Tag: Sony

Sony RX1R Compact Full Frame Camera
Introduction
Sony RX1R
Sony RX1 and RX1R are full-frame compact digital cameras that were introduced in 2012. The Sony RX1 and RX1R came together with a fixed (non-interchangeable) Zeiss F2 prime lens, a 24MP full-frame sensor, and a premium price tag similar to the professional full-frame DSLR camera that could easily overwhelm many of us.
I’m writing this review in 2015. Sony had introduced the A7 full-frame interchangeable lens mirrorless camera series. Why would I still review a 3-year-old camera now? Well, the Sony RX1R is very compact and lightweight (480g with Zeiss F2 lens and with battery) vs Sony A7II (600g body with battery, 1.23 kg when attached with Zeiss SEL35F14Z), the Zeiss F2 fixed prime lens is one of the best lenses in the current market. None of the other camera manufacturers introduced a similar full-frame compact camera even though the Sony RX1R had been introduced to the market for three years.
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12 Jun 2015
Sony SEL2470Z
Introduction
In short, the Sony SEL2470Z is a Zeiss constant aperture zoom lens with dust and moisture resistance for the Sony E-mount full-frame cameras. The lens comes with a “matched” price tag (SGD 1,599).
SEL2470Z
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18 May 2015
Sony A7 II
The Sony A7 II is hot stuff since Sony introduced the Sony A7 II in December 2014. I did a brief hands-on review of the Sony A7II, covering some hands-on impressions of the Sony A7 II. If you have not heard about the Sony A7 II or want to know more about it, this is the full review.
Introduction
The Sony A7 II is the first full-frame interchangeable-lens camera with 5-axis in-body image stabilizer. It is the most desired feature that we have seen on the Olympus OM-D E-M5, and Sony has managed to get this technology into its camera. The main difference between the Olympus EM-D 5 and the Sony A7 II is their image sensor size. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is a micro 4/3 camera, while the Sony A7II is a full-frame camera.
Sony A7 II
The Sony A7 II uses a 24.3 MP full-frame “Exmor” CMOS sensor. It features the same BIONZ X™ image processing engine as the first generation A7, which delivers stunning details and low noise output. The lens mount is the same E-mount that we had seen on Sony’s mirrorless camera series, but it is more sturdy for better handling of larger/heavier lenses.
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2 Mar 2015
Sony A7 II Hands-on Review
I appreciate your patience in waiting for my Sony A7 II hands-on review. I will give a quick view and impression about the new Sony A7 II that I was trying with the Zeiss Sonnar SEL55F18Z and the SEL2870 kit lens during the 30 minutes hands-on session 😉
Sony A7 MK II with Zeiss SEL55F18Z
We get a larger grip on the Sony A7 II than its predecessor.
Larger Grip
The shutter button and front dial are reallocated to the front of the grip. The new shutter button, front dial, and larger grip give a more natural and more comfortable experience overall. The Sony A7 II replaces the first-generation Sony A7original shutter location with two customizable buttons (C1 and C2).
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13 Dec 2014
Sony A7 MK II South East Asia Launch Event
Sony Singapore hSony Singapore holds a Southeast Asia (SEA) launch event for its new Sony A7 II on 11 December 2014 at Garden by the Bay. The new Sony A7 II is currently hot stuff because it is not only a full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (ILC), but it has integrated the 5-axis in-camera body image stabilizer we had seen in the Olympus EM-1 and EM-5.
Sony A7 II Launch Event
The event had the conference session as usual, and Sony Singapore also prepared enough Sony A7 II for all of us to try out in the Flower Dome. I split the event into two posts. The first post is about the conference press and a quick view of the underdevelopment sample FE lenses. The second post is the Sony A7 II hands-on review (I need some time to filter the photos and write the review, too 😉 ).
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12 Dec 2014
DXO Optics Pro 10 vs Lightroom 5
When the DxO first introduced the Prime noise reduction in its DxO Optics Pro 9, it caught my attention immediately. Although I’m satisfied with the Lightroom 5 noise reduction, I’m still interested in how better the Prime NR can be. However, the processing and loading time in DxO Optics Pro 9 was significantly slower than Lightroom 5.
Soon, DxO released the DxO Optics Pro 10, which claims that the Prime NR performance and loading time in DxO Optics Pro 10 had been boosted up to 4 times and 10 times faster, respectively, than it was in DxO Optics Pro 9. So I grabbed a copy and gave it a try, wow! Impressive! The Prime NR only takes between 1 minute to 1 minute 20 seconds to render my photos on my MBP 13 late 2013, and the loading time for images is significantly improved!
