Sony Releases High-Speed a57 TLM Camera
Tackling the market for faster frames per second, Sony's new α57 is a contender in the mid-range market with 12fps (when using a telezoom mode that drops resolution to 8.4-megapixels). Like its predecessor, the α55, this sibling has a 16.1-megapixel CMOS sensor and a 15-point cross-type autofocusing system. The α57 uses Sony's translucent mirror technology...
Sony Releases Full Line of Superzoom Compact Cameras
With the new H-series, Sony has released a lineup of five new consumer-level, superzoom compact cameras — all of which feature image stabilization and HD video. At entry level, the H90 model houses a 16.1-megapixel sensor, 16x optical zoom lens and 720p HD video capabilities. The HX30V and HX200V models each feature an ultra-thin 20x optical lens and 18.2-megapixel resolution. Additionally, the HX30V comes with WiFi capabilities...
Sony, Canon, Nikon Facilities Recovering from Thai Floods
Monsoon rain and flooding last October in Thailand caused significant losses for Nikon, Canon and Sony manufacturing plants in the region. According to the Bangkok Post, the industrial park where Sony resides suffered $1 million in damages. Floodwaters there took nearly a month to recede. Sony's plant, which produces CCS and...
NEX-5N: Sony’s Skinniest, Fastest Interchangeable-Lens Camera
Slimmed down to just 23.3 millimeters at its thinnest point, Sony’s α NEX-5N interchangeable-lens camera (ILC) may look odd with a giant lens strapped on its front, but it’s not meager in its speed or power.
Housed in a rugged, light magnesium alloy body, the 5N has an intuitive touch-screen interface and a shutter release time lag of approximately 20 milliseconds, the quickest ILC camera to date.
The camera’s Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor has 16.1-megapixel resolution and...
Sony’s NEX-7: An “All-in-One” Interchangeable-Lens Hybrid
Although traditionally a consumer-level camera, Sony’s NEX line of cameras has recently been outfitted with interchangeable lenses, giving it a step up in the compact camera empire.
The α NEX-7 camera has a 24.3-megapixel resolution Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor (just like Sony’s SLR alpha line), an ISO range of 100-16000 and full HD 60p video capture.
Also as with traditional SLRs, Sony has focused on reducing shutter lag time with the NEX-7...
Sony Transposes Translucent Mirrors to High-End SLRs
With three successful translucent mirror-equipped cameras already on the market, Sony has infused this new technology to two of its higher-end alpha models — the SLT-A77 (α77) and SLT-A65 (α65).
Both units, which are capable of 24.3-megapixel resolution, house an inaugural XGA OLED Tru-Finder viewfinder that, unlike optical viewfinders, allows users to preview the effects of adjusting exposure, white balance and...
Sony Expects Third Consecutive Annual Loss
In the wake of the 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan in March, Sony has projected that it wall end the year with a $3.2 billion dollars of loss. Sony had nine plants that either were damaged or experienced shutdowns as a result of the Japan quake.
This is the second time the consumer electronics-company has taken a drastic hit...
Post-Quake Production Resumes for Hobbled Japanese Camera Makers
With Japan producing 14 percent of the world’s electronics and manufacturing equipment, the shock waves from the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and ongoing nuclear crisis are still being felt two months later in the photography industry.
Camera front-runners such as Canon, Nikon and Sony had dozens of plants based near the earthquake epicenter in northern Japan...
Sony Creates Cyber-Shot HX with Longer Zoom, Less Blur
Adding the DSC-HX100V and DSC-HX9V models to its Cyber-Shot line, Sony has created two new compact cameras with 16.2-megapixel resolution, full HD 1080p recording and increased zoom functions.
The lenses (and resulting zoom range) differ between the two cameras. The HX100V houses a 27mm Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonar T lens with a 30x optical zoom, while the HX9V offers a 24mm Sony G lens with nearly half (16x) the optical zoom. Both lenses have been outfitted with optical steady shot technology, which uses a three-way shake cancellation for crisper images...
Sony Debuts Translucent Mirror, Adds Six Cameras, Lenses to Alpha Series
Sony has engineered a series of new Alpha SLR cameras with translucent mirror technology, enabling simultaneous autofocusing and image capturing.
With this new technology, SLT-A55V and SLT-A33 models can capture images during autofocus mode at a rate of 10 frames per second (Alpha 55) or 7 frames per second (Alpha 33).
When the shutter is released, light travels through the lens and then simultaneously hits both the CMOS image sensor and the...