Cameras and Camcorders

How Face Registration Works on the Sony a6300

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 14, 2016 | 0 comments

A longtime part of Sony’s camera legacy, face detection brings with it the ability for the camera to focus on faces and prioritize them over anything else in the photo/video. Taking that feature one step further is Face Registration on the mirrorless E-mount Sony a6300, with which you can teach the camera up to eight faces. With this feature enabled, the camera not only focus on faces, but prioritizes those it’s learned, perfect for large group photography and videography where different people can come and go in your shot.

As someone who regularly attends different cons and events, being able to have the camera know my face or Allegra’s would make a huge difference in ensuring our videos are always in focus. This is especially true at CES where herds of people come and go with little care to what others are doing around them. But it’s not hard to imagine this being a killer feature for many professionals, like wedding videographers.

After the jump, an in-depth video from Gary Fong showing off the feature that’s frankly part magic.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Utilizing Sony Image Sensor

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 11, 2016 | 2 comments

Lots of companies use Sony image sensors. Apple has since iPhone 4S. Nikon and Pentax use them. Now you can add Samsung to the mix as well.

Our lab staff have removed the imaging chip from the 12 MP camera module and have found a Sony back-illuminated (Exmor R) CMOS image sensor

This is a big win for Sony as I’m sure Samsung will do good, if not decent numbers with the Galaxy S7.

Sony hasn’t publicly announced the IMX260, but based on what we’ve been reading, we assume that is the part number. It’s a bit of a surprise that the IMX260 isn’t an Exmor RS sensor, as we’ve been documenting a lot of Sony design wins based on its 1st and 2nd generation Exmor RS technology. It seems the full chip PDAF functionality, which requires dual readout from each pixel, was implemented with a multi-chip solution rather than a stacked (CIS + ISP) solution.

The Sony IMX260 die size, as measured from the die seals, is 6.69 mm x 5.55 mm (37.1 mm2). There are no conventional die identification markings in use on the die, consistent with back-illuminated (stacked/non-stacked) Sony CIS chips. We confirmed a pixel pitch of 1.4 µm and a Bayer-patterned color filter array.

Some more deep-diving tech details after the jump.

10 Things We Never Knew About Sony Lenses

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 10, 2016 | 4 comments

Sony has been doing the rounds the past few weeks in order to promote their newly-announced G Master Lenses while also giving us insight as to where they see photography going. While Canon and Nikon continue to be darlings in the photography circles, it’s more due to old habits that die hard and less because of any advantage they hold over Sony. In fact, when it comes to mirrorless, Sony has been the leader for the past four years.

Rod Lawton writes:

Sony flew journalists from across Europe to its Amsterdam HQ to see and try its new G Master lenses. It was a chance for Sony engineers to explain what they were trying to achieve with these new designs, and for journalists to try them out, get some pictures and get some technical insights straight from the people who made them.

Highlights from his experience with Sony lenses after the jump.

Sony Comments on Convergence of Photography and Videography

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 9, 2016 | 5 comments

Over the past few days, we’ve provided you with snippets of what Sony thinks is the future of photography and specifics like why the A6300 lacks sensor stabilization. Now we have the full comments of Senior Manager of Product Planning at Sony, Yutaka Iwatsuki, on the convergence of photography and videography which Apple officially kicked off with the iPhone 6s and its Live Photos feature.

His full comments after the jump.

Why the Sony A6300 Doesn’t Offer Sensor Stabilization

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 8, 2016 | 0 comments

Yutaka Iwatsuki, Senior Manager of Product Planning at Sony, has been quite chatty about where Sony hopes to take their Alpha line. While the A6300 has been nearly universally well received, fans have been left scratching their heads as to why the new E-mount camera lacks sensor stabilization. When asked about it, Iwatsuki said:

Our challenge for the APS-C series is compact and offer a lot of technology like auto focus point or 425 UHD video, in a very compact package. Compactness is an important and currently integrate a mechanical stabilization system would make it much larger enclosure.

We’ll obviously never know how much bigger the A6300 would have been with the feature but at least we now have an answer as to why the feature is lacking.

