The bad news is that anyone using the LR3.2 RC as a temporary free solution for getting full profile correction without investing in Photoshop CS5 will lose their freebie. But Lightroom is eminently affordable, and it can function as a raw conversion front-end for any earlier Photoshop or Elements version. On its own, it is a mere 10MB of program data fatter than Adobe Camera Raw as a plug-in and runs with great efficiency on modestly specified laptops (etc). It’s a lean, keenly priced solution which offers many further benefits as a DAM (Digital Asset Management) library such as keywording, copyright control, metadata editing, version stacking and multiple catalogues.

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/new.jsp

I am informed that support is included for the 16mm lens on NEX (profile) but I can’t tell whether it is the profile I supplied to Adobe Labs, or a new one, because my profile has remained unchanged on my system – same names, same modification date. And there’s no NEX-3 version which might be expected if they had created new profiles. So it looks as if it could be worth sending profiles into Adobe after creating them.

It’s fantastic news that Adobe has released ACR for the new Alpha 55 16 megapixel sensor before the cameras even hits the street – mine is on order, waiting! Not so great for Nikon users; no D3100 raw conversion in this release. But Canon users get the 60D (despite Adobe missing it out from their front page list). Adobe did this Sony friendly pre-release once before, for the Alpha 100, getting the conversion into place before the camera went on sale.

The bad news is that the Alpha 580 and 560 models are not in the list alongside the fixed mirror pellucid, transflective (anything but Translucent, please…) cameras.

The instruction manual for the Alpha 33 and 55:

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-documents.pl?mdl=SLT-A33&region_id=1

is already on-line and shows a March 2010 publication date, which means that Sony has had these new cameras in existence since the beginning of the year, certainly well before PMA when mockups were shown. It’s likely that Adobe’s Thomas Knoll has been using one from the first bug-free pre-production model onwards!

Now all we need is the revised lens series with SAM or SSM motors fitted into the 16-80mm CZ, 16-105mm Sony, 18-200mm and 18-250mm Sony; the 11-18mm wideangle replacement, the 75-300mm SAL replacement, and a few other goodies. Hopefully all Zeiss glass gets SSM where possible. That 16-80mm CZ is four years old now as a design. A tweak to the maximum aperture, or the zoom range, would revive interest.

- David Kilpatrick

480 width ad:

But now, thanks to the wonder of changing language, translucent is also going to have to mean transparent, or semi-transparent. Pellicle, semi-silvered, whatever term you wish to use.

Unfortunately, for this writer the misuse of the word translucent stands as one of the biggest schoolboy howlers ever imposed on the entire world by the ignorance of a corporation. It’s such a glaring error I can hardly bring myself to use the term – others, like Dave Etchells, have happily assimilated the new meaning into their technical lexicon. And as the video above shows, they’ve made it into a trademark, a permanent part of the future of this technology.

Wiki, and pretty well every dictionary ever published, disagree with Sony’s imaginative use of a word from which they have now removed its exact meaning:

Wikipedia: “Transparent materials are clear, while translucent ones cannot be seen through clearly.”

Merriam-Webster:

trans·lu·cent/transˈlo͞osnt/

Adjective: (of a substance) Allowing light, but not detailed images, to pass through; semitransparent.

(the semi bit of semitransparent cited here seems to mean semi-detailed, vaguely delineated – not slightly darker; otherwise the primary definition of the word is diluted).

There has been some heated argument on dPreview forums about this post of mine (my view is shared by many). No-one has made the point that words evolve to have useful exact meanings. Transparent and translucent are words which may once have shared a common poetic meaning in 18th century descriptive writing, but whose meanings were refined with the progress of science and technology. This process in the course of over 200 years resulted in a useful distinction between the meanings of transparent and translucent. Sony’s commercial misuse of the word Translucent is damaging to the English language and to the scientific and technical lexicon; it predisposes future confusion about the meaning of the words.

It is also a fait accompli; there is no turning back, since Sony’s corporate stance is much like that of Mrs Thatcher; no u-turns and never admit to be being wrong. They have also no doubt invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in the consultancy involved, and the registration of the term as a trademark, the creation of branding artwork.

They could have branded the mirror TransLumina® or, more usefully, just called it a transflecting mirror – transmitting-reflecting. That term is already used to describe the sort of mirrors used in ‘Big Brother’ with cameras behind them.

As to whether it’s a true pellicle mirror (a thin stretched film of vacuum coated Mylar or a similar polymer) no-one seems to be clear. It moves out of the way to allow sensor cleaning but could be relatively fragile. It certainly does not need to move to allow 10fps (Alpha 55) or 7fps (Alpha 33) continuous shooting. Sensor dust is often created within the camera by wear and tear on the shutter mechanism, so access for cleaning is essential and the mirror can not be designed to seal the sensor chamber. The Alpha models still have a shutter, that’s the next thing we shall see eliminated. That old rumour of the 15fps silent shooting Alpha DSLR seems to be more than a rumour; we are almost there.

For many users, the critical advantage of all four new Sony models will be HD Video with sensor-based in body image stabilisation. This will enable all kinds of lenses from macro to ultrawide or soft focus, manual adaptations and Minolta AF legacy glass to be used for video with confidence.

Welcome back the circular polariser, unlike mirrorless ILC cameras these new models will not allow the use of linear polarisers without AF efficiency reductions, but exposure should be unaffected as the sensor itself provides the metering with 1200 zones.

This will be one of the tests reviewers need to carry out on the new pellicle mirror Sony Alpha 33 and 55 models – to confront them with not only polarising filters, but conditions in which light is naturally polarised. How will they render sky gradations or reflections off water?

Two further Alpha models are being released, which are essentially updates for the 500/550 – the Alpha 580 which will hit the shops before the winter buying season, adding 16.2 megapixels and a 15-zone AF module, HD 1080p video and (non-video) Contrast Detect AF with all Alpha mount lenses. The 560 will not arrive until some time in 2011, using a 14.2 megapixel sensor.

