Digital Cameras

Meet Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III with 4K Still Images

Sony_Cybershot_RX100_III_1Earlier this week, Sony announced the Cyber-shot RX100 III. As the name suggests, the Sony RX100 III is the third entry in the series which was first introduced in 2012 to much critical appraise. While esthetically, the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III looks similar to its predecessor, the company has done a lot to update the powerful compact camera to give you even more superior photos and video. So what’s changed? Lets talk details, after the jump.

Sony Sweeps Imaging Awards at TIPA, Walks with 4 ‘Best’ Accolades

BEST CAMCORDER - FDR-AX100 2

The imaging gurus over at the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) have just awarded Sony no fewer than 4 ‘best in category’ awards, including for best mobile imaging device with the QX series. You may remember the popular QX camera attachments for smartphones which raised the game in the mobile camera wars, bringing a professional tier to our beloved gadgets. Both models filled up various regional Amazon most-purchased lists for some time and earned a resoundingly positive response in the smartphone community as a genuine new standard for mobile photography.

Sony’s other wins came in the best action cam, best camcorder and best CSC professional categories.

TIPA is represented by imaging professionals on 5 continents and this year the ceremony took place from April 3-5 in Vancouver, Canada.

Come check out the four winners.

Sony Updates PlayMemories Mobile for iOS With Notifications and More

PlayMemories Mobile

 

Sony has just updated their PlayMemories Mobile app for iOS devices. The PlayMemories Mobile 4.2.3 update brings with it improved compatibility for the company’s line of attachable lenses which require to be connected via the app to function. The update now allows for an improved photo-taking experience on the QX10 and QX100 by allowing you to touch the shutter icon to focus on the image at hand.

Meet the Sony Full-frame Alpha A7s With 4K Video

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Every year at NAB, Sony dazzles us with new products in their camera and video lineup and this year is no different. CES 2014 made it clear that Sony is going all in with 4K and NAB continued that promise with the announcement of the full-frame Sony Alpha A7s. As the name suggests, this isn’t a rethinking of the Alpha line and instead, an improvement on the full-frame A7 that was announced last year. In short, Sony is bringing 4K video recording to the party with vastly improvement sensitivity which is what the “s” in the name refers to.

Interested? Lets talk details.

Why Sony’s Image Sensors are Selling like Lemonade on a Hot Day

Charity Lemonade Stand with Hugh Hefner

Charity Lemonade Stand with Hugh Hefner

Now that we are just a few days away from the end of Sony’s financial year, the company has reported a 16% rise in sales of image sensors compared with 2012. This news should help the company maintain it’s pole position in the lucrative smartphone image sensor market. Sony has twice purchased more factories to boost CMOS sensor production as currently demand is expected to outstrip supply within two years. The Japanese electronics giant has benefited from the cultural rise of the ‘selfie’ along with a flourishing global smartphone market.

But this is more than just a case of being in the right business at the right time. Smartphone sales may be thriving, but not all manufacturers are benefiting. In just a few years, Sony has completely changed it’s strategy regarding access to their coveted image sensors. Under the leadership of the previous CEO Sir Howard Stringer, the plan was to limit competitors access to the technology. Now under CEO Kaz Hirai, any company looking to supply their phones with Sony’s image sensors are absolutely welcome, it seems. It’s an overhaul from being ‘alone in the sandpit’ to ‘selling lemonade on a hot day’.

Rival Samsung chose Sony to supply the Galaxy S4 with Japanese tech but has now started taking this production in-house. This presents a formidable new competitor in the CMOS market. How did Sony get to the top of this market and what is Sony’s plan to stay dominant?

Sony’s Imaging Sensor Sales Rise by 16%

Sony_Image_SensorIn the sad state that Sony currently finds itself, it usually means that when news comes out about the company, it’s not all that colorful. That in turn means the coverage we provide you tends to be a bit of a downer though we try our best to find some form of silver lining. For once, Sony has made that easier on us by reporting a jump of 16% from their imaging sensor business to 360 billion yen ($3.52 billion). Currently, Sony sensors can be found on the industry-leading iPhone 5S and Samsung Galaxy 4 but that’s not where the major growth has come for Sony.

Major Update Headed to Sony’s Alpha 7 and 7R

Sony A7 and A7R_01

Sony has announced that a major firmware updated is headed to the Alpha 7 and Alpha 7R. For those in need of a quick recap, the Sony Alpha 7 and 7R are part of the company’s new compact fleet of full-frame mirrorless cameras which pack up to a 36.3-megapixel image sensor. In addition to typical bug fixes, the update will also address many issues that the community has had with the camera since its release late in late 2013. So what exactly is Sony looking to address and enhance? Let’s talk, after the jump.

iF Design Awards Celebrates 26 Sony Products

iF Product Design 2014 Logo

Sony has proven itself once again in design terms, with no less than 26 of its products earning the seal of approval from the iF Design group, with three products earning a gold award. In individual company achievements, Sony ranked the third highest awarded company, ahead of rivals Apple and LG.

iF is an international group that recognises excellence in product design. It is their aim to “strengthen public awareness of design” and their logo has been an illustrious global standard of design for over sixty years. This year’s event took place on February 28th in Munich, Germany.

It probably surprises few that Sony would do well with awards for design. The company has always raised the bar with iconic and effortless designs with current class-leaders in the Xperia Z2, the PlayStation 4 and the luxury X9000A Bravia TV line to name but a few.

Read on to find out which Sony products earned gold and which two awards come at a bittersweet time.