Official: Sony Cybershot HX80 With 30X Optical Zoom Announced

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 7, 2016 | 0 comments

Leaked just last month, Edgar Alvarez writes for Engadget about the official unveiling of the Sony Cybershot HX80, which offers:

30x optical zoom lens and a built-in, retractable OLED electronic viewfinder. Featuring similar looks as its RX100 relative, it also comes with a 18.2-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, 5-axis image stabilization, 1080p video recording and a 3-inch (921,000-dot) LCD screen. There’s WiFi and NFC too, for transferring media to iOS and Android devices via the PlayMemories app.

More after the jump.

2016 Sony Cameras “Will be More Impressive Than 2015,” Will Not Give Up A-Mount

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 4, 2016 | 2 comments

Senior Manager of Product Planning at Sony, Yutaka Iwatsuki, talking about the future of photography.

Still and Video world will continue to get closer. And Sony will continue to improve dynamic range and High ISO performance.

And he’s definitely right on that. I’m not sure if there is a point where the two will simply converge but after having used Live Photos for the past 6 months, I can’t imagine capturing pictures any other way. On the subject of touchscreen:

It’s yet not Sony’s priority to add touch screen. Sony wants to improve other “areas” first.

I find this a little baffling, seeing how you can pretty much stick a touchscreen on anything at minimum cost these days. The layering for it has gotten so thin and inexpensive that I can’t help but think the problem isn’t hardware related and instead software. After all, for years we saw terrible Android devices with slapped touchscreen functionality as Android was never developed with touch in mind. Only after Apple unveiled iPhone did Google go back to the drawing board and incorporate it into it.

Same goes for Sony’s Alpha line, which includes a menu system that’s designed to be navigated with via buttons. Simply slapping a layer of touchscreen will only hurt the overall experience at the expense of some short term gains. However, I hope Sony is working aggressively on this front.

More after the jump.

Sony A- to E-Mount Adapters – Making the Right Choice

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 1, 2016 | 0 comments

One of the great things about Sony’s Alpha lineup is the ever growing number of lenses and the versatility that’s allowed. Because of adaptors, Sony Alpha owners can not only use Sony’s own A-Mount and E-Mount lenses, but also lenses from Canon and Nikon. However, even when sticking to Sony, it can get a bit confusing to differentiate between the two different lens types and which adaptors (LA-EA4, LA-EA3) might be best.

Luckily, Mark Galer, a creative community for Sony Alpha owners, has another great video which helps explain the difference between the two adaptors which might be best for you. That video is after the jump.

Sony Xperia Eye, a Lifelog Camera, Revealed

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 22, 2016 | 0 comments

The big thing at Sony these days is concept products that are designed to gauge consumer interest prior to any official commitment. The Sony Xperia Eye is one such product. Daniel Cooper writes the Xperia Eye is:

a wide-angle lens camera that you can hang from your neck and looks pretty much like Autographer’s life-logging camera. Unlike its rivals, however, the Eye is packing Sony’s fancy image sensors and a 360-degree spherical lens. Sony is promising that it’ll be smart enough to know when to take a shot (from your voice and other people’s facial expressions) so you don’t have to think about using it

Everybody is Using Sony Image Sensors, Including the New Pentax K-1 Full-frame DSLR

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 18, 2016 | 1 comment

Five years ago, you would have been considered insane if you thought Sony would today be dominating the image sensors industry that’s found in traditional DSLR cameras, as well as mirrorless and mobile like the iPhone.

The Pentax K-1 uses the Sony A7r 36MP sensor (with ISO that goes up to 204800)

The K-1 uses a 5 axis stabilization. But unlike Sony Pentax uses it also for two additional features: High res mode and Astrotracing!

Specifically, the K-1 is using the Sony 36.4MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor which can be found in the Sony a7R. This important for two reasons – number one being that while Sony has dominated the pro-consumer industry for some time, we’re now starting to see them turn their attention more towards professionals (evident with their G Master Lens lineup). In turn, the industry is recognizing and embracing Sony sensors in their own cameras. While the immediate impact to Sony’s bottom line is obvious, making money from image sensors sold, the long term implications are even more rewarding which is reason number two. As Sony is able to produce more and more chips on far larger scales, the cost of each sensor manufactured will fall. This not only means that the image sensors they sell to their competitors are more profitable, but so are the cameras that Sony makes and sells.

