This time, I described the dream to my wife and son; he knows a lot about this stuff, and thought it was an accurate dream. It was possible. Now Sony is about to release the camera I was using in the dream.

Here is the dream.

I am walking across a kind of pier or boardwalk construction at the edge of water. It’s not in Britain. It’s warm and sunny, and it could be in the USA. The boards are raised above what would be the shore, and there are wooden buildings left and right of me. Ahead, I can see the lake water, and boat moorings with a jetty. To the left of me is the largest building, which is a shop or museum; something to visit. There are ornamental shrubs placed on planters or pots, and there are some notices or signs on the building. To the right, the wooden building is functional; it could be a boat house, a yacht club, or something like that. There are pine woods beyond.

My job is to move to the four corners of this scene, and other positions, taking care to make a complete set of images from a range of camera placements and angles. I’m using a wide-angle lens, and my camera is equipped with GPS which records the exact position and orientation of the camera for every shot.

I do not worry about people in the pictures because the software will ignore them, nor about the light, but it is a beautiful day anyway. I am taking the pictures for a project and this is paid work. This is actually what I do for a living (in the dream). I am visiting hundreds of the most frequently-photographed places in the world, and producing a set of pictures of each one.

But it’s not what I am doing which is the interesting bit. It’s what I know about it. In the dream, I have all the knowledge about what I am doing that I would have if it was real.

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Time and space

Here’s how my pictures are being used. Each set of images with its GPS coordinates is fed into a system which constructs a 3D model of the environment. It is capable of recognising identical elements seen from different angles, and uses the GPS data to help identify them. With two 2D views of a building from different positions, it can use the focus distance and lens angle information to compensate for small inaccuracies in the GPS data, and wireframe the exact design and scale of the structure.

It identifies textures and objects like foliage, text on signs, clouds, and people. Once my entire set of images from this place has been processed (I am aware they are being transmitted as I take the pictures) new photographs which never existed can be created. A virtual camera can be positioned anywhere within the area I photographed, and my few dozen still images from fixed positions enable a new view to be constructed with complete accuracy.

I’ve used the result (in my dream) and it has incredibly high resolution because of the correlated image information. It’s a bit like Sony’s multi-shot or HDR or panorama technology, but instead of aligning two very similar images, it maps the coincident key points of entirely different views of the same scene. Where a walk-through VR allows viewing all angles from one position, this allows viewing any angle from any position.

And it goes beyond that to add a timeline.

The system I’m working for gathers millions of photographs from people all over the world. I’m photographing these key locations because they are the most photographed in the world. Camera phone images now record GPS data, and also record the date. So (at this future time) do most digital cameras and video cameras.

The system can find images matching every location by trawling the web; from Flickr, Facebook or whatever is out there. It can analyse the images to see whether they actually match the location they appear to be from. For every location, the system gathers in as many more pictures as it can find.

The first result of this is more detail. The second is that the viewer can change the season or weather conditions in which the location is seen. It can be viewed at night, in snow, in rain, at sunset; whatever. My image-set provides the framework, but seasonal changes can be created from the ‘found’ images of the place.

The second result is the timeline. Old photographs of these places have been fed into the system. For some popular spots, it’s possible to track the environment backwards for over 100 years. Trees change size, buildings appear and disappear. By turning on ‘people’ (which the software can remove) the crowds, groups or individuals who were in the scene at any time can be shown. And the 3D environment is still enabled because all the old photographs are co-ordinate mapped to the new information.

I do not have to work all this out in my dream, because I already know it. I am working with this awareness. The entire thing is known to me, without having to think about it. I also know that future pictures captured from internet will continue to add to the timeline and the ‘people’ function, so in five years’ time the seasons and the visitors to this place can be viewed almost by the minute.

The dark side

Because this is a dream, I do not have to think or rationalise to get this understanding; it was included with the dream. As I wake up, I realise what I have been dreaming and then make an effort to ‘save to memory’. That also kicks in the thinking process.

I start to wonder who was hiring me to do this survey-type photography, because in the dream that is one thing I don’t know. I realise how exciting it is to be able to use this Google-Earth or Google-Street type application to view not only any part and any angle of these tourist locations, but any season or time of day, and many past times in their history.

