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Sony has revealed its latest interchangeable lens camera, the NEX-6, delivering 16.1-megapixel stills and Full HD video from something scaled for your coat pocket. Packing integrated WiFi, an XGA OLED Tru-Finder electronic viewfinder, and a 3-inch positionable LCD, the NEX-6 supports ISO up to 25600 and offers the same Fast Hybrid AF system as Sony previously launched on the NEX-5R.

There’s also Sony’s BIONZ image processor, downloadable camera apps, and support for the E-mount lens system the company debuted for its compact-interchangeables. A dedicated mode dial switches between P/A/S/M settings as well as the useful sweep panorama – which allows you to create a panoramic image simply by waving the NEX-6 at the scene – and there’s an Auto Slow Shutter feature which automatically lowers the shutter speed when possible to increase visibility in low-light situations.

The integrated WiFi can be used to shuttle photos across to Sony’s PlayMemories app for phones and tablets, as well as to a networked PC or DLNA-compatible TV. A pop-up flash is up top, though you’ll need to choose carefully if you want optical image stabilization, as it’s built into certain lenses rather than the body of the NEX-6 itself.

One such example is the new SELP1650, a 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 powered zoom lens with Optical SteadyShot, and which Sony boasts is under 30mm thick when retracted. There’s also the SEL35F18, a 35mm prime F1.8 lens, again with Optical SteadyShot, and the SEL1018 super wide-angle zoom, delivering F4 across its 10-18mm range, and packing stabilization too.

The Sony NEX-6 will go on sale in November, priced at $999.95 paired with the 16-50mm zoom. The SEL1018 will be priced at $849.95 and arrive at roughly the same time, while the SEL35F18 will follow on in December, priced at $449.95.

Sony NEX-6 packs OLED electronic viewfinder and WiFi is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Would you believe us if we told you Sony packed a full-frame sensor in a Cyber-shot-branded camera? It’s true! Say hello to the RX1, a “compact” digital camera for pros that’s packing the same 24.3MP Exmor CMOS sensor introduced today with the A99. Calling the rangefinder-esque one-pound shooter small might seem off-base, especially considering the Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f/2.0 fixed prime lens protruding from its front, but it’s not so huge (3-inches high by 4.5-inches wide) up against its tiny sibling, the RX100 — taking into account how much larger the RX1’s sensor is, well, that’s when this editor’s jaw basically dropped. While it’s not a “pro-NEX” as many had hoped, Sony explained that it chose a fixed lens to avoid the bulk of a lens-mount. We were able to get some eyes-on time with an engineering prototype of the unit, so click past the break for more details, close-ups and a brief video overview.

Continue reading Sony’s Cyber-shot RX1 compact camera packs a full-frame sensor, ‘fits in your palm’ (hands-on)

Filed under: Cameras

Sony’s Cyber-shot RX1 compact camera packs a full-frame sensor, ‘fits in your palm’ (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pentax has revealed its latest compact interchangeable-lens camera, the Pentax Q10, a 12.4-megapixel snapper that the company promises will deliver regular DSLR results from a chassis sized like a deck of cards. The Q10, available in a number of colors including the striking red shown here, uses both Pentax’s Q-mount lenses as well as – with the new Adapter Q – existing Pentax K-mount lenses, for a broader array of shooting options.

The new CMOS is backside-illuminated and supports up to ISO 6400; it’s mounted in a shake reduction mechanism of Pentax’s own design, which uses accelerometers to track the Q10′s movements and smooth them out. The camera itself includes an Auto Picture mode, with 21 scenes, and a 5fps burst shooting mode.

A pop-out flash – with an eye-catching multi-jointed mechanism – can be used at two different positions, for different discharge angles, and there’s a choice of four exposure modes including Programmed AE (P), Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Metered Manual. A dedicated bokeh control automatically creates the popular defocusing effect.

