Fast and Reliable AF is one of the key features for the success of the mirrorless NEX cameras. And Egami spotted a new Sony patent that describes an innovative technique where every pixel has on top a polarizer. The patent is in Japanese so let me know if I do a mistake here. But from what I understood the main advantage would be that every pixel would have phase detection ability and that will dramatically improve the quality and speed of the Autofocus. Smart idea if it works!

P.S.: April fools patent ;)

Source: Cabral.

It’s fools day and a lot of non true rumors and news are spreading on the web. A reader sent me that picture of a secret new camera transport by Sony :)
Let me know if you find some more fake Sony news!

UPDATE: This is Sony’s new “Animalia” line:

Click here to see the full Comic!

As you know two months ago I launched a small beta version of my eBay search and notification tool named Slidoo.com. I did this because I wanted to have a reliable track of the stuff I search on eBay. I spent a lot of time on fixing bugs and speeding up the search. Now, if you want to know what Slidoo is and how it works I created this Cartoon How To: https://www.slidoo.com/page/how-it-works. I hope it’s funny and clear enough to make you understand how it works!

I make you some examples of searches I saved to get notified on great ebay deals:
Sony RX100 US search (Click here). This helps me to get notified when the RX100 is available for less than $599 (actual price on Amazon is $648).
Sony RX100 US search (Click here).
In the settings you can change the country and this for example is the Sony RX1 search for Europe (with Germany as primary choice).

Again, you have to login (you can use facebook and twitter login too!) to save the searches and change your settings like country and notification method. Thanks!

On April fools day Kenko decided to make a serious and non-joke announcement :)

They just released the new E-mount extension tubes with full autofocus and electronic aperture control. That’s the official press release:

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Kenko Tokina USA, Inc. is proud to announce the availability of the new Kenko AF Extension Tube Set for Micro 4/3rds and Sony E mount. The tube set consists of a 10mm and 16mm extension tubes that can be used individually or together4.
The Kenko extension tubes have all the contacts and circuitry to maintain communication between the camera body and the lens. AF (within the limited macro range) and auto exposure are maintained with these extension tubes1.
Extension tubes are designed to enable a lens to focus closer than its normal set minimum focusing distance. Getting closer has the effect of magnifying your subject (making it appear larger in the viewfinder and in your pictures). They are exceptionally useful for macro photography, enabling you to convert almost any lens into a macro lens at a fraction of the cost while maintaining its original optical quality.
The DG extension tubes have no optics. They are mounted in between the camera body and lens to create more distance between the lens and film plane. By moving the lens father away from the sensor in the camera, the lens is forced to focus much closer than normal. The greater the length of the extension tube, the closer the lens can focus.

Specifications:
Aperture Coupling: Electronic
Included Sizes: 10MM and 16MM
Mount Availability: Micro 4/3rds mount for Olympus and Panasonic Sony E mount for NEX system
Warranty: 1 year limited warranty

Notes:
1. Depending on available light and due to a very shallow depth of field manual focusing may be required if the lens AF will not lock focus.
2. Focal length of the lens should be longer than the focal length of the tube for proper operation.
3. Also, Kenko recommends using a tripod for sharper results during macro photography.
4. Stacking is not possible with the Panasonic 45MM Macro and PZ 45-175MM lenses. However all Panasonic and Olympus lenses work with either the 10mm or 16mm separately. If an error message is displayed when trying to use the tubes together on one of these lenses or any other please use one or the other extension tube separately.

Kenko Tokina USA, Inc. is the exclusive U. S. distributor for Tokina lenses, Hoya filters, Kenko photo accessories and SLIK camera support systems. Kenko Tokina USA provides marketing, sales, distribution, and technical/consumer service and support. Kenko Tokina is located in the original Surf City USA, Huntington Beach, CA and on the Web at www.Kenkotokinausa.com.