Sony introduces innovative mirrorless camera

By Kang Seung-woo

Sony Korea introduced a mirrorless digital camera, the a9, Thursday. The new model features many impressive capabilities and may become a game changer in the professional full-frame camera market.

Its unique features include high-speed, blackout-free continuous shooting of 20 frames per second with autofocus and auto-exposure tracking and a maximum shutter speed of up to 1/32,000 second.

"This camera breaks through many barriers and limitations of today's professional digital cameras," Kikuo Okura, president of Sony Korea's consumer product division, told a press conference in Seoul.

"The a9 will usher in a new era of mirrorless digital cameras and change the rules of the full-frame camera market."

Especially for the photographer who requires fast burst shooting, the a9 offers a customized functionality on its unique focusing system ― an incredible 693 phase detection autofocus points.

"Covering approximately 93 percent of the frame , the focusing system ensures that even fasting moving subjects are reliably captured and tracked across the frame," a Sony Korea official said.

In addition, the new camera comes with a vibration free, fully electronic, completely silent anti-distortion shutter with no mechanical mirror or shutter noise. The company said that such characteristics will make it a powerful photographic tool for any shooting situation that demands quiet operation, such as sports events and artistic performances.

"Those features enable photographers to take pictures of golf or archery, in which other cameras could not due to shutter noise," said the Sony official.

Sony said that the new product adopts its full-frame stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor, which is the first of its kind ever. It enables the camera to process data up to 20 times faster than previous Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras.

The a9 is capable of full-time 4K video recording across the full width of the full-frame im age sensor and its battery has twice the capacity of its previous one.

The a9 is scheduled to go on sale on Monday for 5.19 million won ($4,600).

Source: Sony introduces innovative mirrorless camera

Sony prospers in professional camera market

With latest mirrorless model.

The 2017 Sony Alpha Awards marked the launch of Sony's most technologically advanced camera to date – the Sony a9 full-frame mirrorless E-mount camera, now available for an RRP of $6,999. Sony senior product specialist for digital imaging, Sean Ellwood, described the a9 as "a first in its class".

"For a long time we have had digital cameras but this is the first time we have had a fully electronic camera. We have been improving and honing these mechanisms, including the mirror, the shutter and over time, we have made huge advances in black out time, motion prediction for auto focus, and our view finder has become bigger, brighter, wider and more accurate.

"With the a9, we are able to step past the limitations and not worry about black out at all and it's the combination of the completely new CMOS sensor – the first full frame sensor of its kind and the new, updated processor," he said.

The headline feature of the a9 is the ability to capture 20fps (full-resolution, 20 megapixels).

Sony senior product specialist for digital imaging, Sean Ellwood

"It can do that without any blackout of the viewfinder and this is key for a camera that is focused on fast, action photography – being able to see what's happening in front of the camera is central to framing the shot and capturing the moment," Ellwood said. "On top of that, the camera is able to sample auto focus and auto exposure from that same image sensor that captures the picture 60 times per second. With the a9, we are able to have reliable, continuous auto focus."

"4D focus is something we have talked about in our previous models and requires a combination of speed, accuracy and coverage. The a9 is unique in full frame cameras, in having 93% frame coverage. Not only can you have complete confidence in the focus, but also it will focus all the way out to the edges. It gives users freedom in the way they frame their shots, decisions made about how to capture an image that you can't get with a camera where the focus points are all locked into the centre of the frame.

"The shutter is completely electronic which means nothing moves inside the camera when you take a picture. It is not just a silent shutter, there is no physical shutter there and that opens a whole range of possibilities to photographers.

"Some other features include the addition of the AF button, a joystick that allows you to always manually control the auto focus point, a new viewfinder that is higher resolution and refreshes faster, an improved dual media card slot for peace of mind, magnesium-alloy body, and more than double the battery life of its predecessors, which addresses a major concern of professional photographers."

Addressing attendees of the evening, Sony head of digital imaging, Vivek Handoo (pictured below) said, "If you look at the total camera industry, it is no hidden fact that smartphones are making a dent in the imaging industry. However, it is important to understand that there are people who want to capture images in the best possible way and that is where Sony and our product comes in.

"The industry is on a slight decline but we as a brand have been growing by introducing new products and new technologies. The a9 brings great sensitivity, great resolution and great speed".

Source: Sony prospers in professional camera market

Just announced: Samyang AF 35mm f/2.8 FE (full frame autofocus mirrorless lens for Sony E-mount)

Samyang announced a new AF 35mm f/2.8 FE full frame autofocus mirrorless lens for Sony E-mount. This lens was first displayed at the 2017 P&I show in April. The US price of the new lens is $399, which is half price of the Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA lens.

Update: the lens is now available for pre-order.

