Cameras and Camcorders

We Unbox the Sony E-mount 18-200mm Lens (SEL18200)

Prior to CES, I begin the week long ritual of checking and playing with equipment needed to capture the show. This can include basic things such as adapters or fairly expensive additions like new lenses. For the past few years, I’ve captured CES using an NEX-5N with a 18-55mm lens. What I’ve liked about the lens is how lightweight it is, complementing the NEX line. Still, I’ve been missing out some necessary shots due to a lack of zoom on the lens. Arguably, the best all around lenses in the market are 18-200 which allow for close up shots, be it video or photo while giving you a considerable boost when need to capture something from a distance.

With that mindset, I purchased the Sony SEL18200 E-mount lens to help capture CES in a new way. Make no mistake, the lens weighs considerably more and it’s a far larger piece to take around. Yet with built-in image stabilization and zoom that doesn’t sacrifice close-up shots, this new E-mount lens might be the difference between missing a moment and capturing it all.

You can check out our unboxing in the video above and we’ll have a more in depth take on the lens post-CES.

Quick Footage From the Sony Action Cam Mini

Shot on the @sony Action Cam Mini #NerfWar #POV #GunCam

A video posted by Sohrab O. (@sonyrumors) on

 


 

Those of you who follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram already know that we purchased a Sony Action Mini late last week for reviewing purposes. For those unfamiliar, the Sony Action Cam line is Sony’s take on the MP4 camera which is heavily dominated by GoPro. The Action Cam Mini, as the name suggests, is a smaller version of MP4 which still manages to offer 1080p 60fps recording in a form factor that’s 30% smaller. Having had a chance to attend NerfWar, TurfWar here in LA, I figured the opportunity was too good to pass up to turn my Nerf gun into a FPS POV experience with the Action Cam Mini. The above footage is just a small sample I’d posted online which has been compressed. I’ll have more thoughts to share on the Action Cam Mini in the coming days. For the curious, a few more photos await you after the jump.

Sony’s Q2 Performance – Winners and Losers (Updated)

Sony Building Sign

Sony made a loss of $785 in the past quarter, despite a 7.2% jump in revenue on the same period in 2013. The Mobile division reported a loss of $1.58 billion. From those figures, it’s clear that other divisions paid for Mobile’s loss. One division in particular has come out most profitable, and it wasn’t the PS4-making Game business.

All of Sony’s key businesses performed well, turning a profit in the last quarter, Pictures being an exception, but Mobile was the real black hole where profit should have been. As the rhetoric goes, the PS4’s sales saved Sony in the last quarter.

Other mobile giants have been suffering too, notably Samsung’s quarterly profit dipped 49% in the last quarter. That’s one point the media beating on Sony which isn’t being reported as loudly. Clearly, whatever is going on in Sony’s Mobile division, isn’t exclusive to Sony. Sony’s mobile sales took a plunge – but the culprit wasn’t just the Chinese market, there was a bigger surprise.

How well are the other businesses doing and what’s going on in Sony’s Mobile house?

Sony Action Cam Mini Highlighted In a New Video Overview

If you’re ready for 5 minutes of awkwardness action, then the above video from Sony SGNL is for you. Taking you through the Sony Action Cam Mini which was announced yesterday, Sony showcases and shows off what makes this compact MP4 special. Highlights from the video include:

 It’s big but it’s not big?

We shrank him.

Everyone is going crazy over it.

It’s an industry standard for us anyways. Of course you know Sony digital imaging right? We are the makers of true camera. 

In all seriousness though, if you want to see truly how compact the Action Cam Mini is and learn a thing or two about the camera, then you’d be well served from the video. For those looking for a bit more in depth coverage, you can read all about the Action Cam Mini, including specs, price, and availability by ready our IFA 2014 coverage.

Officially Meet the Sony QX1 and QX30

Sony_QX1_QX30 Leaked prior to IFA, the Sony QX1 and QX30 have officially been unveiled. As we’d previously reported, the QX30 will be compatible iOS and Android devices and offer 30x optical zoom. The QX1 on the other hand allows you to connect any E-mount lens that’s typically found on NEX cameras to your mobile device of choice while utilizing the QX1’s 20.1-megapixel APS-C sensor. More details after the jump.

Meet the Sony Action Cam Mini, 1080p Recording in a 30% Smaller Body

Sony_Action_Cam_Mini_1

Taking a shot across the bow of GoPro, Sony has announced the Action Cam Mini. Taking everything you’ve known about their mountable MP4 cameras, the Sony Action Cam Mini packs all that in a smaller housing that’s two-thirds the size of previous models. To sweeten the pot further, the Action Cam Mini will be compatible with all previous accessories. After the jump, we have more details.

Sony QX1 (E-mount) Smartphone Lens Price & Availability Revealed

Sony_QX1

Later today, Sony should be unveiling the QX30 and QX1. While the former is more in line with previous QX models aside from an improved 30x optical zoom, the latter is an entirely different beast. Unlike the QX30, the QX1 is a 20.1-megapixel attachable E-mount smartphone lens with sensor adaptor so to speak, which allows you to connect any E-mount lens to your favorite iOS and Android smartphone/tablet. Thanks to Sony’s website, we’ve now been able to learn a little more.