Versatile features

More of a landmark than a benchmark, the inclusion of 10fps continuous shooting with active phase detect AF and 16.2 megapixel file size in the Alpha 55 is unprecedented and possibly unforeseen by competitors, in this class of sub-$1000 consumer DSLR (let’s continue to use the term, since they are clothed as DSLRs). The dual format card drive supports the 30Mb/s transfer rate of the latest Class 10 SDHC cards and Sony’s fastest MemoryStick Pro Duo generation. The HD video also has a reasonable 17mbps  bitrate.

The new technology has been well documented before the launch, but the fine detail of the new cameras is now clearer. The Alpha 55 is some markets will incorporate GPS geo-tagging for stills and videos (we wait to see whether raw files are tagged, and how accurate this is – the accessory Sony geo-tagging system available to date has only permitted JPEG tagging, and has not been accurate enough to know which street in a town the picture was taken in).

Rumours that the 33 and 55 bodies would be SSM/SAM only, with no internal focus drive, were unfounded as Sony states clearly that both are compatible with ‘the full range’ of over 30 Alpha lenses (indeed, the product shots of the 33 and 55 alone show the 18-200mm SAL DT lens fitted). The 55/33 1080i/60p (1080p in AVCHD camera archive format) video claims ‘smooth, precise’ phase detect auto focus during video shooting, but makes no reference to this being limited to in-lens motor lenses. Therefore we can assume it works with in-body AF drive lenses as well, and you just have to edit the soundtrack.

The new ISO 25,600 mode does not imply a radical sensor change as it is only available using Multi-Shot Noise Reduction, which requires a burst of 6 frames at the 10fps/7fps native maximum speed of the camera, and can not save raw files. The ISO range of the sensors is 100 to 12,800. Is this range quoted as absolute, or after accounting for the semi-silvered mirror light losses? If it’s the range before allowing for the mirror, then the 14.2 megapixel sensor of the Alpha 33 may be more like the Nikon 3100′s sensor than the NEX (ISO 200-12,800) is.

Thom Hogan has shown pixel dimensions and size data which support Nikon’s claim to have an entirely different sensor fab line of their own, compared to the A550/NEX sensor. But how about compared to the A33/560 sensor?

The 55′s new 16.2 megapixel CMOS will probably appear in the forthcoming Alpha 700 successor, which it is believed will form the main Sony exhibit at photokina (Cologne, September 21st-27th). Both models have a new 15-zone AF sensor with three cross sensors, but not f/2.8 sensors – all are designed to operate at f/5.6 virtual aperture. However, there is a hidden clue that the cross sensors may be f/3.5 capable, as the high-speed shooting modes with continuous AF set f/3.5 by default on any lens capable of this (if the lens is, say, only f/5.6 then the largest aperture is always set). Setting f/3.5 implies that this confers an advantage in focus sensitivity over f/5.6, f/4 or any other particular aperture – and that f/3.2, f/2.8 or wider would bring no benefit. That points to some of the sensors having an f/3.5 virtual aperture.

The new cameras are known as SLTs – Single Lens Translucent – instead of SLR. See my intro. Did they have no English speaking staff on their team? I’m sure there is a German word which describes their mirror correctly. I’d rather have the right German word than the wrong English one. Ah well, as the bloke leaning on the pub bar says, durchsprung vor technik…

Confusing aspects – Auto HDR is said to be available in P/A/S/M modes. I guess in M mode it must leave the aperture alone and change just the shutter speed. Regular bracketing is still limited to a disappointing 3 exposures at 0.7 EV intervals, maximum.

But you’ll love the direct D-Range button which gives access to D-Range and HDR options directly, and the direct Finder/Screen button which toggles between using the very high resolution EVF with its ‘virtual 1.1X’ 100% view of the subject – effective visual scale, larger than the Alpha 700 and larger than any previous Alpha digital model except the Alpha 900 and 850. That’s one of the benefits of the EVF, a relatively tiny display is viewed through a high magnification ocular and ends up with a ‘window’ on the world which beats the tiny tunnel vision of optical finders. Technically it is very similar to the last EVF produced by Konica Minolta on the Dimage A200, with the benefit of five years’ further development. It has the same 60Hz refresh rate and visually almost raster-free RGB.

Where the A550 and its earlier stablemates vary slightly around a viewfinder with an effective 0.50X scale (relative to a full frame 100% view using a 50mm lens), the A55 and A33 provide an effective 0.73X and that’s impressive. The ocular is set well back (remember the Konica Minolta A2, and the Sony Cybershot DSC R-1?) because it is a telescope design. This also gives it a very narrow range of possible eye positions, a common feature of EVFs. The eyepoint is close, and you must position your eye precisely.

The rear screen uses the same type of (Schott?) reinforced glass with (3M?) resin gel adhesive as Canon’s 7D – this totally seals to the LCD module itself eliminating air gaps, and improves contrast. It is a technology first seen in the 7D and becoming standard across the industry though the NEX has shown Sony to have the best implementation so far. It is scratch proof, by the way, and it can be cracked by impact like any other screen.

The tilt-swivel action is borrowed directly from the Nikon D5000. In fact, it’s so identical in articulation it even included the amazingly silly front facing mode where the screen is obscured by your tripod, hanging under the camera and preventing it from being placed on a flat surface for self-portraits or videos. But it has the same benefit as the Nikon, the screen can be flipped to face the camera and protected completely while you use the EVF.

Functions familiar from the NEX including Sweep Panorama and Sweep 3D Panorama are built-in and accessed from the main mode dial, which also provides physical settings for all the main modes. Depth of field preview is restored – with the usual button – because is can now actually work. It was always useless in real terms on optical viewfinder cameras, as the focusing screen never represented wide apertures correctly.

