Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

  • Reviews
  • Recommended Cameras & Gear
  • Learn Photography
  • Contact
  • About
  • Subscribe

New Look at the Sony NEX-6

September 4, 2012 By Eric Reagan

Sony NEX-6

Here’s yet another leaked image of the upcoming Sony NEX-6.  Note the electronic viewfinder that can be seen on the back left corner of the camera.  Some readers had asked about it in prior posts.

The Sony NEX-6 is due to be announced on September 12 as a mid-range mirrorless camera situated between the Sony NEX-5R and NEX-7 in the lineup.  As a refresher, the expected specifications are listed below. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Sony Tagged With: leak, mirrorless, NEX-6, Photokina 2012, Sony, Sony rumors, specs

 

Sony A99 AF System Diagram

September 3, 2012 By Eric Reagan

Sony-a99-AF-system-explained

Check out this image nabbed by Photo Rumors that breaks down the AF-point distribution on the upcoming Sony A99.

The new SLT Alpha A99 will feature 39 ordinary phase-detection AF points (11 are cross-type points) and 63 AF points directly on the A99’s full frame sensor. That’s a total of 102 phase-detection AF points on the Sony A99.

Filed Under: Sony Tagged With: A99, af, alpha, cross-type AF, dslr, slt, Sony, Sony rumors

Sony A99 Pictured in Sketch

August 25, 2012 By Eric Reagan

Sony A99 Back

Sony A99 Back

In an interesting take on leaked images, a “trusted source” sent SonyAlphaRumors.com this sketch of the upcoming Sony A99 full frame SLT camera.  The back of the camera essentially looks like existing Sony A77 (seen below). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Sony Tagged With: a77, dslr, Photokina 2012, slt, Sony, Sony A99, Sony rumors

More Sony NEX-5R Images Leak Out

August 23, 2012 By Eric Reagan

Sony NEX-5R

This is about as good as it gets in terms of leaked images.  These are up close press images for the upcoming Sony NEX-5R, which is expect to officially launch next week as a replacement for the excellent Sony NEX-5N. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Sony Tagged With: mirrorless, nex, NEX-5N, NEX-5R, Photokina 2012, Sony, Sony rumors

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

August 16, 2012 By Eric Reagan

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.

Filed Under: Sony Tagged With: Canon, EOS M, mirrorless, NEX-5N, NEX-5R, Rebel T4i, Sony, Sony rumors

Sony A99 Video Up to 1080p at 120fps Rumored

August 16, 2012 By Eric Reagan

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.

Filed Under: Sony Tagged With: 1080p, 120fps, A99, dslr, fs100, FS700, nex-vg10, Sony, Sony rumors

Sony’s New HVL60 Speedlight to Include Built-In LED for Video?

August 13, 2012 By Eric Reagan

Sony-Speedlight-Flash

This just makes sense.  With all the HDSLR cameras that have been introduced over the past few years, I sort of expected to see more of this sooner (I think Canon’s 320EX is the only first-party unit so far). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Sony Tagged With: led, Photokina 2012, Sony, Sony rumors, speedlight

Sony NEX-6 Mirrorless Camera Coming in September?

August 2, 2012 By Eric Reagan

Sony Alpha Rumors has word that a Sony NEX-6 mirrorless camera will arrive next month in time for Photokina 2012 as a “mini NEX-7”, complete with an integrated viewfinder and a lower price.   [Read more…]

Filed Under: Sony Tagged With: mirrorless, nex, NEX-5F, NEX-5N, NEX-6, NEX-7, Sony, Sony rumors

Sony NEX-F3 and A37 Specs Leaked

April 30, 2012 By Eric Reagan

Sony NEX-F3

It looks like the full specs for the Sony NEX-F3 and A37 entry-level cameras are now out in the wild with a release date of May 17, courtesy of SonyAlphaRumors.  Leaked images vis Yangcanggih. Check out the spec lists below.

