Alphatracks

E-Mount Lenses for the Alpha NEX series

May 17, 2010 Sony has introduced a brand new lens mount for the NEX series, which will be known as the E-Mount. Older A-mount lenses from Sony and Minolta can be used through the LA-EA1 NEX Alpha Camera Mount Adapter, but if you want Auto-Focus and Image Stabilization, you will need E-mount lenses,

Sony is introducing the NEX cameras with catalog of three lenses. Undoubtedly the E-mount lens line will grow, but for the time being the available lenses include:

16mm f/2.8 Pancake lens

The smallest and lightest E-mount lens is the 16mm f/2.8 pancake prime lens. The term pancake referrers to the narrow appearance when attached to the camera. This is one of the two “kit” lenses offered for the NEX series.

Like all cameras with APS-C sensors, the 16mm focal length doesn’t provide as wide a view as a 16mm lens on a 35mm, full-frame camera. The crop factor is 1.5, which means that the 16mm lens will provide the view of a 24mm lens on a 35mm camera.

Besides being the widest lens in the E-Mount series, the 16mm lens is also the fastest at f/2.8. This is suitable for shooting in poor light, but you will need to increase the ISO to match the low-light capabilities of the f/1.8 or f/1/4 A-Mount dSLR lenses.

Unlike the Sony Alpha dSLRs, which have in-body image-stabilization, the NEX cameras require in-lens stabilization. Sony has built stabilization into all of the initial E-Mount lenses, including the 16mm f/2.8

You should consider this lens if you want to shoot with available light, shoot wide-angle views (real-estate interiors, scenic vistas) or want to carry your NEX camera in a (large) pocket.

The SEL16F28 will list for $250.

Sony has announced two auxiliary converters for the NEX 16mm f/2.8. One converts the lens to a fisheye, while the other creates a much wider view. I’ll discuss the converters in another post

18-55mm f/F3.5-F5.6 zoom lens

The other available kit lens is the 18-55mm f/3.5-5/6 zoom lens. Although not as wide or as fast as the 16mm pancake, the 18-55mm lens offers a convienent wide-angle to short-telephoto zoom range. At the wide end, the 18mm setting will yield roughly the same field of view as a 27mm lens on a 35mm camera. At the other side of the scale, the 55mm length will be equivalent to 82.5mm on a full frame SLR.

The lens isn’t a speed demon, as the maximum aperture at the wide end is f/3.5, while at the telephoto side the aperture drops to f/5.6. Still, with the built image stabilization, the lens should be fast enough for most photography situations.

The minimum focusing distance is a respectable 9.8″ (0.25m). The filter ring diameter is 49mm.

Chose this lens for portrait or all around shooting in good light. It is isn’t as pocketable as the 16mm pancake, but it offers more versatility.

List price for the SEL1855 lenses will be $300.

18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom lens

If you want or need longer telephoto capabilities, Sony will be adding a 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom to the E-mount line up in the fall of 2010. This will not be offered in a kit package, at least initially. Since Sony currently doesn’t market the NEX models in a body-only package, buyers will need to buy a camera with a lens, then purchase the 18-200mm zoom as an accessory.

Since the big zoom completely overlaps the 18-55mm lens, it makes little sense to buy the 18-55mm kit lens, then buy the 18-200 zoom. To my mind, it would make much more sense to buy the kit with the 16mm prime lens if you plan to buy the 18-200mm zoom.

The crop factor on this lens makes it equivalent to 27-300mm lens on a 35mm camera. This lens also features the Active Mode image stabilization that Sony claims makes it possible to shoot movies while walking.

Of course all lenses are compromise and the big zoom has a slow maximum aperture of f/6.3 at the 200mm focal length. That is fine for outdoor shooting in bright sunlight, but don’t expect to shoot indoor basketball action at f/6.3.

The SEL18200 zoom lens should be available this fall for about $800.

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May 12, 2010: As expected, Sony formally announced their new mirror-less digicams, the Nex-3 and Nex-5 on Tuesday. Both cameras carry the Alpha brand, but aside from the Alpha logo and sensor size, they don’t share anything with the Sony dSLR models.