Now, with an EVF, for the first time ever an eye-level Alpha gives absolutely perfect and precise previewing of depth of field and bokeh effects whatever aperture you are working at – even at f/1.4, which was never possible and still isn’t with the A850 or A900 for that matter (which is why their Preview mode is useful).

You can also preview the exact image appearance. By pressing the AE lock button, the auto gain of the EVF or rear screen are turned off and replaced by an exposure-compensated view. So if you dial in -1 EV (using the adjacent dedicated button), and change the WB, and use a different picture style with more saturation and contrast just pressing AE-Lock will immediately preview your image with these adjustments applied. And you can enlarge in the usual two steps to check auto or manual focus.

The finder and screen also have a Nikon-style two axis spirit level (flight simulator horizon) display to help you get your horizontals straight and your verticals parallel. It can be activated on either, and does not have to appear on both simultaneously.

For movie makers, the binaural stereo microphones are a great move. Even on the NEX, the two small top aperture mics give excellent stereo. The 33/55 mics are placed either side of the ‘prism’ housing, rather like the ears on your head. This will give the stereo image created by these cameras a really natural quality. Natural, that is, to a pygmy marmoset monkey… but still, I will wager, the best stereo image of any DSLR/HybriD. And Sony provide a stereo 3.5mm mic jack socket, though without any manual control of gain levels.

I’m sure we will have to buy the A780 to get that. Click the picture above for a big version. Who says Sony does not have a range to match Nikon or Canon, whether or lenses or of cameras? From the left, the cameras show the current range before we even see the magnesium-bodied Alpha 700 replacement arrive. A900, A850, A580, A560, A55, A33, A390, A290.

- David Kilpatrick

Read Sony Press releases and full technical data:
Alpha 33 and 55 Press Release
Alpha 560 and 580 Press Release

Following the release of Adobe Camera Raw 6.1 and 6.2, the new ’2010 Process’ has replaced the ’2003 Process’ in conversions (you can select either option). The 2010 Process used with manual adjustment of the Noise Reduction controls can produce really exceptional ISO 6400 results.

This changes any previous conclusions about the usefulness of Alpha 550 high ISO settings, and indeed brings them into line with the results we have seen from NEX – which of course defaults to the 2010 process, and can not be processed using earlier Adobe Camera Raw versions.

Here is the old process, top, seen at a reduced scale of a 100% view at ISO 6400:

Click the Process 2003 image above to open the original 100% size screen shot.

Below is the new 2010 process, which is more than just a minor tweak – it’s an entirely different way of getting the data out of the raw file.

Click this image to see the Adobe Process 2010 result full size. All the settings were identical for these two conversions. The improvement is on such a level that ANY test reports on the Alpha 550 produced in 2009 using CS4 and Adobe Camera Raw 5.x are invalid.

The NR can be moderated to produce more detail on the 2010 process midtones at the expense of more visible grain (but it’s nothing like the 2003 pattern – it remains mainly a fine luminance pattern). I have used a setting which produced a clear comparison. Entirely different NR settings are actually better, with the two processes, but no matter how you adjust the ’2003′ version it never looks anything like as fine as the 2010 one.

Should dPreview and others update their RAW sample images because the old process was so badly matched to the .ARW format? Nothing like the same difference is made for example to Nikon raw files, 2010 is better, but 2003 didn’t mess up the higher ISOs in the way it always did for Minolta/Sony raws.

Please note that if you don’t want to get CS5, you can still get the benefit of this new conversion with Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.

- David Kilpatrick

http://www.photoclubalpha.com/DSLR-A550 (DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA) – RAW.lcp

Right click to download this 56Kb file which should be placed in the Lens Profiles/1.0/Sony folder of the directory on your computer which holds Adobe Lens Profiles.

This profile has been created at full aperture and f/8-f/11 depending on focal length, at 16mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 80mm focal lengths and involved 90 raw captures.

It is possible in ACR/Lightroom to use profiles which are not created on your own camera type. This profile can be applied to any APS-C Sony or Minolta camera using the 16-80mm lens; because the A550 is currently the highest resolution body, the CA data gathered is more accurate than would be possible using a lower resolution body but may need a saved adjustment in defaults. Individual lenses differ slightly and may also need adjustments.

I have checked the operation of the profile on files from A100, A700, A200, A380, A350 and A550 and it’s very effective in removing CA. Illumination is much improved at 80mm (notably). You may prefer to turn the geometric correction down to zero (off) when the angle of view matters more than perfect straight lines – and also, where people are in the shot near the edges at 16mm. The distortion of the lens is optimised to lessen ‘stretched faces’ at the ends and corners of the shot, applying the profile removes this slight barrel distortion and does not improve groups. It’s most useful for horizons, rooms, seascapes, and subjects where a good straight rendering is critical.

It has been suggest I should add a donation button for these profiles. By all means see our subscription page, there’s a downloadable PDF of the latest Photoworld magazine for $3. I could easily have zipped profiles and sold them in the same manner, but that is not why photoclubalpha is here; Adobe provide the software to do this free (OK, I know what the rest of their stuff cost me…) and profiles should be made public domain by creators.

- David Kilpatrick

This does not affect in any way the price you pay to B&H. We are happy to have been asked to join B&H’s Affiliate Program. Photoclubalpha.com attracted 249,395 unique visitors in the last year (17/08/2009-16/08/2010) with our busiest days bringing in over 4,500 visitors or over 12,000 page views.

Our thanks to all of you for your support, including B&H.

– David Kilpatrick

It also proved very competent with the Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 OS lens, the adaptor providing power for the OS which is fully functional, and also for auto exposure, leaving only manual magnified focusing to tackle. The OS Sigma has an internal motor for focusing on Alpha, not screw drive though it sounds and feels like it. It’s not HSM and almost certainly won’t be friends with any AF enabling update of the NEX/Lens Mount Adaptor firmware.

