Mastering blur – a month with the Otus 28mm f/1.4, 55mm f/1.4 and HCam Master TS

The Tuileries Garden in Paris. Handheld, maximum diagonal tilt, @f1.4.

• Introduction

About a month ago, I was extremely fortunate to test two of the best and most impressive lenses for full frame cameras, together with a new tilt/shift adapter meant to mount manual lenses on a mirrorless system.

Namely, I got to test the HCam Master Tilt Shift adapter together with a couple lenses from the Otus line from Zeiss: the Nikon mount 55mm f/1.4 and the yet to be released Nikon mount 28mm f/1.4.

The main purpose of these lenses is admittedly for high-resolution stills and video, I like to do things differently. This is why I spent a few weeks in France testing them, and I was especially interested in seeing how well they would perform with long exposures, or when they are shifted, tilted, and of course how sharp they are wide open.

• Disclaimer:

The purpose of this article is to share some of the images I shot with these lenses and some of my impressions. I am not sponsored nor have been paid by either ZEISS nor HCam for this test. Additionally, it is not meant to be a formal test with charts, or shooting a wall of bricks at different apertures to look at distortion and such. Its purpose is really to see how the adapter and lenses behave in the field, when used for fine art still photography. Unless mentioned otherwise, the images you will find below have been shot on a Sony a7RII in uncompressed RAW mode, imported in Camera RAW and Photoshop for minimal editing (curves, contrast etc). They have only been edited by applying minor white balance, curves, and contrast tweaks, and nothing more except for a B&W conversion with Silver Efex Pro2 for a few of them. Each image was eventually downsized for web browsing and saved as high-res jpgs files. The behind the scenes images were shot with a Sony RX100 IV.

• The HCam Master TS adapter:

This very solid and precisely machined adapter is German-made. A detail worth mentioning as it sticks to the reputation, and is extremely well built and sturdy. It is meant to mount Canon EF lenses (or other adapters for medium format for that matter) on a Sony E mount mirrorless. Unfortunately, it does not have electronic connections, which means that you can only use fully manual lenses with it (unless you are willing to go through this route). For that reason, I was sent Nikon mount Otus lenses with an extra slim adapter, but I’ll get back to this later.

Unlike any other adapter though, the HCam Master TS allows the photographer to tilt and shift the lens with respect to the camera body. It allows for 10° tilt and up to 15mm shift in each direction if the image circle is large enough, which brings and incredible freedom of creation and control for the position of the focal plane and the perspectives, respectively.

Thanks to a very smart and secure system that can be locked in place when needed, it is possible to rotate both the lens and camera independently, and this allows for manipulating the direction in which the lens is shifted and tilted, as well as the orientation of the camera (landscape or portrait). The HCam Master TS system can therefore be used for either architectural, fine art, and/or portrait photography.

The Master TS system is meant to be used on a tripod: the foot can be securely tightened through a couple of screws onto an Arca/Swiss type plate (included in the box), and because both the lens and the camera can be rotated, it is no problem to orient, tilt and shift to the maximum amount the setup. Since the camera/lens setup is mounted on the tripod using the foot, it is good to note that it is the camera that shifts and tilts with respect to the lens, which is opposite and an advantage compared to modern FF T/S lenses. In some occasions during my trip to France however, the use of a tripod was forbidden, which forced me to use the system handheld. In some rare cases I ran into the issue of not being able to tilt all the way because the system would come into contact with the camera. Using the Otus lenses however was nice because I only had to open slightly more the aperture in order to “increase” the amount of blur in camera, so it was not a real issue.

For more details on the adapter, please see the images below:

Front view of the adapter mounted on the Arca/Swiss type plate. Canon EF mount (lens) side.

Back view of the adapter mounted on the Arca/Swiss type plate. Sony E mount (camera) side.

Front view of the adapter; Canon EF mount (lens) side, zoomed on the lens release and rotation system (no rotation here).

Front view of the adapter; Canon EF mount (lens) side with about 20° rotation of the camera mount.

Back view of the adapter; Sony E mount (camera) side with 15mm shift one way or the other and roughly 20° rotation of the camera mount.

Side view of the adapter with with 10° tilt of the camera mount.

Side view of the adapter with with 10° tilt, 15mm shift, roughly 10° rotation of the camera mount and 45° rotation of the lens mount.

