Author: David Kilpatrick

Professional photographer and journalist, founder and editor of magazines PHOTOpro, Photon, Freelance Photographer, f2 and Cameracraft. For 25 years director of the Minolta Club. Fellow of the BIPP and Hon. Fellow of the MPA.

DxO plug-in offers Alpha-NEX HDR/multishot simulation

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DxO Labs today announced that a DxO HDR plug-in for DxO Optics Pro 6.5 will be released in November. The new DxO HDR plug-in will enable photographers to merge several RAW shots effortlessly to either capture a greater dynamic range in the scene or to reduce noise beyond the camera’s sensor capability.
DxO was already known to be working with Sony, and offers in-camera firmware programs. This Plug-In closely mimics the multishot HDR, Twilight or High ISO noise reducing modes of the NEX-3, NEX-5, Alpha 33 and Alpha 55. It may be related and perhaps we will see it one day as part of Sony’s raw conversion software suite.
High quality HDR to capture a greater dynamic range from multiple RAW shots
Even with high-end digital cameras, the sensor dynamic range limits make the capture of extremely contrasted scenes difficult for photographers who wish to keep both highlight details and opened shadows in their pictures. With the new DxO HDR plug-in for DxO Optics Pro, photographers can overcome this limitation by merging bracketed RAW images into a single image file capable of handling a wider dynamic range than a regular RAW image. Specially designed multi-shot HDR Presets will let photographers render this new image effortlessly with a broad range of intents from the most natural looking image to extreme creative styles.
DxO Optics Pro’s best of breed RAW conversion and optics correction, ensures optimal image quality. “The DxO HDR plug-in also provides automatic image alignment, needed to compensate for camera motion when shooting hand-held, and ghost removal, needed to account for moving objects within the scene.” said Cyrille de La Chesnais, Director Sales & Marketing for DxO Labs’ Photography business. “Photographers can even decide which instance of the moving object they want to keep in the final image.”
Noise reduction beyond sensor capability, from multiple RAW shots: in situations such as handheld telephoto or low light where low shutter speed is not an option, taking a burst of RAW images at the same exposure and merging them together with the DxO HDR plug-in proves to be an extremely powerful way to reduce noise beyond the sensor’s intrinsic capability.
“DxO Optics Pro’s best of breed noise removal applied on a merged photo, whose noise has already been significantly reduced by the virtue of merging photos, produces an image of outstanding quality,” said La Chesnais.
Availability and pricing
DxO HDR plug-in for DxO Optics Pro 6.5 for Windows and Mac is scheduled for release late November 2010 from DxO Labs’ e-store. Final pricing is not available.
System Requirements
2 GB RAM minimum
400 MB available disk space
To process RAW images larger than 20 MPixels, a 64-bit operating system with 4 GB RAM is strongly recommended
Windows :
Intel Pentium 4 processor or AMD equivalent (Pentium Dual Core or higher or equivalent recommended)
Microsoft Windows XP 32 or 64 bits, Windows Vista 32 or 64 bits, Windows 7 32 or 64 bits
Macintosh:
Intel-Mac
Mac OS X.5 or X.6

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News, Software Reviews

NEX firmware upgrades released

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Sony has released the firmware upgrades which were promised at photokina for the NEX models NEX-5 and NEX-3, and the Alpha mount lens adaptor LA-EA1.

