Jan 22
NEX cameras owners should feel a bit better about their purchase after tonight, as Sony just announced two additional E-Mount lenses to pick from—a 20mm f/2.8, and 18-200 f/3.5-6.3 power zoom. More »
Jan 15
Metabones Speedbooster promises faster EF lenses when mounted on NEX cameras
Posted in: Today's Chili 
There aren’t too many lens adapters that catch our eye, but the $600 Metabones Speedbooster has so many tricks up its sleeve that we can see it tempting a lot of serious NEX camera users — like us. Big words, but what it purports to do is nothing short of mind-boggling. First off, it adapts your Canon EF (full-frame) lenses to E-Mount, which is nice enough since there’s still a paucity of high-end glass for NEX users. But it gets better: the Speedbooster also makes your lens wider by a factor of 0.71x, shrinking an 85mm lens to 59mm, for instance — effectively making your NEX nearly full-frame. Other adapters can do some of that, but its final trick is the piece de resistance: increasing the speed of a lens by a full stop. That may sound impossible, but it apparently works by concentrating the extra light-gathering area of a full-frame lens down to the smaller E-mount sensor area, turning an f4.0 lens into an f2.8 lens, for instance. The adapter allegedly increases sharpness on top of all that, and brings “auto-aperture, image stablization, EXIF and (slow) autofocus support,” for late model EF lenses, according to Metabones.
Skepticism reigns until we can scope it for ourselves, but the adapter came out shining on Philip Bloom‘s video and photo tests so far, judging by his samples (below the break). The $600 price tag will likely dissuade casual users, but light-deprived indoor shooters (like us) or those shopping for new glass — who already have a bagful of EF-lenses — might take to it like a sugar addict to Trix. Metabones said they’ll start shipping the Speedbooster this month, and will come out with MFT and Fuji-X mount options, along with support for lenses from Nikon and Leica, among others. Check the source to see how to grab it, but the line forms behind us.
Continue reading Metabones Speedbooster promises faster EF lenses when mounted on NEX cameras
Filed under: Cameras
Via: Philip Bloom
Source: Metabones
Dec 14
Sony NEX-6 kit owners have been shooting with it for weeks, but the company’s 16-50mm retractable zoom lens isn’t quite yet available as a standalone purchase. That’s set to change early next year — reps have told us that the lens should hit stores by mid-February, while the optic’s own product page now lists an estimated ship date of February 3rd. The lens, which ships with the NEX-6 for a $150 premium (compared to the $850 body-only price), delivers a focal range similar to that of Sony’s larger 18-55mm optic, matching that version’s f/3.5-5.6 aperture as well. It’s compatible with E-mount cameras, including select Handycam camcorders and discontinued models like the NEX-C3. It was also slated to ship as part of an NEX-5R kit for $800, but the company has scrapped plans for that particular package. For now, you can hit up Sony’s site at the source link below to hop on the pre-order list.
Source: Sony
Dec 10
Nov 21
Sony is trying to sell their new Nex e-mount camera by telling most DSLR users that they are dumb and stupid and clueless. According to their data, two thirds of all DSLRs users never take their camera out of the full-auto mode. More »
Oct 17
Sony Alpha firmware updates bring record button disabling on NEX-7, DSLR lens improvements
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Sony’s NEX-7 may be fast approaching its first birthday, but that doesn’t mean the company’s ready to give up on pushing out updates. The camera’s first new firmware version, 1.01, should be hitting today, bringing with it the ability to disable the Movie Record button to avoid accidental taps (finally!), boosted image quality with a wide-angle lens, improved audio playback and expanded EV bracketing. An option to disable the EVF eye sensor doesn’t appear to be included with this revision, unfortunately. Other updates hitting at the same time include E-mount lens firmware v.01 that’ll enable NEX-5R/NEX-6 Hybrid AF functionality with older lenses, A65/A77 firmware v1.06 and A37/A57 firmware v1.03, both of which deliver the ability to enable/disable the movie record button while also adding a variety of lens compensation options for select Alpha optics. All of these updates should now be live — head over to the source link below for the hook-up.
