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)

The European press launch

David Kilpatrick recorded the proceedings at Le Meridien Lav Hotel, Split, Croatia on March 11th 2010 using a Zoom H2 portable digital recorder. Shirley Kilpatrick transcribed the audio, with subsequent editing to translate verbal output to read well as text. This is a multi-page document please use the PAGE navigation at the foot of each page to continue reading. It is a very long document.

Nick Sharples, director of corporate communications for Sony, Europe, welcomed the press to Split in Croatia, and thanked everyone for getting up before breakfast – especially those from Portugal who arrived at midnight (volcanic ash delayed their flights). The launch was synchronised round the world, hence the 8.00am timing for the European meeting.

Yoshiyuki Mogami (Vice President of Digital Imaging, Europe) was introduced to explain a little bit more about the business strategy for Digital Imaging in Europe. Yoshiyuki thanked everyone for coming over to Split; the team from Munich had arrived by driving ten hours.

Sony started Alpha business in 2006, he said, introducing the Alpha 100 in Morocco. The Alpha 700 was launched in Italy in 2007, the Alpha 900 flagship model was introduced in Scotland in 2008. “We have carried out surveys asking people in Europe which brands they would think of when buying a digital camera; the figure has risen from 50%, to close to 70%. Now we are enjoying a 15% market share in Europe. This figure is OK, but Sony now really has to go to our next step.

“But looking at the DSLR as an industry it’s not like two years ago or three years ago. DSLRs were pretty much a booming industry, and that’s why everybody came into his segment. These days the growth of this segment has very much flattened, and of course you could say this is due to economic slow down or recession, but we suspect that the traditional DSLR has a limit in mass appeal to consumers.

“So that’s why Sony can try to break this type of barrier. We put together all kinds of voices and views on this technology to see what we can do – we think we have heard the customers’ voice, and really put it into this project.”

Mogami-san introduced Toru Katsumoto, senior general manager of Alpha:

“Today I would like to officially announce our new ultracompact interchangeable lens camera we have already shown at PMA in February and in Japan. In the current market the boundaries between the three categories – DSLR, compact still camera and camcorder – are already starting to merge.

“In the area when DSLR and Digital Still Compact merge, we see great possibilities. Let me introduce to you NEX-5 (he holds up the camera, in front of large projected images of the cameras). This beautifully crafted body is designed to bring out the presence of the lens. The body is so slim and compact but without sacrificing any size or balance. The grip on this camera ensures a firm and comfortable hold despite such a slim and compact body. The rigidity and texture of magnesium alloy gives a high grade appearance and solid feel to the camera.

“NEX-3 is designed for a more casual approach, and can be very attractive especially for those who have yet to explore the world of the DSLR. The slim design comes in three different colour variations, with a unique texture on the grip. It simply feels great in one’s hand in addition to being a stylish camera.

“The key concept of NEX-5 and NEX-3 is to combine the best of both worlds – the image quality and power of expression of the DSLR, with the portability and ultra-compact design of a digital compact camera. We strongly believe that NEX-5 and NEX-3 are cameras that are capable of satisfying customers’ needs from both DSC and DSLR segments. Namely, compact digital still camera users who are motivated to step up from DSC, and DSLR users who are demanding a more compact camera without compromising DSLR power.

“Professional quality in your pocket is the buzzword for this camera. There are six elements:

• DSLR quality in still and moving images
• Compact and stylish
• Power of expression derived from interchangeable lenses
• Making creative work easier
• Beautiful high definition movies easily filmed
• High speed continuous shooting, 7fps

“The APS-C sensor successfully packs DSLR quality in a small body (he removes the lens and shows the sensor). The new sensor is significantly larger than the FourThirds sensor, resulting in a higher pixel count and superior picture quality.

“Our designers have done a great job; the philosophy is a minimalist design. The lens itself is small, but the body size is so small that the lens looks dominant overall. With the pancake lens, it comes close to the size of a point and shoot camera. It is the world’s smallest, and is lighter than either of the rival brands (Olympus and Panasonic profiles shown on screen but not named).

“The depth of the flange back on the camera is 18mm, the world’s thinnest. This is why we can make it so slim. There are three new lenses. Also conventional Alpha A-mount lenses, currently in customers’ hands, can be used via our mount adaptor.”

Katsumoto-san described the user interface with its virtual scroll wheel, adjusting depth of field; and the sweep panorama including the 3D function. “During the sweep motion, the camera generates two pictures, one for the right eye and the other for the left. You do not need two lenses for 3D.”

He said that Handycam experience had been used to set up high definition recording. Toru emphasised the value of Alpha NEX division working together with other Sony technologists.

“NEX-5 and NEX-3 are only the first two products to be offered by Sony in this emerging area. We believe that products based on the combination of a large imaging sensor and interchangeable lenses are not limited to NEX-5 and NEX-3; today, let me take the opportunity to reveal our second proposal to you briefly. As I am speaking now, a dedicated group of engineers is in the process of developing a new camcorder with the interchangeable lens system (he shows a mockup image).

“This camcorder will come with an EXMOR HD APS-C sensor for DSLR quality video in AVCHD form. Like the NEX-5 and NEX-3, with an adaptor, this new camcorder is also compatible with current Alpha lenses allowing videographers to access a wide range of high performance lenses to be used to express one’s creativity like never before.

“Needless to say, its body design is specially optimised for video shooting. Details of this product will be communicated soon, I’d say around the Autumn area, so please stay tuned. The combination of a large image sensor and interchangeable lenses can create whole new dimensions and expression and possibilities.

