Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Upcoming Sony NEX-5R to Use Phase Detect AF at Pixel Level

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Sony NEX-5R Rumors

The Sony NEX line is already knocking it out of the park, so this news comes as icing on the cake.  SonyAlphaRumors.com has good word that the upcoming Sony NEX-5R (which will replace the NEX-5N) will sport a new 16MP CMOS sensor with phase detection AF sensors built as pixels directly on the sensor.

For those unfamiliar with the tech, phase detection AF is what’s used in all DSLRs; however, most mirrorless cameras to date have featured a contrast detection AF method.  The contrast AF system has gotten better in recent years – with Sony, Panasonic and Olympus doing a bang-up job of making it much faster in the latest models.  However, if you’ve used both a DSLR and a mirrorless camera, then you know that DSLRs just focus faster . . . and that’s due to phase detection AF.

The recently announced Canon EOS M features a phase detection AF method at the pixel level as well.  And, Canon even introduced the feature into the Canon Rebel T4i.  While the Rebel T4i certainly does a better job at AF than other traditional DSLRs, it still has a ways to go based on my early testing with the camera for full time AF during video.  Hopefully, the EOS M performs much better than the Rebel T4i’s AF.

But Sony is really sneaking up on Canon and Nikon.  Frankly, I think Sony is the manufacturer to beat at this point in the mirrorless market.  If the new NEX-5R steps up the game with an even better AF system than exists in current NEX models, then it’s going to be hard for others to really push past.

 

Sony A99 Video Up to 1080p at 120fps Rumored

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Sony A99 Rumors

If anybody is going to do it, it would be Sony.

The same company that jumped out in front with the NEX-VG10, then the FS100, and then the high frame rate FS700 that shook everything up could be stirring another big pot with a full frame camera that shoots 120 fps at 1080p.

Moreover, SonyAlphaRumors.com reports on potential specifications that include 1080p video at 50Mbps at 4:2:2 sampling, among other highly sought after video specs noted below.

Sony A99 Rumored Video Specs

  1. AVCHD2.0 format ,below 1080p it have the Bit rate of 50Mbps, 4:2:2 sampling
  2. 1080P with the highest 120fps,at 720P, the highest is 240FPS
  3. MP4 format still 35Mbps
  4. center focus all the lens can use the biggest Aperture. others still F3.5
  5. except P model, A,S model can also auto-focus but M model still MF
  6. 4 times zoom in during 1080P can be captured
  7. multi-recording can take a 2.4Megapixels during recording
  8. HDMI can be Non-destructive Output new shoe can fit the wireless(bluetooth) mic
  9. except the high speed model,other model Maximum recording time is 29min 59s
  10. Time code support

That reads more like a wish list than an actual spec sheet for a DSLR-style camera.  But if anyone would drop this in a sub-$5k DSLR, Sony would.  Expect lots more noise from Sony in the lead-up to Photokina 2012.

Sony RX100 Hands-On Review

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Sony RX100

I have been using the Sony RX100 for about a week now and I have to say that it is a stunning little camera.  It packs 20MP CMOS image sensor and the fixed zoom lens provides 28-100mm equivalent zoom range with a max f/1.8 aperture.

The RX100 gives a proper use of that little 2.7x crop sensor that’s also found in the Nikon 1 Series.  And, best of all, it’s a pocketable camera. [Read more…]

Sony XQD ‘S Series’ Memory Cards Deliver 168MB/s Data Transfer

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Sony XQD S Series

Sony has announced a new S Series XQD card that will give photographers read and write speeds of 168MB/s.  The existing H Series XQD card is rated at 125MB/s. Of course, the only camera to currently utilize the new XQD format is the Nikon D4.

With the new S Series cards, the Nikon D4 will be able to capture a burst of 108 RAW images at 10 fps.  As Sony notes, “this lets photographers document the men’s 100m sprint final from start to finish in a single, sustained burst of RAW images.”

The 64GB S Series XQD card will ship later this month.  And, a 32GB model will be available in the September/October time frame.

Sony NEX-F3 In-Stock

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Sony NEX-F3

The Sony NEX-F3 is in stock at B&H.  The NEX-F3 looks to be everything that the NEX-C3 is – and more.

As a result, I’m pegging the NEX-F3 as the g0-t0 consumer camera for those who want better quality than they get out of a point and shoot camera.  I own the NEX-C3 and it has been a fantastic camera – particularly when combined with the great little Sigma 30mm f/2.8 lens that stays on it.

The NEX-F3 is available in silver and black.

Sony RX100 Compact Camera With a Big Sensor

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Sony RX100 Front

The Sony RX100 official details have dropped, revealing the new 20.2MP compact camera with a much larger sensor than other compact zoom cameras around.

The 1-inch CMOS image sensor is the same size as the Nikon 1 Series interchangeable lens models.  The fixed zoom lens provides 28-100mm equivalent zoom range with a max f/1.8 aperture.

The RX100 sports AVCHD 2.0 video capture at full 1080/60p at 28Mbps data rates.  The sensitivity ranges up to ISO 6400 for low light capture, or up to ISO 25600 using a multiframe capture feature.

The Sony RX100 retails for $650 and should be available in July 2012.  Check availability at B&H Photo.

More details in the press release below. [Read more…]

Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100 is a New Compact Camera Using the Nikon 1 Series Sensor Format

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100

The Sony Cybershot RX100 has leaked on the Japanese website Digicame-info.  The camera looks very much like a compact point and shoot camera; however, one key difference (based on rumored specifications) is the presence of a much larger image sensor in the RX100.

The CMOS imager is rumored to be 13.2mm x 8.8mm, which is the same size as the Nikon 1 Series cameras (or CX format sensor / 2.7x crop).  Of course, this makes a lot of sense – given that Nikon has sourced larger image sensors from Sony for years now.  It looks like Sony will be making use of its own manufacturing efficiencies for this format.

Check out the chart below for a comparison of how the Sony RX100 sensor stacks up against other mirrorless and DSLR cameras. [Read more…]