Photoclubalpha readers in Europe can download the firmware upgrade from:
http://support.sony-europe.com/hub/hub.html
Autofocus is now supported when using the NEX-5/NEX-3 with 14 lenses from the full range of A-mount optics by Sony and Carl Zeiss that includes telephotos, primes and zooms. Aperture settings can be maintained during HD movie recording, and system menu operation has been streamlined alongside other usability improvements. Registered NEX-5/NEX-3 owners will be advised of the free update via email.
Autofocus with A-mount lenses
Single-shot autofocus is supported with 14 optional A-mount SAM and SSM lens models3 when used with the optional LA-EA1 Mount Adaptor. Single-shot AF is also possible while in movie recording mode by pressing the shutter button halfway down. Support for AF operation with A-mount lenses also requires a separate firmware upgrade for the LA-EA1.
Aperture priority with video recording
HD video can be shot while maintaining constant aperture, either in A (aperture priority) mode or in iAuto mode with background defocus activated. This aids the simple creation of beautiful background defocus effects during movie recording.
Soft key settings
It’s possible to customise functions of two of the three soft keys on the camera’s rear panel. Functions that can be assigned include Shooting Mode, Shooting Tips, Precision Digital Zoom, ISO, White Balance, Metering Mode, Flash Compensation, DRO, Auto HDR, Creative Style, MF Assist and AF Area.
Menu start
When ‘Menu’ is selected, there’s now the option to display either the main menu screen or the last parameter set. This simplifies quick readjustment of recently-selected functions and settings.
MF Assist
An enlarged image portion can be displayed on screen with user-selectable duration while in MF (Manual Focus) Assist mode. MF Assist operation has also been improved. The previously-chosen magnified image portion can now be maintained when MF Assist is re-selected, making repeated checks of fine focus quicker and more convenient.
System requirements
PC: Windows XP SP3 (64-bit and Starter editions not supported); Windows Vista SP2 (Starter edition not supported); Windows 7
Macintosh: OS X Ver.10.5 or later
All platforms: Hard disk space: min. 200MB / RAM: min. 512MB.
Upgrade requires USB cable connection between computer and NEX-5/NEX-3.
Autofocus function is supported with these A-mount lenses:
SAM lenses
• DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM [SAL1855]
• 28-75mm F2.8 SAM [SAL2875],
• DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM [SAL55200-2]
• DT 30mm F2.8 Macro SAM [SAL30M28]
• DT 35mm F1.8 SAM [SAL35F18]
• DT 50mm F1.8 SAM [SAL50F18]
• 85mm F2.8 SAM [SAL85F28]
SSM lenses
• Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM [SAL1635Z]
• Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM [SAL2470Z]
• Distagon T* 24mm F2 ZA SSM [SAL24F20Z]
• 70-200mm F2.8 G [SAL70200G]
• 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G SSM [SAL70300G]
• 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM [SAL70400G]
• 300mm F2.8 G [SAL300F28G]
AF support also requires firmware upgrade for optional LA-EA1 Lens Mount Adaptor.
With an A-mount lens attached to NEX-5/NEX-3, autofocus takes approximately 2 to 7 seconds based on Sony measurement standards. Actual AF time with A-mount lens may vary depending on the subject and shooting conditions.

3
News, NEX System

Sony Photokina Press conference video – in full

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We filmed the entire Sony press conference at photokina. It is split into three sections about 7 minutes each. During filming using the NEX-5, the camera at one point started to show an overheat warning. At this point I should have moved the articulated screen away from the camera body, but did not want to interrupt a very important moment – the announcement of the A7xx. And that’s when it cut out, taking maybe 10-15 seconds for me to move the rear screen, wait a moment, and restart.
Here are the videos. They are all at 720p quality and uses the internal mic, not the add-on mic, as I was ‘travelling light’ for this conference.
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3


1
Cameras (DSLR), HD Video, News, NEX System

NEX firmware update details in full

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Please see this page for details of NEX full-frame compatibility: http://www.photoclubalpha.com/2012/08/19/should-nex-go-full-frame/. Further information updated August 19th 2012: Paul Genge left Sony UK on Friday August 18th 2012, after many years with Minolta, Konica Minolta and Sony in turn. He is setting up his own website company.
———————————————————————————————
At photokina 2010, Paul Genge of Sony UK was able to show me his NEX-5 with the new firmware v3 installed, but not to provide any copy of the firmware or update my own NEX-5.
Once installed, the firmware provides new Custom Menu assignment options.
Button B (Soft Key B) which is the lowermost button, can be assigned a function from the following list:

