Sony has announced FE 50MM F1.4 GM (model SEL50F14GM) as its newest addition to its acclaimed G Master full-frame lens lineup. This e-mount lens expands the Sony offerings with a premium 50 mm prime lens packed into a remarkably compact and lightweight design. Even at F1.4, FE 50MM F1.4 GM delivers first-class image quality, including high-resolution and naturally rendered bokeh known to Sony’s top-tier G Master™ series. When paired with the latest Sony cameras, it is an ideal option for a wide variety of uses in both still and video including portraiture, landscape, travel, and wedding.

“At Sony, we are continually listening to the needs of today’s content creators and are proud to announce the newest innovative option with the FE 50MM F1.4 GM lens, the latest addition to the E-mount lens line-up,” said Yann Salmon Legagneur, Director of Product Marketing, Digital Imaging, Sony Europe. “This prime lens is a great option for both photography and videography use and delivers excellent image quality at 50 mm, one of the most popular focal lengths. Being able to pack our latest G Master technology into such a compact form factor brings ultimate versatility to a 50 mm for Sony.”

Sharp Imagery and Beautiful Bokeh

The advanced optical design and elements unique to Sony’s top-of-the-line G Master™ series brings outstanding image quality to FE 50MM F1.4 GM. Spherical aberration control at both the design and the manufacturing stages contributes to beautiful bokeh. The lens offers naturally rendered bokeh with an 11-blade circular aperture and sharp realism is offered throughout maximum aperture range. Deep, creamy bokeh at F1.4 is ideal for a variety of shooting scenarios including making portrait subjects stand out from their surroundings.

FE 50MM F1.4 GM is packed with two XA (extreme aspherical) elements that effectively correct field curvature and most types of aberration. This lens is also designed with one ED (extra-low dispersion) glass element that suppresses chromatic aberration to maintain clear and sharp images without colour bleeding. The design combination of the XA and ED elements help achieve high-resolution throughout the entire frame. Sony’s original Nano AR Coating II on the lens suppresses reflections even in a backlit scene.

In addition, the minimum focusing distance of FE 50MM F1.4 GM is just 0.41 meters and maximum magnification is 0.16x when autofocus is usedi. This level of close-up performance provides extra flexibility when shooting both stills and videos.

Remarkably Compact Design for Maximum Versatility

The FE 50MM F1.4 GM has Sony’s most advanced optical design technology including the precisely positioned XA elements, high-thrust XD (extreme dynamic) linear motors, and the latest compact circular aperture unit. These elements are critical for achieving a large-aperture, high-resolution lens that is only 80.6 mm in diameter, 96.0 mm in length, and 516 grams in weight. These measurements allow for a lens that is 33% lighter and 15% less volume when compared to conventional models with the same specifications ii.

The compact size of FE 50MM F1.4 GM paired with a Sony camera body makes this lens extremely versatile in both still and video shooting situations. With this type of mobility and low-light performance, this lens is a great choice for everything from portraits, landscapes, weddings, and travel. The compact size also makes it an ideal lens selection for gimbal and drone operation.

Fast, Precise, and Reliable Autofocus

The FE 50MM F1.4 GM ’s autofocus is extremely fast and precise, making it an ideal choice for reliable content creation. The autofocus is as much as 1.9x fasteriii than conventional models with the same specifications ii. The lens’s focus group is driven by Sony’s high-thrust XD linear motors and incorporates an advanced control algorithm for smooth, responsive focus drive. When paired with the latest Sony’s Alpha cameras, this lens can quickly acquire focus and track subjects, even when using the shallow depth of field available at F1.4.

The XD linear motors and control algorithm optimize response to control signals so that focusing is precise, and vibration is minimized for refined, quiet AF operation. This is extremely advantageous when shooting movies allowing movie subjects to be smoothly captured and tracked even when shooting at 120 fps or other high frame rates. The ability to leave focusing to the camera when shooting solo or with a small team can dramatically enhance efficiency and creative flexibility. The FE 50MM F1.4 GM features the latest lens technology to reduce focus breathing to ensure that the highest quality images are captured. In addition, FE 50MM F1.4 GM supports the breathing compensation iv function provided in compatible Sony’s Alpha cameras.

