There has been little bits of news all over the web in the past week or so. Some of it bigger than others. Like Kodak filing for bankruptcy. It is sad to see a company which was actually rather innovative – after all they practically invented digital photography – fall because it was too scared to cannibalise itself in a time where their film products ruled the roost. Sad thing is, they could have owned the digital market and still had a profitable film business it seems. Read on for more on this and other stories.

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Sony SLT-A77 Advert


Digital Camera Resource Page are reporting that the Sony NEX-7 will begin shipping in small quantities for those who have pre-ordered. They quote the following statement from Sony USA.

Sony USA is happy to announce that limited quantities of the new NEX-7 camera will begin shipping to pre-order customers this month. Overall production capacity remains restrained as a result of the recent floods in Thailand, but we’ve made significant progress recovering our manufacturing capabilities and supply chain. We’re continuing to aggressively pursue all efforts to restore full production capability of the NEX-7 and other affected models.

Post from Alpha Tutorials




We just got a press release to advise that the closing date for the Sony World Photography Awards is 4 January 2012. We highly suggest getting your entries in as soon as you can. Last year there was more than one South African whose images received recognition proving that the talent in SA is world class. Read on for the full press release or head straight over to the World Photography website here.

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Sony have announced a new firmware update for the A65 and A77 (the few that are out there following the flooding in Thailand). The new 1.04 version adds two new lenses to the lens correction done in camera and also is said to improve speed and performance generally. You can find the update here on the Sony South Africa site and here on the USA site. There is a tutorial on how to upgrade an Alpha’s firmware over at Alpha Tutorials.




In case you have missed the updates on our Facebook Page or Twitter, the November issue of PhotoComment magazine is now out on the counters and shelves of photographic retailers, colleges and clubs across the country. You can also check it out online. We are pleased to announce that the magazine is now in testing for the iPad. If you would like to try it out please use this link but be aware it is still in testing, though we would like your feedback.

Before we dive inside this issue, please accept my apologies for the several typos that crept into this edition. There were more distractions and interuptions than usual in October which had a major impact on our deadline and with a slight bit of dislexia on my side there were some spelling mistakes that slipped through to print which should not have. I promise to be more “Discilpined” in future :-) sorry Eric Palmer.

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Download the HD Version of this podcast. (Right Click Save As) or find it on iTunes.

Welcome to Episode 3 of PhotoComment podcast. Today we talk about the Sony NEX-7 which we just got our hands on. We also look at two other accessories we just got our hands on, look at the latest news and finally a tip on keeping your camera dry as the summer showers hit Johannesburg.

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We have a confession to make, this camera came into our hands almost right after it was announced. So why the delay in getting the review out? Firstly it came with firmware that was not final. Two days later, just moments after updating to firmware version 1.00, we got a message that there was another update and we have only been able to get that update done in the last few days. So, without further delay, let us dive into the Sony Alpha A77.

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The NEX-C3 is the third Sony mirrorless camera to hit the market and replaces the NEX-3. If you are not familiar with what mirrorless cameras are all about let us briefly explain. Part of the reason DSLR cameras are as big as they are is the mirror that allows light coming through the lens to bounce into a prism and out a viewfinder so that we can see what the lens is seeing. By removing the mirror and prism, the camera can be a lot smaller. The question now is, how does the NEX-C3 compare against it’s predecessor?

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The September issue of the magazine is live you can jump straight into the magazine. The cover is by Torben Geve who is a Danish based photographer and is this month’s Pro Portfolio feature on Page 8.

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Tilt lenses open up great possibilities for getting creative with your images. But because of their high prices, they’re out of reach of many photographers budgets. Lensbaby, however, have been making affordable alternatives for a few years now. I recently got to play with the newest addition to the range, the Tilt Transformer for Sony’s new NEX mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras range. As is customary with most of Lensbaby’s models, the internal optics are intechangable, allowing one to swap the desired glass inside the body of the lens, thereby changing the focal length or affect. But Lensbaby went one step further than they did with the regular composer by allowing the element body section of the lens to be completely removable, opening up the mount part of the lens. On the remaining part still left attached to the camera is a tiltable Nikon F-mount adapter allowing you to use any D generation Nikon lens, be it fixed or zoom, as a tilt lens, opening up a vast amount of possibilities.

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We were present at Sony South Africa’s Alpha Dealer launch through our sister site Alpha Tutorials and got to chat to the Alpha Product Manager Darryl Gibbs about some of the new products including the Sony Alpha A77, A65, NEX-5N etc. Enjoy.




Over at Alpha Tutorials there is a hands on video with the new Sony A77. Check it out.




It is finally official, the Sony Alpha A700 has a replacement in the A77. This new Translucent Mirror camera has a whopping 24.3mp APS-C sensor, offers 12fps shooting, durable dust and moisture resistant body construction, an OLED viewfinder, the list goes on and on. The A65 is a cut back version with the same sensor but less durable build claims and 10fps. There is also a new 16-50mm f/2.8 lens to accompany these cameras.

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Recently we have shared a few iPhone adapters lenses etc for enhancing your iPhone photography. On one of those post we got a comment that sparked our interest and we though we could share with you the story of Jaco Hoffmann and how his cellphone camera adapter won him a trip to see the Northern Lights. Here is his story.
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Here is the second podcast of Alpha Tutorials. There is a look at the new Sony Alpha A35, a tutorial on how to update firmware on the Sony Alpha A33 / 55 and NEX-3 / 5 plus answering a question on partial colour black and white photography.





This is some exciting news to share. Our mother company Comment Media, has launched a new website and podcast. Its called Alpha Tutorials and while its designed to teach people more about the Sony Alpha system, the lessons on basic principles of photography are applicable to all cameras. I’ll be hosting the show, I apologize for that up front. Hope you enjoy it despite that :-)




The last couple of weeks have been terrible since we got samples of both the NEX-C3 and Alpha A35 but were sworn to secrecy as – at the time – there was no official release date for either camera. Now the news is official and we can share our first thoughts and begin our reviews a little more publicly.

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