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Posts Tagged ‘Sony’

Sony reveals camera strategy: aims to be the top camera brand by 2021

25 May

In a recent presentation at its investors relations day in Tokyo, Sony was not shy about its ambitions in the photography market. According to the presentation, Sony intends to occupy the top slot in the overall camera market by the end of 2020 by boosting its interchangeable lens systems to beat back Canon and Nikon.

Already doing quite a good job of grabbing market share, the company has told investors that it plans to expand its lens business and push towards the professional market while ‘strengthening products’ in the interchangeable lens camera segment.

Despite predicting only very modest growth in 2018 and acknowledging that competitors are becoming more aggressive, the company told investors that it will “win in an increasingly competitive market and continue to generate high profit” in the mid-term. Citing its crop of awards from TIPA, EISA and Camera GP Japan to back up the claims, Sony stated that it intends to broaden the range of lenses it offers and to expand its professional support services worldwide.

According to figures shown at the event, Sony achieved a 20% share of the still camera market in 2017 by value, and managed to rank third behind Canon and Nikon. It says it was the number one brand in the mirrorless market, and was number one in the premium compact business.

To learn more about Sony’s plans, check out the whole Sony Imaging Products and Solutions Segment presentation here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Camera Comparison – The Fujifilm X-H1 Versus the Sony a7R III

23 May

Two of the hottest mirrorless cameras you can get your hands on right now are the Sony a7R III and the Fujifilm X-H1. My husband owns one and I have the other. In the past few months, we’ve been experimenting with our new cameras and have noticed quite a few similarities and differences. This is by no means a comprehensive camera comparison, but some of the main differences will be highlighted below.

Camera Comparison - The Fujifilm X-H1 Versus the Sony a7R III

The Fuji X-H1 left, and the Sony a7R III on the right.

Our Background

My husband and I are both photographers who have always been in opposite brand camps. We were Nikon versus Canon during the height of the DSLR. Now in the mirrorless world, we are Fujifilm versus Sony. I’m a full-time photographer specializing mainly in food and architecture photography, while my husband is a part-time assistant photographer.

Our differing photo needs and styles have partially dictated our camera brand loyalty. I prefer Sony for its higher megapixel count for architecture photos and also its more flexible lens selection. Meanwhile, my husband loves Fujifilm for their rangefinder design and film simulations.

One thing we can agree on is that we both have an interest in making more videos. That is why we specifically choose the Sony a7R III and Fujifilm X-H1 as our new cameras. Note that at the time, the Sony a7R III was the newest camera on the market–there wasn’t yet a Sony A7III or a Sony a7S III, both of which are arguably better cameras for video.

Camera Comparison - The Fujifilm X-H1 Versus the Sony a7R III

Fuji versus Sony

Common Features

Before we talk about differences, the Sony a7R III and Fujifilm X-H1 do have many features in common. First, both cameras have enhanced, on-par video recording capabilities. They shoot in 4K and 120 fps slow motion video, and both cameras offer in-camera image stabilization (IBIS). Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are available on both cameras to facilitate quick transfers to cell phones or tablets.

Physically, both cameras have dual SD card slots for more storage flexibility. There’s also focus peaking to help highlight areas that are in focus, which is especially helpful when using manual-focus lenses. Finally, there are tiltable touchscreens on both cameras. However, touchscreen capabilities are quite limited and you can’t perform full camera operation with them.

Here is the same scene, shot with both cameras for comparison.

Sony a7riii versus fujifilm x-h1 cameras

Fujifilm X-H1

Sony a7riii versus fujifilm x-h1 cameras

Sony A7rIII

Common Weaknesses

In terms of things that neither camera offer, the list isn’t terribly long. But ideally, both cameras would offer a more flexible tilt and swivel screen. Built-in GPS for geotagging photos is also missing.

Finally, both cameras come with hot-shoe mounts for attaching an external flash. However, neither camera comes with a built-in flash.

Camera Comparison - The Fujifilm X-H1 Versus the Sony a7R III

Sony a7R III

Sony a7R III Benefits

Larger Sensor, More Megapixels

The biggest difference exists in the cameras’ sensors. There’s a full-frame, 42.4-megapixel sensor on the Sony, while the Fujifilm has an APS-C 24.3-megapixel sensor. Currently, Fujifilm does not make any full-frame mirrorless cameras, although that will change when the X-T3 comes out in late 2018.

