Alpha on Amazon

Subscribe to Cameracraft

Cameracraft is one of the highest quality photo enthusiast magazines you'll find. It's now a digital PDF download at £15 per year with the option to get a printed copy using Print on Demand. You can cancel at any time on Paypal or by contacting us.

PDF bi-monthly download subscribe below

Photoclubalpha Forum

Join our free Forum for a wealth of info, great company and some fantastic photo sharing threads! Registration on the Forum is separate from Registration on the website, but you are allowed to register using the same name and password.
  • An error has occurred, which probably means the feed is down. Try again later.

Past Article Calendar

September 2026
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930  

Image Data Converter v4 – download now

Sony’s Image Data Converter latest version – 4.0 – will handle all Alpha raw files from A100 to A77, and all NEX raw files. It offers improvements in performance and stability, but it also eliminates the need for the Lightbox application (found in v3) as a separate item. You simply browse for a folder of . . . → Read More: Image Data Converter v4 – download now

High ISO Noise fix for Image Data Converter

SONY has released a new alogrithm for raw conversion (deBayer) which offers improve high ISO noise. IDC (Image Data Converter) is the program issued with all Sony DSLRs. Up to now, no maker has ever revised their ‘house’ converter to offer high ISO improvement as a specific feature. The new version can be downloaded free . . . → Read More: High ISO Noise fix for Image Data Converter

Sony firmware updates roll out

With new firmware for the Alpha 77 and 99 and most current models now up for download, the promised rush of new firmware is probably complete. The Alpha 77 firmware has errors in the web page for Europe, referring to the Alpha 57 and showing pictures of the 57. This is probably because the page . . . → Read More: Sony firmware updates roll out

ACR 7.2 and Lightroom 4.2 RC – RX100 compatible

The good news is that you can now download, free, the Release Candidate versions (expire October 31st) of Adobe’s Lightroom 4.2 and Camera Raw 7.2, as well as DNG Converter 7.2, which will give you raw conversions for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC RX-100.

The bad news is that no camera lens profile is included, and . . . → Read More: ACR 7.2 and Lightroom 4.2 RC – RX100 compatible

Using Adobe Bridge/ACR for ‘film looks’ controlled by your Alpha

It’s now easy enough to find camera profiles – image looks created by independent photographers, as Adobe and Sony do not provide any – which make a big difference to raw processing using Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom. There are also many fine adjustments you can make within these programs, able to customise the image . . . → Read More: Using Adobe Bridge/ACR for ‘film looks’ controlled by your Alpha

Sony Alpha 450 announced

The press release from Sony this morning (Tuesday, January 5th) confirms the proliferation of entry-level bodies in the Sony Alpha DSLR range, and the continued emphasis on smaller cameras to suit upgraders from consumer digital cameras. While this leaves Sony in danger of being seeing as a Jack of one trade and master of none, . . . → Read More: Sony Alpha 450 announced

Sony Alpha 550 Review: highs and lows

My review of the Sony Alpha 550 was supposed to appear at the end of November, allowing one week abroad in good weather with plenty of subject-matter, in Tenerife. Sadly that trip had to be cancelled, and the Nikon D3S arrived for review on the day we were meant to have travelled. So, with far . . . → Read More: Sony Alpha 550 Review: highs and lows

Could Sony get ‘DxO Inside’?

I don’t have an Alpha 500 or 550 here yet, even though Photoclubalpha has been second in the Google search results for ‘Sony Alpha 550’ for some time and remains so as I write (the New York Times is first). That’s not bad for a WordPress blog website which does NOT employ the services of . . . → Read More: Could Sony get ‘DxO Inside’?

Studio comparison A900, 5DMkII, D3X

This set of full size shots was taken with the still life left set up, because the Nikon and Canon cameras were not here at the same time. It compares the A900, 5DMkII and D3X using the converters supplied by the makers – Image Data Converter SR2, Digital Photo Professional, and Capture NX2. Each small . . . → Read More: Studio comparison A900, 5DMkII, D3X

Alpha 700 Firmware v4 + IDC update official

SONY has, one week after the leak of a final version of Firmare v4 for the Alpha 700, placed authorised download links on their support websites along with an updated Image Data Suite 3 which can handle Alpha 900 raw files. Quick download links are given here with key features.

. . . → Read More: Alpha 700 Firmware v4 + IDC update official