• Nikon F to Canon EF mount adapter:

Because the HCam Master TS has no electronic connection and the Canon versions of the Otus lenses require it, I decided to test the Nikon F mount versions. Which means that I needed a slim, sturdy and secure Nikon F to Canon EF mount adapter in order to mount the lenses on the Master TS and keep infinity focus (the flange distance for Nikon being larger than Canon, one such adapter exists).

After reading a few reviews online, I settled for the FotodioX Pro adapter (without focus confirmation chip), which was well rated and allowed me to remove it in the field from one lens and put it on the other in a matter of seconds, with no need for extra tools.

• Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 & 28mm f/1.4, Nikon mount:

What to say besides these are two exceptional lenses?? They are solid, and they are things of beauty. The front and back lenses are amazing to look at, the focusing ring is smooth, precise and a pleasure to rotate, and the aperture ring (only for the Nikon mount versions) is precise, and lets you choose aperture with a 1/3rd stop precision on small f-stop numbers, and larger steps at smaller apertures (see picture below).

BTS image in Paris at the Pantheon of me shooting with the Sony a7RII, HCam Master TS with 10° tilt and Otus 55mm f/1.4 fully open.

To address the elephant in the room, these lenses are BIG and HEAVY, especially the ZEISS Otus 1.4/28  it is bigger than the (ZEISS Otus 1.4/85). But this is exactly what you want in such fast lenses: a large front element (77mm filter thread for the 55mm, and 95mm diameter for the 28mm!!), huge image circle, especially if like me you want to tilt and shift them.

Phone snapshot of the Otus 28mm f/1.4 when I received it, with a quarter coin as a size reference. Please forgive the low quality and keep in mind this is a pre-production lens, and that the box was therefore not the box it will be shipped in.

• BTS images:

1. Otus 55mm f/1.4 @1.4 (in Paris, in front of the Pantheon):

My setup for most of my shooting in France: Sony a7RII, HCam Master TS and either the Otus 28mm or the 55mm (here with the 55mm, tilted at 10°)

Front element of the 55mm. As you can see, it was rainy, but thanks to such a wide aperture and the added tilt, the rain drops are invisible in the final image (see below).

Zoom on the 55mm lens / Nikon F to Canon EF Fotodiox / Master TS adapters. No light leak visible for normal exposures, no problem under slight rain.

Live view on the back screen of the Sony a7RII. It’s hard to tell here, but only the top of the cross on the Pantheon is sharp. See image further down for confirmation.

Final image after conversion from uncompressed RAW file shot with the Sony a7RII. Only the cross is focused, the lower parts of the image blurring out very nicely. For those interested, we can see two nice out of focus highlights with 9 sides, as expected from the 9-blade aperture. Please not that with a full 10° tilt, no vignetting can be seen.

   2. Otus 28mm f/1.4 (at one of the most beautiful Loire Valley Chateaus, Chenonceaux)

Sony a7RII, HCam Master TS and Otus 28mm (with 10° tilt and camera ~5mm shifted down).

Live view on the back screen of the Sony a7RII. Only the castle is focused.

My setup for long exposure: additional Cokin Z-Pro adapter and holder, Formatt Hitech ND16 Firecrest 100x100mm filter and storm jacket to protect from light rain and any possible light leakage coming from the multiple adapters.

Final image after conversion from uncompressed RAW file shot with the Sony a7RII. No light leakage after ~3 minutes long exposure @f8. The Zeiss Otus 28mm f/1.4 is a great lens for long exposure tilt/shift photography!

•  More images shot with this system:

1. BTS:

 

Shooting ~3 minutes long exposure with the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 @f5.6, together with tilt and shift at Villandry, one of the nicest castles of the Loire Valley, famous internationally for its French-style gardens.

   2. Otus 28mm f/1.4:

     Shooting in the rain at the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. Handheld, maximum tilt to the right, @f8.

Shooting in the rain at the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. Handheld, maximum diagonal tilt, @f8.

   The Tuileries Garden in Paris. Handheld, maximum tilt down, @f2.8.

Zoom of the previous image.

The Tuileries Garden in Paris. Handheld, maximum tilt down, @f5.6.

Chambord. On a tripod, maximum diagonal tilt @f5.6 and ~5mm vertical shift (camera lower than lens). Slight vignetting in the upper left corner.

Zoom of the previous image. Maximum sharpness is clearly located on top of the highest tower.