Sony Alpha firmware updates bring record button disabling on NEX-7, DSLR lens improvements originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sep 11
Sony NEX-VG900… Sony, if you were a woman I will beg you to marry me RIGHT NOW
Posted in: Today's Chili
When Sony launched the NEX-VG10 I could not believe how amazing this camera was, sure there were a few drawbacks using this new Handycam, but videos shot with this camera were truly stunning… The NEX-VG20 was a nice update and today VG30 is still pretty nice, but being able to stuck all the bells and whistles of an A99 into a NEX-VG like Handycam is pure Geek pornography! Sony, if you were a woman I will beg you to marry me right now!
So yes you just figured it out but the NEX-VG900 is …
Sep 11
A full-frame camcorder for roughly 3 grand? Meet the Sony NEX-VG900 Handycam — the company’s first 35mm HD video camera. Taking cues from its Alpha A99, which was just announced today, Sony brought that camera’s 24.3-megapixel full-frame sensor to a camcorder form factor, delivering shallow depth-of-field and much improved low-light sensitivity in a more practical package. The VG900 is compatible with E-mount lenses, and it’s a fine stills shooter (like the A99, it’s capable of 14-bit RAW captures), but it’s best suited for high-end video production, where it offers 1080p recording at 24 or 60 frames-per-second through a sensor that features 45 times the area of a conventional camcorder. This model even adds some of Sony’s picture effects from the stills line, such as soft focus and miniature mode, while certain filters, like partial color and high-contrast monochrome can even be added to video.
Also on order for today is the NEX-VG30 — the successor to the VG20 — which offers many of the same features, but with a 16.1-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor instead. If you’re looking for a capable Handycam and don’t want to spring for full-frame, this is your match. Both models include 270-degree swivel 921k-dot touch-enabled TruBlack LCDs and XGA OLED eye-level electronic viewfinders, along with Sony’s new Multi Interface Shoe, which enables XLR microphone inputs through an optional accessory. The Handycams offer a new zoom seesaw level with multiple speeds for smooth, silent lens adjustments. There’s also digital zoom functionality, which is likely to be more appropriate for the VG900, since that model’s full-frame sensor has the pixels to spare. That flavor is quite costly, coming in at $3,299 without a lens, though an LA-EA3 mount adapter is included so you can attach full-frame-capable A-mount lenses. The VG30, for its part, will retail for $1,800 body only, or $2,700 when paired with Sony’s new 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS power zoom lens — a $300 savings, considering that optic’s $1,200 standalone price tag. The VG900 is slated to ship beginning in late October, while the VG30 will hit stores in November, but you can take a closer look right now in our hands-on gallery below.
Gallery: Sony NEX-VG900 and NEX-VG30 hands-on
Continue reading Sony announces NEX-VG30 and full-frame NEX-VG900 Handycams, we go hands-on
Filed under: Cameras
Sony announces NEX-VG30 and full-frame NEX-VG900 Handycams, we go 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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Sep 11
Sony NEX-6: Inexpensive, Compact, Slick Handling—The Perfect DSLR Compromise? [Cameras]
Posted in: Today's Chili
Sony’s been grinding on compact, interchangeable-lens cameras: It’s got three different lines (NEX 3, 5, 7) going at different price points, and they’re all spectacular. The Sony NEX 6 is the latest for everyone who loves using the high-end NEX-7 but hates the price. More »
Sep 11
Sony must have a fixation on stuffing full-frame sensors into small spaces this year. A fresh photo and details slipping out to Sony Alpha Rumors show what’s billed as the VG900, the first NEX-branded camcorder with a sensor larger than the APS-C spec — the first NEX camera of any kind, for that matter. While there’s only a light smattering of details, we’re told the device has a 24-megapixel sensor (likely the same as in the RX1 or A99), records video in AVCHD 2.0 and should ship with an A-mount adapter for Alpha lenses. Not much else is on display, although you may want to take a pass if you’re just looking to record a family wedding: at a rumored $3,300 price for the purportedly imminent launch, the VG900 isn’t an impulse purchase for anyone short of a pro videographer.
Filed under: Cameras
Sony VG900 leaks, packs full-frame sensor into a NEX camcorder originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 17:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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