Intuitive Operability and Outstanding Reliability

The lens has been designed intuitively to help provide creators maximum workflow efficiency while shooting. Linear Response MF ensures that the focus ring responds directly and repeatably to subtle control when focusing manually. As an exciting evolution to the premium G Master line-up, FE 50MM F1.4 GM also features an iris lock switch, which is the first to ever to be offered on a Sony prime lens. Additionally, this lens features a 67 mm thread mount, allowing for a filter to be interchangeable with the FE 24mm F1.4 G Master and FE 35mm F1.4 G Master lenses.

Focus hold buttons and a focus mode switch provide extra shooting versatility for content creators. Customizable focus hold buttons are present in two locations, which can be further assigned to several other functions from the camera’s menus. The focus mode switch makes it possible to switch between autofocus and manual focus on the fly, to quickly adapt to changing shooting conditions.

The FE 50MM F1.4 GM ’s front lens element features a fluorine coating that repels and allows for easy removal of fingerprints, dust, water, oil, and other contaminants. A dust and moisture resistant designv provides extra reliability for outdoor use in challenging conditions. These additions allow creators to use the lens with confidence in almost any shooting environment.

Pricing and Availability

The new FE 50MM F1.4 GM will be available in March 2023 at a variety of Sony’s authorized dealers, for an estimated retail price of €1,700 EUROS.

Sony has announced two new headphones – the WH-CH720N and the WH-CH520 – giving music lovers the option of on-ear or over-ear wireless headphones packed with Sony’s critically acclaimed audio technology. The over-ear WH-CH720N wireless headphones incorporate Dual Noise Sensor technology and Sony’s Integrated Processor V1 chip to provide noise cancelling. In addition, a lightweight design and up to 35 hours[1] of battery life let you enjoy music for longer without background interruptions. The on-ear WH-CH520 wireless headphones provide up to 50 hours battery life with all day comfort and enhanced call performance to meet the demands of your day. Plus choose from four colours – black, blue, white and beige – to match your style. Both models also feature Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) to produce high-quality sound exactly as the artist intended as well as Multipoint connection for easy connectivity between devices.

Whether you’re flying long-haul or relaxing in a café, the over-ear WH-CH720N headphones deliver Sony’s advanced noise cancelling performance thanks to the Integrated Processor V1 chip and Dual Noise Sensor technology, so you can enjoy more music and less background noise. The Integrated Processor V1 helps eliminate external sound, with a low processing delay to make the noise cancelling more effective than ever. The WH-CH720N also features two microphones in each earcup which, coupled with Dual Noise Sensor technology, captures ambient sound. This lets you block outside noise everywhere you go, so the only thing you hear is your music. Plus with the Sony| Headphones Connect app, you can adjust the ambient sound across 20 different levels for when you’re on the move.

You’ll never need to take a break from your favourite music with the WH-CH720N. The over-ear headphones are ergonomically designed to be comfortable for even longer periods. At just 192g, the WH-CH720N are Sony’s lightest overhead wireless headphones with noise cancelling. Comfortable synthetic leather and urethane materials combine with optimum ear pad structure and dimensions for exceptional wearability. With up to 35 hours battery life with noise cancelling on, you’ll have enough power to keep listening all day and into the night.

The WH-CH520 have also been carefully designed with everyday use in mind. You can stay powered up for days with up to 50 hours of battery life. So you can listen to your favourite music without worrying about running out of charge. Plus the on-ear headphones feature an adjustable headband with padding, soft earpads and lightweight design so you can find the perfect fit and stay comfortable for longer. Enjoy natural vocals, crystal clear sound and balanced tuning on both the WH-CH720N and WH-CH520 Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE), producing a high-quality sound exactly as the artist intended. When the original music is compressed, it loses the high-frequency elements that add details and richness to a track. Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine faithfully restores these to produce high-quality sound that’s closer to the original recording.

