Alphatracks

I admit it, I am intrigued by the new Sony Alpha NEX-7. I liked the original NEX cameras, but I knew that if I tried to shoot with one of them, I would miss my dSLR. There were too many limitations.

No Viewfinder

First off, there was no eye-level viewfinder. I know many point and shoot cameras have jettisoned the viewfinder, forcing users to use the rear LCD as the viewfinder. Many people prefer to shoot off the LCD, even when the camera has a eye-level finder. I think the LCD is fine for studio work, when the camera is on a tripod. Otherwise, I think composing on the rear LCD is a terrible way to hand-hold a camera.

No Off Camera Flash

Secondly, the early NEX models offer no way to use off-camera flash. Both the NEX-3 and NEX-5 came with a small, detachable flash unit, but AFAIK, the only way to use the flash was to secure it to the top of the camera. Having preached for years that a position directly over the lens is the worst place to mount a flash unit, I am not about to change my tune now. I had hopes that Sony or a third-party manufacturer would offer some solution to mounting a higher-power flash off camera, but I have yet to see such an item.

Not Enough Manual Controls

Finally, many of the controls of the NEX-3 and NEX-5 can only be accessed from onscreen menus. All current digital cameras suffer from this fault to some degree, but the NEX series is a worse offender than most in this regard.

So why I liked the form factor of the NEX mirrorless cameras, I knew I would not be satisfied shooting with one for any serious work. I would always find myself regretting I didn’t have a dSLR instead of the mirrorless camera.

With the introduction of the new NEX-7, all of that is changed. It’s like Sony read my mind. A much more likely scenario is that many other photographers had the same concerns I did, and Sony acted to address them.

First off, there is a proper eye-level viewfinder. It is an EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) instead of an optical viewfinder, but that doesn’t bother me. I think optical viewfinders are superior to EVFs, but the gap is getting pretty narrow.

I used to shoot with the Minolta Dimage 5 and then the Dimage 7i. These were Minolta’s early, non-interchagable lens digital cameras which incorporated a great G series lens. Both cameras had an EVF, as well as a small rear LCD. The EVF was fine for most still work. Panning action shots, however caused the EVF to smear when you swung the lens around quickly. This did not affect the actual image, of course, but it was still a distraction when shooting fast-moving subjects.

I have yet to shoot with the NEX-7, but the industry has had more than decade to improve EVF performance. I recently had the opportunity to try out an Olympus Pen Micro 4/3 camera that had an optional EVF. I tried, but I couldn’t get the finder to smear. If the EVF in the Sony NEX-7 is at least as good as the Olympus accessory finder, I will be more than satisfied. Since the new viewfinder is the same XGA OLED TruFinder™ used in the new A77 and A65, I have to assume it will be excellent.

As for the flash, Sony has incorporated the standard Alpha flash shoe on the NEX-7. This is a no-brainer, as the shoe accepts the full line of Sony Alpha flash units, as well as the digital Minolta flashes. More importantly, you can finally use off-camera flash, by attaching the FA-CC1AM Off Camera Cable to the Hot Shoe.

While Sony still doesn’t offer a radio control flash trigger, the NEX-7 can be rigged to fire remote flash units with an aftermarket radio trigger.

Interestingly, however, I see nothing in the press release to indicate the NEX-7 can trigger a remote flash with the Sony/Minolta wireless flash system. That is a shame, but it is not a deal-breaker.

Finally, there are the controls. While there is still an extensive menu-driven set of controls, the NEX-7 lets users customize two knobs and a control wheel. I’m not sure exactly how the custom feature works, but I believe you can map each of the controls to operate in the way you prefer. Thus you can have manual control of the settings that are most important to you, as an individual photographer. Color me impressed.

Besides the OLED viewfinder, the NEX-7 shares many features with its A-mount cousins; the A77 and A65. All three cameras rely on the same  APS HD CMOS 24.3MP sensor. Thus the NEX-7 image quality should be on par with the new top-of-the-line Alpha APS sensor cameras. (lenses being equal)

As you would expect, the new NEX-7 matches the video specs of the A77, offering full AVCHD HD progressive video. Like the A77, you can shoot at 60p or 24p frame rates.