Depending on your photography style, more megapixels is a generally a good thing. Although, it does require using SD cards and hard drives with significantly more storage space for those large file sizes.

Super High-Resolution Composite (Pixel Shift)

Speaking of resolution, there’s a new feature on the Sony a7R III called Pixel Shift. In short, this increases image resolution by 4 times. You still have to shoot individual images and stitch them together in post-production using the included software. The result is a super high-res image that’s great for shooting landscapes or buildings.

forest scene with a river and bridge - Camera Comparison - The Fujifilm X-H1 Versus the Sony a7R III

A photo that was taken with Pixel Shift.

Longer Battery Life

Mirrorless cameras have long been criticized for having poor battery life. Luckily, Sony responded positively by putting a new Z-battery in the a7R III. This battery isn’t cheap, but it offers a much longer battery life than the X-H1 at 650 shots versus 310 shots.

Hyperlapse Filming Mode

One thing many Sony shooters miss from the a7R II is the PlayMemories App that added built-in features such as time-lapse shooting. However, time-lapse can still be taken on the a7R III if you use the S&Q setting.

This allows for shooting slow motion or fast (hyper-lapse). If you do the latter, this is essentially a hyper-lapse that is taken in camera. Just be sure to adjust the settings in the camera, as S&Q can be set to shoot slow motion or hyper-lapse videos.

Headphone Jack

Since recording accurate sound is a big part of video-making, it’s essential to have a headphone jack. This is present on the Sony a7R III but is oddly missing from the Fuji X-H1.

Sony a7riii versus fujifilm x-h1 cameras - Camera Comparison - The Fujifilm X-H1 Versus the Sony a7R III

Fuji left, Sony right.

Bigger Buffer for JPGs

The X-H1 is a faster camera when it comes to shutter speed and frames per second (more on that below). But the Sony has a leg up when it comes to JPG buffering, or how many more JPGs you can shoot before waiting in burst mode. It’s 82 shots on the Sony a7R III compared to 40 shots on the Fuji X-H1.

Higher ISO

Sony – The Sony a7R III has a native ISO sensitivity range of 100 to 51,200. When extended, the Sony can reach ISO 50 to 204,800 for stills, or 102,400 for video.

Fuji – Meanwhile, the X-H1 has a slightly smaller range of ISO 200 to 12,800 or an extended ISO range of 100 to 51,200 for stills or 25,600 for video.

Bigger Lens Selection

When it comes to lenses, Sony has a wider array of choices compared to Fujifilm. If you need traditional focal lengths such as the 16-35mm, 24-70mm, or 70-200mm, you’ll want to go with Sony.

Camera Comparison - The Fujifilm X-H1 Versus the Sony a7R III

Fujifilm X-H1 Benefits

Top LCD Display

The X-H1 takes on the look of a DSLR camera, departing a bit from Fujifilm’s more classic rangefinder design. Part of the DSLR look includes a top LCD display where you can easily see your camera settings. In practice, that may or may not be helpful since the pop-out LCD can also show your camera settings.

Faster JPG and RAW Shooting

Interestingly, the Fujifilm X-H1 is quite a bit faster than the Sony a7R III. The X-H1’s shutter is faster at 1/32,000th versus 1/8000th when shooting wide open in bright light. Also, the X-H1 has faster RAW and JPG shooting in burst mode (14 FPS for the Fuji as compared to 9 FPS on the Sony).

Longer Exposure

Despite being a crop sensor camera, the X-H1 is set up better for taking night photos. It has a long exposure of up to 900 seconds (15 minutes), compared to 30 seconds on the Sony a7R III.

Camera Comparison - The Fujifilm X-H1 Versus the Sony a7R III

Built-In Film Simulations

Fujifilm has been mastering color profiles long before digital cameras even existed. Many color profiles from film days have been added into digital cameras in the form of built-in film simulations. Six have existed until the X-H1 which saw the addition of the brand new Eterna film simulation. If you’re a fan of Fujifilm colors, this could be a big selling point.

