Archive for the ‘Digital SLR Cameras’ Category:
Nikon 1 V1 Review
Key Features
- 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor – CX format, 2.7x crop
- 3inch 921k dot screen
- EVF 1.44million dots
- Full HD video, 1080p, Stereo sound
- ISO100-3200 (expandable to ISO6400)
- World’s fastest autofocus system
- Focal plane phase-detection AF + Contrast-detect AF
- 10fps continuous shooting, with AF tracking
- 60fps full resolution shooting (Single AF)
Nikon 1 V1 Handling
The EVF has built in eye-detection so that it can automatically switch on when needed. Apart from the larger zoom control on the back of the camera, the accessory / flash hot shoe, and the 1.44 million dot EVF, the V1 controls are pretty much identical to the J1.
The lenses are all optimised / designed for both still image quality and video recording with quiet auto-focus and motors in the power zoom models, and white balance is optimised for each lens. The first three zoom lenses are all retractable / collapsible making them more compact when not in use.
10mm f/2.8 pancake lens – 27mm equivalent.
10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 – 27-81mm equivalent “Standard” zoom.
30-100mm f/3.8-5.6 – 81-297mm equivalent telephoto zoom.
10-100mm f/4.5-5.6 – 27-270mm equivalent power zoom.
A Nikon FT1 adapter is available for Nikon lenses – and with AF-S / AF-I lenses Auto Focus will work. With a 2.7x crop factor, a 35mm standard lens will become a 94.5mm equivalent lens, and this crop factor would suit telephoto lenses particularly if you’re interested in having as much zoom as possible. Another way of looking at this is to think of the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 D lens, which is available for around £90, would become a 135mm f/1.8 telephoto lens, which means getting a bright telephoto lens would be very cheap looking at the price of the lens on its own.
Sony Alpha SLT A65 Review
Sony Alpha A77 Review
The Alpha A77′s translucent internal mirror makes the difference. Because it doesn’t move while you’re shooting, the camera doesn’t meet the “reflex” requirement of the “digital single lens reflex” (DSLR) name. In practical terms, the translucent mirror means that the Alpha A77′s phase detection autofocus system works when the camera is shooting video or is in burst mode, neither of which is the case with a DSLR. As long as light comes through the lens, the Alpha A77′s mirror redirects some of the light to the camera’s autofocus sensor.
Because the Alpha A77 has no moving mirror, you’ll see an intermittent, strobe-like black-out time on the camera’s OLED viewfinder and LCD screen while you’re shooting continuously. This A77 is also the first interchangeable lens camera to support the AVCHD Progressive format when shooting video, meaning that it can capture 1080p video footage at a higher frame rate and at a higher bitrate, with continuous autofocus employed. The camera’s ability to shoot full 1080p video at 60 fps and 24 fps should make it a standout device for video capture.
Translucent mirror technology isn’t new. Last year’s Sony Alpha A55 and Alpha A33 offered the same in-camera hall of mirrors. But the Alpha A77 ups the ante with that insane 24.3-megapixel sensor (up from 16 megapixels in the A55), a new Bionz image processor (which has to be powerful to process huge image files and all of those AF adjustments simultaneously), a faster burst mode despite the significantly higher resolution images, and video capabilities that appear to be second to none when matched up against consumer DSLRs.
Sony Alpha NEX-5N Review
The Sony Alpha NEX- 5N maintains the industrial-chic look. It houses a 16.1 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor capable of recording 1080 HD video at up to 60p. ISO range stretches up to 25600, which Sony claims is the very highest among mirrorless cameras to date.
Speed-wise, the NEX-5N can keep up with the fastest mirrorless cameras with a 10 fps burst rate. The tilting 3.0-inch LCD has added touch functionality, lending itself to a redesigned user interface. A new clip-on OLED viewfinder will be available separately for purchase. Like all NEX and Alpha cameras launched alongside it today, the NEX-5N will accept SD/SDHC/SDXC memory media along with Sony Memory Stick Duo cards
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 G Review
The Panasonic GF3 is even smaller than its predecessor, the GF2, by approximately 16.7% in size and 16.2% in weight, measuring 107.7 x 67.1 x 32.5mm and weighing 222g without a lens attached or battery inserted. With a pancake lens like Panasonic’s own 14mm f/2.5 fitted, the GF3 is about the same size as a typical fixed-lens compact camera, even though it boasts a much bigger sensor. The GF3 is not much bigger than the LX5 compact, mostly through the lack of a shooting mode dial and several other external controls, and the adoption of touchscreen technology.
Importantly this significant reduction in size makes the GF3 smaller than the diminutive Sony NEX 5 and 3 compact system cameras, which additionally suffer in comparison by not having a built-in flash unit. Indeed, Panasonic claims that the GF3 2 “breaks the record of being the world’s smallest and lightest system camera”, although the newly-announced Olympus E-PM1 gives it a run for its money. If you’re looking for the smallest possible compact system camera, then the Panasonic GF3 certainly fits the bill.
The main changes versus the GF2 – apart from the obvious size/weight reduction and design overhaul – include the omission of the flash hot-shoe / accessory terminal and the rear-mounted thumb-wheel, and the inclusion of a scroll wheel around the four-way pad, a first on a Panasonic Lumix G Micro System camera. Another change to the user interface is that the Up button is now dedicated to exposure compensation rather than ISO sensitivity, which may dismay some enthusiasts.
The mechanical button for the pop-up flash has also been retained, although its position changed somewhat along with that of the flash itself. The top-mounted controls – including the shutter release, movie record button, power switch and dedicated intelligent Auto button – have been reshuffled and grouped more tightly together, but otherwise remain essentially the same both in appearance and functionality. The GF2′s stereo microphones have given way to a more modest monaural mic.
The DMC-GF3 has a significantly raised and curved vertical area on the front-right of the body which acts as a handgrip, allowing you to hold the camera with three fingers whilst operating the shutter button with your forefinger. This works in tandem with the useful rubberized thumb-rest on the rear. The GF3 sports a new design characterised by clean lines, gentle curves and a polished exterior. Whilst still not as charismatic as the retro Olympus Pen models, the GF3 is a handsomely futuristic camera with more of an obviously electronic feel to it, and is also extremely well-built despite its mid-range price-point, with a high quality aluminum body, lens mount and tripod socket.