If you are used to the picture effects offered with the NEX-C3, you will be happy to know that Sony has retained the special effects on the NEX-7. There are 11 modes and 15 effects, including HDR, soft focus and Rich-Tone Mone. I am especially happy to see that the new camera includes the Sweep Panorama 3D feature.

Sorry if it seems I am gushing over the NEX-7. It seems to be a great camera, but all cameras are a compromise, and the NEX-7 won’t please everyone.

Smaller than a dSLR, but bigger than previous NEX Models

It is larger and heavier than the diminutive NEX-3 and NEX-5. It is still smaller than a typical dSLR, but you will need a larger pocket if you want to carry the NEX-7 in your shirt. The NEX-5 measures 4-3/8 × 2-3/8 × 1-9/16″, while the NEX-7 is bulked up to 4-3/4 × 2-3/4 × 1-11/16″. That is still a small package for a 24mp, APS digital camera, but it is 3/8″ wider, 3/8″ taller and 1/8″ thicker then the original model. The  NEX-5 weighs in at 7.4 oz sans batttery and media, while the NEX 7 tops the scales at 10.3 oz.

So can the Sony Alpha NEX-7 hold its own against the A77?

If you a wondering whether you should buy an NEX-7 instead of an A77 or A65, here are some  considerations. Image quality should be more or less equal, but the E-mount NEX cameras use different lenses than the A-mount cameras. I’m not saying that E-mount lenses are inferior, but you cannot compare apples to apples unless you are using the same lenses. If you already have a large selection of A-mount lenses, then the A77 or A65 would probably be a better choice. There is also lens lineup to consider. There is a full range of A-mount lenses available, while the relatively new E-mount lineup is still missing some key lenses. Of course you can use adapters to add many different lenses, including A-mount lens to the NEX-7. The NEX-7 lacks in-body stabilization however, so none of your A-mount optics will be stabilized.

More Focus Points

I was surprised to see tha the NEX-7 has 25 focus points, while the A77 has only 19. So advantage NEX-7, if you like controlling focus points.

The A77 can shoot 12fps, while the NEX-7 is limited to 10ffps.

Can’t match A77 ‘s ISO 50 mark

Both cameras can shoot at an upper ISO of 16000, but the A77 can offer lower noise by shooting at ISO 50, while the ISO range of the NEX-7 starts at 100.

No GPS

The A77 features built-in GPS, but there is no indication of on-board GPS with the NEX-7.

No Weather Sealing

The A77 is also built better, with dust and moisture sealng.

So which is the better choice? Does the smaller size of the NEX-7 offset the advantages of the A77?

The Final Metric: Price

One important final point: the NEX-7 is priced less than the A77, but it will still set you back more than a grand. The body only price is $1199, while a kit that includes the 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 E-mount lens retails for $1349.99. That is not a big price differential, and it is quite a bit more than the list price of the A65. It is roughly double the price tag of the smaller NEX-5.

That is a lot to null over, but f you are ready to take the plunge, both flavors of the NEX-7 can be preordered at Sony Style.

Amazon is also taking preorders for the  NEX-7 body only package.

B&H Photo is also taking orders on both the NEX-7 body and the NEX-7K package with the 18mm lens.

 

 

August 24, 2001: Everyone knew that Sony was poised to introduce new models in August. Sony went big, offering two new translucent mirror, A-Mount dSLR models, two additions to the burgeoning Alpha NEX series and a E-Mount interchangeable Handy Cam.

While it is somewhat difficult to pick between all the new offerings, I (and I am sure many others) am particularly excited about the Alpha A77. This is the long rumored replacement for the venerable A700, and it is clearly superior to the older model in most respects.

Sony Alpha A77: a Camera for Photographers

The A77 relies on a new 24.3 APS-C CMOS sensor, making this the mega-pixel leader for APS sensor cameras. Of course this does not include other Sony models, as Sony is using the 24mp sensor in several of the newly announced cameras.

The A77 also uses a new XGA OLED Tru-Finder™ electronic viewfinder, which narrows the gap between EVF and Optical viewfinders.