Lower Price

Finally, the Fuji X-H1 is significantly less expensive coming in at $ 1,899 compared to $ 3,198 for the Sony a7R III.

In Conclusion

Here is a video comparison going over some of these things as well:

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Both the Fujifilm X-H1 and Sony a7R III are fantastic digital photography tools that offer lots of features for those looking to up their photo or video game. Which is best for you depends largely on your photography style. What do you like to shoot, and what are the basic tools of the trade that you need to make that happen?

As a commercial architecture, food, and event photographer, I need the extra megapixels, ISO range, and lens choices offered by Sony. However, these features aren’t as critical to my husband, an editorial photographer who values the physical aesthetic and experience of shooting with a Fujifilm camera as much as the image quality.

Here are some more images of the same scene for comparison:

Sony a7riii versus fujifilm x-h1 cameras

Fujifilm X-H1

Sony a7riii versus fujifilm x-h1 cameras

Sony A7rIII

The post Camera Comparison – The Fujifilm X-H1 Versus the Sony a7R III appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Video: A Sony flash ‘feature’ you may not like, and how to work around it

16 May

Photographer Robert Hall sent us his latest video, because he’s found some interesting things about the way the live view and EVF on recent Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras respond when you attach a flash or flash trigger to the hot shoe. And, usefully, he’s also found a workaround.

Like many mirrorless cameras, the Sonys offer a choice of whether the preview display reflects your settings (to help assess exposure) or ignores them to give a consistently bright preview (useful if you’re working with strobes in a studio). This is one of the key advantages a digital preview can offer over an optical viewfinder. You select this by turning “Setting Effect” On or Off in the Live View Display menu.

However, when you attach a flashgun or trigger, this setting is over-ruled, automatically switching to a ‘corrected’ preview simulating the metered exposure. This is a behavior we quite liked when we tested the camera, but Hall points out that it’s not very helpful if you want to assess the contribution of ambient light to your scene. It essentially surrenders the advantage of using a digital preview.

This, in turn, led Hall to work out what the ‘Shot Result Preview’ option—assignable to a custom button—is for. It lets you work around the camera’s enforced behavior when you have a flash or trigger attached, albeit at the cost of one of your custom buttons. We checked with some other brands and found Panasonic cameras do the same thing as Sony, but without any kind of workaround.

From our perspective, it would be much simpler to add a second option after the ‘Settings Effect’ On/Off option in the menu: one that lets you define what happens when you add a flash. That way you can accommodate the preferences of both kinds of photographer, but without the need for workarounds.

It also goes to show: for all that we criticize the complexity of menus in current cameras, it’s extremely difficult to build a camera that works the way every user will want. It also highlights the occasional need to re-assess the way cameras work, from the ground up, rather than gluing patches and workarounds on top of what’s already there.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Brands, breakthroughs and bias: Here’s why you’ve heard so much about Sony recently

15 May

If it feels like we’ve been writing a lot about Sony recently, you haven’t been imagining things: we’ve been writing about its products and technologies quite a bit. But there’s a good reason for that – the company has simply given us a lot to write about.

A period of intense, sustained activity, set against a backdrop of relative inactivity from its competitors has seen Sony receive probably more coverage than any other brand.

Ever since it bought Konica Minolta’s camera business, Sony has been trying to find a foothold in a market sector that’s historically been dominated by two camera makers. Its first attempts were to crowd-out the shelves with ‘me-too’ SLRs. Actually, that’s not quite fair, the a350 was pretty innovative, in its own way. But despite offering lots of models often at low prices, this didn’t yield the desired results.

Sony’s attempts at innovation don’t start with the RX and a7 cameras, but the relentless pace of its updates are a relatively recent trend.

But Sony’s more recent moves, particularly the embrace of full-frame mirrorless and 1″ sensor compacts, along with numerous additional features arriving in the realms of video, sensor technology and autofocus, have included some significant steps forward for the industry. And ones that are relevant for a broad range of photographers.

This has left us with a lot of technology and features to write about. Sometimes this comes in the form of a standalone tech article, other times in the reviews themselves, as we try to explain the real-world benefits and shortcomings we’ve encountered while using them.