Technical specifications, MTF charts and lens design (click for larger view):

Just a reminder that comparing MTF charts between different manufacturers is useless because they all use different ways of measuring and representing data. Additional information on the Samyang AF 35mm f/2.8 FE lens:

A tiny lens with a mighty performance, Samyang AF 35mm F2.8 FE is ideal for daily photography as well as travel photography. This new compact and lightweight lens, together with the existing AF 14mm F2.8 FE and AF 50mm F1.4 FE lenses, now expands Samyang's autofocus lens line-up to three.

The AF 35mm F2.8 FE weighs just 85g and measures 3.3cm in length, without the hood and rear cap. Thanks to Samyang's exceptional optical technology, its compact size is packed with features for outstanding image quality. Featuring seven elements in six groups, two aspherical lenses and one high refractive lens plus Ultra Multi Coating to minimise aberration and unnecessary light dispersion, the lens delivers high resolution from the centre to the corners of the image.

Perfect Partner for Everyday Photographers

This new lens is specifically designed to work in harmony with full frame mirrorless cameras in Sony E mount. For full frame sensors, the focal length resembles the human eye the most. For APS-C types for Sony alpha 6000 and 5000 series users the lens is equivalent to approximately 52mm, which is also one of the most popular focal lengths among photographers.

Portability with mighty performance and a 35mm focal length makes this lens the best choice for daily photographers who want to capture every memory as a high quality image. The autofocus is fast and accurate and is ideal for the capture of outdoor events such as hiking, sports events and landscape photography. It also has a minimum focusing distance of 0.35m and is ideal for street, portrait and close focus photography.

Sample photos can be found here and here. The Samyang lens catalog can be downloaded here.

Source: Just announced: Samyang AF 35mm f/2.8 FE (full frame autofocus mirrorless lens for Sony E-mount)

Sony takes aim at professional market with its powerful new a9 camera

The Sony A9 full-frame camera is designed to capture fast-moving subjects.

SONY is the first to admit, when it comes to high-end cameras it was late to the party. But the company has arrived in a big way with its new a9 camera, which was released in Australia on Friday.

The Japanese brand is taking aim at industry heavyweights Canon and Nikon as it attempts to challenge its competitors' dominance among professional photographers.

To that end, the powerful mirrorless a9 camera boasts some impressive features including a revolutionary image sensor and high-speed processing, giving you the ability to shoot at 20 frames per second.

Technologically speaking, "this is something we haven't had in the previous line up. This camera is more for fast shooting because that was a space we were missing in," the head of Digital Imaging for Sony Australia and New Zealand, Vivek Handoo, told news.com.au.

In order to court professional photographers into its ecosystem, Sony believes it needs to excel in three crucial areas: resolution, low light sensitivity and fast shooting environments.

Mr Handoo believes Sony was previously missing from the third category but the a9 represents the last piece of the puzzle for the company's high-end range.

"I do believe now there is no reason for a professional not to consider Sony as a brand of choice," he said.

To highlight this fact, Sony gave the camera to renowned Australian sports photographers who captured some pretty amazing shots with the device, which were on display at a launch event in Sydney on Thursday night.

I had a chance to get my hands on the camera at the event and it is certainly an impressive device which is a lot of fun to shoot with.

The rather compact camera boasts in-body image stabilisation, a shutter speed of up to 1/32,000 sec and is capable of full-frame 4K video capture.

The incredible 20 frames per second is enabled by a new 24-megapixel stacked CMOS Exmor RS sensor which means you can shoot at that super fast pace for up to 241 RAW full-frame photos in a row.

The stillness of the camera when operating at such a high output is quite remarkable, and it's easy to see why the a9 has had such positive reviews after being launched in the US market last month.

Sony's latest camera is designed to be perfect for shooting in high speed environments.Source:Supplied

With a focus on photography in fast moving environments, Mr Handoo likes the example of golf photography to point out where Sony has reached the front of the pack.

Not only does the 20 frames per second capability mean you can capture every phase of the swing, but thanks to the complete lack of shutter sound — another notable feature — the camera is able to be set-up so it doesn't disturb the athlete.

"With this camera you could stand next to him and continuously shooting and he wouldn't even know about it because it's got a silent shutter," Mr Handoo said. "This couldn't have been done before."

Given its target market, the a9 certainly doesn't come cheap. The body of the premium range camera will set you back $6,999.00 in Australia, and that's before you've even sprung for one of Sony's lenses.

The relatively compact body of the a9 is cheaper that many top dSLRs but will still set you back just under $7K.Source:Supplied

With the lower-end consumer market being slowly gobbled up by smartphone cameras, it makes sense for Sony to push harder into the professional space.

But the company realises that the consumer market is still an area where technological innovation can drive success.

"Mirrorless technology is pushing the boundaries now, what we're seeing now is it's not just about catching up with the dSLRs, it's going beyond that," Mr Handoo said.

