a850/900 firmware update release

[alphaomega]

From agorabasta

I think it's quite reasonable to expect better noise properties with a FW update.
The appearance of noise may be tweaked by changing the balance between preamps gain and the ADC effective gain and the further digital scaling, and it's quite possible that the outcome may be optimised beyond the current defaults.
Then there's another way to improve the noise characteristics by tweaking the readout speed or even tweaking the very speed properties of the sensor by slight change of voltages of the analog controls.

In fact, most of the improvements seen in newer Sony CMOS sensors comes exactly from the great progress they have in readout speed that were needed primarily for the video capabilities. Now the normal slow readout used for the still capture happens with much better quality than it used to be with the older slow sensors. So if they found some way to tweak the older sensors' control signals for more efficient/faster readout, we really might expect quite considerable quality upgrade with the new FW. And now they really know how to tweak the sensor for speed...

Just think what they could do to the A350 high ISO noise? What about it Sony?

[alphaomega]

Further to above:
Or maybe not if the improvements only refer to CMOS sensors.

[Dusty]

snip....
that means that Sony is not working on improve
the AF system, they are just improving the actual system by tweaking the
firmware?

I'm more interested on having a better noise control and fix some metering
issues while using flash, but any improvement is welcome.

Remember that firmware is only the software that controls the hardware. If the hardware is not capable of doing what you want it to, no amount of firmware updates will get it there.

Dusty

[kysham]

the rumor site posted up a link to the presentation file explaining the upgrades in the new firmware!

Link: http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-excl ... sentation/

[agorabasta]

Or maybe not if the improvements only refer to CMOS sensors.

Sure I meant the CMOS sensors only.

But the CCDs could also get very seriously 'updated' if they used digital scaling instead analog gain for the higher ISO. And you actually may try and do it yourself to some extent . Just choose a combination of a lower ISO with negative AE compensation that produces the best S/N. Or shoot manual for greater underexposure. Then do further raw processing with an appropriate software that does FP scaling.

[pakodominguez]

snip....
that means that Sony is not working on improve
the AF system, they are just improving the actual system by tweaking the
firmware?

I'm more interested on having a better noise control and fix some metering
issues while using flash, but any improvement is welcome.

Remember that firmware is only the software that controls the hardware. If the hardware is not capable of doing what you want it to, no amount of firmware updates will get it there.

Dusty

that is my point: they are not working on better hardware solution, just trying to improve the actual one. So: the A700 successor will "only" have a firmwared improved "old" AF module?

[Lonnie Utah]

Pako,

I don't think that's true. All you have to do is look at the AF improvement in the A33 and A55. You can't retrofit a hardware solution to already sold cameras, so a software fix has to do. I'm good with that. I know the replacement models will be better than what we have now, and that's all we can really ask...

[pakodominguez]

Pako,

I don't think that's true.

I don't want it to be true...

All you have to do is look at the AF improvement in the A33 and A55.

apples and oranges... I don't think the SLT system shares AF with the SRL

You can't retrofit a hardware solution to already sold cameras, so a software fix has to do. I'm good with that. I know the replacement models will be better than what we have now, and that's all we can really ask...

This statement will only works if there is a spirit of evolution for the AF module, inch'allah!