________________________________________________________________________ 5/22/09 The
new Sony 70-400mm F/4-5.6 review is ready for scrutiny. It's a long one, partly because I threw in a bonus section which includes tele-converter use
and recommendations, also some comparisons with the 70-300mm, at 300mm. I also show how it stacks up against the Sony
500mm reflex lens when I upsize the 70-400mm image to match the 500mm length. It's quite surprising! This
new lens also features a new color used by Sony. It's SonySilver® not just the old Minolta silver, which has a slight
gold tint. Being an expert observer (which doesn't pay much), I've noticed at least six different finishes applied to
Sony lenses, the tele-converter and "G" white (1), the Carl Zeiss black (2), which has a courser texture and duller
finish than the black smooth lenses (3), such as the re-branded Konica Minolta lenses, also remember the weird texture and
color of the (4) 35mm F/1.4 G, and the new "G" dull black finish (5) as we see on the 70-300mm G, and lastly, (6)
the new SonySilver® Coming up next is the diminutive, yet delightful Minolta AF 100mm F/2 review.
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________________________________________________________________________ 5/19/09 Sony
unloads a bunch of new DSLR products---yesterday. I was busy with other things so I'm late with the update. The
cameras have been restyled, and I like the look. The guts are about the same, except for the addition of two card slots,
Memory stick-up and SD, SDHC cards, moving away from CF? The battery is less powerful, using the Sony camcorder battery
with 6.8v 900mAh, instead of the current 7.2v 1650mAh. It looks like the new batteries are not info-lithium based on
product shots on the LCD. Don't look for a review of any of the new cameras, I'm happy with what
I have, and can't afford to buy just for the purpose of a review. If someone wants to loan one out, I might do it at
that point. I will be reviewing the lenses of course, as soon as they become available.  This is the Carbon fiber looking A330 with the new low-buck ($129) HVL-F20AM, GN20 flash unit.
This flash is supposed to be compatible with the wireless flash system on the A900, so you don't have to get ripped off buying
the HVL-58AM for $500, which is the only flash currently compatible. The new flash flips up as an on-off feature, and
the head rotates for bounce flash, but it's probably not going to bounce much unless using a large aperture with high ISO.
These are the new replacements for the current line-up. I guess the gaudy copper colored A330 will replace
the gaudy gold colored A300.
Here are the four new "DT" lenses that were introduced a couple of months ago. All have
plastic mounts, and a new, cheaper version of the SSM, which Sony is calling "smooth autofocus motor," or "SAM"
which appears on the lens. Hopefully it'll be more than just "smooth'" with emphasis placed on accuracy, speed,
and lack of noise, we'll see. I'll be reviewing all these lenses as they become available, which is supposed to be in
July. Sony wants you to be thinking about your matching purse and scarf when you go out for that photo shoot.
I've already placed my order, and can't imaging leaving the house without them! Yes, it's really a Sony branded purse
and scarf! ________________________________________________________________________ 5/17/09 The
newest lens review is ready, this time it's the Minolta AF 17-35mm F/3.5 G, not to be confused with the much cheaper, but almost as good Konica Minolta AF 17-35mm F/2.8-4 (D). The "G"
lens turned in a good performance, but disappointed on a couple of occasions. To see what I'm talking about, check out
the review, or go directly to the bottom of the page for the wrap-up. Right now I'm working on
the Sony 70-400mm review, which should be ready by the end of the week. It's turning into a long review, as I'm comparing
it to the smaller Sony 70-300mm, mostly at the 300mm range.
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5/8/09 If
you were captivated by the "Dirty lens article," You'll be spellbound by the new "lens tear down article," where I use my time-honed talents of muscle and lack of knowledge to tear down a Minolta zoom lens to see how
it works! I've also honed my "Coming soon" page to reflect reality, so this is the general
order for the next six lens reviews; Minolta AF 17-35mm F/3.5 G Sony 70-400mm
F/4-5.6 G SSM Minolta AF 100mm F/2 Sony 16-35mm F/2.8 G SSM Minolta
AF 28-135mm F/4-4.5 Minolta AF 75-300mm F/4.5-5.6 big beercan Super wide
angle comparison page featuring the Sony 16-35mm, KM 17-35mm, and the Minolta 17-35mm G Also,
rumor has it that Sony may be ready to release some new DSLR cameras and lenses at the end of this month, or sometime in June,
so we'll wait and see.
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