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Posts Tagged ‘HIGHEND’

Sony Xperia XA2 and XA 2 Ultra put high-end camera tech in mid-range phones

10 Jan

Most mobile manufacturers tend to unveil new flagship smartphones at or around MWC in February or IFA in September, but occasionally interesting mid-rangers pop up at CES as well. That’s the case with the Sony Xperia XA2 and XA2 Ultra devices, which were just launched this morning at the Las Vegas show.

Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 630 chipset and sporting 1080p Full-HD displays, the new devices fit squarely in the mid-range bracket of the market, and yet they boast a lot of camera technology from the Japanese manufacturer’s high-end Xperia XZ flagship models, making them an appealing option for mobile photographers who can do without the most powerful processor or highest screen resolution.

Both models feature 1/2.3-inch 23MP Exmor RS sensors in the rear camera. The imager chip is coupled with an F2.0 aperture and the camera offers a 24mm equivalent focal length, phase detection autofocus, LED flash and 4K video recording. There’s also a 120 fps slow-motion mode; however, XA2 users will have to make do without the XZ models’ unique 1000 fps ultra-slow-motion feature. In typical Sony fashion, optical image stabilization has been omitted as well.

While the main cameras are identical on the standard XA2 and the Ultra model, there is a difference at the front. The XA2 features an 8MP camera with a 120° field of view, while the Ultra model features an additional stabilized 16MP camera with a 80° field of view, allowing users to easily switch between solo and group selfies. Other differences between the two models are pretty much limited to screen size (5.3-inch on the XA2 vs 6-inch on the Ultra) and battery (3200 mAh on the XA2 vs 3500 mAh on the Ultra).

The XA2 models will be available from February, and will retail at 350 Euros (~$ 420 USD) for the standard XA2 and 450 Euros (~$ 535 USD) for the Ultra—no word yet on official US pricing. To find out more about these phones or check out some image samples shot with the XA2 and XA2 Ultra, visit the Sony website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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2017 Readers’ choice polls: High-end ILC of the year – break the tie!

21 Dec

For the past few weeks we’ve been running six polls, to find out what you, our readers think was the best gear of 2017. Several of the polls are pretty close, but one is still too close to call, with literally only a handful of votes between the two front-runners and the two runners-up.

With only six hours left to vote, we need your help to break the tie! Or we could just give everyone a prize, like school sports day. Your choice.

Click here to view all six polls
(voting ends at midnight PT)

Have your say

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Have your say: Best high-end ILC of 2017
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Fujifilm GFX 50S

Leica M10

Nikon D850

Panasonic Lumix DC-G9

Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5

Sony Alpha a7R III

Sony Alpha a9

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Canada’s ‘The Camera Store’ robbed of $27,200 in high-end camera gear

19 Dec
Photo by The Camera Store

Calgary camera shop The Camera Store—known for their fun YouTube reviews of various camera gear—was robbed over the weekend. In what the owners are calling a “very targeted” break-in, thieves made away with $ 35,000 CAD (~$ 27,200 USD) worth of high-end camera kit, including a limited edition Leica M-P Edition Safari.

The owners are offering a $ 5,000 CAD (~$ 3,880 USD) reward to anyone who can help catch thieves or recover any of the stolen equipment, which includes:

Hasselblad X1D camera body silver #UQ27014288

Hasselblad XC 30mm F3.5 lens #2WV10784

Hasselblad XC 45mm F3.5 lens #2UVT10447

Hasselblad XC 90mm F3.5 lens #2VVT10265

Leica MP Safari Edition #09008593

It’s thought the thieves forced the stores shutters apart in the early hours of Saturday morning, December 16th, and smashed a window to gain entry. Tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment was ignored by the thieves, who went directly to display cabinets to take very specific models.

The limited edition Leica stolen in the heist.

Canada’s CBC news service reports that store owner Julian Ferreira said it is the first time he has suffered a break-in during the 21 years The Camera Store has been open. Ferreira has offered a $ 5,000 shopping spree in the store to anyone who comes forward with information that leads to a conviction.

Please call police at 403-266-1234 or if you wish to remain anonymous call crime stoppers at 1-800-222-8477


Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Have your say: Best high-end ILC of 2017

17 Dec

Time is running out to vote for your favorite cameras and lenses in our year-end Readers’ Choice Awards! In this category, we’ve rounded up the seven of the best high-end interchangeable lens cameras for enthusiasts and pros.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Lytro Immerge 2.0 is a HUGE light-field camera rig for high-end VR production

30 Nov

Lytro has unveiled the Immerge 2.0, a massive light-field camera rig that looks improves upon the similarly-massive Immerge camera Lytro first introduced in November of 2015.

As with the original Immerge, Lytro’s new Immerge 2.0 is designed for high-end VR production, but it utilizes “a few smart tweaks” to boost quality and increase production efficiency. But lets you think “a few small tweaks” is nothing major, Lytro is describing the Immerge 2.0 as “a major update” to the original… so there’s that.