  • Shoot Mode
  • Shoot Tips (the existing default)
  • Precision Digital Zoom (teleconverter)
  • ISO setting
  • White Balance
  • Metering Mode
  • Flash Compensation
  • DRO/HDR
  • Creative Style
  • MF Assist

Button or Soft Key C (the centre conroller button) has three Custom Memory registers. After reprogramming the button, you can then access three different new functions using the surrounding controller.
You can set the Memory registers to a selection of three of the following:

  • AF Area
  • ISO Setting
  • White Balance
  • Metering mode
  • Flash Compensation
  • DRO/HDR
  • Creative Style

or nothing (you do no have to assign a function to all three Custom Memory registers).
Therefore, in addition to the existing direct control of exposure compensation from the main controller, the Centre and Bottom buttons can between be assigned four rapidly accessed different vital functions.
For Aperture priority video, the procedure could not be simpler; just set Aperture Priority mode, select the aperture, press the Viedo button and you get that aperture.
Autofocus is enabled with SSM and SAM lenses. When the new A700-series model appears, Paul confirmed that it will look quite different from the mock-up shown at PMA and again at photokina. All the clues I can get indicate that it does indeed use the same basic internal system as the A33/55, and will have an EVF. But Paul said this camera will include such high specification features that current A700 owners will be amazed.
Two more comments he made are worth relaying. Asked whether there would be no further development of the full-frame range, Paul said they intended to complete the A3/5/7 developments and would then turn their attention to new full frame, including an Alpha 900 replacement with features yet to be decided. He pointed to the new 500mm f/4 G SSM, shown in bare metal and with paint on, as evidence of their intentions. Also, it was possible to create a full frame NEX, using the same mount and the A-mount adaptor, but never the same lenses as the APS-C NEX. The mount had been designed to allow this and it might one day happen, in which case full-frame adapted Leica lenses (and so on) would be even more useful.
The new standard zoom lens (16-80mm replacement) could be SAM not SSM. Paul pointed to the ring on the front of the mockup (gold ring – a bit of a Tamron-type clue?) and suggested that this could mean the SAM motor.
The Sony stand showcased many examples of converters (especially the high quality products from Novoflex and Voigtlander) and showed many ‘alien’ lenses from new to old fitted to NEX bodies. In the meantime, Carl Zeiss filled their stand with Sony bodies ro demonstrate CZ lenses – their own stand staff were using NEX-5 (on guy had a 35mm Biogon fitted) and for demonstration, both A55 and A900 were fitted with the new 24mm f/2 CZ, NEX was fitted with 16-80mm, A900 with 135mm f/1.8 – and many more combinations.
Wherever I went, the NEX was in evidence, perhaps more amongst members of the trade and dealer staff than amongst the photographer visitors who (as at all trade shows) lumbered around with Canons and 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses.
– David Kilpatrick