“To express our strength in such products, we would like to introduce the phrase “Beyond Our Eyes” which contains the following meanings – bringing new experiences, and style of unforeseen dimensions, that evoke deep emotions, and creating a visual world beyond how our eyes can see in both still photography and video.”

After this, the conference was officially over, and journalists were asked to re-convene for region specific in depth meetings. The meeting for the UK and Scandinavia was headed by Paul Genge of Sony UK. See next page.

Toru Katsumoto presents his team’s latest offering (he holds a silver NEX-3)

The entire system with accessories is to be available in June at once, no waiting for anything except the 18-200mm lens which will arrive a month later. Edit: the brochure says ‘October’ for the 18-200mm, at the presentation it was said that it would follow in a month or so. October is four months or so.

The full rollout includes – NEX-5, NEX-3, 16mm /2.8 pancake lens (NOT stabilised), 12mm wide angle and 10mm fisheye adaptors to fit this lens (£100/£120 and thus reducing the cost of w/a ownership greatly), 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS, 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS, stereo mic (no 3.5mm jack input is provided), GN7 mini flash free with each camera fits the same top thumbscrew secured accessory socket as the mic, optical viewfinder for 16mm only (£130!), and a range of bags, straps, etc plus of course spare batteries (new tiny type, £65, or bundled with aforementioned as an accessory kit for £85). The system is made in Thailand in a new Sony facility, but one fisheye converter on view was marked made in Japan.

While both use a new 14.2 megapixel sensor based on the live-view capable CMOS of the Alpha 550 and 450 DSLRs, the NEX-3 is wired to record 720p HD MPEG4 video only. The NEX-5′s main selling point to justify a higher price is 1080i HD video. It uses the AVCHD recording format, which is considered the most professional standard for consumer HD video crossing into TV and film potential uses, but also widely reviled for its incompatibility with many software players. However, NEX-5 also has an optional 1440 x 1080 MPEG4 mode which remains to be tested for the quality of HD it produces (it is a ‘stretched pixel’ mode not a cropped format).

They also offer recording to both SDHC and MemoryStick Duo Pro cards, but it remains to be seen exactly what cards they are truly compatible with; Paul Genge said ‘any modern card’ for recording time to a maximum of 29 minutes 1080i HD (more for other formats). Sony’s brochure says SD Class 4 or better. Canon claimed Class 6 SDHC cards would work with the EOS 550D/Ti2, but buyers quickly found hardly any Class 6 cards were reliable. The 1080p Canon HD video stream actually demands the best cards you can get, Class 10 SDHC.

There is no electronic viewfinder in the range on launch, composition is entirely on the new TruBlack 3 inch screen which is a match for the A550 in articulation but 55% brighter and with much higher contrast and a glass surface.

For the buyer, the body will immediately impress as it is ultra-slim, and it will easy for salesmen to remove lenses and actually show that the sensor is much bigger than the Micro FourThirds models from Olympus and Panasonic. The new Sony NEX system lenses use silent ultrasonic focusing motors and an electronically adjusted aperture. They also incorporate equaly silent floating group in-lens image stabilisation for the two zooms, with 10X efficiency Active Mode on the ‘sports and travel’ 18-200mm.

Everything from the body to the lens is communicated electronically – there are no mechanical links, and the lenses are designed to make no significant noise at all when focusin during video shooting. This is the big selling point of the NEX models; because the system has been entirely designed after the concept of V-DSLRs appeared, and is only marginally connected to an existing SLR system, no baggage has been hauled in to the design.

Click this picture for a Level 9 JPEG saved from a FULL SIZE NEX5 fine quality in-camera JPEG, taken at ISO 200, 1/8th, with the 16mm lens – the evening dinner for the European press at the Ivan Mestrovic museum-gallery in Split. Camera held on a wall for stability.

Even so, the NEX bodies will be able to operate with certain Sony lenses (or Minolta AF fit lenses). I took along both screw drive (11-18mm, 16-80mm) and in-lens motor (SAM 30mm and Sony G 70-300mm SSM) Alpha lenses in case there were adaptors to hand. The only one was a prototype – and Paul Genge said that despite all efforts, the plan to make SSM and SAM lenses work on the Alpha adapto LA-EA1 with AF confirmation had not been possible. At launch, Alpha lenses can be used with manual focus only but with aperture control possible, and full EXIF data transmission.

The NEX-5 is magnesium alloy, the NEX-3 is polycarbonate and not so elegant. The lenses used machined aluminium bright silver and matt black ‘zebra’ design, mostly silver. The lens mount is a bayonet, slightly smaller than Alpha with a mere 18mm back focus. The dual card format slot is a single, auto sensing slot not two slots.

Both cameras shoot 2.3fps with full AE and AF (25-zone full sensor area selectable points or wide zone), 7fps in speed priority mode (preset focus and exposure). They have a true high resolution sweep pan based on multiple still frames, not a video capture, which can produce JPEGs up 23 megapixels with incredible sharpness and quality (220 degree pan). There is also a video-based 3D Sweep Pan mode creating 3D Bravia compatible scrollable stereo images.

Face detection and Smile Shutter are built in; the screen is not a touch screen, but uses a clever new interface combining elements learned from mobile phone design with traditional scroll wheel and button control. An 80-subject user guide with comparison images is built in as an eBook which also pops up selected subjects as Tips. Full conventional control is also provided.

HDR uses 3 frames, and manul control allows up to 6EV difference (plus or minus 3EV) to create in-camera HDR merges. RAW shooting, RAW+JPEG, and the usual still modes are covered and the file format is ARW2.2 similar to current APS-C Sony Alpha DSLRs.

