Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Sony’s RX100 V Raises the Bar . . . Again

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sony-rx100-v

When the compact camera market was spiraling out of control toward rock bottom, Sony unveiled a premium pocket camera that was more expensive than the rest of the competition. While Canon, Nikon, Olympus and the rest were struggling to unload pocket cameras for $100 or less, the Sony RX100 rose from the ashes of a market segment that had been decimated by the iPhone.

The reason the RX100 dominated as a premium camera is that Sony made the best possible compact camera it could make. And customers were willing to pay hundreds of dollars more than other compact cameras because the RX100 made much better images than any other pocket camera on the market.

The Sony RX100 V marks the fifth generation of this camera line and now demands $1000 as a flagship model, which is the same as the RX100 IV.

Are we really in a place in the photo industry today where we can get excited about a $1000 pocket camera?

I think so. [Read more…]

 

Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro Lens for Sony A-Mount Unveiled

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Tamron 90mm f2.8 Di VC USD

Tamron has announced the SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro lens for the Sony A-Mount. It offers a max 1:1 magnification, Tamron’s USD AF motor and full-time manual focus.

We knew the lens would be coming when Tamron announced the Canon and Nikon versions earlier this year. The new Sony version differs from the Canon and Nikon models only by the absence of built-in Vibration Compensation due to sensor-based image stabilization in Sony A-mount bodies. The Sony version carries the same $649 price tag though.

The new Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro should ship next week and is available for pre-order here at B&H Photo.

Sony Unveils 50mm f/1.8 and 70-300mm G OSS Full Frame Lenses

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Sony-FE-70-300mm-f4.5-5.6G-OSS-Lens-and-Sony-FE-50mm-1.8-Lens

Sony has unveiled a pair of new full frame lenses – the FE 50mm f/1.8 lens and the FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G OSS lens.

The new 50mm f/1.8 lens isn’t quite in the “nifty fifty” price range of others, but it still isn’t too expensive at just $248. It has a 7-blade aperture and a nice, large manual focus ring for better control. It also features a 49mm filter thread. The Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 lens will ship in May 2016 and is available for pre-order here at B&H Photo.

The new 70-300mm lens adds to Sony’s G line and features built-in Optical SteadyShot image stabilization, two ED glass elements, four aspherical elements and a Nano AR coating to reduce ghosting and flare. It also features a 9-blade circular aperture and a 72mm filter thread. It has a minimum focusing distance of 3′ and a focus limiter for faster AF when shooting beyond three meters.

Priced at $1198, the Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G OSS lens will ship in May 2016 and is available for pre-order here at B&H Photo.

Sony RX10 III Unveiled with 24-600mm Zoom Lens

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Sony RX10 III

Sony has introduced a third camera in the RX10 lineup and adds an incredible zoom lens for massive telephoto reach. The Sony Cyber RX10 III features the same 1″ format 20MP sensor as found in the RX10 II but uses a new 24-600mm equivalent f/2.4-4 lens for the added reach (as compared to the 24-200mm f/2.8 equivalent lens on the RX10 II). [Read more…]