3
Cameras (DSLR), Lenses - Alpha Mount, News, NEX System

Sony affirms NEX future – and SLT path for Alpha

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Sony today announced upgrades and a road map which will keep NEX E-system adopters more than happy – especially those who have added NEX to their Alpha outfit. Diehard Alpha purists will be less delighted.
At the photokina press conference, a two-year rollout of additional NEX lenses was announced including a fast Carl Zeiss wide-angle, a premium quality G-series standard zoom, a macro lens, a portrait lens, a wide-angle zoom, and a prime telephoto.
Firmware upgrades for NEX-3 and NEX-5 to enable Aperture presetting for video, and AF operation of SAM and SSM Alpha mount lenses with the Sony adaptor, were promised for October with a similar upgrade for the NEX VG-10 in November. The NEX 3 and 5 upgrades will allow assignable functions for the buttons, including direct access to ISO setting or HDR (amongst other choices).
Sony went out of their way – as on their stand – to highlight the explosion of 3rd party adaptors making almost every lens in existence usable with the NEX body’s 18mm register. They announced they were already working with partners to enable production of NEX adaptors and even NEX compatible lenses, but could not reveal anything yet. The opening up of the system to 3rd party makers would, said Toru Katsumoto, help revive photography itself.
With NEX now accounting for half of all mirrorless/compact interchangeable lens sector sales, they were confident of its future.
The bad news, for many, will be that the Alpha 700 replacement – optimistically shown with a vertical grip, 500mm f/4 G SSM lens and a new flash – will have a fixed Translucent mirror just like the A33 and A55. Paul Genge of Sony UK confirmed to us after the presentation that it will not have a flip-up mode to allow shooting without this extra sheet of glass in place.
As tests of the A33 and A55 have shown clearly, the Translucent mirror creates visible bright-edge ghosting or secondary imaging in the vertical direction. For many users, this will be a no-go option; they will look at the Pentax K-5 and the Nikon D7000 and see a ‘pure’ optical path from lens to sensor (although we all know the cover glass assembly of the sensor removes this possibility).
Perhaps the real A700 of tomorrow will be the Sigma SD-1 – the 1.5X factor, beautifully designed, 15 megapixel (true!) Foveon machine claimed as ever to match a much larger real pixel count – 48 megapixels. Well, Sigma need not make such claims. 15 megapixels is enough. It was enough with Bayer pixels. 15 real Foven RGB coincident location pixels will be one amazing camera.
Today was a wonderful day. Summer temperatures. Everyone was sitting round outside in the open spaces at photokina and it was like a big barbecue party with all the wurst-stalls grilling away. The sunniest photokina we’ve ever been to. And there is an amazing level of optimism here about trade and the market. We had a recession – unless someone screws it up, we are in for a boom again. There is so much fantastic stuff coming and China is both the market and the innovator in so many ways.
– D&SK, reporting from outside the Restauration K A Pütz Brauhaus, with 2nd small Kölsch
Additional notes: I filmed the entire conference on my NEX-5, which overheated losing 1 minute midway (pull out the LCD assembly and have the screen away from the body – this stops it overheating so fast, my mistake). But I need my big iMac and fast broadband to edit this and put up several YouTube sections, I can not do so from photokina pressroom or hotel wifi. It will be posted next week.
The image shown of the A7XX (the ‘Advanced Alpha’) is the same mag-alloy body (strap lugs give this away) ‘750’ that was seen at PMA, it’s actually like a slightly rounded Pentax K-5 in size and heft from the description and screen views. Because it will use Translucent mirror technology, you must not assume outright that this means no optical finder. It may use the semi-silvered mirror at 45 degrees, and have a new AF method, quite unlike the A33/A55 – and it could have a really good glass prism finder. But the mirror, like the old Canon Pellix and RT models, would be fixed. We simply do not know but the shape and size indicates it’s not necessarily an SLT in the A33/55 mould. I could devise an AF detector capable of reading from a focus screen (just as the human eye does). Anyone with basic optronics/optics knowledge can see that there are many potential ways to achieve AF, and they do not preclude fitting an optical focusing screen. There are also ways of achieving superior on-sensor contrast detection AF. – DK