Chambord. On a tripod, 6 images stitched (3 horizontally, over an approximate 10mm distance total; 2 vertically shifted positions accounting for about 5mm), no tilt @f2.8. Slight vignetting in the upper left and right corners.

Chambord. On a tripod, 6 images stitched (3 horizontally, over an approximate 10mm distance total; 2 vertically shifted positions accounting for about 5mm), no tilt @f8. Each image is a ~5 minutes long exposure. No more vignetting is visible.

Chambord. Handheld, maximum tilt to the right @f4.

Chambord. Handheld, maximum tilt to the right @f4.

Chenonceau. On a tripod, maximum tilt and ~5mm shift down (for both) of the camera @f5.6.

A few extra images shot in Boston, MA:

On a tripod, no tilt nor shift @f8.

Zoom of the previous image, top left corner.

Zoom of the previous image, bottom right corner.

On a tripod, maximum tilt down, no shift @f2.8.

  Zoom of the previous image.

On a tripod, maximum tilt down, no shift @f1.4.

 Zoom of the previous image. Please note that at f1.4, only the eyes are sharp, the rest getting blurred as you move away from the focal plane.

On a tripod, maximum tilt down, no shift @f4.

 Zoom of the previous image.

2. Otus 55mm f/1.4:

Pantheon, Paris. On a tripod, maximum diagonal tilt @f4. Vignetting is visible but still very manageable.  

  The Tuileries Garden in Paris. Handheld, maximum diagonal tilt, @f5.6.

The Tuileries Garden in Paris. Handheld, maximum tilt down, @f4.

The Tuileries Garden in Paris. Handheld, maximum diagonal tilt, @f4.

The Tuileries Garden in Paris. Handheld, maximum diagonal tilt, @f4.

The Tuileries Garden in Paris. Handheld, maximum tilt to the right, @f2.8.

The Tuileries Garden in Paris. Handheld, maximum diagonal tilt, @f1.4. 

The Tuileries Garden in Paris & Concorde Square in the distance. Handheld, maximum tilt to the right, @f1.4.

Zoom of the previous image.

The Tuileries Garden in Paris & Concorde Square in the distance. Handheld, maximum diagonal tilt, @f4.    

The Louvre Museum in Paris. Handheld, maximum diagonal tilt, @f5.6.

Villandry. On a tripod, maximum diagonal tilt @f5.6.

Villandry. Handheld, maximum diagonal tilt @f5.6.

Chambord. On a tripod, maximum tilt to the right @f4. Three images stitched in post, vertically shifted over an entire ~15mm course. Vignetting is clearly visible in the upper left, right and lower right corners.  

Chambord. Handheld, maximum diagonal tilt @f4.

• Final thoughts:

As you probably have noticed, I’m very excited about this particular setup: either 28 or 55mm Otus lens mounted on the HCam Master TS and a Sony a7RII mirrorless camera. The Otus lenses themselves are AMAZING and top quality, very pleasant to use and optically perfect. The HCam adapter is top notch, strongly built (which is a necessity when dealing with lenses like the Otus), and very precise and easy to adjust. As you have seen, paired together, you will be able to tilt the camera 10° with almost zero vignetting, unless you add a good amount of shift with it (about 5mm each way with the 28mm or 7mm each way with the 55mm). You have probably noticed that it’s also very easy to control the width and position of the focal plane, and that if pushed to the maximum (Master TS tilted at 10° aperture set to f1.4), you can make it extremely shallow!

As a conclusion, the Otus lenses are unique, because of course of their optical quality, but also because their wide image circle make them perfect tools for fine art still photography, and not only for video. They leave you quite a lot of freedom to unleash your artistic vision. Using the ZEISS Otus lenses and the HCam Master TS adapter on my Sony a7RII is the most exciting experience I’ve had with gear and artistically speaking in a very long time.

 

• Gear:

You can find any of the gear mentioned in this article through the links below:

– HCam Master Tilt Shift

– Nikon mount 55mm f/1.4

– Nikon mount 28mm f/1.4.

– Sony a7RII

–Sony RX100 IV

Sony Global Imaging Ambassadors Interview

Want to learn more about my story, my vision and how I work in the field?
Curious to learn how much work I put in one single image before, during and after I shot it? (and realize how insane I am about it?)

Check out the interview I did with the great people from the Sony Global Imaging Ambassadors.

