First confession: My very first digital system camera was the [shoplink 45006 ebay]Pentax K-10[/shoplink]. And I loved that camera. So I am happy to see Pentax joining the Full Frame crowd today with the new K-1 (full specs at BHphoto). From a Sony perspective the news matters because:
There is a new competition in the Full Frame world (finally something beyond the usual Canon-Nikon stuff)
The Pentax K-1 uses the Sony A7r 36MP sensor (with ISO that goes up to 204800)
The K-1 uses a 5 axis stabilization. But unlike Sony Pentax uses it also for two additional features: High res mode and Astrotracing!
Let’s take a close look to the K-1 unique features that Sony should or should not copy :)
1) High Resolution images created with the sensor shift tech: Dpreview writes:
“As this list of spec highlights should make clear, the K-1 makes the most of its moveable sensor. As well as the image stabilization, which is rated to an impressive 5 stops, the camera offers a host of other clever features. These include anti-aliasing filter simulation which vibrates the sensor during exposure to intentionally blur high frequency detail across multiple pixels, to avoid moiré. Then there’s the Pixel Shift Resolution mode that increases color resolution by shooting four consecutive images with the sensor moved by one pixel – effectively canceling the Bayer color filter array and lowering noise by image averaging.
2) Astrotracer Dpreview writes: The other sensor-shift modes are also clever: the K-1 includes Horizon Correction, which rotates the sensor if you hold the camera slightly off-level, and the Astrotracer system that uses the sensor’s movement to cancel-out the effect of the Earth’s rotation when taking images of stars (something it can calculate using its GPS).”
3) It also has a unique Flexible-tilt LCD.
You can how it works on that Cnet video:
4) Special Operation Assist Lights on the body Petapixel writes:
Another DSLR first is the special Operation Assist Lights on the body, which are small white LEDs that help you work the camera’s controls while shooting in low-light environments. The lights help you do things such as change lenses, swap memory cards, and use the interface on the back of the camera, all without having to use external illumination or the bright LCD menu.
From the four “innovation” I mentioned here 1) and 4) would be nice to have on the next A7rm3!
P.S.: There is a roundup of K-1 videos you can watch at SonyAlphaForum.
First an important personal note: Due to personal matters I was offline for 24 hours. So I missed to update my yesterdays rumor with the news discovered by our readers. So if you got the feeling I don’t wanted to update the post know that I simply was offline due an unexpected private urgency
New Laowa 12mm f/2.8 A and E-mount Full Frame lens is coming
Our reader Mistral got the full news about the lens:
This is a “distrotion free 12mm f/2.8” Full Frame lens. It will be available for in both Sony A and E mounts. The main specifications of the prototype from Venus Optics are the following:
Image circle: 24×36
Field of view: 121.96°
Optical formula: 16 elements, including 2 aspherical elements and 3 elements made of glass with anomalous dispersion, in 10 groups
Number of aperture blades : 7
Aperture range: f/2.8 – f/22
Manual focus
Minimum focusing distance: 0.18m
Maximum magnification: 0.2x
Maximum diameter: 74.8mm
Length: 82.2mm
Weight: circa 570g.
On Valentine’s Day, symbolically, Venus Optics published a batch of 16 pictures, taken with a Laowa Zero-D 12mm f/2.8 mounted on a Sony Alpha 7R camera, on the Chinese forum Xitek: http://forum.xitek.com/thread-1546399-1-1-1.html
These pictures can be downloaded in full 7,360 x 4,912 resolution either as an archive from a file server in China: https://yunpan.cn/OcxFvqkZuapr7H password: fba4
Karsten: “At a reception last week we presented the trailer of an upcoming theatre premiere. 90% were shot with the Sony A7s combined with Atomos Shogun. We used only three lenses: Sony Zeiss 35mm f2.8, Sony Zeiss 55mm f1.8 and Minolta Rokkor MC 58mm f1.2. We loved the work with this exceptional cam which offers a great price-performance-ratio. Perhaps it is interesting for you and your readers? Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHVHdAxsMXU”
Stan Moniz: “https://youtu.be/ugUYSXMbhSY. A short time-lapse film shot with the Sony a7rii and Sony Playmemories Time-lapse downloadable application. Shot at the most unusual geologic wonders in the California Desert, The Trona Pinnacles. With its alien landscape and dark skies it was a perfect place to shoot a collection of time-lapse pieces to further test out the easy to use Playmemories Time-lapse app. Visit: www.stanmoniz.com to see more videos and imagery of the night sky.”
At a presentation in Europe Sony showed that image to explain the difference between their GM and Zeiss lenses: Mirrorlessons writes:
Sony actually explained that these new products don’t go into direct competition with Sony/Zeiss. The G Master lenses aim for high resolution and a perfect bokeh while the Sony/Zeiss lenses focus on resolution and contrast.