Paul Genge confirmed that the next generation of Alpha DSLR bodies would follow the NEX-3/5 and use the same video and BIONZ, but from his comments about the problems getting SAM/SSM lenses to work with contrast-detect AF, perhaps not the same AF option with live view. We shall see.

A new camcorder, similar to a HandyCam in design, will be launched in October featuring the NEX mount and lenses and adaptable to the A-system lenses. This is a definite statement, along with a firm commitment to develop the DSLR Alpha system and that the next generation of Alpha bodies will have the same video capabilities as the NEX models.

Here is the camcorder on display in proto-mockup form with NEX lenses and the E to A mount adaptor.

- David Kilpatrick

Never feel that your chosen camera makes you the odd one out in a herd of Canon and Nikon users! You are the leader not the follower…

Perhaps you are the only one at your college or your camera club with an Alpha. Well, we reckon that makes you Alpha material, so we have designed two neat logos combining the symbols for Male and Female with the Alpha glyph. It’s an official Photoclubalpha garment not official Sony!

It would have been great to start with a low-cost almost giveaway T-shirt, but the quality of these can be poor especially in black. Yes, even the best black cotton will fade with wear and washing but it is a good quality garment to start with. That’s why it has to be £13.95 including VAT and postage* to cover our costs.

The Polo Shirt is, we think, a real bargain. Various local clubs and societies, as well as sports teams, have had similar polo and rugger shirts made by our supplier with embroidered logos. They look great and wear well at £17.95 each including VAT and postage. Photo above: white male T-shirt, black female T-shirt, black female polo shirt. The polo shirts with the female logo are tailored for women’s fit. T-shirts are unisex.

The T-shirts have the web address of Photoclubalpha written neatly in the classic Minolta typeface across the shoulders on the back. The logo and male or female text line are printed centrally on the front.

The Polo shirts only have the logo motif on the front, to a smaller size, in chest pocket position. There is no text, if anyone asks you what it means, you’ll have to explain it. The Polo shirts feature embroidered logos, the T-shirts are printed.

The T-shirt sizing is fairly generous – for example, size L is a neat fit for female size 20, loose on size 18.

Men’s Polos/all T-Shirts
XS – 34/46″
S – 36/38″
M – 38/40″
L – 40/42″
XL – 42/44″
XXL – 44/46″
3XL – 46/48″
4XL – 48/50″

Women’s Polos
(British Sizes – US sizes are one step smaller, XS=6 for example)
XS – 8
S – 10
M – 12
L – 14
XL – 16
XXL – 18

T-Shirts are unisex not tailored. Polo shirts are supplied in male tailored cut for Alpha Male, female cut for Alpha Female. T-Shirts are Heavyweight 100% Ringspun Cotton (175-180gsm); Polo Shirts are the same material, but a little heavier in weight.

Ordering by post

T-Shirts – available to in black or white, sizes XS to 4XL
Alpha Male – Black or White, with Alpha Male text line    £13.95
Alpha Female – Black or White, with Alpha Female text line    £13.95

Polo Shirts – available in sizes S to 3XL (M) XS to XXL (F)
Alpha Male – Black or White without text small symbol    £17.95
Alpha Female – Black or White without text small symbol    £17.95

The shirts are printed (for T-Shirts) or embroidered (for Polo Shirts) locally in Kelso and you may specify any size within the range shown; depending on demand, it may take up to 28 days for orders to be completed and despatched. We hope to keep stocks of popular sizes for faster delivery. Prices include VAT and postage*.

Cheques payable to ‘Icon Publications Ltd’ – orders to Alpha Shirts Offer, Icon Publications Ltd, Maxwell Place, Maxwell Lane, Kelso, Scottish Borders TD5 7BB. You may also post an order using the method described for fax orders below.

Ordering by email or fax

FAX your order with credit card (long number, cardholder name, security number and expiry date) and address information, written out with clear instructions for the garment/s, male/female design, colour and size required, to +44 (0) 1573 226000. Faxes are retained until you confirm receipt of order and shredded afterwards; we do not store credit card details, repeat orders need information repeating.

Alternatively, scan your document and attach it to an email sent to david@photoclubalpha.com

Ordering by Paypal BUY IT NOW - you must detail your size requirements using the Comments or Message field provided by Paypal, or in a clearly linked email. If you do not state size requirements, we will send size L.

Alpha Male T-shirt White

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Alpha Male T-shirt Black

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Alpha Female T-shirt White

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Alpha Female T-shirt Black

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Alpha Male Polo Shirt White

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Alpha Male Polo Shirt Black

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Alpha Female Ladies’ Polo Shirt White

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Alpha Female Ladies’ Polo Shirt Black

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View Order Cart

* For orders outside Europe, VAT is not applied. The 17.5% VAT saving is used to cover additional postage costs for worldwide buyers. The prices remain the same for all geographical areas. UK and European orders include VAT.

Two more 7D screen protectors later I finally sold the 7D, but only after it had spent three years in the studio where the worst that could happen was a soft landing on the carpet. My Alpha 100 never got a protector but never seemed to get scratches on the LCD. Then the Alpha 700 arrived, and with its lovely hard coated screen I got the same sense of durability you get from glass.

Wrong again! After six months, my Alpha 700 screen was covered in a fine patina of scratches with one slightly visible one. The coating was suffering and I bought a clip-on Sony hard plastic protector. Unlike the 7D model, this one stayed put, but over the next two years of use became a rather scruffy impediment to screen reviewing.