Zeiss Otus 28mm f/1.4 (pre-released) and 55mm f1.4 tests

A little while ago, I received a box from the good people at Carl Zeiss Lenses (thank you!!).
I opened it, my heart skipped a beat 🙂

I will have about one month to play with the yet UNRELEASED 28mm f/1.4, and the 55mm f/1.4. My goal is to test them in the field for tilt/shift and long exposure 🙂

Here is a first peak at the UNRELEASED 28mm f/1.4 Zeiss Otus (Nikon mount).
This bad boy is larger than the Otus 85mm f/1.4!! (see the quarter coin to give a reference) Of course, the tripod foot will be necessary to mount on the tripod for landscape photography 😀

Let me know if you have questions regarding either the 28 or 55mm! I will do the regular field tests (although nothing with charts and such), and focus on Tilt/Shift and long exposure.

New solo show at the New England School of Photography

Come join us next week for my next solo show at the New England School of Photography!
11 big prints of my most recent and best seascapes work.
I hope to see you there!!

Text of the original announcement:

NEXT at the The Garner Center for Photographic Exhibitions: Aquae: Photographs by Thibault Roland Fine Art Photography. Aquae is a series of landscape images that explores the serene and formal nature of water in a most alluring and minimal fashion.

Opening Reception: Thursday, Nov. 19, 5:30pm – 7pm
Show Runs: Nov. 16 – Dec. 18, 2015

Fine Art prints available at Bert and None Gallery

I’m stocked to announce that some of my work has been selected to be part of the Bert And Nōne Gallery.
It is curated by Ron Cowie and offers only the best of fine art photography.
Check it out! You’ll find amazing art by Cranson Weber Shelley, Lisa Garner, and Ron Cowie.

The best part? Ron is looking for more talents to add to the site. So if you think your work fits, get in touch with him!!
Now, who’s in for acquiring some amazing art and/or contributing??

New tech for long exposure photography

Prototype Genus electronic ND fader system

Placing filters at the back of a lens is a technique that was used “back in the day” of film photography (although it is still done nowadays).
It has drawbacks and advantages, one of the latter being there is almost zero risk of vignetting.

As far as I know, OWL is the only system that lets you do just that for modern photography on mirrorless systems. It sure is convenient, but not ideal because it does not have electronic control of the aperture nor AF.

I came across this article and video demonstrating a similar line of thoughts. The company  Genustech  is developing a new ND filter system that is placed inside the lens adapter, and electronically controlled.
It seems like a good idea on the paper, because it will be much more convenient than having to transport and put on / take off delicate filters. (trust me, it can be a real pain in the… neck). Also, they claim it will be possible to remotely control it, which is really cool.
A few questions arise from this tech though (I will skip everything that has to do with aperture and AF control here and focus on the new feature):
1/ It currently does not have aperture nor EF control, with may or may not be a problem depending on the lens or subject you shoot. But they mention in the interview electronic control will be available in the final product, so check.
2/ what will be the maximum density the filter reaches? For 3-5 minutes long exposure in day time, you need about 16 stops. They mention in the interview it will go up to 12 stops, which is a bit on the low side… But let’s see if they can push it darker.
3/ what about optical quality? and especially chromatic aberrations, color cast/shift?
4/ what about light leaks? Pretty obvious point, but when you have a 16 (or even 12) stops filter, you want your adapter to be really light tight. I guess it’s the case, but who knows?

Bottom line, I think it’s a cool product and every long exposure photographer out there should keep an eye out for it.
Lots of potential, some real questions and technical challenges.

Let’s hope we get to see a finalized product that will be high quality and we’ll all die to use.

 

SOURCE: http://www.newsshooter.com/2015/09/15/ibc-2015-the-holy-grail-of-dslr-filmmaking-genus-show-prototype-lens-adapter-with-built-in-electronic-nd-filter/

Fringing removal – Processing Private Mentoring

Being a fine art photographer (and a scientist) means that you have a high attention to details. Sometimes it’s a gift, sometimes it’s a curse. But it’s mostly a gift 🙂
It’s almost like having OCD for me at times, and it sure does feel like it when I process my images to allow extremely large printing.

This is what makes the difference between an average photograph and a hit! Here you see the image before and after removing fringes (respectively), zoomed in at 500% :

If you want to learn how to process images that will WOW people, send me a message and we’ll organize private mentoring sessions.

a7RII: insiders information from top Sony engineers

Being part of the Sony Artisans of Imagery Program, I was lucky to have tonight a phone meeting with some of the top Sony engineers who helped develop the very sought after Sony a7R II.

