Your one stop shop for everything photo-video
Along with the recent announcement of the new Sony A6700 APS-C mirrorless camera (buy here), Sony also announced a new lens and microphone. The lens is the Sony FE 70-200MM F4 Macro G OSS II (buy here), a Mark II update to an old favourite with added macro capabilities.
The microphone is the Sony ECM-M1 Compact Digital Shotgun Microphone (buy here). It offers a unique and interesting design, with a switch that lets you choose from eight different pickup patterns and recording modes.
Sony has announced the hotly anticipated Sony A6700 (buy here) APS-C mirrorless camera. Sony’s hailing it as their highest performing APS-C mirrorless camera to date. It features a 27-megapixel (26 usable) BSI sensor, 11fps continuous stills shooting and 4K video at up to 120fps.
In many ways, it’s a photo-centric version of the Sony FX30 (buy here), but with a more advanced autofocus system, faster shutter speeds and an electronic viewfinder.
Sony has released a new firmware update for the recently released Sony ZV-E1 (buy here). On release, looking at the specs, the Sony ZV-E1 was essentially a slightly cut-down Sony A7S III (buy here) or Sony FX3 (buy here) in a more vlogging-friendly form factor. One of the notable features missing from the ZV-E1 that both the A7S III and FX3 can do was 4K video at 120fps.
If that was a feature you were a bit sad to see missing, Sony has answered your prayers today. The new update released today, which is completely free to download for ZV-E1 owners, adds 4K 120fps shooting capabilities. You get 1080p HD at up to 240 frames per second, too.
It looks like Nikon might finally have gotten itself together. According to the latest report from the Japanese sales statistics collector, BCN, Nikon has clawed its way back up to being the 3rd most popular camera brand, ahead of Panasonic. Ahead of these come Sony and Canon in first and second place, respectively.
According to BCN, the sales rankings for Nikon in Japan have been bolstered largely by the release of the Nikon Z8 (buy here). The camera has proven to be extremely popular in Japan, taking Nikon much higher in the sales rankings than it’s been for a long time. Other hot sellers include the Nikon Z fc (buy here), Nikon Z50 (buy here) and Nikon Z30 (buy here).
Irix has announced two new lenses. Sort of. The lenses are new versions of their popular Irix 15mm f/2.4 (buy here) and 150mm f/2.8 Macro (buy here) lenses for Sony E mount mirrorless cameras. No longer do you need to deal with DSLR mount converters.
The company says that the new Irix 15mm f/2.4 and 150mm f/2.8 Macro lenses for Sony E mount are complete redesigns. The two lenses feature Irix’s Dragonfly finish, which means they’re made from magnesium alloy and high-quality composite materials. They’re also very durable and weather resistant.
Sony has announced two new large-capacity 960GB and 1920GB CFexpress Type A memory cards. The two new cards offer read speeds of up to 800MB/sec and write speeds of up to 700MB/sec. Their VPG 200 specification rating guarantees they’ll never drop below 200MB/sec sustained write speeds.
Like all of Sony’s Tough series memory cards, they feature a rugged and durable design. It lets them handle drops of up to 7.5 metres (a little over 24ft). They can take up to 150 Newtons of impact force. And they can perform in temperatures ranging from a chilly -10°C up to 70°C (14-158°F). The cards also possess an IP57. This means they can survive drops in water up to 1 metre in depth for at least half an hour.
Viltrox is planning to release a number of new lenses, according to a post on Weibo. A number of images of one of them, the Viltrox AF 16mm F1.8 for Sony E mount cameras, have also been shared. The lens is designed for full-frame cameras and despite being extremely wide angle, it features a standard 77mm filter thread rather than the usual bulbous front of similar lenses.
As well as the 16mm f/1.8, Viltrox is also said to be releasing a new full-frame AF 28mm f/1.8 for Sony E-Mount and two APS-C lenses. The first is a 75mm f/1.2 for Sony E mount and a 27mm f/1.2 for Fuji X mount – neither of which appear to be autofocus lenses. There’s no word yet on when any of the lenses are coming, but here’s the translated (thanks to Sony Alpha Rumors) report.
It seems to be a bit of a trend these days for companies to show off how “green” they are by telling you how much recycled material they use in their products. While the sentiment is obviously quite admirable, it tends to come off more as marketing than genuine care for the environment. It’s Sony’s turn at the pulpit as they extol the virtues of SORPLAS, Sony’s proprietary recycled plastic formula.
It’s a mix of recycled water bottles and CDs, along with some secret Sony sauce to make it flame resistant, which they’re using in everything from their still and video cameras to smartphones and TVs. Sony says that they’ve used around 379 tonnes of SORPLAS in the past ten years in their photography and video camera production.
Sony has added two new image sensors to its product list. Both sensors are full-frame, with one having a resolution of 44.72 megapixels and the other being 61.17 megapixels. Both sensors mention the ability to shoot 8K video, with the 44.72-megapixel sensor specifically talking about “high-speed 8K” capabilities, listing 12-Bit 8K resolution at up to 61.25 frames per second in its max readout speeds.
Sony says that both the Sony IMX366AJK (44.72MP) and Sony IMX455AQK (61.17MP) sensors are destined for “use in consumer use digital still camera and consumer use camcorder”, which means they’re likely coming in future Sony bodies, but may also go up for sale for use in cameras from other brands, too.
Sony has now officially announced the new Sony ZV-E1 (buy here) mirrorless camera. It follows on with the general theme of the ZV-1 and ZV-E10 in that they’re targeted primarily towards vloggers. In many ways, it seems to be just as good as the Sony A7S III and Sony FX3 – at least on paper. It contains the same full-frame 12.1-megapixel sensor capable of shooting 4K video at up to 120fps (in a future firmware), but there are some key differences.
Well, there’d have to be. When the A7S III and FX3 cost $3,499 and $3,899, respectively, and the new ZV-E1 costs $2,198, you know there are going to be some compromises somewhere. Let’s take a quick look at the specs and see where Sony’s skimped to bring the price down as low as they have.
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.
John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!