From then on, I decided to put screen protectors on all our Alphas. The Alpha 200 got a thin layer design for mobile phones. It did the job perfectly. The Alpha 350 got a much thicker plastic which felt almost rigid when it was applied, and left we wondering whether it would come off cleanly. The Alpha 900 got a slightly more flexible feeling sheet with a similar not too glossy, slightly uneven surface.

The Alpha 380 was given a Fujifilm LCD protector from the local shop (packs of three, with a cleaning cloth, suitable for all screens around 2.7 to 3 inches). It was still on it in perfect condition when sold. The same pack of foils provided instant cover for the Alpha 550 although its screen and surround really demanded a slightly larger protector.

Then, in February, two things happened. I order some kit from Poland and the on-line store (Foto-Tip) also had GGS toughened optical glass screen protectors. I’ve seen these labelled as Giottos Schott glass protectors and various other makes, generally at around £20 each in the UK, and had my doubts about the idea of fitting adhesive glass to my camera. Also, Alpha fit types were not all that visible in the UK. But Foto-Tip had Alpha fit glass protectors for the A700, A900, A350 and even the A550 – all the Alphas we are currently using.

They were well under £10 each including postage – cheaper than plastic clip-on protectors, a bit more than most peel off films (which also tend to come in packs of two to three, though this is rarely made clear when advertised). So I ordered the entire set. You can see them above.

Before trying anything, I examined the screens and checked their reputation on-line. It seems that they consist of much the same laminated glass and polymer film sandwich which forms the hardened glass for professional Canon LCDs, and that the adhesive is an elastic optically clear gel made by 3M and very similar to that now being used for the intermediate layers in LCD assembly.

In other words, adding this would add a layer – but to the same standards as normal glass-faced LCD, without the superior coating found in a camera like the Canon EOS 7D.

Which camera to treat first came about when the second thing happened – the plastic protector foil on the Alpha 550 must have come loose on a corner, stuck to my jacket and pulled off. I returned from shooting outdoors to find the screen no longer protected, and the camera had been swinging around with zips, straps, other cameras and all kinds of scratch hazards. It was still perfect, fortunately.

Fitting the GGS to the Alpha 550

Using a microfibre cloth, I cleaned the 550 screen very carefully and followed the simple instructions. I left the top plastic protector in place, but they recommend you remove this before fitting as it makes alignment easier. Every GGS protector has a neat black printed edge frame with the camera name. This helps with handling, as if you do get a tiny edge of finger touching the adhesive gel, any resulting mark is hidden behind the black surround.

The Alpha 550 screen surface is slightly recessed. This helped greatly with the exact alignment of the very large cover glass, which goes beyond the image area of the screen and covers all the original plastic face of the panel. There is a shaped edge to match the indent in the rectangle, and a hole in the black frame for the activity light to show.

Alignment was very easy indeed with the rigid screen – far more so than with flexible foils. The adhesion was instant, and perfect, without a single bubble. Unlike a foil, this optically plane sheet doesn’t trap air and even if you did get a dust speck in the sandwich, the gel glue surrounds it without an air pocket.

The thickness of the glass leaves the screen now slightly raised, not slighly sunk, but the edge is beautifully ground and polished so that there is no question of a sharp encounter with your nose or hands. The old foil protector had never reallty been totally clear and was always visible; the GGS protector, though lacking a multilayer coating, improves visibility in daylight compared to a plastic protector.

The perfect flatness of the glass and perfect fit to the camera make a very rewarding finished job. Does it void the warranty? Will it ever be removable? Will the 3M glue layer go yellow with age, or harden and lose contact? Will the screen crack if hit – or will the extra layer stiffen the overall assembly and reduce the risk of damage?

It’s such a permanent-looking and feeling job that I may never find out. GGS say the screen may need to be gently heated, and eased off using a scalpel blade.

The other Alphas

The Alpha 700 had a patinated LCD – six months of unprotected use. Careful cleaning minimised this. The GGS glass screen fits neatly, with its whole thickness adding to the screen which starts flush with the camera. The edge, again, does not feel likely to cut or injure but it becomes the ‘hardest’ edge on the camera. Surprisingly, the adhesive gel seems to remove any the visible blotchiness of the hard coating along with the fine scratches. The single most visible small mark on the screen remains just visible.

While the added glass layer can not improve reflections or viewing conditions, it beats the clip-on plastic shield through which everything was diffused before. The Sony name at the bottom of the screen is now hidden, but can be glimpsed refracted through the clear edge of the protector which sits proud of the surface.

Much the same applies to the Alpha 900, but the screen is slightly recessed (more like the A550) to start with and is changed to having a slightly proud edge once the glass is fitted. It is a bit neater than the A700. It’s recessed just enough to hide the Sony name at the bottom of the screen fully, it can’t be spotted through the side of the glass thickness.

Finally, the Alpha 350 has a thick plastic LCD protector as its outer layer and this stands well proud of the surround. My thought, which I still don’t dismiss entirely, is that this sheet looks as if it could be removed and replaced with the GGS glass. But I was not going to attack my Alpha 350 with a scalpel to find out. If you had a 350 with a cracked cover sheet, it could be worth trying.

With the GGS glass added, the 350 has a pretty ‘high build’ screen – the glass increases the thickness of it by about 50%. It is already pushed into your face compared to the A550, or any other Alpha, with the viewfinder eyepiece too far forward. The extra 0.3mm or whatever it is (I have not measured it) is just a little more ergonomic negativeness. But the edge still feels safe not sharp, the screen assembly appears to be given added rigidity, and I’m happy that this is a good permanent protection for an exposed and vulnerable LCD cover surface.