Sony QX30 Attachable Smartphone Lens With 30X Optical Zoom Pics Get Leaked

Sony_DSC_QX30_07

If there was any doubt in your mind that Sony would be announcing the QX30, an attachable lens with 30X optical zoom for your smartphone then let them rest. As you can see from the above photo, the QX30 like its predecessor will once again clip to your iOS and Android smartphone to allow for superior pictures. While we don’t have have specs to reveal about the QX30 besides the 30x optical zoom, Sony for the most part has kept the design the same. Like previous models, the QX30 will latch on to your device and features manual controls for zoom and shutter. The QX30 also a separate battery and microSD card slot to help offset the burden that would otherwise be placed on your device.

After the jump, we have more details and lots more pictures to share with you.

Sony ILCE-QX1 Attachable Smartphone Lens With E-Mount Gets Leaked

 Sony ILCE-QX1

Over a year ago, Sony released the QX10 and QX100 attachable smartphone lenses. Compatible with iOS and Android devices, the mountable lenses would allow you to improve photos taken on your device by utilizing into their higher megapixel sensor and zoom lens. We already believe that Sony will announce the QX30 tomorrow at IFA 2014 with 30X optical zoom but now even a juicer product has leaked, the Sony ILCE-QX1 attachable smartphone lens with an E-mount lens.

Sony FDR-AX100 4K Handycam Camcorder Specs

Sony_AX100_4K_Front

Earlier this week, we revealed a new price point for the Sony AX100 4K Handycam that makes the powerful consumer camcorder more affordable than ever. With that post, we received a lot of feedback from the community, specifically on what helps power the AX100 and technical specs questions like the specific resolutions it’s capable of recording. Best part of it all is that according to Sony, a machine running with Windows XP SP3 is capable of interacting with the AX100 though I have a hard time believing a Windows XP machine can handle 1080p 60fps footage, let alone 4K. With that, after the jump, you can find the full Sony AX100 specs.

Sony Lowers Price On Their Already Well-Priced AX100 4K Camcorder

Sony FDR-AX100 4K Handycam

One of the big reveals at CES 2014 was the Sony FDR-AX100 Handycam that empowered consumers to record in 4K. Sony famously dubbed it ‘4K for 2K,’ referring to its surprisingly low price tag of $2,000. As a recap, some specs for the AX100 include:

  • 4K : 3840×2160/30P, 24P; XAVC-S HD : 1920×1080/60P, 30P, 24P
  • 1″ Exmor R CMOS senso
  • 14-Megapixel resolution video and 20-Megapixel still image capture
  • Versatile shooting w/ XAVC S2, AVCHD and MP4 codecs
  • Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar * lens w/ 12x optical zoom
  • Multi-interface Accessory Shoe for system accessories
  • BIONZ X Processor enables high Speed rec 120fps
  • Optical SteadyShot Image Stabilization w/ Active Mode
  • Large 3.5″ XtraFine LCD (921K) and High contrast OLED EVF
  • Simple connectivity to smartphones via Wi-Fi/NFC
  • 2ch LPCM for XAVC-S2 & 5.1ch AC3 for AVCHD

In short, for 4K enthusiasts, the camera offers a lot of bang for the buck. Now Sony is dropping the price of the camera and making it even more affordable.

6 Sony Products Win ‘Best’ at EISA 2014 Awards

Xperia Z2 Tablet Water

The European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) is the largest editorial multimedia organization in Europe, and this year they 6 Sony products were top of the class in their categories to win outright.

Last year Sony won 5 ‘best’ awards, including for the best tablet of the year award. This year the Xperia Z2 Tablet collected the same award, proving in a young category of product innovation, tablets, that Sony has got all the ideas right.

 So slim, so classy, so slick – the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is undoubtedly an EISA winner. 

Sony has given a secret to why their products succeed, read on to know what it is (and the other winners!)

Sony Alpha 5100 Overview

Sony Alpha  5100

Choosing not to wait for IFA 2014, which is set to take place in early September, Sony has debuted a new mirrorless camera with some great specs at a price we can all get in on. The Sony Alpha 5100, here to replace the NEX-5T, is quite the familiar product. Some noteworthy specs the Alpha 5100 offers include a 24.3-megapixel APS-C Exmor CMOS sensor with BIONZ X processor with a hybrid focusing system that can find your subject matter in just 0.07 seconds. In fact, these are the same features that can be found in the Sony Alpha 6000, which is a far more expensive counterpart. However all is not the same between the two units as Sony taken some features of the Alpha 6000 away while also adding some worthy features that the A6000 lacks.

Sony QX30 Smartphone Lens with 30X Zoom On the Way?

Sony_QX100

During IFA 2013, Sony introduced the first main stream attachable smartphone lens. The QX10 and QX100 allows iOS and Android users to latch on an attachable lens to their smartphone (or tablet) and gain a higher megapixel camera with a larger sensor. With Sony taking the stage on Wednesday, September 3rd at the 2014 IFA, it’s believed that the company will once again unveil another set of QX lenses with a very worth improvement.

Sony Announces New Action Cam (HDR-AS20) with 16.8-Megapixel Sensor & 1080/60p Recording

Sony_Action_Cam_HDR_AS20

Without much warning or leaks, Sony has announced a new Action Cam (HDR-AS20) to join the company’s growing line of mountable cameras. The Action Cam AS20 provides many features of its predecessors like 170-degree wide-angle views, SteadyShot image stabilization, Zeiss Tessar lens, and Wi-Fi. The latter feature allows you to connect to Sony’s own Live-View (Remote RM-LVR1), which can be purchased separately, or to the free iOS/Android app. So what’s changed? Let’s talk details.