Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
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…]
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.
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…]
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…]
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.
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.
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.
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…]
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…]
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.
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.
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.
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.