Meet the Sony Cyber-shot HX400V & H400 High-Zoom Cameras With 50x & 63x Optical Zoom

Sony_Cybershot_HX400V_1

Sony has added to new models to the companies none DSLR camera lineup which falls inline with the companies new ‘High-Zoom’ series of Cyber-shot cameras. Knowing that the company needs to make its standalone cameras more appealing than just offering higher megapixels, something that many of the companies on Xperia smartphones already offer, Sony has turned its attention to better zoom and for that matter, optical zoom which is what matters. Patrick Huang, director of the Cyber-shot camera business:

 High zoom continues to be one of the key priorities for our Cyber-shot camera line, in both the compact segment as well the larger, more traditional ‘bridge’ models. With far-reaching zooms, extremely portable bodies and a series of competitive price points, this new crop of cameras offers advanced imaging performance to travel enthusiasts, weekend shooters, family photographers and more. 

So what can we expect from these new cameras? How about 50x optical zoom for the Cyber-shot HX400v and an even more impressive 63x optical zoom for the Cyber-shot H400. Do we have your attention? Good, lets talk details now.

Sony Alpha A6000 Gets Announced; Offers World’s Fastest Autofocus

Sony_Alpha_A600_15

Considering right now is usually the time frame where Sony begins its mobile assault with new Android phones like the leaked Xperia Sirius (Z2), the news about a new Alpha camera caught us off guard. Officially announced today, the Sony Alpha A6000 joins Sony’s growing line of mirrorless cameras, placing itself firmly between the NEX-5T and the A65. While the usual specs are top notch like a 100-25600 ISO range, what makes the Alpha A6000 amazing is its autofocus, which Sony claims is the world’s fastest at just 0.06 seconds. Let’s dig a little deeper.

Sony 3rd Quarter Financial Results: PS4, Xperia Strong, TV Divest, PC Sold

Sony building 1

The financial results for the past three months of Sony Corp. were released today, forecasting a net loss of 110bn yen ($1.1bn) for the financial year ending March. This a revision downward from a previous prospect of 30bn yen profit.

The company reported a significant boost to sales and operating income, lifting the stock price. PS4 and Xperia smartphone and tablet sales were strong, as expected. All segments reported increased year-on-year sales and operating revenue, except for devices.

Sony has bit the bullet and sold of it’s PC business and is pushing out the TV division to a wholly-owned subsidary. This leads to impairment charges and write-offs with 5,000 job cuts planned before the end of the 2014 financial year. The PC business is sold to Japan Industrial Partners Inc. to “enhance the autonomy of the business”.

Read on the for full story.

Sony Releases QX10 and QX100 Firmware 2.0 With Higher ISO Support and 1080p Video Recording

Sony_QX100

Promised in December and said to be delivered in January (and hey, January 30th is still January), Sony has finally released the QX10 and QX100 firmware 2.0. The new update which weighs in at 87MB brings full HD 1080(30p) recording to both cameras in MP4 format, versus the previous 720p. ISO is also seeing a big bump on each model with the QX10 ISO expanded from 1600 to 3200 and QX100 ISO expanded from 3200 to 12800. The QX100 is gaining a new Shutter Speed Priority (S) Shooting mode which grants you direct access to the lens shutter speed. Prior to the year ending, Sony also released a massive update for PlayMemories Mobile App which is required to control the attachable lens for your iOS or Android phone. The new update was able to improve connection start up time by approximately two folds compared to previous versions of the PlayMemories Mobile application. So how do you update your QX10 or QX100 to firmware 2.0? That step is a bit more complicated.

Sony 4K Handycam FDR-AX100 Preview, “4K for $2K” (video)

CES_2014_Sony_4K_Handycam_FDR_AX100

One of the surprises from CES 2014 was the announcement of the Sony 4K Handycam FDR-AX100. What makes this Handycam special is that it’s the first consumer camcorder that offers 4K recording that fits in the palm of your hand. As with any high-end consumer camcorder from Sony, you get an array of features that include 5.1 surround sound, 14.2-megapixel back-illuminated 1.0-type Exmor R CMOS sensor and Wi-Fi/NFC for easy sharing and pairing with Sony’s PlayMemories Mobile app for iOS and Android which can remotely control the device.

While all those features are nice, what makes this camera special is its ability to record in 4K Ultra HD images (3840 x 2160 pixels) and fit in the palm of your hand with a price tag of $2,000 come this March. As Sony CEO Kaz Hirai joked, the motto for the Handycam is “4K for 2K.” After the jump, our video preview awaits you.

Sony QX100 and QX10 Comparison (video)

Sony_QX10_QX100While not new for CES 2014, Sony was in full promotion mode of their attachable smartphone camera lenses which include the Cyber-shot QX100 and QX10. While the two lenses offer many similar functionalities, like being able to sync to an iOS or Android device and act as an improved lens with local storage and battery, there are certainly differences between the two models. While tech specs certainly differ between the two models, size is another varying factor. After the jump, we compare the QX100 to the QX10 and help give you a better sense of the attachable lens sizes.

New Firmware for Sony QX10 & QX100 to Bring Full HD Video Capture and Improved ISO

Sony DSC-QX10 iPhone

Come this January, Sony will be releasing a new firmware update for the Sony QX10 and QX100 attachable external lenses for iOS and Android smartphones. The new firmware update will bring with it a host of improvements which include a higher ISO for better shots in the dark. Video fans will also be happy to note that both lenses will get the ability to record full HD video (1o80p) versus the current 720p. After the jump, lets talk details.