DSLT | Stuff-Review

Sony NEX-F3 and Alpha A37 cameras official: 16.1-megapixels for $600

May 17, 2012 at 5:19 pm

Sony’s new entry-level Alpha SLT-A37 and NEX-F3 digital cameras were hardly a secret, we first saw pictures of the pair, followed by full specs three weeks ago, but today they’ve been made official. The two cameras are successors to the single lens translucent (SLT) A35 and the mirrorless interchangeable lens NEX-C3.

What you need to know, and what makes them appealing, is that both the A37 and NEX-F3 get a spiffy new 16.1-megapixel APS-C sized sensor, lilting LCD displays and a more ergonomic design with chunkier handgrips. They will also both retail for $599.99 together with an 18-55mm kit lens.
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Sony Alpha A37 and NEX-F3 full specs leaked

News

April 29, 2012 at 3:51 pm

Sony has been doing a bad job of keeping its new entry Alpha A37 and NEX-F3 digital cameras under wraps. We’ve seen leaked photos of the two upcoming cameras earlier and now we have a full list of specs for the pair.

Both cameras get a beefy 16.1 megapixel APS-C sensor, tilting screens and for $599 as a kit, they offer a great entry point to Sony’s Alpha DSLT and NEX mirrorless systems. But read on for the full details.
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Sony Alpha A37 and NEX-F3 shown in photos, receive 16.1-megapixel sensor and tilting displays

News

April 29, 2012 at 2:56 am

Sony is refreshing the lower end of its Alpha DSLT and NEX mirrorless cameras, with the Alpha A35 and NEX-C3 slowly disappearing from retail. The official announcement of the new generation cameras, the Alpha A37 and NEX-F3, is said to come on May 17th 2012 however, an Indonesian publication attended a Sony event in Jakarta and lo and behold, Sony had the still-announced pair of cameras on display.
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Sony A57 translucent mirror digital camera announced: 16-megapixel sensor, 12fps for $699.99 (video)

News

March 14, 2012 at 7:01 am

With the entry-level Sony A55 gone the way of the dodo, the company had to fill the gap in its DSLT (digital single lens translucent) camera line-up. The just announced A57 is the official successor to the A55, which was initially released in 2010 and was the first camera to feature Sony’s translucent mirror technology.

Sony’s SLT cameras have a DSLR-style body and a mirror, but unlike DSLRs, the mirror doesn’t move. The translucent mirror allows most light to hit the sensor while some of it is reflected to a phase detection autofocus sensor. Because of this setup, DSLT cameras feature electronic viewfinders (EVFs) rather than optical ones.
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Sony resumes NEX-7 and Alpha A65 production, NEX-7 release date edging closer

News

November 17, 2011 at 3:26 pm

We had reported about a month ago that Sony postponed the release of its NEX-7 high-end compact mirrorless camera as a result of the devastating flooding in Thailand. Production of the Alpha A65 together with some lens kits was also affected. Sony operates three plants in the country and has now moved production of the NEX and DSLT cameras from its affected Ayutthaya facility to a plant in Chonburi.

A spokesman from Sony USA has confirmed that production of the NEX-7 and the Alpha A65 has now resumed. The Sony NEX-7 was scheduled to be released this month, before it was postponed indefinitely. We are not sure yet when the official release will happen, but we hope that the high-end compact will arrive before the holidays. Note that the Sony Alpha A65 has already appeared at retailers but with limited availability.

The NEX-7 shares the same 24.3-megapixel APS-C sensor and the incredible 2359k dot OLED electronic viewfinder with Sony’s larger DSLT duo, the A77 and A65. You might want to check out our initial hands-on with the A65, for our impressions on the sensor and the OLED EVF.
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Sony Alpha A65 in-camera JPEG vs. RAW high ISO image quality test

The Lab

October 28, 2011 at 1:45 pm

Having had the Sony Alpha A65 in our hands for a couple of days now, we are slowly getting to grips with what this 24-megapixel APS-C Exmor sensor SLT shooter is capable of. One of the first things we noticed, during our initial hands-on with the A65, was the level of noise in the images at ISO 800 and higher, but also the high level of in-camera noise reduction applied to JPEGs. I have to confess that using the Fujifilm X100 for the past few months has certainly spoiled me in terms of low-light high ISO performance and out of the camera JPEGs; but that’s another story.

A higher level of noise is expected at the camera’s full 6,000×4,000 output resolution, as is usually the case with packing more pixels in the same sensor area. A lot of this noise will become non-visible as you scale down images for print or screen uses. Starting with a higher level of noise at a higher resolution is not all that bad. However, because of this — the larger images and noise levels — we’ve found that the images from the camera benefit from some serious post processing. Note, our findings with the A65, will also apply to the A77.
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Sony Alpha SLT-A65 initial hands-on, OLED EVF and high ISO tests

The Lab

October 25, 2011 at 5:17 pm

Despite the ominous signs on general availability of the Sony A65, we’ve already confirmed that the camera is shipping to a few lucky individuals in the US.

Stuff-Review has managed to snatch one of the first Sony Alpha SLT-A65 DSLT cameras to ship. This is an initial hands-on with the camera, which is an actual final production unit, and we’ll be sharing some first impressions and test results. As we spend more quality time with the A65 we will update you on our finds.
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Global release of Sony NEX-7 camera delayed indefinitely due to Thai floods, Alpha A65 and lens production also affected

News

October 20, 2011 at 6:06 am

Bad news for anyone waiting on Sony’s compact mirrorless high-end shooter. The global launch of the Sony NEX-7, which was due to be released in November, just in time to entice holiday buyers, is now being delayed indefinitely.