One lens I have obtained a coupled of sample of to experiment with, even if it means dismantling one. That is the Minolta Vectis 80-240mm f/4.5-5.6 APO, a miniature version of the 100-300mm APO made for 35mm, in the APS Vectis mount. This mount is all-electronic like the Vectis, but probably very different in the voltages required and the command protocol. But who knows? Maybe an AE adaptor with power for manual focus might be possible.

Using a Zenith 39mm (Leica type SLR) thread T-mount the Vectis 80-240mm nearly focused OK attached to the Leica adaptor of the NEX, but the bayonet was only just able to fit in a doctored T-mount and the combination with the NEX Leica screw adaptor was clearly a little too thick.

Using a Leica thread lens reversing ring (don’t ask, from my box of miscellaneous old rings and things – 49mm filter to Leica screw!) and duct tape, I was able to fit one of my two 80-240mm APO guinea-pigs to the mount within 1mm or so of correct register (38mm). It’s only taped, but solid enough. I do not want to cement the bits together at this stage.

Effectively it’s got a Leica screw mount taped as close to the Vectis lens mount as anything will allow. There is plenty of room to make a proper Vectis adaptor, with or without contact arrays at both ends and a chip to convert the signals. Without that, the lens is stuck forever at full aperture. If power could be supplied to the correct pins to enable the focus-by-wire action, that would complete the job with this Vectis lens – but other Vectis lenses don’t even have a manual electronic focusing option. As it is, wrenching the front tube round focuses the lens. Just like it did when you were fitting or removing the lens hood, a frustrating rotating front unit.

As it stands, the 80-240mm Vectis APO f/4.5-5.6 is a really neat size of lens for the NEX and Sony could do far worse than remake this in an OS version for NEX. At full aperture, performance up to 200mm is very good but a familiar softness (like the 100-300mm APO D at 300mm etc) creeps in at 240mm. For 1996, the lens is pretty amazing.

80mm wide open, http://www.pbase.com/davidkilpatrick/image/127009628/original.jpg for original

240mm wide open – http://www.pbase.com/davidkilpatrick/image/127009627/original.jpg

Close focus at around 135mm wide open (because the lens can not be stopped down):

http://www.pbase.com/davidkilpatrick/image/127009626/original.jpg

Around 100mm, same conditions apply:

http://www.pbase.com/davidkilpatrick/image/127009625/original.jpg

And at 240mm close focus again:

http://www.pbase.com/davidkilpatrick/image/127009624/original.jpg

This lens has some really good qualities, considering it is not even mounted correctly and is definitely not correctly set up for register, which alters the way the zoom/focus correction functions. It could no doubt be made to look better by picking a flat target and a medium distance, rather than homing in on garden close-ups with too much depth for the wide-open setting.

But the bokeh effects are not too bad, the point of focus is well defined, and the lens has few vices considering the imprecision of its mounting!

- David Kilpatrick

The prototype or dummy shown to the press in Croatia and other locations just two month ago turns out to have been little more than a rubber duck – a decoy to distract while the real thing was clearly already in production and looks very different. The real thing has an eye-level 1 megapixel-plus electronic viewfinder as well as a foldout screen, and the world’s most retro-tech microphone design.

Here is the press announcement from earlier this morning (GMT, I don’t man the computer at 6.17am but Sony’s Press Centre was wide awake and running). The guy in the Sony press pix obviously found 6.17am a bit rough, he looks worse for a long night out… he’s not even got himself in focus properly, let alone found out where he left his comb and razor…

“Camcorder Redefined” Sony unveils world’s first consumer interchangeable lens HD camcorder Handycam® NEX-VG10E captures cinematic Full HD movie and stereo sound with great depth

• 14.2 effective megapixel ExmorTM  APS HD CMOS sensor (19.5 times larger than conventional camcorder) for stunning HD movies with beautiful background defocus
• Accepts E-mount interchangeable lenses plus A-mount α DSLR lenses (via optional adaptor)
• High quality audio with Quad Capsule Spatial Array Stereo Microphone and external mic input
• 7.5cm (3 inch-type) Xtra Fine LCD and electronic viewfinder

Building on 25 years of continuous Handycam® innovation, Sony introduces the NEX-VG10E – the world’s first consumer HD camcorder with interchangeable lenses. It’s also the first Handycam® featuring an extra-large Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor that allows the creation of exquisitely cinematic background defocus effects.

Targeting video enthusiasts and photographers, the NEX-VG10E opens up unprecedented artistic possibilities not achievable with conventional consumer video cameras.

Compatible with a choice of high quality E-mount lenses, it’s the first consumer camcorder that offers the same breadth of creative expression enjoyed by DSLR photographers. Alongside the three currently available E-mount lenses, users of the NEX-VG10E can experience a wide variety of  A-mount DSLR optics by using the optional LA-EA1 mount adaptor. Picking from a choice of award-winning Sony G lenses, fixed-focal length Carl Zeiss portrait lenses and other models from macro to super-telephoto, videographers will have unprecedented freedom to explore an exciting world in movie creation.

At the heart of the NEX-VG10E is a 14.2 effective megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor that’s teamed with Sony’s powerful BIONZTM processor to capture very high resolution video and still images. Approximately 19.5 times bigger than the standard sensor found in other consumer camcorders, the APS-C sized imager also enables an extremely shallow depth of field. This allows videographers to achieve ‘cinematic’ results with beautiful background defocus (bokeh). In addition, the ability to capture DSLR-quality still images gives videographers extra shooting flexibility on assignment with less to carry.

Full HD 1920×1080 video images are captured in AVCHDTM format at up to the maximum 24 Mbps bit rate for superlative detail and clarity. Unlike many digital still cameras including DSLR that support HD video, there’s virtually no restriction on continuous shooting time. Just slip in your choice of either Memory Stick PRO DuoTM or SD media cards and capture Full HD video and JPEG still images for easy transfer into your existing PC storage and editing environment.

