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

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

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

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

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

The instruction manual for the Alpha 33 and 55:

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

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

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

- David Kilpatrick

480 width ad:

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

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

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

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

Merriam-Webster:

trans·lu·cent/transˈlo͞osnt/

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Versatile features

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- David Kilpatrick

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- David Kilpatrick

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

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

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

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

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

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

- David Kilpatrick

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

But they let Sony down in a big way by only including the 18-55mm OSS lens for NEX, omitting the 16mm which must be very simple to profile (after all folks, there are only TWO officially available lenses for NEX right now – you found time to profile no fewer than 15 lenses for the Pentax AF645, for the benefit of all two dozen worldwide users of this outstandingly popular digital option…)

For ACR 3.2 Release Candidate download – http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/Camera_Raw_6.2

For LR 3.2 Release Candidate download – http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/Lightroom_3.2

In addition, the Lightroom 3.2 Release Candidate now allows Lightroom 3 customers the ability to publish their photos directly to Facebook from within the application, and addresses issues reported by customers on the Lightroom 3.0 release. Adobe continues to encourage the community to provide feedback on the updates so it can ensure the highest quality experience for customers working on a variety of hardware and software configurations.

Pricing and Availability
The Lightroom 3.2 Release Candidate is available as a free download for Lightroom 3 customers, and the Photoshop Camera Raw 6.2 Release Candidate is available as a free download for Photoshop CS5 customers. For more information and to test out the updates visit http://labs.adobe.com. Feedback can be provided on the Adobe User to User forum at http://forums.adobe.com.

*Please visit the Lightroom Journal for more information on these Release Candidates and a full list of the improved and newly added lens profiles: http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal

Newly Supported Camera Models
Panasonic DMC-FZ100, Panasonic DMC-FZ40 (FZ45), Panasonic DMC-LX5, Pentax 645D, Samsung NX10, Samsung TL500 (EX1), Sony A290, Sony A390, Sony Alpha NEX-3, Sony Alpha NEX-5

Also, this update improves the colour and noise profiles for the following cameras that utilise the DNG raw file format already supported in previous versions of Lightroom and Camera Raw: Casio EXILIM EX-FH100 (DNG) and Leica S2 (DNG).

Sony is expanding its line-up of over 30 A-mount lenses with new models that will appeal to seasoned photographers and those new to DSLR cameras alike – a 35mm f/1.8 DT (APS-C) SAM, an 85mm f/2.8 full frame SAM, and the long-awaited 24mm f/2 Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 24mm f/2 for full frame with SSM ultrasonic focusing. In the interests of getting this report on line, it’s mainly Sony words, with a few added comments and edits.
The Distagon T* 24mm F2 ZA SSM (SAL24F20Z) features Carl Zeiss Distagon design and rounds out the existing Planar (SAL85F14Z) and Sonnar (SAL135F18Z) models also developed in conjunction with Carl Zeiss. It is intended to appeal to experienced photographers looking for a large-aperture wide-angle lens of real distinction.

The DT 35mm F1.8 SAM (SAL35F18) adds the important 35mm focal length to what Sony now calls the ‘Easy Choice’ series. ‘Easy Choice’ is intended to provide great value, compact and lightweight lenses that are attractive to entry-level and advanced photographers alike. Each lens in the series is selected for a specific purpose, for example portraiture or macro. – Sony definition.

The 85mm F2.8 SAM (SAL85F28) is another ‘Easy Choice’ lens, this time offering the 85mm focal length considered the standard for portraiture because of the natural perspective it provides. True to type it is extremely compact and light, weighing just 175g.

The Distagon T* 24mm F2 SSM (SAL24F20Z)

The Distagon T* 24mm F2 SSM (SAL24F20Z) functions as a wide-angle 24mm lens on full-frame cameras with 35mm sensors, or as a 36mm equivalent lens ideal for general use on cameras with APS-C sensors. Jointly developed with Carl Zeiss, it features the highly-regarded Carl Zeiss Distagon retrofocus lens configuration.

This lens is distinguished by its fast response focus and extremely quiet, very smooth operation thanks to its built-in SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor). It offers a focusing range from 0.19m (0.29X scale) to infinity, and a nine-blade circular aperture along with a large f/2 maximum aperture contributes to smooth, natural bokeh effects. The design uses 9 elements in 7 groups, with two aspherical and two ED glass (so it’s a modern Distagon derivative, nothing like a classic Distagon).

The all-metal lens barrel has been ‘finished to a very high standard resulting in a visibly high-quality appearance’. It takes 72mm filters, weighs 555g, is 78 x 76mm in overall size, and comes with a lenshood, case, front and rear caps.

The DT 35mm F1.8 SAM (SAL35F18)

The DT 35mm F1.8 SAM (SAL35F18) weighs just 170g. It can be added to a lens kit system and carried without noticeably increasing the weight of the bag.

With an approximately 50mm (35mm equivalent) focal length on an APS-C sensor, this lens is ideal for snapshots and portraits under a wide range of shooting conditions. The high-speed f/1.8 maximum aperture is particularly advantageous for hand held shooting in low light.

At just 0.23 metres (0.25X scale, so actually less good for close-ups than the 24mm, oddly), the DT 35mm F1.8 SAM (SAL35F18) has ‘the shortest minimum focus in its class, making it an excellent choice for dramatic close-ups too’. The internal Smooth Autofocus Motor (SAM) drives the focusing group directly and may, if all goes well, turn out to be compatible in future with continuous AF during video shooting.

It uses 6 elements in 5 groups, takes 55mm filters, is 70mm x 52mm in size, and comes with hood and caps.