When I describe it to him, Richard suggests it’s probably Microsoft. He likes the collation of web-sourced images covering seasons, and maybe decades of past time. He thinks it is all possible and the core technology exists right now. I should patent it and give it a name!

But there is one thing which I understood just as I was waking up; the system can recognise people. Not just as people to be ‘removed’ from a scene or turned back on; it can recognise faces. The movements of one individual can be reconstructed within that location, and it can use a ‘cloud’ of gathered pictures taken at the same time to do so. This is not just virtual tourism and virtual history. In other locations – not beautiful waterside boardwalk quays – it is surveillance brought to a new level.

Sony A55 and A580

Sony’s new models with built-in GPS are the first cameras which will record the data my dream required. The GPS is not the typical latitude-longitude only. It also records height above sea level (elevation) and the direction the camera is pointing (orientation). The camera-data information records the focus distance and point of focus, and the angle of view of the lens (focal length), the time, and the measured light level and apparent colour temperature. Maybe in the A55 the spirit level function also records horizon tilt and position.

OK, the camera I was using in the dream was more like a 5 x 4 on a tripod. But that could be just a dream – like the giant fish which leapt on to boards and brought the jetty crashing down into the water a second before I woke up…

- David Kilpatrick

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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

You can get this profile here:

http://www.photoclubalpha.com/Sony NEX-5 (Sony E 16mm F2.8) – RAW.lcp

Right click to download/save the target file, and install this in:

Library>Application Support>Adobe>Camera Raw>Lens Profiles>Sony

Uncorrected 16mm shot

Using Adobe Camera Raw 6.2 RC with the profile active at default settings

JPEG profile added (17/08/10)

I have now added a JPEG profile from the same set of images as the raw – this is lucky, I didn’t think people would need a JPEG profile but happened to have the camera set to RAW+JPEG when the test shots were made, and this has been requested for those using HDR or other JPEG-only modes.

http://www.photoclubalpha.com/NEX-5 16mm JPEG.lcp

Above: HDR three-shot with 16mm, straight JPEG

HDR shot opened in Camera Raw without adjustments, but with the Profile enabled

Using the profiles

A full Adobe Profile is undertaken at several focus distances, apertures and zoom settings (or for prime lenses, just at a range of distances and apertures). The largest chart I can print is A2+ using the Epson 3800, and with a 24mm equivalent lens, this means having the camera surprisingly close to the target. The profile is therefore only 100% correct for subjects at 115cm from the camera, which corresponds to the 4X minimum focus distance suggested by Adobe.

I have found from using the 16mm that its optimum aperture for central sharpness is probably f/5.6, and that chromatic aberration and vignetting do not improve at stops smaller than f/8. There is a slight improvement in detail sharpness in the extreme corners at f/11 and f/16, but this is due to extra depth of field helping to cover a curved focus field. I therefore made test sets at f/2.8 and f/8 for this profile.

The geometric distortion is most visible with closer subjects such as the subject above (The Slave Girl, a bronze c. 1870 by John Bell, at Cragside House in Northumberland). This is a hand-held exposure of 1/4 at f/8, and is perfectly sharp despite the lack of stabilisation; every word of the interpretation can be read at 100%. I have found most shots are perfectly sharp with the 16mm given reasonable care, as you would take with a Leica, to breathe correctly and make a shake-free exposure. This is not the case with SLRs where the mirror action nearly always causes shake.

For more distant subjects, the 100% default setting of the ACR/LR Lens Correction panel can be reduced and where there are few straight lens removed entirely to secure the maximum field of view. Similarly, the vignetting correction can be reduced or removed entirely as the natural darkening towards the corners with this lens is attractive.

Although this profile is named to match perfectly the naming convention used by Adobe for the 18-55mm, I find that ACR 6.2 can not be relied on to use it for Auto as a default (if you work with more than one lens, Adobe Lens Correction soon proves unpredictable in this anyway). If you select Auto, then select Sony, the lens profile will be selected but the Auto button changes to Custom. If you then save new Lens Correction Defaults, or Camera Raw Defaults, ACR will attempt to force this profile on the 18-55mm and the reverse will also happen. So it’s necessary to check which profile is selected. Using ‘Previous Conversion’ for shots taken on the same lens is a quick way to get there.