The NEX-VG10E comes supplied as standard with an image-stabilised E18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS lens that offers a powerful 11x optical zoom range. Because of its optimized design for video shooting, this high-quality E-mount lens offers smooth, ultra low noise autofocus and iris control. In-built Optical SteadyShot image stabilisation assures clearer video images when you’re shooting handheld. At wide angle settings, Active Mode enhances anti-shake performance even further, steadying jittery images even while walking. The lens also features a circular aperture for the creation of beautiful bokeh effects whether you’re shooting video or stills.

Reflecting the demands of serious videographers, sound quality matches the phenomenal imaging performance of the NEX-VG10E. The Quad Capsule Spatial Array Stereo Microphone uses advanced processing algorithms to combine signals from four separate omnidirectional microphone capsules. The result is exceptionally clear stereo audio with a highly directional response: this allows videographers to capture more sound from the subject they’re shooting, and less of distracting sounds around them. There’s also a jack for adding an optional external stereo mic, plus a headphone jack for audio monitoring.

With a photo-realistic 921k dot resolution, the 7.5cm/3 inch-type Xtra Fine LCD features TruBlackTM technology for an exceptionally detailed, high contrast view of images and menu settings. The LCD is supplemented by a high-resolution (1152k dot) electronic viewfinder that assists easy framing and monitoring. The viewfinder helps operator capture clear images in bright daylight and its angle can be easily adjusted for comfortable operation.

Despite its groundbreaking creative possibilities, the NEX-VG10E is compact, beautifully balanced and easy to handle, even for novice videographers. An intuitive jog dial and hotkeys make it easy to navigate camera menus and adjust shooting parameters. Videographers can also enjoy precise manual control over Iris, Shutter Speed, Gain and White Balance for professional results.

A range of official accessories includes the ECM-CG50 Shotgun Microphone that attaches to the camcorder’s accessory shoe. There’s also a choice of rechargeable battery options, including the NP-FV100 that provides power for up to 330 minutes continuous HD shooting. A dedicated soft carrying case LCS-VCD is also available as an option.

Offered to customers as a free download, Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 video editing software includes everything you need to produce spectacular HD movies. Powerful tools for video compositing, colour correction and sound mixing make it easy to achieve cinema-quality results in your own home studio. You can also upload movies to web, burn them to Blu-ray Disc™ or author DVDs with custom menus and graphics.

The Handycam® NEX-VG10E interchangeable lenses Full HD camcorder is available from October 2010.

Specifications are:

Model Name: NEX-VG10E
Image Sensor: APS-C type (23.4×15.6mm) Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor with RGB primary colour filters; 25P scanning
Gross Pixels: Approx.  14,600,000 pixels
Minimum Illumination: 11 lux. ( 1/25 Shutter Speed / F3.5)
Supplied Lens: SEL18200 Sony E-mount  E18-200mm F3.5-6.3 with in-lens Optical SteadyShot Active Mode
Zoom: 11x (optical, ring)
Focus: Auto/Manual (ring)
Focal length (35mm equivalent): Video mode – 32.4mm-360mm. Still photo mode – (3:2) 27mm-300mm /(16:9) 32.4mm-360mm
Shutter Speed: 1/4 – 1/4000 (video, manual control); 30 – 1/4000 (photo, manual control)
White Balance: AWB / Daylight / Shade / Cloudy / Incandescent / Fluorescent / Flash / C. Temp Filter / Custom
Recording Media: Memory Stick PRO Duo / Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo / SD / SDHC / SDXC (Class 4 or higher)
Recording Mode (AVCHD): FX (1920x1080i, 24Mbps); FH (1920x1080i, 16Mbps); HQ (1440x1080i, 9Mbps)
Still photo resolution (JPEG): 16:9 Mode; 4592×2576 (12M) /3:2 Mode; 4592×3056 (14M)
Audio Recording: Dolby Digital 2ch, via  Quad Capsule Spatial Array Stereo Microphone; External microphone input jack
LCD Monitor: 7.5cm / 3.0”-type, 921,600 dots (approx.) Xtra Fine LCD with TruBlack technology
Electronic Viewfinder: 1.1cm / 0.43”-type, 1,440K dots (approx.) Xtra Fine
Stamina: 330 min. continuous recording (with the optional NP-FV100, FH mode)
Interfaces: Accessory shoes; HDMI OUT jack; Stereo headphone jack; External stereo mic input jack; USB 2.0 (mini B / Hi-speed) jack; DC IN jack
Dimensions (D x H x W): 29.4 x 132 x 97 mm (inc. supplied lens and hood)
Weight (approx.): 1.3Kg (with SEL18200 lens, lens hood, NP-FV70 battery and Memory Stick Pro Duo)

So, I copied my ramblings and moved them here, instead of putting them in a forum post where just a few hundred people would see them. Tens of thousands of visitors see Photoclubalpha’s main site articles, and I want this to be seen, because it matters.

PP’s write-up is very positive – it is not a ‘bad review’ in that sense – but much of the wording used is misleading, and omissions can sometimes distort the comparison a reader makes.

PP starts off by saying the NEX-5 has ‘the added advantage of HD video’ over the NEX-3 – of course, both have HD video, the NEX-5 is 1080/50i AVCHD while the NEX-3 is 720/25p MPEG4. It could be assumed that the PP reader has only a marginal interest in video, but this phrasing does not describe the feature and implies that the NEX-3 lacks HD video.

The screen is great for ‘low level composure’  and the APS-C sensor is ‘ideally placed for delivering DSLR quality images’.

The majority of the selecting, PP says, is done through ‘never get lost’ menus (sounds as if PP were fed a marketing term here – I would probably call some of them ‘dead end’ menus in maze terms – you have to return or exit). Confusingly, PP says there is ‘no dual sensor cleaning, but there is an electromagnetic vibration system and an anti-static coating on the sensor’. I thought this was a dual anti-dust measure. What is ‘dual sensor cleaning’ if it’s not this, and how does the NEX lack it?

