Sony surprises us all and announces the new Sony A7sII!

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Sony announced the new FS5 E-mount camcorder (expected) and the new Sony A7sII (not expected yet). The A6000 successor has not been announced and is probably coming at Photoplus in 1 month. Here are the full A7sII info borrowed from SAR:

Preorders:
A7sII at BHphoto (Click here).

Key specs:
12MP Exmor CMOS sensor
RAW output 14 bit (real or lossy?)
Internal 4K recording with higher dynamic range
5 axis stabilization
Much improved AF in low light conditions (169 AF points)
The A7SII will be available in November 2015, at 3400€.

Press text, Image smaples and videos:
Full Sony specs on that SonyAlphaRumors page.
Sony A7sII official press text: “Out of darkness cometh light” on that SonyAlphaRumors page.
List fo real world pictures of the new Sony A7sII! (SonyAlphaCameras).
Sample photos at Sony.net Gallery.
?7S II – 4K low-light ISO comparison MOVIE | ? | Sony (Youtube video on Sonyalphacameras).
?7S II – 5x Slow Motion “Landscape” in Full HD | ? | Sony (Youtube video on Sonyalphacameras)
?7S II – 5-axis optical image stabilization | ? | Sony (Youtube video on Sonyalphacameras)
?7S II – S-Gamut3.Cine/S-Log3 and S-Gamut3/S-Log3 movie | ? | Sony (Youtube video on Sonyalphacameras)
?7S II – High quality 4K movie “Takigi-noh” in Full frame | ? | Sony (Youtube video on Sonyalphacameras)
?7S II – Fast Intelligent AF for movie | ? | Sony (Youtube video on Sonyalphacameras).

Price drop on the A6000. A6100 on the horizon?

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Today major US stores like Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto dropped the price of the A6000. The so far A6100 unconfirmed specs are:

24.3 MP sensor (different from A6000)
ISO range of 100-51,200
Tri-navi control system
Mag. alloy body
15fps continuous shooting with AF.
30fps continuous shooting in “4K Mode”. This is similar to Panasonic 4K Photo Mode.
1/32000 electronic shutter
Still no touchscreen, but it has a new 2.8M dot OLED EVF.
Rear monitor is 3″ 1.04M dot and is now fully articulating.
4K Video (10 min limit)
No IBIS
No weather seal
Mic input support.
Body only price is expected around 900 USD.

But these specs are not confirmed by any trusted source yet. So don’t get to excited about those yet!

 

Two new cameras coming soon: Sony A6xxx and Panasonic GH4R!

The big October PhotoPlus show is getting closer and we are getting first rumors about the next bunch of new mirrorless cameras:

1) Sony A6xxx (Sony A6100?)
That camera is rumored to feature a brand new backlit RGBW sensor. The “White” pixels are added to increase the dynamic range. The Camera also records 4k at 60fps and has the fastest autofocus system of all mirrorless system cameras.

2) Panasonic GH4R
Panasonic is going to launch a new Panasonic GH4R camera which is basiccally a GH4 with V-LG added. This isn’t good news because it means current GH4 cameras will not get the firmware update for free :(

No other rumored camera yet, not from Olympus, Samsung, Fuji, Nikon and Canon :(

Yole Developement predicts Sony sensor domiation to increase the next years.

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The upcoming years Sony is highly likely going to increase the “domination” of the sensor market. Pierre Cambou from Yole Development writes:

“Yole forecasts that the CIS industry will reach $10B this year, with Sony remaining the undisputed world leader –mainly at image sensor level, but gaining strong momentum at camera module level too. And what will Sony’s $4B be used for? Probably to increase capacity, enhance R&D efforts, and further widen the gap between its competitors. It may also be used in applications that will generate a firm lead in automotive, and to develop sensing technologies for consumer and automotive applications. With this bold financing move, Sony is leveraging its leading technology position and demonstrating the confidence it has in its products, its technology, and its future.

I am really wondering what this will mean for the photographic industry. Fuji, Nikon and Canon…how will they work or compete against Sony?

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found via Image Sensor World.

Some additional A6100/A7000 camera info.

large_A6100

I still don’t know the real final name of the new Sony flagship APS-C E-mount camera. But the same source who sent me the image the previous day now also sent me some more tidbits:

It has a new 24MP sensor with ISO range of 100-51,200.
15fps continuous shooting with AF.
30fps continuous shooting in “4K Mode”. This is similar to Panasonic 4K Photo Mode.
Still no touchscreen, but it has a new 2.8M dot OLED EVF. Rear monitor is 3″ 1.04M dot and is now fully articulating.
Mic input support.
It will have lots of exciting video features previously not seen on Sony APS-C cameras.

This camera will be placed above A6000 and target users that need both stills and video features. A6000 will continue to be sold as is.
Let’s see if the source is sharing the correct final camera specs…

Likely fake first picture and specs of the A6100…

large_A6100

An anonymous source sent me that image of a new A6100. It’s highly likely to be fake as I don’t know the source an the image looks 9o% like the actual A6000. The only change is the Tri-Navi controls and the bottom where the APS-C mark is gone. The guy who sent me this also told me some specs:

24.3 MP sensor (different from A6000)
Tri-navi control system
Mag. alloy body
1/32000 electronic shutter
4K Video (10 min limit)
No IBIS
No weather seal
Announcement in 2-3 weeks
Body only price is expected around 900 USD.

But like I said, I doubt those info are correct. Thanks anyway source! Let’s see if you are spot on or not :)

Latest rumors: GH4 firmware, E-M10II, Sony APS-C.

Just a short heads up on a few new small rumors:

1) Panasonic will announce a new firmware update for the GH4 on September 1. It will add V-LOg and a couple of other features. The firmware download will be available in October

2) Olympus will announce the E-M10II in late August. Only minor improvements are expected like electronic shutter function. Sensor same as usual 16MP :)

3) Sony could announce a new APS-C E-mount camera in late August. Probably a new A6100 or A7000.