The additional Manual Controls can be used on top of the profile (the second tab of the interface). The most useful are the geometric distortion (camera angle) corrections. The Chromatic Aberration/Colour Fringe controls can be fine tuned as the correction for CA while very effective relates only to the tested focus distance. CA may change with focus but my particular lens doesn’t seem to suffer from this. All that is necessary is to enable Defringe All edges as a default, and this will remove any hint of colour remaining. As a tip, setting Colour Noise Reduction to a high value can help remove CA and purple fringes in many shots processed through ACR/LR. The colour NR detects 1-2 pixel fringes just the same way it detects individual pixels, and neutralises much as it does noise.

- 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)

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…

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.

The Leica M and screw mounts, with under 1mm difference between them, are 10mm greater than this at around 28mm. Screw mount Leica lenses can be adapted to M even though there is only 1mm difference. With 10mm difference, almost any lens ever made for any camera – even the Robot system, original Contax, maybe even the Pentax 110 SLR – can probably be adapted to fit the E-mount. In fact it will accept 16mm and 35mm (half-frame) ciné, C-mount CCTV lenses, and subminiature camera lenses.

You name it, the NEX will be able to do it. Telescopes, microscopes, endoscopes, whatever. And Alpha lenses, and MD lenses. There is even enough ROOM with over 25mm the spare to fit a true retrofocus format reduction converter – that is, a 0.66X optical unit which condenses the image from a full frame lens to fit the APS-C sensor. It is already done in the video and ciné world, and these converters have a wonderful bonus. Your 24-70mm f/2.8 SSM lens becomes, with a 0.66X reducing converter behind it, a 16-46mm f/2. That’s right – the same way a teleconverter loses you a stop or two, a format reduction converter gains you a stop.

The same converters also increase resolution, much as teleconverters reduce it. Zeiss can achieve 400 line pairs per millimetre from high grade 35mm format movie lenses when rear-converted to reduce on to 16mm or video.

Will Sony ever make such a converter? Do they even know that Zeiss have designs, and make exactly this type of converter for Arriflex and other systems via Angenieux? Do they realise that rear fitting format-reduction converters can also perform an AF function, allowing a manual focus lens from Nikon, Canon, Contax, Minolta or whoever to be mounted on a converter which has an ultrasonic AF mechanism of its own?

Imagine that – your 50mm f/1.2 Rokkor becomes an autofocus 33mm f/1.0 on the NEX. This is not blue sky thinking, it’s an optical practicality not a mere possibility. However, you don’t want to know the price of Zeiss converters, and for a system like NEX a universal converter might never be possible; it might have to be matched to the prime lens.

The NEX mount is almost as wide in the throat as an SLR mount; for some obscure reason, Sony chose to measure the outer diameter of the flange, which is not what matters, and came up with 62.6mm for the Alpha and 58.9mm for the NEX. Inner diameter of the bayonet, the bit which counts, was not stated. But it’s a wide throat and can cope with a huge potential range of adapted lenses.

Less of this ramble, and on to the plain vanilla – the camera.

Inside the camera there is a 14.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, capable of HD video and of course the vital live view and contrast-detection focusing on which the entire camera is based. This is fed to a 3 inch, 920,000 pixel TruBlack articulated rear screen and the user must compose, control and review everything on this screen. There are few buttons, no dials except a single control wheel, and everything is converted to a virtual control or a menu choice using a Sony-Ericsson developed graphical user interface.

The NEX5 camera, by some way the preferable model of the two, has a magnesium alloy body which matches the machined and brushed aluminium barrels of the lenses. It comes complete with a tiny camera-powered flashgun, screwed into an accessory slot on the camera top which has more contacts than a mere flash should need. Three, at least, must be for the stereo microphone audio interface which also draws Electret Condensor Microphone phantom power from the body’s battery.