PP also says that removing the lens reveals how close to the rear element the chip sits inside the camera, and states: ‘There are potential issues here, as this may cause image quality problems such as distortion and aberration’. Well, that’s just completely untrue and gives readers needless doubts. Some of the lowest distortion wideangles ever made have had very short clearance back focus, like the 21mm Super Angulon for Leica M or the classic 21mms designed for mirror lock-up by Nikon and Minolta – or the 16mm Zeiss Hologon for Contax G.

Some of the world’s best lens designs have used rear elements almost touching the film, including the Ricoh GR (for film), the Minolta TC-1; and the excellent Sony R-1 Carl Zeiss zoom also features a minimal gap between its rear element and the 1.7X sensor of that camera, the absence of a mirror freeing Zeiss to create one of the best 24-120mm equivalent zooms ever designed.

In fact the 18mm mount to sensor distance and the wide mount throat combine to offer the maximum possible scope for the makers to design distortion and aberration free lenses of a quality hard to achieve without high costs and large size, heavy weight even for APS-C DSLRs. PP has got it exactly the wrong way round. They have turned a huge positive aspect of the camera into a negative niggle.

Sweep Panorama is described as a function which is ‘not new on a Sony camera’. Actually, this type of Sweep Panorama is entirely new on a Sony, or any camera. This is not a video-composed Sweep Pan, as found on all previous Sony and other compacts. It is a high resolution, auto-stitched, multi-shot panorama of unprecedented size (up to 23 megapixels).

Confusing the issue, PP states that the panorama files are playable on a Sony Bravia 3D TV. This is incorrect. Normal sweep pan (.JPG) files are playable on any HD TV, and are not 3D. The camera(s) have a second entirely separate Sweep Pan 3D mode, which is not a sequence of shots, but a video pan like compacts. The file (.MOT) created is 1080p HD in height, and in a 3D format; and it can be played back on most 3D TVs using the same system as Sony Bravia.

Most of PP’s comments on using the camera are fair and balanced descriptions of its strengths and weaknesses, but once again, language gets in the way of accuracy. The ‘large optics help deliver… detail to the sensor’. What does that mean? Which large optics? The lenses are fairly small. Their size has no bearing on how much detail they ‘deliver’.

‘This is not the fastest camera out there, but with speed priority engaged it’s impressive at 7fps’ – well, actually, it IS the fastest CLC/ILC out there, and that 7fps has no competition from Micro 4/3rds, Samsung NX or Ricoh. The 2.3fps standard capture rate includes reliable AF tracking (certainly not guaranteed when shooting continuous action with the competitors), but this is not mentioned. It would be fair to comment on 2.3fps being a modest drive rate, but the continuous AF performance had to be taken into account when doing so.

‘The general consensus of opinion is that CSC cameras are effectively high quality compacts that deliver DSLR quality. Yet the NEX-5 is still rather bulky and certainly not pocket material’ - conclusion.

‘The NEX-5 takes the compact size of these CSC models down to a new level, as it’s the smallest and lightest of these removable lens models to date’ - second paragraph of the main report, and highlighted pullquote.

I don’t think I need to point out the conflict in these statements. And the day before writing this, I had the NEX-3 with 16mm lens in my shirt pocket.

‘The HDR mode is okay, but it’s not as good as true HDR creation using post-production software’ – not the best comment to make on the most advanced, 6EV range, in-camera HDR system yet seen and one which also saves a non-HDR JPEG of the normal exposure (not mentioned). None of the other multi-shot modes gets mentioned at all; no reference to the Anti Motion Blur or Twilight modes which blend several exposures to create one low-noise, sharp result.

Finally – ‘Most of the CSC products are quite similar in price, especially with lenses that cover the same focal lengths’. Actually, they are not quite similar in price. To get HD 1080/50i you have to spend almost twice as much. To get their equivalent of the 16mm lens… sorry, you can’t.

There is no 12mm f/2.8 pancake lens made for Micro 4/3rds, or any 16mm prime for APS-C. The 17mm offered by Olympus is a 34mm lens equivalent, not a 24mm equivalent. The 20mm offered by Panasonic is a 40mm equivalent. The 30mm from Samsung is a 45mm equivalent.

By glossing over such issues or ignoring them entirely, the PP report omits most of the unique selling (and using) points of the NEX, and the reader is left to assume that it’s pretty much the same as the competition.

I believe the job of a review is to highlight all the aspects of a product which may not be understood fully by the reader, because they are new or unfamiliar; to point out the differences between products, because these differences drive buying decisions. A single feature on a new camera may be the one feature which attracts many buyers. Sometimes, this matters more to the buyer than all other aspects of handling and design. Single features can persuade photographers to change their entire camera system. Just look at Nikon with ultra-high ISO in the D3/3S – or Canon with true 1080p in the 5D MkII, 7D and 550D.

For me, 1080/50i video with stereo sound is important as the only other way to get that in an affordable package is the Canon 550D with external microphone, or the Panasonic Lumix GH1 at around 60% higher cost. The 16mm lens is important – there has never been a 5-element f/2.8 design covering this angle before. The E-mount is important, it allows more potential choice of adaptation to other optical systems (lenses, scientific, astro, micro, you name it) than any other mount. I’ve already ordered my Sony Alpha adaptor (mentioned briefly by PP without further details or comment), plus independent versions for Minolta SR/MD, Leica M39 and C-mount.

APS-C is important too, as this 14.2 megapixel sensor offers the best quality and largest image size in its class.

