Sony Surprises With a Quiet Photokina

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.

About Our Expert

Jim Fisher

Principal Writer, Cameras

My Experience

Images, and the devices that capture them, are my focus. I've covered cameras at PCMag for the past 14 years, which has given me a front row seat for the changeover from DSLRs to mirrorless cameras, the smartphone camera revolution, and the emergence of drones for aerial imaging. I have extensive experience with every major mirrorless and SLR system, and am also comfortable using point-and-shoot and action cameras. As a Part 107 Certified drone pilot, I’m licensed to fly unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for commercial and editorial purposes, and am knowledgeable about federal rules and regulations regarding drones.

The Technology I Use

I use all of the major camera systems on a regular basis, swapping between Canon, Fujifilm, L-Mount, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon, and Sony systems. I still find time to use Leica M rangefinders and Pentax SLRs on occasion, too. I keep an iPhone 13 in my pocket for the rare occasions I'm not carrying a camera.

I'm not a brand-specific photographer. For product review photos, I swap between a Canon EOS R5 and a Sony a7R IV. I use Flashpoint and Godox TTL lights and Peak Design tripods, and I most often reach for a Think Tank or Peak Design backpack to carry equipment.

When it comes to computers, I'm an unapologetic Mac person and have been for the past 20 years. I write in Pages and use Numbers for spreadsheets. I currently swap between an Intel i9 MacBook Pro and an Apple Silicon Mac Studio for writing and use a calibrated BenQ 32.5-inch with the Studio for photo and video editing. I rely on a LaCie 6big RAID for media storage. I also keep a PC around for gaming, but please don't tell my Macs about it; they'll get jealous.

I split time between several different software apps depending on the type of editing I'm doing. For Raw image processing, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic is my standard. I pair it with a LoupeDeck CT console to supplement my keyboard and trackpad, and I lean on RNI All Films 5 presets when I want to give an image a film look. I use Apple Final Cut Pro for video editing.

My first digital camera was the Canon PowerShot Elph S200, and my first DSLR was the Pentax *ist DL. I have a soft spot for antique film gear. I still use a 1950 vintage Rolleiflex Automat TLR and love trying mid-century Leica lenses on film and digital alike. I mainly use whatever's in front of me for review for digital snaps, but I pick up either my Leica M Typ 240 or Pentax K-3 III Monochrome when I want to step away from review work. In my downtime, I enjoy bird watching, reading, video games, and both good and bad movies, especially in the sci-fi and horror genres.

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