera – basically an FX3 with a Super35 sensor

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It’s only 18 months since Sony released the full-frame Sony FX3, a compact cinema camera based on much of the same tech found in the Sony A7S III but with a design better suited to filmmaking. It’s been a popular camera – and we just used two of them for our IBC coverage in Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago – but now there is a new contender.

Sony has today officially announced the new Sony FX30, which is essentially an APS-C (or Super 35mm, if you prefer) version of the FX3. With that smaller sensor also comes a slightly smaller price tag, bringing that FX3 cost down from around $3,900 to only $1,798 for the FX30. But is it a like-for-like comparison? Or does the FX30 make a few compromises beyond the sensor size?

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Sony FX30 APS-C cinema camera coming Sept 28th – ZV series & A7R V camera announcements expected next month

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Sony has posted a teaser to YouTube for a new product being announced on Wednesday, September 28th at 10am Eastern (3pm UK time). Sony hasn’t specifically said what’s coming, except for the fact that it’s a new camera and that it’s part of the cinema line. Right now, though, all rumours seem to point towards it being the Sony FX30.

There hasn’t been a massive amount of leaks on the FX30 yet, and nothing has really been confirmed, although it’s expected to essentially be an FX3 with the same body and almost exactly the same specifications, including 4K 120fps, but with a smaller 26-megapixel sensor. All we know for sure though, is that Sony is definitely announcing a new cinema camera of some kind in two days.

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Sony’s new FR7 is the world’s first pan-tilt-zoom camera to feature a full-frame sensor and interchangeable lenses

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Sony has announced the new Sony FR7, a motorised remote control pan-tilt-zoom camera that features a full-frame CMOS sensor and Sony E mount. The FR7 represents the world’s first full-frame PTZ camera with interchangeable lenses and opens up a lot of potential options for studio use, live production and even filmmaking. It features a 10.3MP BSI sensor with 15+ stops of dynamic range with ISOs up to 409,600.

PTZ cameras have traditionally been more in the realm of security cameras, allowing you to keep an eye on people on your premises doing things that they shouldn’t be. But adding this kind of movement capability to “real cameras” has become more common, particularly with the influx of gimbals over the past several years that offer some level of remote control. Now, Sony’s skipping the whole gimbal thing and building it right into the camera with the FR7.

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