Sony has been very loud in the digital camera market over the past few years, announcing everything from a full-frame compact in the RX1 to the first pocket shooter with a 1-inch image sensor, the RX100. But the company isn't announcing much at this year's Photokina show—just a lens and some accessories.
On Friday at the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam, Sony unveiled a full-frame E-mount lens that's optimized for video capture. The FE PZ 28-135mm F4 G OSS features a power zoom design, which is a must for video production environments. It's optically stabilized—good news for handheld documentary work—and its zoom, manual focus, and aperture control rings feature ridges, so it should be possible to use them along with geared control devices.
The PZ 28-135mm maintains its point of focus when adjusting the focal length, so you can keep your subject locked while moving in tight or pulling out wide. Its angle of view is also set throughout the focus range, so there's no change in framing when racking from one focus point to another. The lens is sealed to protect it from dust and moisture, and includes a tripod collar mount. It's going to on sale at the end of December for $2,499.99.
At Photokina proper Sony is launching another full-frame E-mount lens, the Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS. The ultra-wide zoom is sealed against dust and moisture and it includes an optical stabilization system—with a lens this wide, stabilization is more important for recording handheld video than for capturing still images. It's priced at $1,349.99 and will be available in mid-November.
There are also some new accessories coming for Sony cameras that support the multi-interface shoe. The HVL-F32M is a compact strobe with a 32' Guide Number, 24-105mm coverage, and wireless control support. It's also sealed against dust and moisture and will go on sale in December for $299.99.
There's also the XLR-K2M, an updated version of the XLR microphone add-on kit. It adds balanced audio inputs to your Sony camera, and ships with the ECMXM1 shotgun microphone. It's priced at $599.99, a $200 price reduction when compared with the previous model.
Finally, there's the RMT-VP1K, a wireless remote control for the Alpha 7 camera family. It's going to ship in November and sell for $69.99.
If you're in the market for a digital camera, take some time to peruse our product guide, or our list of the 10 Best Digital Cameras.
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