(news & commentary) Updated
In the last couple of days we’ve had two strange “announcements.” First, Sony Australia posted the details on the new A3500 on their site. Short version: it’s an A3000 but a new version of the kit lens. As far as I can tell, as I write this there’s no official announcement, yet there’s an official Sony page with all the details. I’ve added the camera to the database. Frankly, I’m not sure why Sony created this new camera. There’s just not enough differentiation from the previous generation, which is still available in lots of stores. Apparently the camera is only available in Australia. Why Australia needs a different model number than the rest of the world is a question with no answer at the moment.
Meanwhile, over in the UK Panasonic announced, sort of, the new 15mm f/1.7 Summilux lens for m4/3 cameras. I say sort of, because Panasonic UK’s own Web site still is missing lots of information about the lens, including most of the specifications. Not surprising, as the lens apparently won’t be available until mid-June. I’ve added the lens to the database. The German Web site has now added the full information about the lens, which I’ve included in the lens database. .
I know times are rough in the camera business, but these still seem to be badly mangled announcements.