4
Cameras (DSLR), DK's ramblings, News, NEX System

Battle lines drawn at photokina

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Samsung and Sony are set for a battle royal over the next couple of years. At photokina, Samsung’s Monday 20th press conference made great store of ‘all our own work’ – that everything in the NX100 was sourced within Samsung. From the floor, a question far cheekier than I would have dared ask – ‘Are you working on making low noise sensors?’ – from Samsung, a deadpan reply that they were, indeed, working on lower noise sensors.
The NX100 is superficially a great concept, but the design based on ‘a dewdrop forming on a leaf’ has been seen before (it slips out the hand as easily as a dewdrop from a leaf) and is based on the idea that today’s rear-screen composers use two hands to hold the camera. Well, I have news for Samsung; they don’t. They generally use one. Even I do. So having aperture control from the focus ring of the lens, like an old-fashioned compact or rangefinder leaf-shutter model, is not a winner when your left hand is not actually going to be anywhere near the camera.
At the Pentax stand, marketing chief for the UK Marilyn Dixon proudly showed the K-5. I will admit, this is the camera Sony should have been showing. “We must tell you straight away that this camera uses a Sony sensor”, she said. “Sony make very good sensors”. What of Samsung? She was not sure if they were still selling any K-mount cameras. Pentax might never have used a Samsung sensor, ever, from the impression gained. They were using Sony sensors and Sony were the best.
Samsung previewed a line of rollout lenses from 2010 to 2012 for the NX100. The last phase included an 18-200mm and a 16mm f/2.8 pancake – they were going to match Sony blow for blow, and add half a dozen of the lenses which Sony NEX adopters most wanted. And they said they would issue a firmware update for the NX10 to allow it to use the new i-Fn (assignable function to the focus ring) lenes. But they had little care whether NX10 or NX100 were fully cross compatible with the glass in their owners’ hands now and to follow. Clearly the NX10 is a past episode; the NX100 is the real thing.
What a contrast at Pentax! No plans for an EVIL future. But – did you know that every Pentax lens with an ultrasonic motor also has a screw drive? And every screw drive body can also operate those lenses, and every new body can operate both types?
We have yet to visit Sony, but there is nothing new – A33, A55, A560, A580. There is nothing with the magnesium body, weather seals, superb glass prism, workable contrast-detect AF, and lovely compact but chunky size of the K-5. It has been left to Nikon (D7000, based on D90) and Pentax to be the first to exploit the new Sony 16 megapixel sensor in a semiprofessional body.
And Panasonic – they were great, inviting us on to an empty half-finished stand to see the latest stuff. Including a 14mm f/2.5 pancake looking so much like the NEX 16mm!
Samsung said that this year’s 1.4 million mirrorless camera sales would rise to over 15 million and eclipse DSLR sales by 2015. Maybe they are right. They also say they will be the leader. Who knows?
– David Kilpatrick

6
Cameras (DSLR), DK's ramblings, News, NEX System

Worldwide demand delays Alpha 560 launch

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According to Don Long writing for the Photo Marketing Association Newsline, Sony San Diego claims that the reason for the delay in the Alpha 560 rollout is worldwide demand, stretching the capacity of the Sony factories to the limit.
See:
PMA Story
Remember, right at the start when Sony took over from Konica Minolta, Photoworld and Photoclubalpha reported the new staff as saying that Sony did not expect to sell two, or even threee times, the Minolta historic figures. They would sell ten times the quantity that Minolta had ever sold. It seems the view expressed by UK Sony executives in 2006 was realistic; Sony is an entirely different scale of operation.
But maybe they still have some of the same facilities that Konica Minolta bequeathed to them, and maybe those are simply not capable of turning out certain types of camera body in the required quantity fast enough.
The Alpha 33 and 55 have been given priority and only the 16-megapixel Alpha 580 will appear this year. What chance, at photokina, of an Alpha 700 successor to match the Nikon D7000 now announced with its 6fps 16 megapixel sensor and HD movie capability?
Olympus has now scotched rumours they were pulling out of the DSLR market with the E-5, a FourThirds successor skipping the unlucky number E-4 – but unless the performance pulls something out of the hat way beyond the specifications (12.3 megapixel and 720p HD movie, basically a 2008 spec) they might as well have dropped the ball.
And Samsung, with the NX100, has rather neatly chosen to show Sony what the NEX could have been. They have had the clever idea that since the focusing ring only instructs the camera to operate the focus motor, it can equally well be told to control the aperture instead when a button on the body is pressed. This simple i-Lens function restores in one step an almost instinctive photographic left-hand action we have almost forgotten.
It proves that there are engineers out there over 40 years old, too…
– DK

