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All posts tagged "minolta"


Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Sony Announces NEX-C3, SLT-A35 and E-mount 30mm f/3.5 Macro

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 11:18 AM

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1106/1...exc3preview.asp

"Sony has added the NEX-C3 to its range of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. The C3 features the same 16.2MP seen in the SLT A35, again promising improved battery life. The latest model is directly aimed at offering a compact-camera-like experience to users looking to upgrade to a large-sensor camera."

Sony has announced its latest NEX camera, the NEX-C3, which is even smaller than the NEX-3 and NEX-5 before it. I am not sure if such an aggressive reduction in size is needed, since the NEX cameras have to use fairly large zoom lenses to cover the APS-C sensor. The NEX-C3 now also comes with a 16 megapixel sensor, while retaining most of the features found in the NEX-3, including 720p videos and a 3" VGA LCD (which can flip up and down). The NEX-C3 will be available in August for about US$650 with the 18-55/3.5-5.6 kit, or US$600 with the 16/2.8 pancake.

To go with the NEX-C3 announcement, the 30mm f/3.5 Macro lens for E-mount was also introduced. This gives a 45mm focal length equivalent macro lens, which seems a bit short, even for a normal macro lens. I guess it is good for food bloggers? The lens will be available for US$250 in October. Hmm, sounds a bit too cheap for a macro lens.

Also introduced is the SLT-A35, the follow-up to the SLT-A33. It features a 16 megapixel sensor, but as far as I can tell, it is pretty much similar to the A33. It does have a nifty new feature that allows 7 FPS at 8.4 megapixels via a 1.4x crop, making an overall crop of 2.1 compared to 35mm film. Not too different from what the D2X did way back, and can be quite useful when shooting sports with a shorter telephoto lens. The camera also does 1080i video at 60 FPS. The SLT-A35 will be available in August for US$600, or $700 with the 18-55/3.5-5.6 kit lens. Photo of the SLT-A35 after the break.

More Coverage

DPReview.com NEX-C3 Preview

DPReview.com SLT-A35 Preview

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Thursday, January 20, 2011

More Glass for Less: A Simple Guide to Inexpensive Lenses

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 08:00 AM

As more people get into photography as a hobby, a common refrain heard is that it is an expensive hobby. It is not without some truth, as hobbies by their nature can involve spending large outlays of money since it is human nature to delve deeper into our interests, and hobbies that involve any kind of gear will have many opportunities for the hobbyist to spend their hard-earned money on. Not helping is today's world of marketing departments' promises of being better at what you do if you buy their companies' products or services.

Even if you ignore the messages from marketing, you still need some basic gear to take a photo, like a lens, and lenses can be very very expensive. Lenses can range from the popular f/2.8 zooms (as much as US$2,000+) to the super telephoto lenses (too much). Thankfully, there are cheap options out there, some good, some downright awful. So what does a budget (and budding) photographer buy? Well, here's a short roundup of some lenses that can be considered to be not too expensive.

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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Things I Want to See in 2011

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Articles & Resources" @ 08:00 AM

Welcome to 2011! The last decade was a breath-taking one for digital photography, and the last few years have brought about a torrent of changes and improvements, along with the digital revolution settling down somewhat. Still, a new year brings new possibilities, and here is what I would like to see for 2011:

1. Open Platform Camera

One reason for the popularity of cameras in smartphones is the software you can add to it. Want different effects? Download an app to process them on the phone. Want to see said effects in real-time? Download an app to replace the default camera app. Want an intervalometer? Download an app for that too!

Having an open platform for developers to add functionality to the camera would be an amazing selling point. This would go beyond consumer-level gee-whiz; there is plenty for for enthusiasts too. Change button assignments, tone curves (this has existed but not always the easiest to do), even autofocus and auto exposure behaviour for the adventerous. There is also something to be said for spending less time in image editors...

Of course this would kill some manufacturers' unique selling points. Olympus and their Art Filters will probably be the first casualty. Coupled with most camera companies being conservative in nature, this is unlikely to happen from a traditional manufacturer. Anyone out there willing to take a chance on this?

2. Truly Connected Cameras

Tying in with the above point on open platforms, connectivity is the next big thing. Most of us share our photos digitally nowadays, and the Internet is the main way to do this. Standalone cameras still rely heavily on having a computer to do this. Smartphone cameras are showing the way this should be done, so where are the connected cameras? The Olympus E-PL2's bluetooth dongle (a leaked piece of news at this time of writing) is a step forward, and hopefully will set the tone for the rest of the year.

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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Sony A390 Given Quick Review by Digital Photography Review; Lame Duck Confirmed

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 05:00 PM

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydslra390/

"The A390 is essentially an A380 with some subtle ergonomic changes, specifically a new, more substantial grip, and a reshaped top plate. As a relatively minor upgrade, the A390 was never going to warrant a full, in-depth review, but we're curious to see what Sony has changed in its latest midrange DSLR. When we reviewed the A380, one of our main criticisms of the camera's handling was Sony's change from the bulbous, almost oversized grip of the A350 to the more minimal, somewhat sharp lines of its predecessor. Has Sony taken a welcome step back in the right direction?"

So, dpreview.com takes a very quick look at the Sony A390, which in many ways is a very minor update of the A380. Ignoring the mirrorless competition, the A390's output looks dated. The output looks worse than the Nikon D3000 in some areas, and that camera is using a sensor that is some 4 to 5 years old. Newer cameras like the Nikon D5000 and the cheaper Pentax K-x easily best it. It makes me wonder where a big company like Sony is taking the Alpha system to; loyal Minolta users deserve better!


Thursday, July 8, 2010

Nikon Ranked First in Japan Sales for Interchangeable Lens Cameras for 1H 2010

Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home News" @ 12:00 AM

http://nikonrumors.com/2010/07/08/nikon-1.aspx

BCNRanking, which ranks Japanese product sales, has published their January to June 2010 results for interchangeable lens cameras. Nikon ranks as number 1.

In addition, just about every other company has managed to increase their share of sales volume at Canon's expense except for Sony. No wonder they were in a hurry to bring out the NEX cameras.


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