The Integrated Processor V1 included within the WH-CH720N also produces an authentic listening experience by reproducing the detail in your music with minimal distortion. The sound tuning is intentionally designed to be well-balanced from low to high frequencies with natural and clear vocals. Whether you’re listening to electrifying pop or bassy rap, the WH-CH720N and WH-CH520 allow you to tailor your sound using the Equalizer in the Sony | Headphones Connect app. You can choose from a variety of settings to match sound quality with the music genre you’re listening to or even create and save your own settings.

Improved technology features on the WH-CH720N mean you can enjoy even better call quality. Beamforming microphones with Precise Voice Pickup technology are smartly positioned to pick up your voice more clearly and accurately in a range of environments. A newly developed Wind Noise Reduction Structure around the microphones reduce background noise for you, keeping conversations and music clear and uninterrupted.

Whether you’re joining an online class or a work meeting, the WH-CH520 also provides easy hands-free calling and great call quality. Simply answer calls with one click of the buttons on the earcup so there’s no need to take your phone out of your pocket. Built-in high quality microphones and noise suppression processing mean the WH-CH520 collects sound and reduces ambient noise during calls so you can make clear calls even in noisy environments.

Both the WH-CH720N and WH-CH520 feature Multipoint connection, easy button operation and can be controlled with your voice[2]. Since the connection is easy with Swift Pair and Fast pair, these headphones are ideal for everyday use.

Sony has designed these headphones with the environment in mind. There’s no plastic in the WH-CH720N and WH-CH520 packaging[3], which is designed based on low toxicity design principles and towards Sony’s “Road to Zero” environmental plan. Both headphones also use recycled plastic materials[4].

The WH-CH720N is available in black, blue and white and will be available to purchase from March 2023 with a suggested retail price of €150.
The WH-CH520 is available in black, blue, white and beige and will be available to purchase from March 2023 with a suggested retail price of €70.

Notes:
[1] When connecting via Bluetooth®, battery life is up to 35 hours for music playback usage when DSEE is turned off and codec is AAC, up to 35 hours for communication time usage. Please note usage hours may be shorter depending on the Codec and the conditions of use.
[2] Voice assistant on the WH-CH720N allows you to get hands-free help just by saying “Ok Google” or “Alexa”. WH-CH520 supports voice control – press the play/call button to get help from Google or Siri.
[3] Coating and adhesive materials excluded. This varies by region.
[4] Recycled plastic is used in multiple parts of the headphone body, which is subject to change.

By harnessing its unique capabilities across hardware devices and cloud experience, Sony introduces an application ecosystem bringing together camera and cloud, designed to meet every need of individual content creators, from pre editing to networking.

Sony today announced the next generation of its Creators’ Cloud platform, opening up a host of applications and features for individual content creators, interested in leveraging the efficiencies and opportunities offered by the cloud.

Sony wants creators to see cloud-based applications as one of their fundamental tools, in the same way they know their camera is crucial to their work. The lines between hardware and software, online and offline are increasingly blurred thanks to the possibilities offered by the cloud. Creators’ Cloud creates a unique space where all aspects of a creator’s work come together seamlessly, with their device an integral part of this ecosystem.

Sony introduced Creators’ Cloud, a suite of cloud-powered applications and services for professional and enterprise users in September 2022. The next generation of Creators’ Cloud, aimed at individual or small teams of content creators is now coming to the market with the same philosophy but tailored applications and services. It is a suite of applications designed to extend the camera and shooting into the cloud, through instant video and stills upload, enabling quick editing and collaborative work with peers, from multiple devices.

Content creators are increasingly looking for a one-stop shop, a place that integrates their creative tools, allows them to share and learn from other professionals around the globe, and importantly, offers business opportunities. Creators’ Cloud is Sony’s answer to this, powered by AI.