The 85mm F2.8 SAM (SAL85F28)

This is the first full-frame lens in the ‘Easy Choice’ range, so its launch represents an important development of the line-up as a whole. The 85mm focal length is a standard for portraiture because of the natural perspective that it provides. On an APS-C sensor camera the 85mm F2.8 SAM (SAL85F28) functions as a 127.5mm (35mm equivalent) telephoto lens – and features a Sonnar-type optical design that is considered ideal for mid-range telephoto lenses.

The lens is sharp center to corner, and features smooth defocusing thanks to its f/2.8 maximum aperture and circular aperture design. At 0.6 metres (0.20X, so not as good for close-ups as either the 24mm or 35mm!), the minimum focusing distance is the shortest in its class, and SAM motor technology ensures smooth autofocus operation (see above, but bear in mind that SAM is basically a cheaper alternative to ring-type SSM).

‘The quality optical and mechanical features of the lens mean it is suitable for serious photography and should more than satisfy intermediate to advanced users’, add Sony.

It has 5 elements in 4 groups, takes 55mm filters, is 70 x 52mm in size and weighs only 175g; it comes with hood and caps. Maybe the classic MD 85mm f/2 would have been nicer to see in SAM form, but f/2.8 is plenty these days.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The PP Overall Conclusion

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My conclusion

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

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

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

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

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

- David Kilpatrick

Sony World Photography Awards 2011

• 2011 competition open for entries
• London to host Sony World Photography Awards ceremony
• World Photography Festival expands to Mexico, San Francisco, Shanghai and London
• Student Focus programme partners with Young Tate Online

• World Photography Organisation website re-launched – www.worldphoto.org
On the day that the Sony World Photography Awards opens for entries, the World Photography Organisation announces a number of exciting new changes for 2011.

Building upon the success of the annual World Photography Festival in Cannes, the festival will expand to four major cities across the globe throughout 2010 and 2011.  It will visit San Francisco, Mexico, Shanghai and London, bringing the World Photography Organisation’s passion for imagery to thousands more people each year.  The tour will finish in London where the Sony World Photography Awards ceremony will be hosted for the first time.

The World Photography Festival is an opportunity for photographers from around the world to meet and discuss the latest trends, challenges and innovations in photography today.  Each festival will showcase the Sony World Photography Awards winners and will feature practical workshops, exhibitions, talks, portfolio reviews and a photography symposium presented by leading international industry figures.

The World Photography Organisation also announces a new competition and additional categories for the 2011 Sony World Photography Awards.

The Open competition, which replaces the amateur competition, has been created for the growing number of people with a love of photography.  It has nine categories including Nature & Wildlife, Travel and After Dark, and is judged on a single image.

Professional and ‘serious enthusiast’ photographers are invited to join the Professional competition and will be judged on a body of work.   The 14 professional categories are arranged into three genres – Commercial, Fine Art and Photojournalism & Documentary – and new categories include Lifestyle, Still Life, and People.

Winners of the Professional and Open categories will each receive their trophies at the Sony World Photography Awards ceremony in London on 27 April 2011.  The winner of the L’Iris d’Or/Sony World Photographer of the Year will also be revealed and will be presented with $25,000 (USD) plus Sony’s Alpha digital SLR camera equipment.  The overall Open competition winner will receive $5,000 plus Sony’s Alpha digital SLR camera equipment.

The World Photography Organisation strives to support and connect the next generation of photographers via Student Focus, its global education programme and competition.  In an exclusive partnership with Young Tate Online, the 2011 Student Focus programme will tie in with Tate Modern’s new photography exhibition in London, Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera.  Inspired by this exhibition, ‘Surveillance’ will be the theme of the 2011 Student Focus competition.

For the first time, Student Focus is open to all universities from across the world, that hold a photography programme.  Ten shortlisted students and their tutors will be flown to London in April 2011 to conduct their final assignment as part of the World Photography Festival.  45,000 Euros worth of Alpha digital SLR camera equipment has been donated by Sony and the overall Student Focus winner will be announced at the Sony World Photography Awards Ceremony on 27 April alongside the Professional and Open category winners.

To coincide with the opening of the 2011 competition, the World Photography Organisation has re-launched its website – www.worldphoto.org.  The website is a hub for the photographic community and, in addition to showcasing the entries to the Sony World Photography Awards, it will provide the latest news from the world of imaging.  The website will also include exclusive interviews and podcasts with the World Photography Academy, a members section, a dedicated student section, forums, videos and blogs.

The 2011 competition closes for entries on 5 January 2011.

Full details about the World Photography Organisation and the Sony World Photography Awards can be found at www.worldphoto.org

Professional competition categories
For professionals and serious ‘amateurs/enthusiasts’.  Submissions must be based on a body of work and contain a minimum of three images and maximum of 10.  Both published and unpublished work can be considered

Commercial – photography that has primarily been commissioned for commercial intent, the purpose of which is to sell products or services

o        Travel
o        Lifestyle
o        Still Life
o        Fashion

Fine Art – photographs that are created in accordance with the creative vision of the photographer as an artist

o        Architecture
o        Portraiture
o        Landscape
o        Still Life
o        Conceptual

Photojournalism & Documentary – the creation of imagery to tell a story; from capturing current news and global issues, chronicling historical and worldwide events and popular culture

o        Current Affairs
o        Contemporary Issues
o        People
o        Arts & Culture
o        Sport

Open competition categories

Open to everyone and is judged on a single image.

Ø      After Dark
Ø      Architecture
Ø      Arts & Culture
Ø      Fashion
Ø      Landscape
Ø      Nature & Wildlife
Ø      People
Ø      Sport
Ø      Travel

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.