The PP Overall Conclusion

Ultimately, PP’s Overall Conclusion certainly fits the report, because so much is omitted which would engage and interest their readership, and so much is dwelled on with makes the NEX seem nothing all that different:

‘I wouldn’t recommend the NEX-5 to the more discerning user’, says Darren Harbar while giving the camera 8/10, ‘but for someone who wants a creative point-and-shoot that will give some control without added complication, the NEX-5 is perfect’.

The build quality, design of the lenses, availability of fisheye and ultrawide converters, battery life (or otherwise!), JPEG quality, and many other aspects are not touched on at all in the PP report. Some of these might be negative – battery life can be short, batteries are expensive. Others might be positive – no other system made offers the option of a 12mm (18mm equivalent) wide angle or 10.2mm (15mm equivalent) fisheye at such low cost.

Is ‘I wouldn’t recommend the NEX-5 to the more discerning user’ a damaging conclusion?

PP is certainly not alone in thinking this, but it’s something which should not be said unless you can qualify it by revealing what you would recommend to the ‘more discerning’ user. Think about the language again; above all, it’s the language of the PP report which will colour the readers’ opinions. What does ‘more discerning user’ actually mean?

As it happens, I’m a fairly discerning user; I can tell the difference between the qualities and capabilities of the many cameras I use, I am capable of making judgments, I have the ability to compare and make choices. I can pick the right tool from the rack. Sometimes, I do want a point-and-shoot that will give some control with added complication, just like PP says.

As it also happens, I want a point-and-shoot which can capture high quality 1080 Full HD video  (preferably 24-25-30p, but 50i will do) with excellent quality sound; I want more than 12 megapixels for stills, 14 is fine, 18 would be even better; and if anyone had put a list of possible lenses in front of me, a 24mm f/2.8 equivalent would have been ticked without hesitation.

It was the lens I could never get, or afford, for Leica; it was my favourite fixed focal length in manual focus SLR from the moment such lenses became available around 1974. 24mm f/2.8 was one reason I dumped the Pentax system and bought into Minolta back then; it was the first lens after the 35-70mm f/4 ‘kit’ and the 50mm f/1.7 that I bought for the Minolta AF system in 1985. 24mm wide reach was the reason I pre-ordered the Carl Zeiss 16-80mm for my Alpha 100 in 2006, and it’s the reason I like the Nikon 16-85mm and the Canon 15-85mm best of all the kit zooms for those systems. It’s even the reason I use a vintage 1999 24-85mm Minolta lens on my Alpha 900.

My conclusion

My NEX-5 with 16mm and 18-55mm OSS lenses cost me £679, but that price included a free stereo microphone which sells everywhere for £99. The built-in mics are so good I might not need it (the camera can record clean sound even if placed just a metre away from a PA speaker blasting out live music – try it with a Nikon D5000 or a Canon 550D). But it makes the two-lens kit cost a ‘real’ £580.

‘Worth the asking price’ is PP’s comment. Worth? It’s the bargain of the year, and that is at launch prices which inevitably fall later on. If you want the wide-angle capability, it’s on its own, and if you prefer the angle of a 28mm-equivalent view, you have 14 megapixels to be cropped down and still match the pixel count of Micro 4/3rds.

NEX has real weakness if you are looking for telephoto reach, and many point-and-shoot upgraders will have been used to surprising long lens equivalents; 300mm is nothing. Micro 4/3rds can get you to to that 300mm equivalent in a similarly priced kit, though without the same wide-angle end. This would have been a useful and valid point for the PP review to raise, of value to readers; don’t buy NEX if you are into safari parks, garden birds, or next door’s bedroom windows. When the 18-200mm OSS does arrive it will cost more than a complete Olympus kit with E-PL1, 14-42mm and 40-150mm – it is also a VERY large lens. There is no neat little 55-200mm OSS for NEX, as there is for Alpha, Nikon and pretty much every interchangeable lens system made whether CLC or DSLR.

Every time I use the NEX-5 I find points to criticise. That rear jog wheel has a tendency to change my selected A mode aperture setting when I pop the camera into the small bag I’m using, forgetting to turn it off first. There I am shooting at f/6.3 and the next time I use the camera it’s at f/22. I wish I could tilt the screen vertically, not just horizontally; I love the screen on my Nikon D5000, and the NEX would have been so much better with the D5000′s design. You could even have turned it to face the camera, protecting the screen and removing distracting displays when using the 16mm optical viewfinder. But no, it’s like the A350-550 series, and fairly limited by its hinged articulation.

When reviewers pick up on points like this, it helps the camera makers. In a magazine like PP, hugely influential, such observations can change the course of future camera design for the better. I don’t find a single observation in the Practical Photography August 2010 issue review of the NEX-5 which stems from the critically aware experience of using the camera or treads the risky ground of daring to compare it directly with competitors.

- David Kilpatrick

The free download from the Sony Europe support site (http://support.sony-europe.com/dime/DSLR/DSLR.aspx) adds several performance enhancements including 3D Sweep Panorama. This exciting new technology means it is now possible for consumers to capture dramatic panoramic images in 3D, all with an extra-wide field of view.

3D Sweep Panorama is simple to use; activated simply by pressing the shutter button and sweeping the camera from one side to the other. The NEX-5 and NEX-3 shoot a high-speed burst of frames that are automatically combined inside the camera to create a seamless panoramic still image containing depth information. Sweep Panoramas can be enjoyed in 3D when the camera is connected to a 3D BRAVIA or any standards-compatible 3D TV.

The update also offers other enhancements for the NEX-5/NEX-3. These include:
· Improvement of ‘normal’ 2D Sweep Panorama shooting;
· Decreased power drain when the camera is switched off;
· Quicker start-up in low-light conditions.

The update is only needed for NEX-5/NEX-3 cameras with Version 01 firmware currently installed. Cameras shipped with Version 02 firmware or higher are already updated with the new features. Owners can find out what firmware version they’re currently running by selecting [MENU]/[SETUP]/[VERSION]. NEX-5/NEX-3 owners who have registered their product with Sony will be advised of the update via email.