And…

At the same time, I was fitting my Nikon D5000 with a Delkin Silicon Skin. I just fancied giving my ‘car camera’ a bit of extra protection, and maybe some damping for better video sound. The silicon skin comes with a couple of screen protector foils.

Despite the LCD of this camera being kept face-to-camera (concealed) all the time, and rarely used except for video shooting, my careful cleaning and dusting did not prevent several dust spots and bubbles with the first protector foil. So I removed it, cleaned again, and fitted the second. Still one bubble – and it won’t go away!

That is one very big benefit of these GGS glass protectors. They don’t get bubbles, they are easily fitted with perfect straight alignment, and after a day’s use and handling I have found a quick polish restores a perfect surface. Hopefully, they will resist scratching for years not months, and never need to be prised off their host bodies.

- David Kilpatrick

The Alpha System celebrates its Silver Jubilee or 25th Anniversary this month – though left uncelebrated by the inheritors of the Minolta AF legacy, Sony. They have no reason to draw fresh attention to the age of the system, as in four years they have taken it the same sort of distance that Minolta took the world’s first AF system in the late 1980s.

It’s not only Alpha’s 25th birthday. This is also the 25th birthday of modern AF SLR systems – all of them!

This is a multi-page article. See the links at the bottom of the page to Continue Reading after each page.

For Photoclubalpha and the historic Minolta Club of Great Britain, the anniversary does matter. A good many of you out there have been members since the launch of the system, often using the earlier SR and X manual focus systems before that. We still have a 1985 Minolta 7000AF and it’s still working just as it did when new.

25 years before the first Minolta SLRs appeared – a folding Minolta Six of 1935

I don’t mind showing my age to make a comparison. I was 11 in 1963 when I took my first pictures with an SLR camera. My father had bought himself a Pentax S3 – and the camera it replaced was 25 years old, a pre-war Zeiss Ikon Kolibri collapsible 16-on-127 model.

When the Kolibri was made, 127 was the ‘vest pocket’ format of choice. 35mm was on the rise, but 35mm SLRs had not yet arrived. They were as much a thing of the future as digital SLRs were when the Minolta 7000AF was launched.

But within that 25 years, there was hardly a single camera system made with interchangeable lenses that did not become obsolete. Only the ‘frozen assets’ of the cold war kept some systems, like the Exakta bayonet and the Praktina, alive. New brands were launched, from the British Wrayflex and Periflex to the Italian Rectaflex and many German oddities. It was not unusual for an entire system to be come and gone within a few years.

Even in the following quarter-century, the high years of the Japanese 35mm SLR, the succession of lens mount changes was bewildering. Independent lens makers like Tamron and Sigma were forced to make systems using interchangeable mounts not just because the public wanted it. A dozen or more mounts were made for every lens and in the 42mm screw thread fit alone there were endless variants – Praktica LLC (Pentacon Electric), Olympus FTL, Pentax ES and more.

It was more or less a 25-year cycle – the SR system was announced in 1958, and really got underway by 1960. It was to be another quarter century before the AF system arrived. We are now a further 25 years on – can we expect a totally new camera system, once again, in 2010?

Minolta’s SR bayonet mount, introduced in 1958/9, actually remained basically unchanged all the way through to 2005 when the last manual focus model, the X-370S, was available. It survives even now as a mount popular in China where the Seagull range from Shanghai Optical includes Minolta fit models. That mount only ever had one major revision, to add a linkage for open aperture TTL metering. The introduction of programmed exposure and shutter priority was cleverly enabled by using the existing design of lens mechanism and improving its accuracy, while adding a simple reference lug to the ƒ-stop setting ring.

Nikon’s 1959 F-mount proved similarly easy to improve without any basic modification. Both these bayonet mounts celebrated half a century of production in 2008/9 – another landmark, which Nikon was able to celebrate but Minolta of course could not.

In brief, the A450 is an A200 update with an A550 14 megapixel CMOS sensor (the A500 being effectively an A300 update to 12 megapixel CMOS). None of the complaints levelled at the A500/550 or contemporary models are corrected; the same limits apply to EV bracketing, self-timer and mirror up (lacking) functions, control over the range of auto ISO, program shift, functions of controls and buttons, and so on. There may be some surprises present when examined, but the listed specification indicates this camera is exactly what it appears to be.

Camera sets – in every line the first has a fixed rear screen and no quick live view, the second has a quick live view and an articulated screen, the third has a higher pixel count sensor:

A200     A300     A350

A230     A330     A380

A450     A500     A550

The 450 breaks the pattern by using the 550 sensor not the 500 sensor, leaving possible room for a 12 megapixel A400. It’s unlikely we shall see a 14 megapixel A280, but that’s what the model number would be if it was made. In line with speculation, logical models A600, A650, A750 are possible introductions but the Ax30 and Ax80 designations could apply.

It is not an A230-330 style body, but an A5xx-style body, and uses the larger battery – hence the excellent shot count per charge. At the time of posting this information, no further images were available from Sony’s UK press media library.

The logic of this camera may be questioned, but a lot will depend on the viewfinder eyepoint. By choosing a relatively small and safe viewfinder magnification, and removing the articulated screen which forces your eye away from the eyepiece, Sony may come closer to the comfort factor of the Nikon D5000 which despite having an articulated screen allows a closer eyepoint and better visibility of the finder. Until buyers pick up this camera and try it, we can’t be sure. It may just hit the mark perfectly.

The press release follows.

The newest addition to the Sony α family of DSLR cameras teams flawless imaging with generous creative options and is ideal for consumers new to DSLR photography who want the best possible image quality.