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8 Dec 2014
New Release: Sony A7 Mk II
Well, Sony is a creative company and always come out the innovative product. A few days ago, the newly announced product in Japan became a hot topic on the web again. What is it? It is the new Sony Mirrorless Full-frame camera – Sony A7 II! Why is it so hot debating this time? It is because it finally has a function everyone is dreaming of – the 5-axis in-body image stabilization!
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26 Nov 2014
Sony SEL18200LE
Introduction
Sony had introduced three full-range zoom lenses into its E-mount camera system. They are the SEL18200, SEL18200LE, and the SELP18200. The SEL18200 is the largest and heaviest among the other two brothers, and it comes with a silver chrome body. The SEL18200LE is the lighter edition of the SEL18200, which is smaller and lighter and comes in a black body. Both of them use a mechanical zoom ring, while the SELP18200 uses the power zoom, which comes in a black body.
SEL18200LE
The lens that we are going to review today is the SEL18200LE. Due to the full focal length coverage by the SEL18200LE, this review is extremely long. Please be patient and ready to go through the rest of this post to see how does this lens perform 😉 I provided a summary at the top of each testing section if you want to get the result at a glance.
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22 Aug 2014
5 Reasons to Own a Zoom Lens
Sony SEL2470Z
Zoom lens usually consists of one focus ring and one zoom ring, and the focal length indicator as shown above.
We discussed the reasons to own a prime lens in the last post – 5 Reasons to Own a Prime Lens, but that does not mean we should always use prime lens. Today I’m going to tell you why we should get a zoom lens as well.
1. Convenience
Would you like to bring along your whole prime lens collection that covering 24 mm to 200mm (5 to 7 lenses) when traveling? Or do you prefer to travel in a lightweight and enjoy your trip? If that is the case, a lens like 24-105mm standard zoom or 18-200 mm full-range zoom is the ideal choice. Of course, I assumed you did not take the constant F2.8 cannon-size zoom into account.
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2 Jul 2014
5 Reasons to Own a Prime Lens
The last photography tips discussed about 10 Factors to be Considered Before Buying a Lens, and basically, we know that there are two types of lenses, the prime lens, and the zoom lens.
Sony SEL55F18Z
Above is the Sony Zeiss SEL55F18Z prime lens, which provides one wide and smooth focus ring. You don’t get the second zoom ring here because it does not change the focal length!
Many photography amateurs and professionals are in love with the prime lens or even insist on using it whenever possible. However, many people who just migrated to interchangeable-lens-camera (ILC) are intimidated by the prime lens. It is because we have to move closer or get away from our subject physically. And we will think, “it is for professional use, not for me.”
So let’s get rid of that mindset. We will find out why so many people are in love in the prime lens in today’s post.
1. Fast Prime
We always hear people talk about “fast prime,” so what is it? The prime lens usually comes with a larger aperture like F1.8, F1.4, or even F1.2 that we never see on any typical zoom lens (usually we see the zoom lens comes with the max aperture at F2.8). A larger aperture allows more light to hit the image sensor in a shorter time, which means we can use a faster shutter speed to avoid any motion blur. It is handy when we are shooting in the low-light scene.
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30 Jun 2014
Sony Alpha A7S Hands-On Session With Den Lennie
Sony Singapore organized a hands-on session for its new Sony Alpha A7S on Monday, 25 Jun 2014, at Sony Store at 313 Somerset Singapore. I’m so glad to be invited to participate in this event with many other professional photographers and photography amateurs. The most important thing is, the host of this hands-on session is the famous Den Lennie!
Sony A7 Series Cameras and 5 FE Lenses
It is an honor to have Den Lennie as the A7S hands-on session host. Den Lennie is an industry expert who has played as a producer, director, colorist, director of photography, and lighting cameraman. He shared his valuable insight into the Sony Alpha A7S during the hands-on session.
Den Lennie
The New Sony A7S
The new Sony Alpha A7S “S” represents the high sensitivity. It is the sales point of this latest full-frame camera. It is capable of shooting from ISO 50 to an unbelievable ISO 409600, yes, 400K of ISO!
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26 Jun 2014
Sony E-mount Lens SEL50F18
It has been more than half a year since my last lens review. Finally, I’m not that insanely busy recently to take some free time for lens review. Which lens is going to be reviewed this time? It is the old but excellent prime lens, the Sony E-mount SEL50F18.
Introduction
SEL50F18
As we know, every camera manufacturer will have a legendary 50 mm prime lens for their cameras. It is usually the cheapest and has excellent optical performance among all the available lenses. So does this apply to the Sony E-mount SEL50F18 as well? Let’s read more about this lens from the following review.
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23 Jun 2014