Months of heavy monsoon rains in Thailand have caused widespread floods and have affected operations in two of Sony’s three production facilities in the country.

Production of the new Alpha A65 translucent mirror camera has also been affected. We reported that some A65 cameras were already shipping, but availability was scarce. Sony is delaying the Japanese launch of the A65, while we would expect general availability to be affected.

A Sony spokesperson has said that the company is considering shifting production to an unaffected production facility. Besides the two cameras, production of lens kits and headphone products has also been affected.
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Sony Alpha A65 shipping now for early pre-orders

News

October 16, 2011 at 9:36 am

We had reported that the release date for the Sony Alpha A65 digital camera was pushed to November. Well it seems that this is not exactly the case, as some lucky early pre-orders are already shipping out.

We’ve received the screen capture above (from which we’ve removed any sensitive info), which shows that a lucky individual will be receiving a brand new, latest technology, SLT camera at his doorstep very soon.

Note that the order was placed way back in August, when the camera was announced. The announced delay from Sony could just mean that the company is finding it difficult to meat initial demand, but the camera might still be slowly trickling out. Have you also received a similar notification? Let us know in your comments.

Sony Alpha A65 release date pushed to November, A77 might also be facing delays

News

October 6, 2011 at 3:46 pm

Sony has announced today that it’s pushing the release date of the Alpha A65 digital camera to November, instead of the previously announced October date. The A65 is Sony’s next generation mid-range single-lens translucent (SLT) camera sporting a newly developed high-resolution OLED electronic viewfinder. The delay is related to production of the camera and will affect all versions of the A65, i.e. single and double-zoom lens kits.

Also, according to Sony Alpha Rumors, the higher-end A77 SLT camera might also be facing delays, as shipping dates on various official Sony online stores have been removed. We’ve done our own little investigation; several shoppers have already been able to get hold of the A77 from Hong Kong. Sony Hong Kong is still selling the A77 body for HK$9,990, although the lens kit is out of stock. If you are in a hurry to get hold of Sony’s latest camera you can try ordering it over eBay from Hong Kong. Note that both cameras are still available for pre-order on Amazon.com: A77 and A65.

UPDATE: Some early pre-orders are already shipping out, very limited availability still possible.

Sony Alpha A77, A65 and NEX-7 ‘magical’ OLED EVF panel

News

August 30, 2011 at 6:25 pm

It’s difficult to hide that we are enamored with Sony’s new line of digital cameras. A big part of the allure of both the Alpha A77 and A65 cameras and the NEX-7, is the new OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF).

EVFs have the advantage of allowing you to see exactly the same image your camera’s sensor sees and the image it will eventually record, together with any effects, while providing a host of useful information. They also allow manufactures to do away with the optical mirror and create slimmer cameras. Their disadvantages however are that, they are usually not as large or contrasty as optical viewfinders, they are obviously made out of pixels with a finite resolution and might find it hard tracking fast moving action.
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Sony Alpha A77 vs. A65 vs. NEX-7 vs. Fujifilm Finepix X100 comparison

The Lab

August 29, 2011 at 9:24 am

We’ve already shown you how Sony’s NEX-7 digital camera stacks up against other high-end compact shooters. However, Sony also announced a pair of incredibly specced single-lens translucent (SLT) cameras, the Alpha A65 and Alpha A77, poised to take conventional Nikon and Canon mid-range DSLRs head-on. We will soon have a look at how these compare to DSLR cameras at the same price range.

Now, we have compiled a comparison between these three higher-end Sony cameras, the Alpha A77, A65 and NEX-7. We are finding it just so damn hard to decide between them, we are sure you as well, and time has started ticking as all cameras are already available to pre-order, so hopefully this will help. We’ve also added our current favorite camera, the Fujifilm FinePix X100, to the mix. Head over after the link for a detailed spec comparison.
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Sony Alpha A77, A65, NEX-7, NEX-5N and NEX-VG20 video overview

News

August 25, 2011 at 1:34 pm

Sony has created a series of mouthwatering videos showing off its entire new line of cameras and lenses. The first video below is dedicated to the Sony Alpha A77 while the second covers the NEX-7, A65, NEX-5N, the new E-mount lenses, Alpha-mount adapter and the NEX-VG20 camcorder.

We’ve particularly noted the mention of the benefits of an OLED viewfinder in terms of refresh rate over LCD. Best moment of both videos is definitely the demonstration of the A77’s 12fps burst shooting. A word of warning, watching any of these videos could significantly hurt your medium-term financial status.
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Sony NEX-5N, NEX-7, A65 and A77 officially announced, pricing and details confirmed

News

August 24, 2011 at 5:26 am

Sip by sip, information about Sony’s new cameras has been leaking over the past few months. Today Sony has finally made official four new digital cameras. Two new mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras (MILCs), the NEX-5N and NEX-7, and two single-lens translucent (SLT) cameras the Aplha A65 and Aplha A77.

The Sony Alpha A77 resides at the top of today’s food chain with a brand new 24.3-megapixel APS-C sensor and 2359k dot (XGA) OLED electronic viewfinder packed into a DSLR-type body. The worthy successor to Sony’s A700 boasts a 19-point autofocus system and 12 frames per second burst shooting speed taking advantage of a claimed world’s fastest continuous autofocus using full-time phase-detection. The A77 can shoot all the way down at ISO 50 and up to 16,000. The back of the A77 is dominated by a three-way tilting 921k LCD screen. The camera can capture full 1080p HD video at 60p and 24p frame rates. The Alpha A77 will arrive in October for $1,400 or as a kit with Sony’s new 16-50mm f/2.8 lens for $2,000.
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