2
Cameras (DSLR), News

NEX-5 live sound

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I’ve been using the NEX-5 with accessory mic – and sometimes, by forgetting to bring it, without. Today we had the Ripon City Morris side in town, and I was taking still shots using the Nikon D3X with the new Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G lens. The NEX was grabbed as an afterthought for video.
Well, the wind noise with the built-in mics was just too much; most of my ‘footage’ ended up on the cutting room floor. After I’d got the portraits and other shots I need for the Nikon test, I nipped back to the studio and got a 4.5m high Manfrotto lighting stand fitted with a ball head. The NEX got its accessory stereo mic (set to 90° coverage) and the 16mm lens, and despite the wind level, was hoisted aloft for the last couple of dances in the square. The 30 minutes recording time really helps. My framing was not perfect, so two of the video clips were cropped down from the original 1080p, in iMovie. It is an instant process, just select the clip, select the crop tool and trim.
Despite very definite winds blowing around the pole-mounted camera and mic, there were no wind noise issues at all. So: for outdoor shooting, the accessory mic is essential.

Here is a video made the week before, entirely using the ECM-SST1 microphone, which has no wind noise at all – see this post: ECM-SST1 microphone handheld clips.
– DK

0
Accessories - Minolta/Sony, HD Video, NEX System

Adobe ACR6.2/LR3.2 Lens Profile – Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/1.4G

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I have been using the new Nikkor AF-s 85mm f/1.4G lens, arrived yesterday. I have produced both raw and JPEG profiles for the lens on the D3X – these can also be used on the D3, D3S and D700 (profiles tend to be fairly portable between bodies, if done on the highest resolution option).

Download link:

http://www.dphotoexpert.com/Resources/NikkorAFS85mmprofiles.zip

Submitted to Adobe. This profile was made at 4m distance, and maps the lens at f/1.4, f/2.8, f/5.6 and f/11.

Very little correction is applied as the lens is already very good, but there is a small adjustment to distortion and vignetting, and some cleaning up of visible CA. It is still a good idea to enable de-fringe as well.

– DK

0
software, Uncategorized

Sigma lens incompatibility with A33 and A55

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Edited from Sigma Japan’s announcement:
Sigma’s lenses for Sony mount may have a potential aperture operation problem when used with the Sony α33 and α55 Interchangeable Lens digital cameras.
To overcome this issue, we will be offering, free of charge, a modification service to our customers who have purchased a Sony α33 and α55 and own Sigma lenses for Sony mount. This phenomenon will only occur with Sony α33 and α55 cameras. Future production of Sigma lenses will be fully compatible with these cameras.
We deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused to our customers.
Phenomenon
When shooting with a Sony α33 and α55 cameras, the aperture may not work properly and a “camera error” message will be displayed on the camera.
Lenses requiring the modification
All current Sigma’s lenses for Sony mount.
For lenses discontinued several years ago, a modification may not be available. For further details, please contact your nearest authorized Sigma Service Station.
Support for this issue
We will be offering a modification service for our current range of lenses free of charge. Please contact your nearest authorized Sigma Service Station.
World Network
Mark for compatible lenses
alpha33_alpha55
Future production of Sigma lenses will be compatible with these cameras. The above sticker will be put on the product box of compatible lenses.
For further information, please contact your nearest authorized Sigma Service Station.


Editor’s comment:
Depending on whether the aperture problem is entirely mechanical (the coupling) or also involves electronics, it would be fair to assume that problems with the A33/A55 may not be restricted to Sigma independent lenses, but may also apply to other makes, especially older lenses. Brands made by Sigma such as Quantaray are almost certain to be affected. We await Sony’s statement on compatibility with older lenses, including Minolta. Please note that the Alpha adaptor for the NEX E-mount provides normal aperture operation with Sigma lenses; how the A33/A55 mount differs we have yet to see.

0
Accessories - 3rd party, Lenses - Alpha Mount, News
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