Powerful yet easy to use, the DSLR-A450 is a perfect all-rounder when you’re ready to take your passion for great pictures to the next level. Ideal for active shooters, it’s at home in any shooting situation, from relaxed portraits to fast-moving sports action.

Inside the α450 is a high-resolution 14.2 (approx.) effective megapixel Exmor™ CMOS sensor. It’s teamed with the powerful BIONZ processor to deliver highly detailed, ultra-low noise images. Sensitivity extends right up to ISO 12800, allowing you to capture beautifully natural handheld images in low light without flash.

With a generous 95% field of view, the bright optical viewfinder makes framing and composition a pleasure. As an extra refinement, Manual Focus Check Live View previews clear, bright full-resolution images on the 6.7cm (2.7”) Clear Photo LCD screen. With selectable 7x/14x on-screen image enlargement it’s ideal for confirming pin-sharp focus with portraits, still life, macro and architectural scenes.

The powerful BIONZ image processor enables high-speed continuous shooting at up to 5 fps (maximum – approx. figure). In Speed Priority mode (with AF and AE set at start of burst) this increases to an amazing 7 fps (maximum – actual speed depends on shooting conditions and media card). More than enough to catch sports and fast-moving action with ease.

Creative options are enhanced with Auto HDR mode that accommodates bright highlights and dark shadow details in a single frame. Two successive frames shot handheld at different exposure values are merged automatically by the camera. The result is a detail-packed High Dynamic Range image – with no need for a PC image editor and specialist skills. In addition to fully automatic operation, the exposure difference between frames can be manually set up to 3EV, in 0.5EV increments.

Featured right across the DSLR line-up by Sony, SteadyShot INSIDE™ offers up to 4 steps of anti-shake correction with the full range of 30 α lenses and two teleconvertors, as well as compatible A-mount optics by Konica-Minolta.

The α450 also offers the most impressive shooting stamina of any DSLR camera by Sony to date. The high-capacity battery allows up to 1,050 shots between charges* – plenty for a busy weekend’s sightseeing.

Slots for Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo and SD/SDHC memory cards (sold separately) are offered to suit users’ personal shooting preferences.

Connect the α450 to any HD Ready TV for a breathtaking big-screen view of your photos. PhotoTV HD optimises still image reproduction on compatible BRAVIA™ models, while BRAVIA™ Sync allows control of slideshow and other camera playback functions using your TV remote.

Supplied software includes Image Data Converter SR; Image Data Lightbox SR; and PMB (Picture Motion Browser) for easy image management. The α450 is also compatible with the wide range of high-quality DSLR accessories by Sony, including flashes, carry cases, batteries and chargers, GPS and more.

The DSLR-A450 digital SLR camera by Sony is available from the beginning of February 2010.
Features: DSLR-Α450
Effective Megapixels – Approx. 14.2
Lens compatibility – Sony α lens, Minolta and Konica Minolta AF lens
Image sensor – APS-C size (23.4×15.6mm) CMOS sensor “Exmor” with RGB primary colour filters
Processor – BIONZ™ image processor
ISO Sensitivity Range – 200-12,800 ISO
Image Quality Modes – JPEG (fine, standard), raw, raw + JPEG
HDMI connector and Bravia Sync – HDMI  mini connector (Type C), BRAVIA Sync (Sync menu), PhotoTV HD
Image Size: 3:2 (pixels) – L size:  4592×3056 (14M); M size:  3344×2224 (7.4M); S size:  2288×1520 (3.5M)
Viewfinder Type – Fixed eye-level, pentamirror (porroprism)
LCD – 6.7cm (2.7”) type, TFT Clear Photo LCD (230,400 dots)
Manual Focus Check Live View – YES
SteadyShot INSIDE – YES
Anti-dust System – Coating on low pass filter, plus image-sensor vibration cleaning cycle
Focus Modes – AF/MF selectable. AF modes: Single-shot AF, Automatic AF, Continuous AF
Autofocus – TTL phase detection system; CCD line sensors
Focus Points – 9 points (all line, no cross)
Exposure Modes – Programmed AE (AUTO, AUTO – Flash Off, P), Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual, Scene selection
Exposure Metering Sensor – 40-segment honeycomb-pattern SPC
Exposure Metering Modes – Multi-segment, Centre-weighted, Spot
Scene Selection – Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports, Sunset, Night portrait/Night view
Creative Style Settings – Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, B/W
Shutter Speed – 1/4000-30sec, Bulb
Exposure Bracketing – 3 continuous exposures, in 0.3 or 0.7 EV steps
White Balance Settings – Auto / 6 presets / Colour Temperature/Colour Filter /  Custom WB
Continuous Advance Shooting – Up to 5 fps and 7 fps in speed priority mode.
Approx. no. of shots – Approx. 1050 shots
Built-in Flash – Auto pop-up – GN 12 at ISO 100, FOV coverage up to 18mm
Flash Modes – Flash-off, Auto, Fill-flash, Slow sync, Rear Sync., Wireless*, Hi-speed sync.*,
*With external flash HVL-F58AM, HVL-F56AM, HVL-F42AM, HVL-F36AM
Media – Memory Stick PRO Duo / PRO-HG Duo / SD memory card / SDHC memory card
Dimensions (W x H x D) – Approx. 137 x 104 x 81mm (W/H/D, excluding protrusions)
Weight – Approx. 520g

No price information has been released.

Paul Genge of Sony UK confirmed that deliveries had in fact been made by October 22nd to selected dealers and that ‘both cameras have been available since the beginning of the week’.