And as promised, I asked questions, and they answered. Some of these questions were asked by YOU!! So thanks a lot, and let’s get to the point!

SENSOR:

•  Is the Dynamic Range better and noise level lower than that of the a7R?

➡ Yes! No formal test was done (it’s coming), but they confirmed that they were very impressed by the quality of the system

• Is the higher sensitivity going to be detrimental to noise level?

➡ No! 1/ In the new design, the photodiodes are closer to the surface of the sensor, and that allows them to detect more light, hence a higher sensitivity. This sensor has a better detection rate in low light conditions than a “regular” sensor. 2/ The change of materials to connect the diodes to the rest of the electronics ensures a lower noise level as well. They did not go into specifics but these seem to be a two key points.

• Will the a7R II  replace the a7S in terms of image quality at high sensitivity?

➡ No! We were told that at the same high ISO number, the a7S will outperform the a7R II. The a7R II is “ideal for mostly still photographers who want to shoot videos and 4K from time to time, but videographers will still want to use the a7S in low light conditions”

• What about hot pixels?

➡ They came up with an internal method to make them “not a problem anymore”

• Read out speed?

➡ Read out speed is 3.5x faster than for the a7R. This will speed up acquisition time, and allows for a higher frame rate for both photo and video

➡ “Full pixel readout without pixel binning in the Super 35 format. This crops the sensor to the same size as Arri Alexa, Red Epic, Canon C300 and Sony F55 digital cinema cameras for a clean video image that isn’t down sampled.” (quoted from Michael Britt)

• What about a low pass filter?

➡ No low pass filter in order to retain every detail in the image

• Slow Motion:

➡ “Super slow motion at full 1920x1080HD at 240FPS – even though slow motion footage is the new slider/shallow depth of field cliche.” (quoted from Michael Britt)

SHUTTER:

• Electronic first curtain:

➡ Will reduce the amount of vibrations in the system when shooting handheld especially

• Life expectancy:

➡ I was absolutely amazed to hear them say that the shutter of the a7R II is expected to last more than 500K cycles!!! Yes, you read it right: 500K as in more than HALF A MILLION CLICKS!!

IMAGE STABILIZATION (IBIS):

• Does it work also for 3rd party manual or automatic lenses?

➡ Yes! 5 axis stabilization works for native and 3rd party lenses, for both photography and video!

• How much compensation can we expect thanks to the IBIS system?

➡ We were told to expect about 4.5 stops with certain long lenses

• Can it be turned on and off at will?

➡ Yes

BODY:

• Is the new build more resistant?

➡ Yes! Because it is now made entirely of magnesium, the body is stronger and more resistant

• What about the mount?

➡ The mount is also stronger

➡ Its design is slightly different and I’m very excited we were told they fixed the light leakage issue they had with the a7R body!

•  Position of the IR detector:

➡ Still only one, located at the front of the body.

LCD SCREEN:

• Is it still going to be on all the time during long exposures?

➡ Yes, but they are working on it to eventually turn it off

• Will there be a timer with a count up during long exposures?

➡ No, this is not planned at this time

LENSES:

• Performance and resolution:

➡ Some have raised the question as to if Sony lenses are build to provide a high enough resolution for high density sensors. We had the confirmation that the lenses had been designed with this particular aspect in mind. The engineers are confident that the optical quality of the lenses is more than sufficient for high resolution sensors.

• Autofocus:

➡ We were confirmed that AF of Canon lenses was “much faster than before. With adapters (and in particular with a firmware updated Metabones mark IV) Canon lenses are almost as fast as on a Canon body“.

➡ We were also told that the adapter for Sony A mount lenses made the AF very fast, but slightly slower than on an A mount body. We were told that “A mount lenses will find another life thanks to it”.

➡ “Native autofocus speeds on Alpha lenses using the smaller and less expensive LAE3 adapter – the one without the translucent mirror.” (quoted from Michael Britt)

➡ “Autofocus for video is going to be a game changer on the Sony A7RII for hybrid photographers.” (quoted from Michael Britt)

BATTERY:

• What about the battery life?

➡ It will be “slightly better than that of the a7R

CONCLUSIONS:

Alright, this is all for now!!

I hope this helps you get a better idea than before about the very exciting new tech coming inside the new a7R II !