At the end of less than 24 hours with the camera, I cleaned the white table on the hotel balcony and took a few pictures which will show you the camera in detail.

Here, you can see the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS (stabilised) kit lens to the left; the camera body is fitted with the (raised) flash and the 16mm f/2.8 E-mount non stabilised wide angle pancake lens. In front is a 49mm fit lens cap (for either), InfoLithium battery good for around 350 shots, a 4GB MemoryStick Pro Duo MkII, and the lens hood for the 18-55mm.

The NEX baseplate view reveals the steel tripod bush set into the mag alloy casing, the lens release in a slightly unfamiliar position, the size of the grip and the location of the new Sony factory making this system – in Thailand. It was rumoured that these lenses would be branded as Zeiss. Having used these two, I can’t say they would ever have deserved that. Both are very sharp centrally but pretty soft at the edges unless well stopped down, and both have fairly strong CA. The central sharpness is excellent, about as good as you could expect, perhaps aided by the Contrast Detect focusing which is entirely free of back or front focus.

Here’s the body, which is 24.2mm thick at its thinnest point, with the lens removed – the sensor is exposed. But that’s how it normally is, whether switched on or off. Turning the camera off does not closed the focal plane shutter (30s to 1/4000th, X at 1/160th, vertical travel). Dust removal is not going to be all that easy with the sensor cover glass sitting so well shielded and recessed behind the shutter gate. When a lens is fitted, the sun can come in and focus itself on the sensor. What issues will that cause for anyone careless enough to leave a NEX with a 16mm f/2.8 lens on its back, with no lenscap, in tropical mid-day sun? As people sometimes do, dining or drinking outdoors?

The lens will afford some protection when fitted. The well-machined metal mount should not admit dust too easily. There are ten contacts on the E-mount lenses (note the legend ‘E-mount’ etched on the flange). They transfer EXIF information about the lens, power for the ultrasonic focusing motor which is a silent ring type, power for the aperture adjustment via a stepper motor, and command and feedback signals to make these adjustments. Enough of the protocol is shared for the E to A mount adaptor LA-EA1 to have been designed to operate SSM and SAM Alpha lenses. At the launch conference, Sony admitted their engineers had failed to get reliable focusing, so AF was disabled in firmware. They hoped that a firmware update would restore the planned AF functionality with in-lens motor Alpha glass.

The ability to change aperture during video shooting is only offered with E-mount lenses, and is disabled when A-mount lenses are fitted via the adaptor. Sony does not make it clear whether different apertures can still be preset, before filming.

This is one of the lenses which might have proved interesting on the NEX – the Sony SAM 30mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro. You can see the difference in scale and engineering approach. Note the AF/MF switch on the SAM lens – it’s the only way to over-ride AF on the Alpha bodies. The E-mount lenses are far superior, they have full time manual focus over-ride which is ultra smooth, just turn the focus ring at any time to shift away from the autofocused point. When you do this, the rear screen instantly and automatically switches to an enlarged view to aid manual fine focusing.

Here’s a close-up of the 16mm lens iris. Whatever shape of aperture is claimed, there are only seven blades (probably to keep the action very light) and that minimum f/22 does not look especially circular to me – much like any other lens with a very small iris diaphragm. The blades are oddly asymmetrical too.

Here you have the 18-55mm naked on the body. It’s a really good cosmetic match but you can see how large even this lens is compared to the camera. The 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 which was not ready to be tried out is even larger. Note the position of the strap lug(s). They are placed down the body and angled so that when neckdangled or shoulderslung, the camera tends to hang with the lens aiming down and the screen facing up. This saves a lot of screen scuffing, gives quick access to the info there presented, and keeps the bigger lenses neatly placed.

Be warned, though, that you can’t expect to grab a shot from hanging position. If the camera is turned off, it takes a short delay to fire up and for the screen to brighten as the gain is adjusted (always from dark). If the camera is sleeping, first touch on the shutter button does the same, with the screen ready for use in a second or so. Then a firmer pressure acquires focus and re-adjusts the screen exposure; AF officially takes 0.3s, but I found you could easily have 2-3 seconds from the moment of raising the camera to being able to fire the shutter in confidence. I actually think my old Konica Minolta Dimage A2 is faster. I missed several candids and moving subjects when testing the NEX5.