Sony NEX-F3 Specs

  • 16.1MP CMOS sensor
  • ISO 100-16,000
  • 1080/24p or 1080/60i
  • MP4 codec
  • 180-degree tilting LCD
  • Built-in flash
  • 3fps
  • No touchscreen
  • $599 price point w/ 18-55mm kit lens

One thing that doesn’t jive with the specs and the leaked images is the MP4 codec listed in the NEX-F3 specs.  The images clearly showed the AVCHD logo on the camera body.  Likewise, a 1080/24p and 1080/60i frame rate suggests an AVCHD 1.0 codec.  If anything, I think the MP4 codec would be for a 720p option (like the NEX-C3) – although, the NEX-F3 appears to offer full 1080p HD video capture in addition to a possible 720p MP4 mode…

With the recent NEX models sporting the AVCHD 2.0 codec, it looks like Sony will differentiate the video capabilities on entry-level models by sticking with a max 30fps frame rate at full 1920 x 1080 resolution via the AVCHD 1.0 codec.  This should make the NEX-F3 a perfect consumer camera with great 1080p video.  And, if you want to get your overcranked footage on for smooth slo-mo, you’ll need to step up to the NEX-5N or higher.

Sony A37 Specs

  • 16.1MP CMOS sensor
  • ISO 100-16,000
  • Built-in SteadyShot image stabilization
  • 7fps frame frate
  • 15-point AF system
  • Tilting LCD
  • 1080/24p and 1080/60i video
  • $599 price point w/ 18-55mm kit lens
  • $799 price point w/ 18-135mm kit lens

The A37 looks to be very competent as well for an entry-level shooter.  Frankly though, unless you have to have the phase-detection AF system of the SLT models, I would suggest most people to choose the NEX-F3 as an entry-level go-to camera over the A37.

I’ll have more concrete thoughts on these models once they are officially announced and I get my hands on them.

Stay tuned.

Filed Under: Sony Tagged With: A37, alpha, dslr, mirrorless, nex, NEX-F3, slt, Sony, Sony rumors

Sony NEX-F3 Pic Leaked, Due for Launch in May

April 27, 2012 By Eric Reagan

Sony NEX-F3

Sony Alpha Rumors just published the above image of the upcoming Sony NEX-F3, which is due to replace the excellent Sony NEX-C3.

The new Sony NEX-F3 will sport a 16.1MP image sensor and is rumored to include a 180-degree tilting LCD, along with a built-in flash.  The presence of the AVCHD logo on the above image also suggest 1080p capture (hopefully, it will be AVCHD 2.0 for 60p like the NEX-5N).

The naming scheme is curious given the Sony PMW-F3, which is a PL mount cinema camera and commonly referred to as simply the “F3”.  Likewise, the potential spec-sheet further suggests that the NEX-F3 may outshine the (also excellent) NEX-5N, in which case we can probably expect a summer 2012 replacement for it as well.

For now, the Sony NEX-F3 is rumored to launch in May 2012, alongside the Sony A37, an entry-level DSLR-ish camera with Sony’s translucent mirror technology.

You can expect to hear a lot more about this camera in the coming weeks.  So, stay tuned.

Filed Under: Sony Tagged With: mirrorless, nex, NEX-5N, NEX-F3, Sony, Sony F3, Sony NEX-C3, Sony rumors

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • Next Page »

Support Photography Bay


Recent Posts

  • Reader Photos Roundup: March 26, 2023
  • WD 22TB External USB 3.0 Hard Drive Now In Stock
  • Reader Photos Roundup: March 19, 2023
  • Computational Photography & AI: Where Do We Go From Here?
  • Reader Photos Roundup: January 15, 2023

Pages

  • 2022 Black Friday Camera and Photo Deals
  • About
  • Camera and Photo Deals Newsletter
  • Canon 1D X
  • Canon 1Ds Mark IV
  • Canon 5D Mark III
  • Canon Rebel T4i
  • Contact
  • Disclosures
  • DSLRs
  • How to Subscribe
  • Learn Photography
  • NAB 2016 Live Blog
  • Nikon D4
  • Nikon D800
  • Photography Laws
  • Recommended Cameras & Accessories
  • Reviews
  • Sony Alpha A77

Copyright © 2025 | Photography Bay