I am definitely excited about this new power horse, and can’t wait to get my hands on a copy. We were told that shipping should start around late July.

If you have questions, remarks or would like to discuss any particular aspect, please leave a comment below!

Ask your questions to top Sony developers and engineers

Guys!! I have the unique opportunity to ask any questions to some of the top Sony employees who developed the new cameras that got released a couple days ago: the RX10II, the RX100IV, and extremely anticipated a7RII.

This is the chance for you to ask your own technical questions and hopefully get an answer!!
How? Just ask you questions in the comments below, and I will try and pass them along. Maybe not all of them, but as many as I can!

The answers will come in a future blog post early next week.

PS: no need to ask for future releases or the directions the tech is going. This meeting is only about the new releases

Sony a7RII: my opinion in 7 points

Yesterday, Sony announced 3 new cameras: the RX10 II, the RX100 IV, and the rumored a7R II, which we were waiting for and hearing about for a loooooong time.

Every camera is interesting and a huge step forward, but being a landscape photographer (mostly), I will tell you more about what excited me most about the a7RII, and especially in the light of long exposure photography.

Specs

• 42MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS Sensor
• BIONZ X Image Processor
• 5-Axis SteadyShot INSIDE Stabilization
• 399 Phase-Detect AF Points & 5 fps Burst
• Internal 4K XAVC S Video & S-Log2 Gamma
• Weather-Resistant Magnesium Alloy Body
• Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC
• ISO 102,400
• no shutter blade motion
• 3.5x faster than the A7r
• A7rII focus is almost 40% faster than the one of the A7r
• Shipping in August

Estimated Price: $3200 USD

 

My opinion in 7 points:

1- The 42MP sensor:

Very little info has surface about it, but given the quality of the previous Sony sensors (including those being used by other major camera manufacturers), I expect and HOPE for a high dynamic range, a very low noise level and limited number of hot pixels. Two of the most important aspects for long exposure.

2- No low pass filter:

Back to one of the greatest features of the original a7R in my mind: the absence of a low pass filter. This feature will lead to crispier images, and you’ll see how sharp your lenses actually are…

3- The 5-Axis SteadyShot Stabilization system:

It will give stabilization to EVERY lens available on the market, including 3rd party lenses. That’s right, you read it: EVERY lens available! From zoom lenses to 30+ years old medium format glass. From the latest Zeiss beauties to the highly technical and fully manual Canon tilt/shift lenses. And all of the others as well 🙂

Potentially, it also means that it is possible to move the sensor around in the camera body. What’s the point you’ll ask me, right? Well, if you move the sensor one way, take a shot, move it the other way, take a shot and stitch them together, that’s a pretty good way to increase the resolution of your image… sort of like doing a pano.

4- New silent shutter with no blade motion:

No noise!! How cool is that for genuine street and portrait photography?

Even better in my mind (very biased toward long exposure of course), no blade motion, meaning less vibrations in the system, meaning even crispier images!

5- Internal 4K:

Sure I’m a photographer, sure I normally don’t do video. But hey, 4K!! And no need for an external recorder, it does it all internally. So damn, I think I’ll get into video at one point or another

6- ISO 102,400:

Why ISO 102,400? Hell, why not! 🙂 Again, high sensitivity can be a nice addition. Not that I would personally use it too much, but having the option seems like a great way to sweeten the deal: you can use fast or not so fast lenses for street or action photography more easily

7- faster everything:

Sony heard the complains that people had with the a7R: slow-ish auto-focus, especially with 3rd party lenses. Well, to go hand in hand with a higher sensitivity, they were able to speed things along: the camera itself is 3.5x faster than the A7r, and auto focus is almost 40% faster than the one of the A7r. I even heard somewhere that Canon lenses will have next to the same speed as on Canon bodies.

Conclusion:

I am very excited about this new release. Sony was able to take the best of every camera in the alpha line and concentrate it in this body: high sensitivity, higher resolution, 4K video recording, image stabilization, to name just a few.

One big question that remains unclear however is how the sensor will behave in terms of noise level, dynamic range and hot pixels.

Working closely with Sony, I hope to have more info soon on these aspects, and I also hope to get my hands on a body ASAP, take it in the field and let you know more about it… So hang tight!

Your thoughts:

What do you think about this new release? Are you excited? Indifferent? Would you have wanted to see more features and then, which ones? Let me know in the comments below!