Hasta La Gadget!

Here’s something you probably didn’t expect: a compact Sony camera with a full-frame sensor. While Photoprice.ca was uncovering a treasure trove of leaked press shots that include the Alpha A99 and NEX-6, it also came across images of the RX1, whose body looks borderline pocketable yet stuffs in the same kind of sensor (and likely image quality) you’d normally reserve for pro-grade models. Several extra details reveal themselves right from the start. The RX1 is carrying a 35mm, f/2.0 lens with no apparent button to detach the lens — the included glass is probably as good as it’ll get. However, the RX1 is most definitely tuned for experienced shooters, with a toggle for macro focusing as well as dedicated controls for aperture and exposure compensation. We’re also liking that there’s a pop-up flash, a standard hot shoe for accessories and three custom settings on the mode dial. The slip doesn’t include mention of a release date or a price, but talk during the A99 slip mentioned a September 12th unveiling that wouldn’t shock us if it included multiple cameras — and we would be equally unsurprised if the RX1 carried the same high price commonly associated with other full-frame bodies.

Filed under: Cameras

Sony RX1 camera leaks with full-frame sensor in compact body, laws of physics slightly bent originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Sep 2012 13:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Sony Alpha Rumors  |  Photoprice.ca  | Email this | Comments

Technical details of Sony’s rumored Alpha A99 have been overflowing. The actual camera, however, has been elusive until now. A press photo just spotted on Xitek (and passed along to Sony Alpha Rumors) is believed to be authentic and speaks volumes about Sony’s pro camera strategy: as shown, there’s no obvious space for an optical viewfinder, hinting that the company’s full-frame shooter is going with an OLED-based electronic eyepiece like that of its crop-frame A77 precursor. The image doesn’t show much more than that and a conspicuous orange ring to remind us that we’re gazing upon an Alpha, but it’s tough to ignore that more compact (and hopefully lighter) body. Whatever the cosmetics are like, rumors now assert that the 24.3-megapixel, translucent-mirrored A99’s early September release has been locked down to September 12th; if that’s true, it may give photographers as much reason to be happy that day as phone buyers.

Filed under: Cameras

Sony Alpha A99 poses for someone else’s camera, no optical viewfinder in sight originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Sep 2012 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Sony Alpha Rumors  | Email this | Comments

Nokia’s Lumia 920 may be focused on photography with its PureView-branded camera, but the Windows Phone 8 handset’s Full HD video recording will only store mono sound, despite an advanced microphone array. Detailed specifications shown to SlashGear yesterday confirmed that the Lumia 920 has three of Nokia’s special High Amplitude Audio Capture (HAAC) microphones, co-developed by the company for the 808 PureView and delivering audio recording more akin to what the human ear can hear. However, according to Nokia’s photography chief, the Lumia 920 won’t actually record stereo sound.

Damian Dinning, lead program manager of Imaging Experience at the Finnish firm, revealed the odd decision on Twitter, saying that “in terms of audio recording, the difference is mono in the [Lumia] 920 vs 808 [PureView] which is stereo.” Questioned about the disparity, Dinning revealed that “the mic and HAAC and hi-fi quality is the same as the 808, but limited to mono.”

It’s unclear at this stage whether that means a new, mono-breed of Nokia’s Rich Recording technology, or if the company is skipping that branding altogether for the Lumia 920. Either way, it’s an unusual decision given the photography credentials Nokia is attempting to push with the new flagship phone, which uses a special “floating lens” system to deliver optical image stabilization, among other things.

The one saving grace could be the fact that software, not hardware, looks to be the reason for the mono recordings, and that means Nokia could potentially address that with new firmware. Dinning himself points out that his comments on the Lumia are “based on launch SW and are intended as a general summary” though he insists that “audio will most probably sound better than anything else” even in mono.

We’ve got a request in with Nokia for more details, and will update if we hear more. Meanwhile, check out our extended PureView play on the Lumia 920.

Hang on, Nokia’s Lumia 920 only records mono video? is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Well, that’s a mouthful of a headline. Going a bit more in-depth, a new professional solution from Sony allows broadcasters to capture side-by-side 4K video at, say, a sporting event, then use a standard camera zoom device to select small portions of each feed for 720p or 1080i output. On the receiving end, you’ll see a live image that looks indistinguishable from something you’d capture with a moving camera, with a few extra benefits to boot. Sony demonstrated the system using feeds from an F65 4K camera earlier this year at NAB, but was only able to present a simulation at that point, with pre-recorded output cropped from larger-format footage.

Now, as we saw today at IBC in Amsterdam, the technique works in realtime, so an adjustable smaller portion of the video is pumped out seamlessly and instantaneously. The 4K video can also be recorded at full resolution simultaneously, letting you change the framing long after an event takes place. Sony only had the demo configured to pull live video from the left portion of the feed, but eventually the entire capture will be enabled, giving producers access to an entire football field, as you’ll see in the hands-on video after the break. We wouldn’t expect this solution to replace human camera operators anytime soon, but it’s certainly a viable method for adding angles and placing a bit more control in the hands of production teams, even after the fact.

Continue reading Sony Stitch merges footage from two 4K F65 cameras to create zoomable panoramic with HD output (video)

Filed under: Cameras, Displays, HD

Sony Stitch merges footage from two 4K F65 cameras to create zoomable panoramic with HD output (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 10:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

The last time we saw the purported iPad mini’s aluminum backing, someone forgot to turn on a light. There’s no such murkiness with NetEase‘s fresh turn at pre-release photography. Its view of a WiFi model gives us both a much clearer look as well as some hints that Apple wants more than a basic slab at the iPad’s potential new entry level: there’s a conspicuous cutout for what’s likely a rear-facing camera, along with space in the top frame for a front camera. We’ve already seen the mini dock connector that fits in that hole at the bottom edge, of course. Nothing’s definite unless there’s either a smoking gun leak or an official event, but we may have just a month to wait to know whether or not the Kindle Fire HD 7-inch has some fresh competition.

Filed under: Tablets

Claimed iPad mini shell reappears, now with more rear camera and less Mr. Blurrycam originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 22:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  NetEase (translated)  | Email this | Comments