Alpha 900 launch: Press Conference Part 1
By Shirley Kilpatrick – transcribed from recording made during the conference in Edinburgh.
(This is a close transcript of speeches delivered by Sony execs, with photos).
Category: Cameras (Digital)
A900 and Raw Photo Processor
This post has been removed at Sony’s request, due to the use of pictures taken with a prototype 16-35mm not authorised for release.
– DK
Firmware v4 for Alpha 700 – high ISO NR ‘OFF’
Sony has released – without announcement – a new firmware version for the Alpha 700 which includes an OFF function for high ISO. This is presumed to be in advance of tomorrow’s press conference, where the Alpha 900 will be revealed. Journalists could be expected to ask questions about the NR, and the lack of firmware upgrades to the Alpha 700, and they have acted just in time for this launch and photokina to remedy the situation. Article with image samples and download links:
MS Duo Pro catches up in speed
Sony press release:
Paris, 4 September 2008 – As the world moves on, files get bigger. From high-megapixel compact cameras to the latest Sony α Digital SLR with its 5 frames per second continuous shooting capability, the pressure is on for flash memory. High Definition camcorders are tightening the screw even further, so Sony Recording Media & Energy (RME) has created a solution in the form of the Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo™ HX.
Nikon D90 – 4.5fps, HD video, 12 megapixels CMOS
Nikon has introduced some of the technologies we might expect to see from Sony, apparently using the IMX021 sensor (the pixel count on the long edge is 4288, rather than 4272 as normally processed from a Sony Alpha 700 file, but this is within the usual limits of different raw conversions). The D90 is an A700-class camera for £699 but includes Live View with face detection contrast-detect focusing, 720p HD movie recording up to 5 minutes, 4.5fps continuous shooting, ISO to 3200 (6400 HI), and Auto Distortion Correction when fitted with current Nikon lenses.
Canon EOS 50D faces up to Live View
Canon has today officially announced the 15.5 megapixel APS-C EOS 50D. This is a 1.6X factor sensor, packing a density well in excess of the Alpha 350 – if Sony was to make an Alpha with the same pixel density it would be 17.5 megapixels, and a full framer would be 38.5 megapixels.
Alpha 900 – finder and frames
It’s not going to be long before we see the Alpha 900, and some cameras are known to be out there on trial in the hands of Sony staff and pre-release testers. I am not one, so rest assured, this is not a leak! What can you expect from the Alpha 900’s full-frame prism finder?
(Note: this post was written in early August – it is now 100% certain that the finder is 100%, and at 0.74X magnification will be – as had been hinted – the largest of all current DSLR finders in apparent visual terms except the EOS 1Ds Mk III which is 0.76X. Comparisons: EOS 5D 0.68X, Nikon D3 0.70X).
Photokina – a look back, and forward
At the end of September 2006, I set off for a quick visit to photokina in Cologne, having parted company with Icon’s am-pro magazine ƒ2 and not really needing to report on the whole show in detail. Here’s the report I wrote then, with photos, and some thoughts for the 2008 show. Continue reading »
Calumet London Sony ACE centre
Calumet has announced that its Wardour Street, Soho, London store is now a Sony Alpha Centre of Excellence:
http://ebm.cheetahmail.com/c/tag/tBImAnOBSZ4PaB7SFuqB8eZtgdl/doc.html
New ‘micro 4/3rds’ system unveiled
Received this morning from Olympus PR:
Tokyo, 5 August 2008 – Olympus Imaging Corporation (Olympus Imaging) and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic) today announced joint development of technologies and devices for the “Micro Four Thirds System standard”.
Continue reading »