"Compact is one area where I think the industry is going. More people want smaller bodies but get the same output as the bigger dSLRs."

You can find the complete list of specs for the newly released Sony a9 here.

Source: Sony takes aim at professional market with its powerful new a9 camera

Arsenal aims to give you the perfect camera shot using artificial intelligence

Arsenal aims to give you the perfect camera shot using artificial intelligence

There's a difference between having a DSLR camera and knowing how to effectively use it. It's even become difficult for the professionals to sometimes capture the best shot in an unfamiliar environment. Manually adjusting the camera is also time-consuming. However, now there's a new device called Arsenal, which is a new attachment for your DSLR or mirrorless camera that will help you take the best shot using artificial intelligence.

No matter what is the condition of the environment, light, temperature, this intelligent assistant for your DSLR will help you get the perfect shot every time. This ultra light device comes with a compatible app for iOS and Android device to let you control your camera with your smartphone.

Missing the perfect shot? Never again!

Activating Arsenal's AI assistant setting is just a matter of a single tap. Trained on thousands of great photos, its AI assistant can visualize the optimal settings for the scene you're about to shoot. Using 18 different environmental factors, it then fine tunes those settings and provides you perfect settings for any shot.

Go wireless and control your camera with your smartphone

With the help of its compatible app, you can now control your camera with your smartphone from up to 100 feet away. Just take your phone and adjust the shutter speed, aperture and ISO, preview the shot and finally trigger the shutter from your smartphone. Also, instead of reviewing images from your camera's tiny screen, you can now review it on your smartphone and share it on social media.

Tricky light? Not a problem anymore

Arsenal makes it easier for you to capture scenes with High Dynamic Range (HDR) by automating advanced photo stacking techniques. It lets you take multiple exposures in seconds and merge them into a single RAW or JPG file on your camera without any post production.

Focus sharp

Arsenal lets you capture your entire scene in sharp focus with the help of focus stacking. It first measures the optimal number of exposures, then puts them at various focus positions, and finally unites them into a single crystal clear image.

No need of expensive neutral density filters

If you're planning to buy some expensive neutral density filters for your camera, avoid it. Arsenal helps you capture images with rich color and dramatic motion blurs.

Outstanding Timelapses

There will be fewer photographers who don't like time lapses. Ryan Stout, the creator of Arsenal and his team claim to design the best time-lapse interface. All you have to do just adjust the parameters, and then ask this intelligent assistant to synthesize the exposure in changing the light for a smooth day-to-night transition. It will do the rest of the work. You can then leave your camera working and come back in the middle of the process and make some adjustment.

Supports popular DSLRs

Dozens of popular DSLR and mirrorless camera brands such as Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Fuji are supported by Arsenal. This device connects to your camera via USB and you can control it from your smartphone.

Backed by Artificial Intelligence

To create this AI device, Stout taught a number of convolutional neural networks (or CNNs) to analyze images. This is the same algorithm used in self-driving cars. To train basic feature recognition for his neural sets, he drew on a number of public datasets, and then fed Arsenal with high-quality photos taken from Flickr to teach it what good camera settings look like.

The device is currently on Kickstarter where it has already raised $769,087 with 19 days remaining in the campaign. If you want to get one for yourself you can pre-order one now for $150 as a Kickstarter exclusive. It's time to see if the mainstream camera companies consider this tech worthy.

Source: Arsenal aims to give you the perfect camera shot using artificial intelligence

Extended Spring Roll Camera Jacket launches for mirrorless cameras

Japanese company Extended has launched a new protective case for select cameras, the Extended Spring Roll Camera Jacket. This case is compatible with the Leica M series, Leica Q, Fuji X-Pro series, and other similarly-sized cameras. As the product's name suggests, the Spring Roll protects cameras by wrapping around them; two small snap clasps are used to keep the case closed.

According to the company's website, Spring Roll measures 155mm x 290mm when open; the lens cover has a 70mm diameter and a 55mm length. Extended Photographic recently launched the Spring Roll Camera Jacket on its website, where it is priced at ¥12,800 / $110 USD with shipping to the US being an additional ¥2,000 / $18.

Via: LeicaRumors

Source: Extended Spring Roll Camera Jacket launches for mirrorless cameras

New CIPA April shipment report: System camera sales going up compared to 2016!

CIPA released the April data and the trend is confirmed: The camera market is doing better than the previous year. While the compact camera market is on par with the previous year the system camera market is doing much better than 2016.

And if you look into the details of the data you can spot how the mirrorless market seems to be the real reason for the growth! DSLR shipment went down 10% while mirrorless shipments were nearly twice as much compared to April 2016!!!

Source: New CIPA April shipment report: System camera sales going up compared to 2016!