*System requirements [PC]: Windows XP SP3 (64-bit and Starter editions not supported); Windows Vista SP2 (Starter edition not supported); Windows 7
[PC/Mac] Hard disk space: min. 200MB / RAM: min. 512MB.
Upgrade requires USB cable connection between computer and NEX-5/NEX-3.

Editor’s comment: there is no reference to any improvement in Alpha mount adaptor performance, or the addition of other functions that have been requested from the launch day onwards such as remote flash triggering, interface changes or reassignment of button functions, manual microphone gain control. There are two firmware files in the NEX, one for the BODY and one for the LENS/MOUNT ADAPTOR. This upgrade leaves the LENS/MOUNT ADAPTOR firmware version still at 1.0, only the BODY is upgraded to 2.0.

This software is region-specific. Do not install the European upgrade on any other than a PAL 25/50 European market NEX. There are similar upgrades now on the Japanese and US sites.

WARNING: this is a pretty clunky PC-0nly upgrade method. There is no Mac version, and it does not work by copying files to a memory card – it works only by running an .exe installer on a PC (and not every PC either, see above, and not Macs despite their reference to Mac in the press info). I had not used my netbook for three weeks, and I had not connected the NEX to it before, with the result that the installation process was hampered by constant pop-ups windows including a string of demands from Norton that I pay for their anti-virus software (I’d rather chuck the netbook off a bridge, and intend to find out how to clear this rubbish off the system for good), and a Windows XP update to handle the ‘new device’ it had detected (the camera). Some of these windows were modal dialogs and could not be closed without action, or moved to the back of the installer window. So, before installing, first let your PC do its dance with Windows updates, Norton and any other intrusive processes – or turn off your internet connection entirely to prevent interruption. But, if you have just acquired a new NEX and wish to upgrade it, first connect the camera normally and let the PC install its un-necessary ‘drivers’ if it thinks it really needs them (the NEX conforms perfectly to USB Mass Storage, and in fact the PC does not need anything installing or updating).

Overall marks for friendliness and functionality: around 5 out of 10. It works, but the instructions do not include any warnings about the potential for disruptive behaviour from your PC during the process.

This will have many Alpha system stalwarts saying ‘Help!’ in their own right, as they are still waiting for the predicted arrival of the real new Alphas, the 700 replacement with HD video and its 500-series sibling. What they did not expect was to find two entry-level models arriving without video, and with the changes restricted to a Tale of Peter Rabbit - they lost their buttons while squeezing under the fence to get into the point’n'shoot upgraders garden.*

But actually it’s good news, because it’s a garden full of cabbages who will appreciate the simplified interface and button layout. And they get a very high quality carrot in the form of that 14.2 megapixel sensor, as this looks to be Sony’s standard pixel count for all cameras at this level and higher. If 14.2 is entry level, a denser sensor must surely be on the way for a midrange/semipro APS-C model soon.

It’s presumably the same 14.2 megapixel CCD sensor as found in the Alpha 380, with its ISO 100-3200 range and 2.5fps continuous capture. On Dyxum’s forum, there is speculation that processing will be improved.

The 290 has a plain fixed screen, the 390 has a tilting screen and Quick AF live view (the in-prism system using phase detection). Both have chunkier and better shaped handgrips than earlier models, perhaps in reponse to criticism of ever smaller handling profiles. Thy at least have the same eyestart sensor arrangement as normal and do not copy the 450, which has the sensors above the eyepiece instead of below, and makes for a very awkward camera to use.

They keep exactly the same AF sensor, metering system, shutter, flash system and in-body SSS image stabilisation as previous models. The pop-up flash is GN10, the battery life is around 500 shots (230 in Quick AF Live View mode). The A290 weighs only 456 grams.

And the 290 has not a button in sight on top, even the shutter release and on/off switch have been shifted forward leaving a clear top panel. It’s rather like seeing Botticelli’s Venus without a navel. However, the shutter release placement of the last series was a major criticism, and this new position restores a more ‘industry standard’ placing as used by Nikon and Canon, and by Sony in the A450/500/550 series.

That rather impressively compact lens, by the way, is the 75-300mm Sony SAL seen in a neatly compressed perspective, not something new you don’t know about. And that tells us the cameras do have screw drive AF (fears in certain forums unfounded).

After asking ‘What’s NEX?’ we have the answer – mainstream Alpha DSLRs using the same software based type of virtual-controls interface as NEX, with the same level of built-in guidance for new users. All the functions of their predecessors are still there, if not so obvious camera users with experience of traditional controls.

Instead, you get ‘colourful on-screen icons’ though no claim is made in the press announcement that Sony Ericsson mobile phone designers were involved (as they were for the NEX interface). Lens options include the 18-55mm SAM and a twin lens kit with the 55-200mm SAM added.

The press and technical data does not clarify whether the card drive is the same dual format single slot used by NEX (replacing the twin slot drive SD/MS Pro Duo of earlier models) or what type of battery is used. There is no mention at all of wired cable release, but ‘Remote Commander’ remains as a feature (the infrared controller, sold separately). And there is no mention in the specifications of wireless remote flash, either, though it is included – nor of features like DRO+. There’s still an AC mains adaptor socket.

Premium features such as HDR multi-shot blending, found on the 4-5xx series, have not been added to these models.

To download a raft of high-res images of the two new Alphas and the full launch press release, click:

http://presscentre.sony.eu/content/ZipLoader.ashx?itemID=5953&Type=1&userId=8814&userLocale=2

The slight lack of info hints at a fast-track process to release details.

- DK

* I should point out that Peter Rabbit lost his buttons getting OUT of the garden, after eating too many lettuces. But Sony is clever and realises that to get INTO the consumer market garden faster, you might as well lose the buttons first. If you ever need to get out, well, you lost more than buttons…