As for video, the Q10 can record Full HD 1920 x 1080 H.264 clips and outputs via micro-HDMI. A 3-inch LCD is on the back, and Face Recognition can spot and track up to 12 faces in frame. The camera will go on sale in October 2012, priced at $599.95 with an 02 zoom lens, while a new Pentax-06 Telephoto Zoom will be $299.95. The Adapter Q for K-mount lenses will arrive sometime this year, priced at $249.95.

Pentax Q10 interchangeable lens camera official is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Retro shutterbugs rejoice! Fujifilm has outed its latest interchangeable lens compact camera, and if your life is buoyed by knurled dials and classic aluminum style, the X-E1 may be the model for you. Packing a custom 16.3-megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor and compatible with Fujifilm’s X-Mount lens system from the X-Pro1 rangefinder, the Fujifilm X-E1 comes in at 30-percent smaller than its chunky sibling while still, the company insists, producing stills and video that can rival full-frame DSLRs.

Stills are captured with an ISO range of 100 – 25600, and Fujifilm has implemented a special color filter array that does without the typical optical low pass filter while still ridding shots of moiré and false colors. The distance between the sensor and the lens mount has been shaved away, too, down to just 17.7mm.

Video, meanwhile, is recorded at up to 1920 x 1080 Full HD, at 24fps, and there’s an external stereo microphone input and support for the integrated Monochrome and Film Simulation modes. Photography can also use a multiple exposures mode, shooting two images at once while showing them both for review.

On the back, there’s a 2.36m dot OLED viewfinder and a 2.8-inch 460k dot LCD for framing and reviewing shots. The X-E1 also gets a pop-up flash and a battery good for 350 shots on a charge, while the whole camera weighs in at 12.35oz.

As for lenses, there are two which Fujifilm is pushing: the new XF14mm (21mm) F2.8 single focal length lens and XF18mm-55mm (27-84mm) F2.8-4 lens. The former is an ultra-wide angle lens with particular strengths in low-light photography, while the latter is the same bokeh-happy model with optical image stabilization we’ve seen before.

The Fujifilm X-E1 will go on sale in November, priced at $999.95 for the body only. It will be offered as a kit with the XF18mm-55mm lens for $1,399.95, while that lens alone will be $699.95. The new XF14mm lens will be $899.95 alone.

Fujifilm X-E1 mirrorless compact gets official is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Just before Halloween in 2009, Canon announced its most powerful DSLR to date. The $5,000 full-frame EOS-1D Mark IV was the company’s answer to Nikon’s market-leading D3S, which rang in just shy of $5,200. On the basis of price alone, Canon won that round. Then, after two years of silence, the company launched its new flagship, the 1D X. The date was October 18th, 2011 — roughly 10 (or “X”) years after the very first model in the series was announced, way back in 2001. A decade ago, Canon priced that introductory 1D at $5,500 — a princely sum considering the 4.15-megapixel CCD on board. Now, the 1D X, which is arguably the most powerful sub-five-figure camera available, commands 6,799 of your hard-earned dollars, or $800 more than the D4, Nikon’s $6,000 equivalent. All this talk of price may seem to skirt the camera’s long list of lust-worthy features, but when the cost of any piece of hardware approaches a year’s tuition at a public university, a purchase decision deserves thorough consideration.

A camera in this league is absolutely to be used as a professional tool. And while deep-pocketed amateurs may pick one up — in the way folks with cash to burn may build a collection of overpowered two-seaters — the vast majority will live in $30,000-plus kits, where they’ll reach six-figure shutter counts, and will likely change hands several times before their eventual retirement. Right now, you’re probably researching the 1D X as exhaustively as you would a new car — in fact, you may have even lined up a test drive, through the company’s Canon Professional Services group. Many months after it was first announced, we’ve had an opportunity to take the new eXtreme model for a spin ourselves, and it’s every bit as impressive as its price tag suggests. Canon’s top model isn’t any smaller or lighter than its predecessors, the 1D Mark IV or 1Ds Mark III — but is all that bulk justified, despite strong contenders like the workhorse 5D? Buckle up and join us in the field (ahem, after the break) to find out.

Continue reading Canon EOS-1D X field review

Filed under: Cameras

Canon EOS-1D X field review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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