Both EVIL (Electronic Viewfinder, Interchangeable Lens)  models use the same 14.2 mp, APS-C Exmor sensor. The primary difference between the two models is video. The Nex-3 captures 720p MP4 High Definition video, while the Nex-5 can record AVCHD files in Full HD (1920 x 1080i).

The body on the Nex-3 is polycarbonate, while the Nex-5 is crafted from magnesium alloy.

The new cameras share a new lens system, while Sony has dubbed the E-Mount. Sony hasn’t forgotten A-Mount Alpha users, however, as there will be an extra cost adapter that will mate A-Mount lenses to the Nex models.

The adapter is far more advanced than the adapters used to mount MD/MC and M42 lenses on Alpha dSLRs. Because the Alpha mount lenses have no manual aperture control, the adapter has to send signals from the camera to the lens to regulate the f/stop. Sony hasn’t provided full details on the adapter as yet, but the release suggests that legacy A-mount images will be manual focus only.

They have shown the adapter, however. It incorporates  a solid tripod mount, so you will be able to use your heaviest A-Mount lenses on the Nex twins without fear of straining the tiny camera body. No word on whether auto-diaphragm will operate with A-Mount lenses.

Sony has announced three E-Mount lenses: a 16mm f/2.8 pancake prime, a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom and a nice 18-200 f/3.5-6.3 zoom. Apparently rumors that the new cameras will use in-lens stabilization is true as the zooms offer Sony’s Optical Steady Shot, similar to what is used in Sony Handicam camcorders.

There are many situations where composing on the rear LCD won’t cut it, especially if you have to use manual focus with legacy glass. I recently had to chance to play with the extra-cost, eye-level viewfinder on an Olympus 4/3 camera, and it made a huge difference in usability. I was afraid that Sony might ignore this need, but Nex accessories include the FDA-SV1 Optical Viewfinder. Sony isn’t offering much info on the optical viewfinder, but I will be hugely disappointed if it doesn’t equal the one Olympus offers.

Flash options are a bit of a mystery. Some of the press images show a flash above the lens, but there are no flashes shown in the accessory options. Will there be a popup flash? How will an auxiliary flash attach to the camera? Can you use off-camera flash? Sony isn’t saying, so we will have determine this as the Nex models become available.

Other accessories include an auxiliary stereo microphone and an AC adapter. Both camera’s include built-in stereo recording abilities, but the accessory mic apparently provides superior sound quality.

Equipped with the SEL16F28 lens, the Nex-3 will list about $550, with the Nex-5 selling for about $100 more. NEX-5K and NEX-3K cameras, come with the SEL1855 lens will list around $700 and $600 respectively. Sony has not published prices for the lens mount adapter, auxiliary viewfinder and the other accessories.

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May 10, 2010 If you’ve been caught up in the excitement of the imminent Nex-3 and Nex-5 EVIL cameras from Sony, you may have overlooked the bells tolling for the A900.

Several rumor sites are claiming that Sony’s Hong Kong site is listing the A900 as discontinued.

Curious, I checked the site myself. I couldn’t find anything expressly saying  the A900 was discontinued, but significantly, the A900 was not listed among the Alpha dSLRs offered for sale. The site lists the top model as the A850.

It could be a simple error, but I am inclined the rumors have at least some truth to them, I don’t have access to sales figures, but I would guess that A900 sales have flatlined since the introduction of the Sony A850. The cameras are nearly identical, but the A850 can save you several hundred dollars. Unless you really, really need the faster frame rate of the A900, the A850 is a much better bargain.

Does this mean the A850 is the new flagship? I doubt it. I would assume that there is a new flagship on the launching ways, and Sony will replace the A900 with something better. At least I hope that is the case.

Some of the rumor sites are expecting an A900 replacement to be announced along side the new Sony EVIL twins.

I’m not so sure about that. I think a brand new top-of-the-line dSLR deserves it’s own special day. At the same time, a completely new camera system should have it’s own special day.

I could be wrong, but I would expect we will see the Sony Nex models first, with a new full-frame dSLR (if there is one coming soon) following some time afterward.

We may know as soon as tomorrow, as Sony has apparently chosen May 11 to announce the Nex system.

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