This is just a shot with the petal lens hood fitted. You may notice that the 16mm lens, supplied without a hood, does have a bayonet as well as a 49mm filter thread. This is to enable two afocal front lens convertors to be fitted – the VCL-ECU1 is a 0.75X rectilinear converter, turning the 16mm into a 12mm ultrawide, while the VCL-ECF1 is a 0.62X fisheye converter creating a 10mm full frame curved view fisheye. Given that the 16mm is expected to be only around £200 (or much less in effect when bought with a body), and these converters are £100 and £120 respectively, a system will be no great weight on the pocket.

There is also an optical finder for the 16mm, which occupies the flash/mic shoe, and will cost £130. Eh?

Like the flash, shown above, it will use the 12-pin gold plated connector and thumbscrew to attach. But it’s not an electronic finder. No-one would answer whether this contact array will support an EVF attachment.

This is how you secure the flash, which stows by folding down flat. Raising it, as in this shot, turns it on.

This runs off the battery, which lives next to the dual-purpose card slot. Previous models have had twin slots. The NEX range uses a dual MSPro/SD slot which auto senses the type of card being used. An AC mains adaptor is available which uses a dummy battery and a cable emerging through a hinged portal in the battery door (above).

The rear screen is articulated very much like the Alpha 550, and does not turn to face forwards, or orient itself in any way to suit vertical compositions. It is very much geared to the landscape format trend created by video shooting, HD, mobile phones and so on. Though the camera has auto orientation sensing for photos, the display does not change like an Alpha and it’s not really designed well for vertical shots.

The downfacing position is pretty odd. It does not fold out in the usual way. I was able to shoot well enough holding the camera overhead. The screen articulation is, like the 550, a very rugged metal mechanism. It does not feel as vulnerable as many other (more versatile) swivel and tilt rear screens.

The GUI is exactly what GUI means – very much a graphical, not textual, user interface. The six main menu icons resemble mobile phone menus. You get to them by rotating the scroll wheel and pushing its centre button. Shortcuts are marked at the compass points of the wheel for outer rim press-clicks taking you to different options or changing the display mode. The LCD has a glass cover but Sony still offers both hard and adhesive protectors. I took photographs using the ‘Sunny’ brightness setting, not Auto. ‘Sunny’ really boosts the backlight well beyond the auto brightness maximum.

The Brightness/Color Menu includes the options for DRO+ and for HDR shooting. HDR is now three frame bracketing, with manual control up to 6EV span (plus/minus 3). The NEX has a very powerful new BIONZ processor and crunches 3 raw files into an HDR JPEG instantly – while also saving, at the same time, the middle bracketed exposure from your rapidfire 7fps burst as a standard choice. So you get two frames from your triple shutterburst, one normal, one HDR. There are also six-shot Night Scene and Anti Motion Blur modes, which synthesise a final low noise or minimum blur JPEG in-camera; I failed to test these, as the presentations made no real mention of them.

Here you can see the second shutter release, marked MOVIE. Press this and there is no waiting – filming starts immediately, so you either need to be in Continuous AF mode, or have pre-focused using the main shutter release. A second press ends the take. Unlike almost every other HD Video 1080p capable model yet made, the NEX5 will shoot continuously without clip length limits, up to around 29 minutes (filesize limit).

Select Shoot Mode, and an image of a virtual mode dial appears concentric with the control wheel. It turns in perfect sync with the wheel. So, without having a physical dial, Sony has given you one. Text information appears as you perform changes. Some more annoying repetitive cyber-advice can be turned off; other ‘tips’ are not optional. They follow you round for life.

The camera includes many functions aimed at happy young exuberant target-market users. I don’t think it is complete, as the Smile Detection menu has not made adequate allowance for Goths, neo-punks, or grumpy old folk with permanently inverted scowls. A future version for the legacy Alpha-owner generation should include ‘Not Frowning’ as a smile mode!

The Display mode change options include a semi-graphical exposure scale exactly along the lines of current Alpha models.