However, a Google search showed no for sale items except Hong Kong based grey market shippers. WarehouseExpress still showed a pre-order status for the Alpha 550 and its kits. We have been trying to obtain one for the past two weeks, as review samples were not available. The initial report in Photoworld magazine has been completed with the help of our Photoclubalpha subscribers round the world who already have the camera, and will appear in the edition printed next week.

UPDATE: Monday October 26th – WarehouseExpress had bodies, 18-55mm and twin lens kits all in stock this morning.

- DK

Peter Crouch training the UK team: photo by Guy Levy, Canon 1D MkIIn, 24-70mm f/2.8 L Canon lens, 1/500th at f/8, ISO 200.

The upcoming sporting event from Sony called “Twilight Football” has been set up to do just that, capture some beautiful imagery of the beautiful game, whilst demonstrating the low-light shooting capabilities of Sony’s new range of cameras and Handycams including the Cyber-shot TX1 and WX1 models, the Handycam TG7 and the DSLR A550.

Twilight will form the magical backdrop for five-a-side football games commencing at one side of the world, and concluding at the other on 22nd September, the time of the autumnal/vernal equinox – when twilight is at its longest at any given point on the planet.

Amateur footballers have competed to take part in matches around the world and the team of successful UK applicants were awarded the extra honour of being trained by England footie legend Peter Crouch.

Peter Crouch kicks a football. Photo by Guy Levy, Canon EOS 1D MkIIn camera, 24-70mm f/2.8 Canon L lens. 1/4000th at f/4, ISO 200. (Click this picture to open a full size file and see just what the original is like)

Eton College football pitch was chosen as the training ground to continue the theme of stunning backdrops chosen for each match.

Peter Crouch commented: “It was a fantastic experience working with the UK winners of the Sony Twilight football competition. They are a dedicated, tight knit team and it was my pleasure to coach them ahead of their upcoming match in Australia. I’m sure with a little more practice at twilight they will sharpen up their reactions and be the champions of their game next week.”

About Twilight Football

“Twilight Football” will create a series of spectacular twilight images captured using the latest photography equipment from Sony. The images will be used in various print and outdoor advertising.

The first game will start as twilight begins in Italy. The instant a light sensor determines that darkness has fallen, the same game is taken up in France. And so it continues, through Spain, the UK, Argentina and Australia until the final whistle blows in South Africa. The entire match will last for around four hours and forty minutes, involve seventy grass-roots players and nine world-class FIFA officials.

To add to the drama the “Twilight Football” matches are scheduled for some of the world’s most photogenic spots. They include a floating platform in Venice, King Arthur’s castle in Cornwall, the Iguazu Falls in Argentina (80,000 gallons a second dropping down a 300 foot chasm), the Pinnacle Desert (a fifty degree sweat in a parched landscape made up of weird limestone pillars), and finally South Africa where the game will be played at a private game reserve called Aquila.

The campaign has been designed to promote Sony’s unique Exmor R™ CMOS sensor technology which has an exceptional capacity to capture detail in low light, and since mixing low light and fast-moving action presents one of the toughest challenges to photographers, “Twilight Football” will truly put the technology to the test.

Twilight has long been an inspiration to artists and photographers, and this whole event will offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capture exotic shots in beautiful locations, at the most beautiful time of day giving new meaning to the idea of the “beautiful game”.

Catty comment from DK:

I disliked the whole concept from the moment I heard about it. Simple errors – such as the statement that the autumn equinox produces the longest periods of twilight anywhere on Earth – are annoying (there’s a reason why Scotland is famous for ‘roaming in the gloaming’ and why Iceland is a fantastic place to visit in early June or mid-July). Seeing a massive budget spent on what appears to a concept derived from someone’s personal fantasy is sad. Then being sent the pictures accompanying this release, with glowing superlatives describing them?

I felt almost sick. I should sell all this Sony gear, forget the whole photoclubalpha thing, and just buy a kit from Olympus – at least they have, in the UK, consistently supported the best in photography for four decades and show no sign of losing their discerning eye despite today’s restricted budgets. I am becoming embarrassed to be seen using a camera system associated with this kind of hype. Not only that, it’s football. Do you see hundreds of DSLR cameras – or indeed any cameras – in the hands of a crowd of football fans? Do you learn of footballers or WAGS taking a great interest in photography?

And to me twilight does not mean sunset (as seen in the snaps provided with this press release). It is the period after sunset when the sun is only just below the horizon, and (typically) the atmosphere with clouds or stratified layers reflects a diffused light. The bipolar colour of this ‘glow’ – red and blue from different directions, often augmented by more red reflected from clouds – can be outstandingly beautiful. Someone may have called football the ‘beautiful game’ but that, I am sure, was never a reference to its aesthetic. Football is visually chaotic, marred by essential sponsor advertising, hardly improved by team strip and branding. Some stadiums are works of art but you’ll be hard pressed to see any of the architecture in football photography. The chances of getting real ‘beauty’ from this extravagant advertising venture are slim, and the chances of getting nothing worthwhile at all (see above) are considerable.

There is so much worthwhile that Sony could do. If this is an attempt to court what Americans call ‘soccer mums’ (we don’t have that in Britain, we have soccer dads!) then the five-a-side teams of adults won’t hit the mark; this is an entirely different game.

Now if Sony had come in to support international and British Rugby Sevens that would have been a different game – in every sense. In need of funding, played in beautiful locations like the Welsh and Scottish Borders, New Zealand, Pacific Islands… highly photogenic and highly accessible for amateur and professional photographers alike (unlike football which actively bans entry with cameras, and seeks to control the access and usage rights granted even to national press staff).