The Difference Between a Sony G Master Lens and a Zeiss Lens

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 17, 2016 | 0 comments

On the heels of their 20 year partnership with Zeiss, Sony unveiled their own G Master Lens, aimed squarely at professional photographers. These new lenses are noteworthy not only because they boast some impressive specs, but because they’re fully built by Sony. The release of these lenses and honoring of Zeiss is no coincidence and make no mistake, the future of Sony’s lenses ambitions will be fully realized internally.

By bringing lens production in house, Sony will be able to innovate how they see fit and better control their release date. This doesn’t mean the partnership between the two companies will come to an end tomorrow – but it does mean that we’ll see more and more lenses popping up directly from Sony over the next few years. However don’t expect entry level lenses with the G Master branding quite yet, seeing how Sony cannot achieve economies of scale it needs to bring the prices low enough.

So what the heck is the difference between a G Master Lens and a Zeiss lens? The above image from a Sony presentation explains. In short

the G Master lenses aim for high resolution and a perfect bokeh while the Sony/Zeiss lenses focus on resolution and contrast.

Sony a7R II 4K Video – Daytime Japan

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 16, 2016 | 0 comments

Just yesterday, we talked about how the Sony a7R II was able to win the camera of the year award. One key reason has been its sheer technical specs that’s dazzling photographers and videographers, like its ability to record 4K video. From Sony:

You can see how the α7R II is optimized for recording 4K (QFHD: 3,840 x 2,160) movies, particularly in Super 35 mm format, as it processes readout data from every pixel without pixel binning, to effectively suppress jaggies and more. The resulting footage exhibits visibly sharper, finer, more subtle detail than typical 4K movies. Also, as the first full-frame camera that can record movies at 4K resolution in the 35 mm full-frame format, the α7R II extends your power to express qualities of vision that the newly developed, back-illuminated full-frame image sensor makes possible.

We’ve already seen what the a7R II can with 4K video at night. After the jump, some daytime shots of 4K video.

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX80 Specs Leak?

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 16, 2016 | 0 comments

Looks like we can expect a new Sony Cybershot DSC-HX80 soon. The compact line has been known for a series of innovations lately including exemplary zoom and 1-inch sensors. Now, specs for the HX80 have leaked and it’s looking great. As always, treat these leaks with a grain of salt until confirmed.

Zeiss ultra wide angle lens and 30x optical zoom
OLED EVF
5 axis image stablization
10 pics/sec recording
180° hinged screen for selfie lovers

More details, including potential price and release date after the jump. Pictured above is the HX90V which the HX80 will likely take form after.

Sony A7R II Wins Camera of the Year, Called “Remarkable Both on Paper and in Practice”

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 15, 2016 | 0 comments

The photography monster that is known as the Sony a7R II is a camera with a back-illuminated 35mm full-frame CMOS image sensor with 42.4 megapixels that’s capable of recording 4K video. It’s been out for nearly 6 months and the camera is already becoming a darling and received the highest ever score from DPreview. Now you can add Photography Blog to the list of of reviewers who has been blown away by what the camera can offer.

The Sony A7R II is a remarkable camera, both on paper and in practice. Offering a mouth-watering list of desirable features, the A7R II delivers on almost all of its promises…

After the jump, why the Sony a7R II has been crowned their camera of the year.

Sony Talks About Innovation Behind G Master Lens

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 15, 2016 | 0 comments

At the beginning of the month Sony debuted their G Master Lens series, which consists of three new E-mount lenses:

24-70 f/2.8 zoom
85mm f/1.4 prime
70-200 f/2.8 zoom

While Sony has been focusing on capturing the pro-consumer crowd, these lenses instead are aimed to attract professional photographers. Neal Manowitz, Vice President of Digital Imaging at Sony Electronics:

The new G Master brand represents the finest and most impressive group of lenses that Sony has ever brought to market.

After the jump, Sony breaks down their three newest lenses and the innovation that’s packed into them in a video spot.