Of course we’ve seen this before: periods of innovation from various manufacturers as the industry grows and changes. The introduction of the first mirrorless camera by Panasonic, for example, or its subsequent improvements in video (we often joke that the launch of a GH series camera means we all have to learn more about film-making). Fujifilm was the first to offer on-sensor phase detection and, while divisive, its X-Trans color filter array and DR Modes have given us plenty to talk about.

Mirrorless cameras, as pioneered by Panasonic and Olympus have been the area with most innovation in recent years. Again, this has meant we’ve written about them a lot, as the technology has improved.

What’s unique, though, is the continued drive, this sustained flood of products and of new technologies that Sony has recently been responsible for. And, more starkly, this has come at a time when the industry’s largest two companies have been comparatively quiet. Over the past four years, Sony has released around 60% more new high end (>$ 1000) models than any of its rivals.

This has come at a time when the industry’s largest two companies have been comparatively quiet

This has meant that we write a lot about Sony right now. Not because it’s Sony, specifically, but because they’re the company doing so much of the running at the moment. And of course, our coverage isn’t always positive. Our job is to cover technology and innovations regardless of how well they perform, so in addition to being impressed by the capabilities of DRAM-backed Stacked CMOS sensors, we’ve also written about banding, striping, and work that still needs to be done on the menu systems.

Sony isn’t the only brand innovating, of course. We continue to be impressed by Canon’s Dual Pixel AF design, particularly in terms of the benefits it brings for video shooting, and Nikon launched the D850, arguably the best DSLR the world has seen. But neither brand is delivering the constant innovation that currently sets Sony apart right now.

This is to be expected: the dominant players in the industry will be keen not to change an apparently winning formula, while the insurgent newcomer needs to offer something suitably different to entice people away from the tried and tested ‘safe’ choice.

Canon didn’t achieve its market dominance by chance. Cameras such as the EOS 5D and EOS 300D/Digital Rebel offered something none of its rivals did.

Looking back, we’ve been here before. Canon didn’t achieve its recent market dominance solely by chance: a combination of investment in CMOS technology and aggressive pricing of its mass-market DSLRs played a big role. This combination gave it several years in which its cameras had a distinct edge over most rivals.

Similarly, Nikon made great strides forward around the time of the D3 and D300. These two cameras brought hugely improved autofocus as well as a move to CMOS sensors which greatly increased low light performance (and dynamic range, in subsequent iterations).

The Fujifilm S3 Pro was the first DSLR to offer live view. It could be argued that we failed to recognize its significance at the time.

The long-expected thinning-out of the camera industry hasn’t yet happened: there are still plenty of players in the market. The thing that’s changed is that they’re all competing for a slice of a much smaller pie than they were, just a few years ago. This is likely to mean more brands trying the aggressive, fast-iteration, constant innovation approach that Sony (and, to a lesser degree, Fujifilm) is taking. It’s also unlikely that Sony can continue at this rate indefinitely: there’s every chance that its strategy is to capitalize on being first mover by staking out as much territory as it can before everyone else responds.

Manufacturers are all competing for a slice of a much smaller pie

As the remaining camera brands fight for recognition and search for tech and features to distinguish themselves, we should have plenty more to write about. Especially if, as all the rumors suggest, Canon, Nikon or both end up introducing high-end mirrorless cameras in the next twelve months. After all, despite being well-entrenched in the DSLR market, they’ll both be relative newcomers to serious mirrorless, so may feel the need to be more innovative than we’ve seen in a while.

Busy times, then. And we will cover these with the same vigor and enthusiasm we try to show for every innovative launch. Regardless of which name is on the front of the product.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sony 24-105mm F4 G OSS sample gallery

14 May

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Sony’s 24-105mm F4 G OSS has been in the company’s lineup since late 2017, and since then we’ve spent many-an-outing shooting with it for various camera reviews. While it may not look quite as exciting as the faster 24-70mm F2.8 G, there’s a lot to like about it – especially considering it’s one of the lightest full-frame 24-105mm F4 lenses on the market.

While we’ve featured photos from the lens in previous articles, we’ve never dedicated a full sample gallery to it – and we figured we’d change that.