But whoever dreamed this one up or approved an agency pitch at Sony clearly has one big interest – football. Pity that interest is not photography instead.

- David Kilpatrick

Added after comments:

Please don’t think I’m anti-football! I have sought out and photographed football – the type I like to see, on the beaches and in the streets – many times when travelling, and all too often at twilight. Kids playing outside the medina walls of Moroccan towns – in the yards below Silves castle – on Butterfly Beach in Barbados (tourists versus locals, the locals themselves prefer to play cricket). But I will post here a real example of twilight football, without apology for using one of our daughter’s shots. In a summer vacation felucca journey up the Nile with a friend, she took the brand new Minolta Dimage X to write a report for Minolta Image magazine – which she did with enthusiasm.

1/850th of a second, 7.5mm, ISO 100 at f/2.9 (maximum aperture) on programmed auto (probably Sports setting). The foreground is cropped off (scruffy shore), she was on board the felucca tied up at the bank and some of the lads off the trip had gone ashore to play football with the crew and locals.  I guess the donkey was just great luck and perfect timing – pity that the camera only produced 2 megapixel JPEGs!

For me, this is what football is REALLY about internationally. It is a language which people who don’t even share a few words in common can understand. Just the names of star players or favourite teams, and a few gestures or expression, can be a conversation between strangers. A game like this – a real twilight game (actually exactly 30 minutes before sunset, according to the Nile sunset which follows it in Ailsa’s image folder) can be a great impromptu bonding, battle, celebration and memory for everyone.

My grumpy ramble is not directed against football, and I would not have reacted as strongly had Sony sent anything which really qualified as ‘stunning’ imagery. I sincerely hope they do better when we see the final results in a day or two. And I hope they do better than a 20-year-old student (psychology not photography) roughing it on a Nile adventure.

Here’s another of Ailsa’s shots taken the next morning – I do not know the full story but they had all piled their cameras on to one guy. Now this is what the photographic market is really about. All these kids had cameras and several had SLRs (it was 2002, pre-DSLR era). Travel, friends, places, people, stories, activities, things – recording their own lives. A few years on, new waves of college kids are still at it – see Facebook and Flickr for evidence. Will Sony really reach today’s market with Twilight Football?

They could have involved the entire world. There are real twilight football games like the one Ailsa photographed, happening right now without the aid of corporate invention. Sony could have created an open competition for images of real football and had entries from thousands of photographers round the globe. A book, an exhibition, a website?

In the meantime, a few samples have been posted on various sites which show the raw conversion engine of the camera/s (not necessarily the JPEG compression stage, as always seems to be assumed) has been radically revised. Sony call this ‘enhanced BIONZ’ and I think there’s a clue to how it has been enhanced in the relationship of Sony Europe and DxO Labs, the French company which specialises in in-camera process analysis and development.

It is revealed that in some European countries, the new Alpha 850 will be sold with DxO Optics Pro Elite bundled for raw processing. The difference made by DxO Optics Pro software to the output from high ISO images, in particular, is considerable. The Alpha raw format has been plagued by Adobe Camera Raw‘s terrible performance from day one, despite the compelling ease of use which makes owners return to using this flawed utility – including me. The in-camera JPEGs and Sony Image Data Converter results have come a close second to ACR for poor detail/sharpness/noise handling though no-one doubts the excellence of their matched colour reproduction.

DxO is also very unsatisfactory software in many ways. It has the most obtuse browser design, which is incapable of handling simple directory heirarchy in a single pane (something Lightroom, Aperture and the operating system GUIs of Mac and Windows alike do much better). It will not display thumbnails from a list view, forcing the user to jump from folder to folder looking at disorganised lightbox-style thumbnail icons of files, or to know exactly what photos are hiding behind all of the hundreds of sequential filenames for their raws. Here is where Bridge scores, you can navigate to a folder and view a choice of preview or file listings all of which allow you to select images by actually seeing them. DxO, even when used as a Photoshop plug-in, presumes you know in advance which folder and files you want to add to your ‘project’.

But DxO is worth the tedium and frustration because of the quality of raw conversion. Even this is slow, and some things just don’t work well – using the Photoshop plug-in merely opens the entire DxO Optics Pro package anyway, but forces it to pass image data to Photoshop in 16-bit TIFF form with all EXIF metadata stripped out. To make the JPEGs for this article, DxO had to be used separately. I would have preferred the quality of a 16-bit TIFF transfer later saved to JPEG, but it was important to retain the EXIF data.

Here, anyway, are some results of a quick comparison based on the first test image I showed in September 2008, when Firmware v4 was issued for the Alpha 700:

Clicking on this image will open the FULL SIZE 12 megapixel, Level 10 saved, sRGB JPEG – the same applies to the further samples. Click to open full size in a separate window, then use your magnifier cursor to view at 100%.

This is the ACR 5.5RC version, no sharpening, default values but Black Point set to 3, Luminance 25, Chroma 50 NR.

This is the DxO Optics Pro Elite 5.3.5 conversion at automatic default settings. This includes Lens Softness compensation (capture sharpening), DxO Lighting (adaptive local gamma compensation), Luminance NR 54 and Chroma NR 50. Like ACR, DxO Optics Pro uses two NR sliders scaled 0 to 100.

This conversion removes the DxO Lighting, the sharpening, and the heavy Luminance NR which is reduced to 25. Dead pixel removal is enabled, as this removes some ugly black pixel specks which appear in the default conversion.

Conclusion and quick view of 100 per cent clip samples (1000 x 700 pixels) from ACR and Optics Pro: see next page.