Sony Tidbits…

Share


10-18mm MicBergsma

Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM product overview (Dpreview).
Sony has finally overtaken Canon Dual Pixel autofocus (David Oastler).
Zeiss Loxia 85mm F2.4 Sonnar: First Look (Dustin Abbott).
Filmmakers Need the Atomos Shinobi Onboard HDMI Monitor (Explora).

Marc Galer:

I have released my Free 200-page eBook for the Sony A6400
https://youtu.be/SoML1m6Jx98

A6400 – Reliable/Sticky Real Time-Tracking
I have been surprised that one or two photographers at the A6400 launch appeared to be using inappropriate settings to track moving targets.
I have seen screens from their movies with AF-S, AF-A, slow shutter speeds (1/250 second for volleyball), small apertures chosen in dark conditions and their Drive Mode set to Hi+ (no live view panning) being used.

In my own pre-production A6400 camera I noticed that Pre-AF was switched ON by default which, in my opinion, does not lead to easy subject selection when AF-C with a Tracking option is selected.
This may not have been the same setup as used in the USA but when Pre-AF was switched OFF for action sequences in my own tests the camera proved itself to be the stickiest AF tracking system I have ever used. I am sure I will still be using my A9 for motorsports and Birds in Flight but the A6400 is certainly a powerful tool at the price point.

This gallery of sequences, where obstacles appear in front of my primary target, should prove my point: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmB9uuod

Personal photos and tests from SAR Admin Andrea on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and 500px.

Join the new Sony Alpha Camera Facebook group.
To get news from our Forum subscribe that RSS feed.
I kindly invite you all to follow our RSS feed, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to not miss news and rumors

Share

Sony Alpha Tech is going to be implemented in Sony’s Smartphone cameras

Share

Sony’s struggling smartphone division has made two crucial decisions:

  1. They entered a partnership with Light to create Smartphone cameras with very high quality photocameras
  2. Tech from the Sony Alpha division is from now on going ot be used on those phones

The new Xperia 1 is the first smartphone having EyeAf and built-in Luts:

In an interview with Trustedreviews Sony said:

Normally when you take a picture, the phone will then compress it into a JPEG and then add the noise reduction. How Alpha does it is that it takes the Raw image, adds the algorithm to reduce the noise on the Raw image, then compresses it to JPEG, then you put noise reduction on top. That’s how Alpha is doing it. From Xperia 1, that’s how Xperia 1 will do it as well

The knock-on effect was that Alpha guru Kimio Maki is now head of product development for Sony Mobile and actually stopped production on what would have been a Sony XZ4. “He said “okay, so we work with Alpha here, let’s take this bit, we work with the CineAlta brand, let’s bring this bit”. He opened up the whole of digital imaging for us.”

I wonder if that will finally change the fate of their afflicted smartphone business…

Share

Canon EOS-R sensor gets tested at DxOmark: The Sony A7III has a considerable one-stop advantage at Low ISO

Share

DxOmark tested the new Canon EOS-R sensor and found it can in no way come close to the Sony sensors used by the A7III and Z6:

At its base sensitivity of ISO 100, the Canon EOS R has a very good dynamic range of 13.5 EV. However, the BSI sensors in the Nikon Z 6 and Sony A7 III are wider still, with around a 1 EV advantage. At ISO 200, their advantage is eroded to a difference of no more than 0.4 EV, as seen in the relatively flat slope to ISO 400 in the chart below. Although practically negligible, this may be consequential in some situations when using software later on to try to correct exposure errors, especially when lifting shadows.

After that, though, both the Nikon Z 6 and Sony A7 III sensors have a wider dynamic range, measuring around 0.7 EV more at every ISO setting through to ISO 51200. At 102,400, however, the EOS R’s range is practically the same as the Nikon’s, but the Sony’s smoothing at that setting widens its dynamic range.

Noise levels are relatively well-controlled in the Canon EOS R sensor, but it can’t quite match the inherently lower noise levels of the BSI sensors used in the Nikon Z 6 and Sony A7 III. The difference in signal-to-noise ratios is more noticeable at low ISOs, though, and the values are so close at higher ISOs that it’s unlikely you’d be able to distinguish among them, at least for out-of-camera JPEGs. However, in testing for our low-light ISO score (see here for the protocol), both the Nikon Z 6 and Sony A7 III still have a noise advantage of 0.25 EV and 0.44 EV, respectively, which could prove beneficial when adjusting exposure levels post-capture.

 

Share

Sigma CEO Yamaki confirms “a lens designed for the Sony FE system is going to be released this year”

Share

In an interview releases at Lenstip Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki confirmed our previous rumors:

A short flange back model designed for Sony FE system is going to be released this year.

So this will be Sigma’s first lens designed for mirrorless (and not adapted from existing DSLR designs). Hurray!

He also said that he is “very impressed” by the sales volume of their current FE lenses.

Now the big question is….what kind of lens will they release first? I am sure it will be a prime lens (no zoom yet). What are you hoping to get? Let it know in the comment system!

–

Sigma FE lenses:
Sigma 14mm f/1.8 at BHphoto, FocusCamera, Amazon and Adorama.
Sigma 20mm f/1.4 at BHphoto, FocusCamera, Amazon and Adorama.
Sigma 24mm f/1.4 at BHphoto, FocusCamera, Amazon and Adorama.
Sigma 35mm f/1.4 at BHphoto, FocusCamera, Amazon and Adorama.
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 at BHphoto, FocusCamera, Amazon and Adorama.
Sigma 70mm macro at BHphoto, FocusCamera, Amazon and  Adorama.
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 at BHphoto, FocusCamera, Amazon and Adorama.
Sigma 105mm f/1.4 at BHphoto, FocusCamera, Amazon and Adorama.
Sigma 135mm f/1.8 at BHphoto, FocusCamera, Amazon and Adorama.

Share