Still, somehow it feels Zeiss branded Zeiss lenses make less sense to be continued after the G master line announcement…
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Sony announced a brand new kind of sensor. It’s a sensor that has electronic 3-Axis stabilization that corrects both, in camera shake and lens distortion! Here you can watch two demo videos and after that the full press text:
Tokyo, Japan – Sony Corporation (“Sony”) is announcing the commercialization of a new Exmor RS™ image sensor for smartphones and other devices that require increasingly better cameras and thinner form factors. The IMX318 is a type 1/2.6 stacked CMOS image sensor with 22.5 effective megapixels, and it boasts a more compact size, greater image quality, and higher performance. This new Exmor RS is the industry’s first*1 to be equipped with built-in high-speed hybrid autofocus (“AF”), as fast as 0.03 seconds*2, and built-in 3-axis electronic image stabilization technology for video. Sony aims to begin shipments for this new CMOS image sensor in May, 2016.
The IMX318 boasts a stacked structure and the industry’s smallest unit pixels, which measure 1.0μm (micrometers) in size. With this, the image sensor achieves a compact, type 1/2.6 size suitable for inclusion into smartphones, while still realizing a high resolution of 22.5 effective megapixels, among the top in the industry. This new image sensor not only boasts enhanced resolution, but it also matches its predecessor in image quality despite the IMX318’s smaller size and unit pixels (IMX230 predecessor model: type 1/2.4 sensor with 1.12μm unit pixel size). Additionally, Sony has succeeded in equipping the IMX318 with cutting-edge digital imaging features, namely high speed built-in hybrid AF and 3-axis electronic image stabilization for video, a first*1 for the industry. With this image sensor, the user can capture image stills of those decisive moments reliably in high quality, as well as high resolution video without fear of blur.
Main Features
1. The industry’s smallest unit pixel size at 1.0μm, achieving compact size (type 1/2.6) while realizing 22.5 effective megapixels high resolution
As smartphones grow ever thinner, so too are image sensors growing increasingly more compact. In line with this trend, Sony has developed a miniscule 1.0μm pixel sensor that, despite its small size, realizes high image quality. To accomplish this, Sony employed manufacturing technology that improves light utilization efficiency, as well as circuit design technology that eliminates noise, a root cause of deterioration in image quality. With this innovation, Sony has realized an image sensor that delivers high quality images, while also boasting small optical size and a high resolution of 22.5 megapixels. Night shots have long been a weak point for the compact cameras used in smartphones, with the lack of light translating into excessive visual noise. The IMX318 addresses this weakness and realizes beautiful photography in nighttime conditions.
2. The industry’s first*1 image sensor with built-in hybrid AF, as fast as 0.03 seconds*2, and 3-axis electronic image stabilization
Hybrid AF
Hybrid AF, which merges image plane phase detection AF with contrast detection AF, has previously been realized through the combination of an image sensor and an application processor. But with the IMX318, Sony has created the industry’s first*1 stacked CMOS image sensor with hybrid AF built into the sensor’s internal signal processor. The IMX318 leverages Sony’s high-speed AF technology that has been honed over many years, boasting an AF as fast as 0.03 seconds*2 (and as fast as 0.017 seconds when shooting video at 60fps). With this power in hand, the user can capture those decisive moments reliably in focus, whether shooting stills or video.
Image plane phase detection AF: Utilizes dedicated image plane phase detection AF pixels embedded throughout the image sensor pixel array. Contrast AF: Works off the contrast of the subject.
3-axis electronic image stabilization for video
With the IMX318, Sony has also created the industry’s first*1 stacked CMOS image sensor with image stabilization functionality built into its internal signal processor. This sensor leverages the image stabilization technology that Sony has cultivated over its years developing cameras, realizing smooth 4K*3 videos with little camera shake by making effectively use of the signal output obtained from the external 3-axis (pitch, yaw, and roll) gyro sensor*4. Sony’s unique image stabilization technology incorporated into the IMX318 corrects not only camera shake, but also lens distortion, making for more beautiful videos. Furthermore, because image stabilization is achieved by processing within the hardware of the image sensor, less power is used than when it is accomplished by software processing in the external application processor. Since it enables smooth video shooting, this image sensor is suited for incorporation into not only smartphones, but also a variety of other products that tend to generate substantial camera shake, such as aerial drones used for image capture.
*3: QFHD (3840 x 2160)
*4: Gyro sensor: instrument that determines angular velocity through inertia.
3. 4K and high frame rate video recording, through high-speed communications leveraging the latest MIPI specifications
Sony elected to adopt the MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) Alliance’s latest C-PHY 1.0/D-PHY 1.2 specifications for this image sensor’s interface. With this interface, the IMX318 is able to achieve more power efficient and faster data transmission from the image sensor to the application processor. As a result, even at the high resolution of 22.5 megapixels, transmission is realized for all pixels at 30fps. This enables seamless switching between high resolution video and still image photography, realizing the best of both worlds. Since the image sensor can transmit greater-than-4K resolution images for all pixels to the application processor, the user can capture 22.5 megapixel still images even while in the middle of recording video in 4K*3 at 30fps.
Redrock announced the new Retro Flex 5 for the Sony A5xxx camera series:
The retroFlex-S is a great way to shoot handheld, street, or event footage with your Sony alpha mirrorless camera. The retroFlex-S includes a form-fitting camera cage, a professional handgrip with integrated start/stop button, and a huge bright viewfinder for comfortable shooting even in mid-day sun. It’s more than just one rig: the viewfinder and handgrip are easily removed, and the cage can be used standalone for more sophisticated rigs.The retroFlex-S is compatible with Sony NEX-3, A5000, and A5100.