Unlike with the original Immerge camera, Immerge 2.0 is designed with alternating rows of cameras that are pointed in the opposite directions (yes, those are all cameras, not lights). The design enables Immerge 2.0 to capture 120-degrees of content rather than the previous 90-degrees, reducing the number of camera rotations from five to three when capturing 360-degree content. And operators of the original Immerge will be thrilled to know that the calibration process is now automated.

In addition to its hardware update, Lytro has also been working on improving its software, enabling it to extract higher quality images from the light-field content.

According to Road to VR, which was given an exclusive look at the Immerge 2.0, Lytro has remastered its previously released video Hallelujah with a higher resolution of 5K per eye (when viewed with a VR headset)—a significant increase over the previous 3.5K. But they didn’t stop there…

In fact, with this new hardware and software update, Lytro is ready to offer a 10K-per-eye resolution once VR headsets that can handle that kind of resolution are developed.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sigma’s high-end Art lenses get $100 Black Friday discount

21 Nov

Sigma has announced its Black Friday sale, and fans of the company’s high-end Art line will want to pay attention. This ‘unprecedented’ Art sale takes up to $ 100 off both prime and zoom Art models, and runs from now until November 30th.

Buyers will need to order the lenses through Sigma’s website or shop through a Sigma authorized dealer in the US to get the discounted pricing.

The Black Friday sale covers eight prime and five zoom Art lenses (below), plus the MC-11 mount converter. All of the lenses are discounted by $ 100, with the exception of the 30mm F1.4 | Art lens, which is only discounted by $ 50. The lens converter is also discounted by $ 100.

Here’s the list of all 13 lenses on discount starting today:

High-Performance Art Prime lenses

  • 14mm F1.8 DG HSM Art ($ 1,599 Retail Price) World’s First F1.8 Ultra-Wide Angle – $ 100.00 off
  • 20mm F1.4 DG HSM Art ($ 899 Retail Price) Bright & Sharp Wide-Angle – $ 100.00 off
  • 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art ($ 849 Retail Price) Front Filter Compatible, Fast-Aperture Wide Angle – $ 100.00 off
  • 30mm F1.4 DC HSM Art ($ 499 Retail Price) A Low-Light Pro for APS-C – $ 50.00 off
  • 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art ($ 899 Retail Price) A Groundbreaking Flagship Wide-Angle – $ 100.00 off
  • 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art ($ 949 Retail Price) Redesigned for High Megapixel DSLRs – $ 100.00 off
  • 85mm F1.4 DG HSM Art ($ 1,199 Retail Price) Award-Winning Ultimate Portrait Lens – $ 100.00 off
  • 135mm F1.8 DG HSM Art ($ 1,399 Retail Price) Award-Winning Prime with Reach – $ 100.00 off

Versatile Premium Art Zooms Lenses

  • 12-24mm F4 DG HSM Art ($ 1,599 Retail Price) Ultra-Wide Zoom Excellence – $ 100.00 off
    18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art ($ 799 Retail Price) The First and Fastest of its Kind – $ 100.00 off
  • 24-35mm F2 DG HSM Art ($ 999 Retail Price) Prime Performance, Zoom Versatility – $ 100.00 off
  • 24-105mm F4 DG OS HSM Art ($ 899 Retail Price) Exceptional Usability for High-Resolution Cameras – $ 100.00 off
  • 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM Art ($ 1,099 Retail Price) Larger Aperture and Long Reach for your APS-C Sensor – $ 100.00 off

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Throwback Thursday: Alpha A700, Sony’s first high-end DSLR

10 Sep

Turning ten years old this week is the A700, Sony’s first high-end DSLR after fully taking over Konica Minolta’s camera business. With plenty of Minolta DNA underneath its Sony Alpha branding, it debuted in September 2007 to take on the likes of Canon’s 40D and Nikon’s D300. Our 33 page (!) review, published in December of 2007, details the strengths and weaknesses of the camera, and includes musings like “Whether the lack of live view has any real relevance in a camera at this level remains to be seen; we doubt it.”

Did you own the A700? Let us know in the comments.

Read our full Sony Alpha 700 Review

Sony Alpha A700 Sample Gallery

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Yongnuo introduces two new speedlights, including a high-end model for Nikon

27 Aug

Chinese lens and flash maker Yongnuo, known for their cheap lighting gear and lens knockoffs, has released a pair of new flash units based on existing models. The high-end YN968N is a new Nikon version of the company’s YN968EX-RT for Canon, and the mid-range TN568EX lll is an upgrade of the mark ll version.

The new Nikon-mount gun offers a guide number of 60m/197ft at ISO 100 and with the zoom set to 105mm. It features optical communication with Nikon’s and Canon’s own flash system as a slave, as well as radio connections with Yongnuo’s own 2.4GHz flash units. In radio mode it can support up to 16 channels and five groups depending on the flash units it is working with, and a built-in LED lamp in the lower side of the head serves as a modeling lamp or video light that accepts color correction filters to balance with ambient light sources.