See our Sony 24-105mm F4 G OSS
sample gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sony RX10 IV sample gallery updated

13 May

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The Sony RX10 IV is among the most capable, all-in-one camera packages money can buy – read our full review. Earlier this week, we had the chance to spend a little more time shooting with it alongside Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake as they filmed the DPReview TV RX10 IV video review. Check out both their video and the gallery for plenty of sand, surf and nice hair.

See our updated Sony RX10 IV sample gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DPReview TV: Sony RX10 IV Review

13 May

This week on DPReview TV, Chris and Jordan are off to the sunny shores of the Pacific Ocean in Monterey, California, where they review the Sony RX10 IV. Watch to find out how this all-in-one superzoom camera held up to the sun, surf and a challenging range of shooting scenarios.

Read our in-depth RX10 IV review for even more analysis, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more from Chris and Jordan!

Read our RX10 IV review

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Sony RX10 IV sample gallery

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Meike introduces full-frame Sony edition of its 50mm F1.7 lens

12 May

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Chinese lens manufacturer Meike has added a new version of its existing 50mm F1.7 lens to its range, but this time for full-frame Sony users. The existing model, introduced in February, was aimed at users of mirrorless cameras systems and comes in APS-C and MFT mounts. The newly released version features a wider covering circle meant for larger sensors – at the moment those in Sony E-Mount cameras.

As before, this new model is manual focus only and has a minimum focus distance of 50cm. It uses 6 elements in 5 groups and has a filter thread that measures 52mm. Meike says it weighs 310g, measures 61×54.5mm, and that it uses a metal mount and barrel. Although the spec sheet doesn’t mention the number of blades in the iris, the product shots show 12 edges on the aperture—the same as in the existing model.

The lens is listed on Amazon USA for $ 130, and for €131.50 in some parts of Europe. It is listed as unavailable in the UK and no price is given. For more information, visit the Meike website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sony reduces Pixel Shift interval to 0.5 seconds in a7R lll

10 May

Sony has released new firmware for its a7R lll camera to insert a new option for Pixel Shift Multi Shooting that reduces the delay between frames to 0.5 sec. Firmware v1.10 adds the 0.5 sec delay setting to the menu so users can halve the current shortest time between frames taken with the camera in Pixel Shift Shooting mode. Previously, delays of 1-30 seconds could be selected. The move will reduce the total amount of time the pixel shift mode takes to record the images it needs, so perhaps will also reduce the risk of movement in the subject.

Users can now also use exposure bracketing in silent mode when recording uncompressed Raw files, and the focus assist peaking display can be tuned when shooting in S-Log mode. Sony says it has improved the general stability of the camera and has fixed problems it had with Eye AF failing in when used with certain settings.

For more information, and to download firmware v1.10 for the Sony a7R lll visit the Sony website.

Manufacturer’s information

ILCE-7RM3 Camera Firmware Update

What Does This Do?
This update (version 1.10) provides the following benefits:

  • Adds the menu option to select Pixel Shift Multi Shooting (On: Shooting Interval 0.5sec)

Notes:

When using an A-mount lens via an adaptor (LA-EA1/ LA-EA2/ LA-EA3/ LA-EA4), the interval might be slightly longer

When the camera is connected to PC, please use the latest version of the Imaging Edge software

  • Adds support for bracketing during silent shooting with uncompressed RAW
  • Adds support for tuning of the peaking display level for S-Log shooting
  • Makes improvements for a condition where the Eye AF does not work with certain camera settings
  • Makes improvements for a condition where Viewfinder Brightness is not reflected correctly in the Manual setting
  • Improves overall stability of camera

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Buying guide update: The Sony a7 III is the best camera you can buy for under $2000

09 May

The Sony a7 III impressed us in our recent in-depth review, and now that it has a final score we’ve revisited our collection of buying guides to reflect our final conclusions about the camera. The a7 III’s combination of solid image quality, versatile autofocus and impressive 4K video quality make it extremely competitive, and for those reasons we’ve selected it both as our top choice for shooting people and events, and our overall top pick under $ 2000.

Read our updated buying guide: Best Cameras for People and Events

Read our updated buying guide: Best Cameras Under $ 2000

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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