The Creators’ Cloud platform for individual creators includes cloud storage, available anytime from anywhere, Discover, a community for creators to post their own content, discover and connect with peers and Master Cut (Beta) which is an online video editing service. This Creators’ Cloud platform, aimed at independent professionals, also includes Creators’ App, a content transfer application from camera to cloud [i].

Content immediately available on multiple devices
As creators seek to view and share their content efficiently and safely, Creators’ Cloud will enable the transfer of images and videos shot on their Sony cameras to the cloud for immediate viewing and sharing with their community.

Creators’ App[ii] is the successor of Imaging Edge Mobile and will act as an extension of a camera to upload, view, and manage content (video and photo) stored in the cloud[iii]. Key features include:

File transfer to mobile cloud
Remote camera control
Cloud Storage – 25GB of free cloud storage for Sony camera owners[iv] (list applies) and free 5GB for any user with a Sony Account
At the time of launch, the upload of files to cloud storage via the Creators’ App will only be available for cameras2 α7 IV and ZV-1F. Direct upload from camera to cloud is planned to be available at a future date. With the launch of Creators’ App for individuals, “C3Portal App,” a cloud gateway application currently being provided for enterprises, will be renamed as “Creators’ App for enterprise.”

Creating a community of creators across the globe
Discover is another stand-out feature of Creators’ Cloud launching today[v]. Users’ profile and portfolio of selected content will be available to share with their community of other professionals, multiplying global networking and collaboration opportunities. In Discover, images and videos will include information about the camera operator’s location, camera and lens models, settings, genre and much more to create an environment of learning and exchange with other users. Discover will be accessed through Creators’ App and web browser

With Discover, creators will have a dedicated space for them to showcase, find inspiration and interact with each other’s content. Sony is aiming to create the largest community of camera users and content in the world

Facilitating production and collaboration
As part of its Creators’ Cloud vision, Sony is also introducing today Master Cut (Beta)[vi], a cloud-based application powered by AI, that accelerates pre-editing by using camera metadata. At launch day, Master Cut (Beta) will only be available in the UK for the European area. Master Cut will give users a quick, easy, and high-quality pre-editing of video content before transferring to an NLE (Non-linear Editing Software) tool. At the time of launch, Master Cut (Beta) will be offered as a beta version free of charge accessible through web browser and will evolve based on user feedback.

Amongst others, Master Cut (Beta) features include:

Highly accurate image stabilization using metadata.
Reduced sound noise and optimized audio level through sound source separation.
Multi-device access through synchronization in the cloud
Automatic grouping of similar clips through image analysis

Creators’ Cloud will continue to expand in the future with new services and features added regularly based on user feedback.

For more information about Creators’ Cloud, please visit: https://www.sony.net/cc/

[i]Sony will roll out availability of Creators’ App, Cloud Storage, Master Cut (Beta), Ci Media Cloud and Discover progressively in Europe and the rest of the world, thus availability timing of services will vary by region and country.

[ii] Creators’ App will be launched at the end of February 2023 onwards. The timing will vary by regions and countries

[iii] At time of launch, video and image transmission from cameras to cloud via smartphones with the “Creators’ App” and camera remote control functions will be compatible with α7 IV, ZV-1F​. Spring 2023: α7R V, FX3, FX30. α7 IV, α7R V, FX3, FX30 will need software update respectively.

[iv] The full list of Sony cameras that can give access to the 25GB free storage in Creators’ Cloud can be found in the “Add Cameras” menu of Creators’ App. For more details, please visit https://www.sony.net/cca/

[v] The launch timing will vary by regions and countries

[vi] At launch timing, the FX3, FX30, α1, α7R V, α7S III, α7 IV, α7C, ZV-E10, ZV-1, ZV-1F, RX100 VII, and RX0 II cameras will be compatible with Master Cut (Beta). Master Cut Beta will be available at launch time in the UK will be rolled out later in Europe and the world