The YN568EX lll features optical-only communication, and can also work in groups with both Canon and Nikon units. It can operate as a master in a Canon or Yongnuo set-up, and in this version recycling time from a full power burst is reduced from three to two seconds.

Both the new guns have USB ports so they can accept firmware updates as they become available.

The YN968N is on sale for $ 120, but the release date and price of the YN568EX lll have yet to be announced. For more information visit the Yongnuo website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Lee launches new set of high-end ProGlass IRND filters for stills shooters

01 Jul

Two years in the making, Lee Filters has just announced that it is bringing its highly-regarded ProGlass IRND cinematography filters to the world of stills photography. The company calls these ‘a new standard’ in ND filters, claiming they are, “remarkably neutral, with almost no color shift and extremely accurate stop values.”

The high-end filters will be available through the Seven5, 100mm and SW150 systems, and since they block both IR and UV pollution, they should deliver cleaner colors that require far less work in post-production.

This example, available in interactive form on the Lee website, comes from an unedited RAW file:

The new line will come in six different strengths: 2-stop, 3-stop, 4-stop, 6-stop, 10-stop, all the way up to an impressive 15-stop filter. And the 6, 10, and 15-stop models each feature additional foam light insulation to ensure there are no light leaks, no matter how long the exposure.
Shot with a 0.6ND medium grad Shot with a 0.6ND medium grad and the 4.5ND (15-stop) ProGlass IRND

For more information, and to watch a demo video, visit the Lee Filters website. The ProGlass IRND Filter systems are available to stills shooters today in Seven5, 100mm and SW150 versions for £132.00 ($ 172 USD), £150.00 ($ 195 USD), and £346.00 ($ 450 USD), respectively.

Press Release

ProGlass IRND Filters

Two years in the making, the ProGlass IRND range from LEE Filters sets a new standard in neutral-density filters.

ProGlass IRND filters were originally designed for the film industry, to meet the exacting needs of the world’s leading cinematographers, and have already been hailed as the best neutral-density filters on the market. Now, they are available to the stills photographer, in sizes to fit the LEE Filters Seven5, 100mm and SW150 systems.

Advances in coating technology mean that the filters, which are manufactured from 2mm-thick, optically flat glass, are available not only in strengths of two (0.6ND), three (0.9ND), four (1.2ND) and six (1.8ND) stops, but also in ultra-long 10 (3ND) and 15-stop (4.5ND) versions. Not only this, but all filters in the range – whatever their strength – are designed to be free of colour casts, with extremely accurate stop values, ensuring consistency in all shooting conditions and allowing for absolute precision when exposing images. Their neutrality also means less time spent tweaking colour balances in postproduction.

In addition, filters in the ProGlass IRND range are designed to block both infrared and ultraviolet pollution. As a result, blacks are rendered truly black, whites are clean, and results reveal a crispness that is second to none.

The 6, 10 and 15-stop versions of the ProGlass IRND filters come with a foam seal to prevent light leaks during long exposures, and should be placed into the filter slot closest to the lens. While the 2, 3, 4 and 6-stop versions do not feature a foam seal, it is still recommended also to place them into the slot closest to the lens.

All filters in the ProGlass IRND range can be used in conjunction with other filters, including neutral-density grads and the polariser.

Pricing
ProGlass IRND Filter (Seven5 System) – £132.00 each (Excl VAT)
ProGlass IRND Filter (100mm System) – £150.00 each (Excl VAT)
ProGlass IRND Filter (SW150 System) – £346.00 each (Excl VAT)

For further information, contact LEE Filters on +44 (0) 1264 366245; sales@leefilters.com; www.leefilters.com

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Saramonic unveils VMic series of high-end shotgun microphones for DSLRs

21 Jun

Microphone maker Saramonic has launched the VMic series of high-end shotgun microphones for DSLRs. The top-of-the-range Saramonic VMic Pro is a super directional shotgun microphone that mounts directly onto your camera’s hotshoe. It comes with an integrated shock mount system that features an all-metal construction.

There is a 150 Hz low cut filter and a high frequency boost (+6dB) feature that can be controlled independently. The VMic Pro also comes with three position level control (-10dB, 0dB, +20dB), a 3.5mm headphone jack for audio monitoring, and a low battery LED indicator. The microphone’s frequency response is 35 Hz ~ 20 kHz, signal-to-noise ratio is 75dB, and the microphone has a dynamic range of 120dB. Power is supplied by two AA batteries and the package includes a foam windshield as well as a detachable 3.5mm cable to connect to the camera.

The VMic Recorder model features an integrated flash recorder that can store 16-bit / 48 kHz WAV audio files to a Micro SDHC memory card up to 32GB capacity. It also comes with an LCD monitor and a single-button recording function. The standard VMic model comes with similar specifications to the Pro variant but has to make do with a slightly reduced feature set. It will set you back $ 119.95; the Recorder is $ 199.95. No US pricing has been released yet for the VMiv Pro yet which in the UK will cost you £199.14.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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