Alternatively, you can opt for a different set of info more aimed at the advanced user. I found that no matter what display mode I used, the screen became so cluttered I sometimes could not see parts of the subject I was keen to check for alignment, cut off or inclusion in the shot.

This – a very simple display indeed – was what I found most acceptable. It is interesting to note that with the exposure metered live from the CMOS, there was much less need for the plus-minus over-ride function using NEX. I was shooting raw, but even the JPEGs obtained alongside the raw files were pretty much perfectly exposed every time. For difficult subjects the JPEG-only shooter can use a three-shot HDR in-camera process, and this worked very well.

I have a gallery of 48 full size in-camera JPEGs taken during the photo shoot opportunity organised for the press, which involved two hours in sealed dirty-window ferry and bus plus half an hour wasted on a wine tasting (?!) session, for the sake of maybe an hour of pictures. They would have been better just bussing us into Split old city and telling us to meet later. Escorting a gaggle of journos round Hvar town was singularly unproductive!

http://www.pbase.com/davidkilpatrick/nex5_samples

48 full size in-camera JPEGs with peculiarly deficient EXIF data. Where it says 16mm, the 16mm was used. Everything else is on the 18-55mm. The NEX5 body was used.

The NEX system and the initial 3 and 5 model cameras needs much more writing about it, with many new functions and features. This has just been a small guided tour of the camera for you to see it in detail. We will be posting further reports as time permits, rush-blogging not being something I intend to do when there is so much detailed information to be digested. My quick reports from Croatia and during transit back home have already appeared on the BJP website:

http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=874544

http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=874550

You can see a short 720p HD movie (rescaled from the original 1080i for YouTube, edited using iMovie 09 on Mac) here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSl3jN2sk7Q

- David Kilpatrick

What is more important for owners is that IDC has always copied, replicated or matched the behaviour of camera firmware. If Sony has acquired or written new deBayer algorithms, either future DSLRs will have much improved high ISO performance – or firmware upgrades are in the pipeline which could transform existing gear (except the poor old Alpha 100 – it was probably doing pretty well in reality anyway…).

Here are two samples quickly compared – old IDC 3 versus new IDC 3.2, on a 2500 ISO file from the Alpha 900. All settings were identical for the two files, and sharpening and NR were left at default values.

Before – v3.0

After – v3.2 both on Mac OSX Snow Leopard, and I can confirm a VERY much faster performance for 3.2, building a sharp preview of the A900 file rapidly and completely where 3.0 built in slowly and often only left the centre of each image previewed correctly.

We’ll know about the firmware soon, but it is significant that Sony having hinted at firmware upgrades for this Spring (documented from various trade shows, interviews etc on other websites) has first of all come out with an IDC upgrade.

Here is the full press release issued this morning:

α (Alpha) digital SLR users can now enjoy even more control over creating beautiful, low noise images with the latest release of Image Data Converter software.

Image Data Converter SR Version 3.2 now features new algorithms that significantly reduce image noise at high ISO settings when converting RAW data to JPEG files. Processing is most effective at ISO 800 and higher, delivering impressively natural results with minimised colour noise right up to ISO 12,800 (depends on DLSR model).

The new algorithm is effective when converting RAW file or cRAW files (depends on DSLR model) to JPEG files produced by all current and previous model digital SLR cameras by Sony (excluding DSLR-A100).

Image Data Convertor SR Version 3.2 is part of the Image Data Suite that also includes Image Data Lightbox SR Version 2.2. Supplied free of charge with all new digital SLR cameras by Sony, the enhanced bundle now also offers support for Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard).

Registered Alpha customers can download Image Data Convertor SR Version 3.2 free of charge from the Sony Europe support website in English version from 31st March 2010. Other languages will be available to download within the next 10 working days. To download the new update, please visit: http://support.sony-europe.com/dime/digistill/alpha/alpha.aspx?

Direct download links (unofficial): Mac – http://di.update.sony.net/SIDS/IDS32_Installer1004a.dmg

Windows – http://di.update.sony.net/SIDS/IDS32_Installer1004a.exe

These are English language. The main site will presumably be updated in the course of time.