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New Sony A9 II firmware fixes flicker and lets you close shutter when switching lenses

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One of the big issues for many photographers when it comes to mirrorless cameras is keeping that sensor clean – particularly when cleaning lenses. With DSLRs it’s easy. When they’re not actively taking a shot, the shutter is closed up tight and the mirror’s flipped down. With mirrorless, on the other hand, the sensor is often completely exposed.

This was a problem with the Sony A9 II, but now a new v2.00 firmware update fixes that, by letting you close the shutter when turning off the camera. The new update also includes features to reduce flickering from artificial light sources, improved Remote Camera Tool functionality, improved Face/Eye Priority AF features and various other functions.

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This is what happens when you try to intentionally overheat your cameras

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Overheating is a common issue for some photographers and filmmakers (especially filmmakers). Certain brands have been pretty notorious for it, while others seem to handle things just fine. In this video, Gene Nagata (AKA Potato Jet) throws a bunch of different DSLR, mirrorless, cinema and action cameras into an incubator at their maximum claimed operational temperature (40°C or 104°F) to see just how long it takes for them to overheat and shut down.

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Sony establishes $100 million global relief fund for those affected by the coronavirus crisis

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In an attempt to help those affected by the coronavirus crisis, Sony has established a global relief fund of $100 million USD. The company has issued a statement regarding the fund, saying that it’s aimed to support those around the world affected by the COVID-19 virus.

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Laowa is developing six new f/0.95 lenses for Sony FE – but the first won’t be here until 2021

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Laowa announced back in January that a new series of super-fast f/0.95 “Argus” lenses would be coming at some point, although there were no real clues as to what they might be. At first it was thought that they would be available for different mirrorless and DSLR systems, both full-frame and APS-C.

Fuji Addict suggested that the first might fall somewhere between 20-35mm. We still don’t know what the focal length might be, but now Sony Alpha Rumours reports that there will be six lenses coming for full-frame Sony E mount, although the first probably won’t be available until 2021.

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Sony’s 12-24mm f/2.8 GM lens to be delayed and will cost an eye-watering $4,000

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In February, it was rumoured that Sony was planning to release a new 12-24mm f/2.8 GM lens at some point during the summer. The thought process at that time was that it would be a little wider than the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art for Sony E mount, but at likely a significantly higher price – possibly double.

Now, according to Sony Alpha Rumours, it looks like the Sony will cost almost three times as much as the Sigma, and the announcement is going to be delayed, too. SAR says they’ve received a tip from a reliable source that the anticipated 12-24mm f/2.8 GM lens announcement has been delayed as a result of… wait for it… Yes, that’s right, the coronavirus pandemic.

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Olympus overtakes Nikon, Fuji, Canon and Sony to top mirrorless sales in Japan

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Well, this is interesting. According to the latest report from BCNRetail, Olympus has ousted Nikon, Canon, Sony and Fuji to top the sales in Japan for the month of February, thanks to pretty significant sales of the Olympus PEN E-PL9, taking 11.1% of the share and the OM-D E-M10 Mark III grabbing a further 5.2%.

The graph above shows mirrorless sales share in Japan by total number of units sold. Amongst the top ten camera spots, Sony claimed four of them, with Canon taking a further two, and Nikon & Fuji taking one each.

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Sony teases the Xperia PRO smartphone with HDMI input for pro photographers and filmmakers

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Sony has announced a new Xperia 1 flagship phone, the Xperia 1 II. It’s got 8GB of RAM, a 6.5″ AMOLED 3840 x 1644 21:9 screen, a 4,000mAh battery, four cameras on the back, one on the front and 256GB of storage space. It even has a headphone jack! But that’s not the most interesting bit of news to come from the Sony smartphone camp.

They’ve also teased the Xperia PRO; A smartphone specifically aimed at professional photographers and filmmakers, it features an HDMI input to take a video feed from your camera.

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Sony goes wide with its new 20mm f/1.8 full-frame E mount lens

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Sony has announced the new FE 20mm f/1.8 G lens, the widest full-frame lens in its E mount lineup. Designed for things like astrophotography, landscapes and street photography, Sony bills this $898 lens as ideal for portraits, too, oddly enough – presumably they mean location portraits. But it’s a lightweight, compact, ultra-wide lens, and it can be yours for a mere $898.

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A 43-megapixel 8K Sony sensor has been “leaked” but could it possibly be real?

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Recently, word of a new Sony IMX671AQR sensor was “leaked” via the Fuji Rumors comments. There isn’t much info about it except for what appears to be a screenshot of the first page of a datasheet. That screenshot details a 43-megapixel APS-C camera capable of shooting 12-bit 8K video. But is it for real?

Doubt is starting to be cast on the legitimacy of the leak on a number of sites, and I’m inclined to agree. Given that we’ve still yet to see a replacement for the ageing Sony A7S II or even a legit hint of a new sensor for a theoretical A7S III, I can’t imagine they’d be packing this much power into an APS-C sized sensor already.

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Sony RX100 VII sensor isn’t as good as previous generation models, DxO mark says

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The Sony RX100 VII is the latest in Sony’s line of popular RX100 compact cameras. DxOMark recently posted their review of the RX100 VII’s sensor in Sony’s latest iteration and found it to be a little lacking compared to previous generations.

Released in July 2019, the RX100 VII is an update to the RX100 VI. It was a welcome update, particularly for vloggers thanks to the addition of the microphone socket. It features the same 24-200mm equivalent lens introduced in the RX100 VI, but it also came with a new stacked BSI CMOS sensor, which DxOMark says doesn’t stand up to the earlier model.

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