Sony

Sony has also made available, via hard-to-find areas of international websites, images of the next round of Sony SAL lenses to hit the market. Details of the specifications have been leaked, probably from the June 2007 meetings in Japan. All the new lenses are full-frame, confirming the rumours that the ‘A-500′ due in 2008 will be a full-frame or 1.1X model

The 400mm f/4.5 and 600mm f/4 Sony SAL G (D) apochromatic telephotos were known to be in the pipeline from the start. They are revised versions of the classic Minolta G glass, and are presumed to use SSM sonic motor focusing because it was known that Konica Minolta already planned to incorporate SSM into these long lenses. However the prototypes shown and photographed may be a 300mm f/4 and 600mm f/4, or even a 200mm f/2.8 (looking at the size of the AF hold button on the smaller lens). The relative size of the mount, the tripod collar handgrip and the rear filter slot indicate that the larger lens is the 600mm. Statements that the smaller one is a 400mm f/4 seem very unlikely judging from the mount size and the tripod collar. It looks most like a new 300mm f/4 but could be a focal length we have not seen before, like 240mm or 280mm, or an aperture like f/3.5 instead of f/4.