News Very Serious Compact, MF Sony coming?

serhan

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Interesting rumor from SAR:
(SR3) Surprising rumor: First hints about a Sony medium format camera?

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Two different anonymous sources got hints about a quite surprising new Sony camera. They have been told Sony will launch their own Sony branded medium format camera within the next 5-6 months. It will use the same 50MP 44x33mm sensor used by the Hasselblad H5D-50c.

Both sources stressed to say that the camera will not compete against the Hasselblad, Pentax 645DII and Phase one using the same Sony sensor. The camera is “completely different“! And….good news…it’s cheaper than them :)

Don’t know if this could be a sot of medium format RX camera with fixed lens or a new interchangeable lens mount system. This part is pure SAR admin’s curiosity and not a rumor.

Sony A7(R) video talked about the new surprise cameras and Sony started to produce MF sensor so why not a MF RX esp when both Sony/Fuji started w/ fixed lens cameras before the mount release?
 
At that point any decently fast glass is going to have a razor thin depth of field, right? That introduces its own challenges, and suggests a potential "sweet spot" for any individual person, where they balance out their needs for image quality / resolution with their needs for depth of field at low light... Somewhere in there is an ideal sensor size for each person based on what they like.
 
Yes, it gets confusing as not many people use medium format. That is the idea, esp seeing how fast A7(R) prices went down, but I guess this may not be consumer sale release w/ lots of returns. RX1 took a year or so and this is even more specialized. I am sure we'll hear more about it esp if they are releasing in 5-6 months, which matches for RX update timeline.

Medium Format should not be abbreviated as MF... I thought this Sony rumor was that they were releasing a Manual Focus camera!

It'll be beyond my price range, but I'll consider buying a used one 3 years after release :D
 
I think they will not go for a fast lens esp to keep the size small and also it is easier to achieve high IQ w/ slower lenses eg RX1 lens vs Voigtlander 17mm 0.95 (m43) or Sony 55mm 1.8 vs Voigtlander 25mm 0.95 (m43). Usually MF lenses are slower. So it might be more for high IQ landcape/portrait shoots. It is also easier to increase MP w/ larger format w/o pushing the glass to the edge. Again this is speculation at this point but it is a possibility based on surprises that Sony produced last couple years...

At that point any decently fast glass is going to have a razor thin depth of field, right? That introduces its own challenges, and suggests a potential "sweet spot" for any individual person, where they balance out their needs for image quality / resolution with their needs for depth of field at low light... Somewhere in there is an ideal sensor size for each person based on what they like.
 
At that point any decently fast glass is going to have a razor thin depth of field, right?

the cool thing about ever improving high ISO performance means that one doesn't NEED super-fast glass. Aperture becomes more purely a DOF selector and is separated a bit from it's role in light gathering ability. So if you want razor thin, you can have it at f2 or if you want deep DOF, you're at f16, but you still have enough light because ISO12800 is useable.
 
The most surprising thing about this, to me, is that SAR found this rumour surprising. Given Sony's adventurous, risk taking, envelope pushing, halo camera creating streak of the past few years, how could anyone NOT expect this after the announcement that Hasselblad et al will use a new Sony medium format sensor?
 
If they put rx1 in rx100 package, I think the cybershot (P&S) division can put the med format sensor in RX10 package:)

The ratio from MF to FF is 1.69 and from Canon apsc to FF is 1.66 so it is approx. similar ratios & aprox 1+1/3 stop dof gain... IF they put f2 lens on MF, dof will be close to f1.2-1.3 ff lens.
 
i really dislike sony, but you cannot argue with their sense of innovation. i too scoffed at the rx1 and now cannot imagine using anything else! i do, however, continue to scoff at this fast lens obsession, as if photography never existed before a freaking 1.2. im happy as a clam with the results ive gotten from superb f2 lenses like the biogons, summicrons, x100 and now rx1. and frankly i have a hard time considering the 'art' or 'technique' or beauty in the constant barrage of portraits where three eyelashes are in focus with the rest of the face in a 'glorious' blur. sorry for the rant, just camt understand how the first reaction to another groundbreaking cam debates how 'super' fast the lens'll be and how disappointed 'just a 1.8' would leave us. good gosh!
 
i really dislike sony, but you cannot argue with their sense of innovation. i too scoffed at the rx1 and now cannot imagine using anything else! i do, however, continue to scoff at this fast lens obsession, as if photography never existed before a freaking 1.2. im happy as a clam with the results ive gotten from superb f2 lenses like the biogons, summicrons, x100 and now rx1. and frankly i have a hard time considering the 'art' or 'technique' or beauty in the constant barrage of portraits where three eyelashes are in focus with the rest of the face in a 'glorious' blur. sorry for the rant, just camt understand how the first reaction to another groundbreaking cam debates how 'super' fast the lens'll be and how disappointed 'just a 1.8' would leave us. good gosh!

The fastest lens I have for my Hasselblad 500 C/M is the 80 f2.8, and I feel no pressing need to get anything faster. Most of us don't need really fast lenses, especially with, as Luke mentioned, the superb low light performance of most modern cameras. With smaller sensors, though, I do understand why one would want faster lenses -- fast enough to approximate DOF you'd get with a 35mm and typical, normal lens, which is of course wider on a small sensor. f2 on a "normal" for the sensor mentioned will give you ample opportunity to throw things out of focus, which does seem to have become an obsession in the present.
 
f2 on any platform will give you ample oppty to throw appropriate parts of the picture oof. ive got an oly 60/2.8 for m4/3 thats become one of my all time favorite potrait lenses. i love my elmar c 90/4 for portraits--on any platform from FF, apsc, m4/3 or through a horsehead.
 
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