Sports Shooters, This is Your Next Camera

Naturally, the camera shoots HD Video, which is one of the main reasons for utilizing the Translucent Mirror. Thanks to the see-through mirror, the Alpha A77 boasts 12fps burst shots with continuous auto focus. Just to be clear, Sony claims the A77 will capture full resolution 24mp images at 12fps with continuous AF. Watch for sports shooters to latch onto the A77, as it is the new class leader in rapid frame dSLR cameras.

Sony also claims the A77 can capture Full HD Video at 60p frame rate in the new AVCHD™ Progressive (Ver. 2.0) format. 24p is also available. photographers have full control over the camera’s exposure modes while filming and can choose between Program, Aperature Prefered, and Manual Modes while filming. The new cameras offers ISO settings of 50 to 16000 for both stills and video.

The A77 also features front and rear control dials, something Sony shooters lacked in the past. There is also top-mount LCD and an three-way tilt LCD that can ber swiveled around to serve a front-facing monitor.

If you are moving up from an A700, you won’t be able to bring along your Compact Flash cards. The A700 uses either SD Cards or Memory-Stick Duo memory. If you want that 12fps burst rate, or Full HD video, you will need cards capable of keeping up with the camera.

Weather Sealing comes to Sony Translucent Mirror Cameras

Another way the Alpha A77 surpasses the older A700 is in weather sealing. The controls on the magnesium body panels are sealed against dust and moisture, a feature Sony highlighted with a recent video of someone grabbing a half-burried A77 from a sandy beach. The shooter brushes some of the sand away and immediately starts shooting. Not the way I would treat a camera such as this, but an impressive feat all the same.

Shutter Test to 150,000 Cycles

I don’t remember Sony publicly announcing the shutter cycle rate on past dSLRs, but the A77 is rated to exceed 150,000 cycles. Flash photographers will also appreciate the 1/250 sec sync speed.

Both still photos and video clips can be tagged with the onboard GPS unit.

Meet the Sony Alpha A65

The second Alpha translucent mirror model is the A65. This is clearly an economy version of the A77. The A65 does not feature the weather sealing of the A77 and it only has a two-way swiveling LCD. The frame rate is slower as well, as the A65 can “only” capture still images at 10fps. The lower end of the ISO scale also stops at 100, compared to the 50 offered by the A77.

Having said that, the A65 is a highly capable camera that shares many of the best features of the A77. It uses the same 24.3 sensor, the same OLED view finder, and offers the same video capabilities.

Both cameras are slated to ship in October. You can preorder A77 in body only configuration for $1,399.99. A kit with the brand new 16-50mm f/2.8 lens is $1,999.99.

The A65 can be had at $899.99 body only, or spend $999.99 to buy it with the Sony DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens.

You can pre-order the A77 and A65 now at Sony-Style, or Amazon.

Follow this link to pre-order the A77 at  B&H Photo. B&H also is taking orders for the Alpha A65.

Excited? So am I. But as I already mentioned, there is lots of E-Mount news from Sony as well. Tomorrow, I’ll give you my take on the new NEX models.

There were high hopes that Sony might share more details about the long anticipated A700 replacement at the Focus on Imaging Expo in England this week. Sony was there, and they produced a clear transparent mockup of the new A-mount camera, but apparently no new details emerged.

This much is known, or at least thought to be factual based on things Sony has said in various interviews.

• The A700 replacement will be a translucent-mirror camera a la the A33 and A55
• It will have an electronic viewfinder with far higher-performance than the A55
• It will use an APS-C sensor, most likely of a backlit Exmor type
• It will offer HD-Video capability
• Sony has indicated it will ship this year

Beyond that, everything is still rumor and speculation. Various people have started referring to the camera as the A77 or the A800, but AFAIK, Sony has not committed to a model designation as yet.

Sony hasn’t even promised that the clear mockup represents the final body shell for the camera. Obviously, the actual camera will not be transparent, but Sony could still tweak the final configuration of the body shell. The mockup continues the latest Sony fashion of placing the on/off switch in a ring around the shutter release button. There appears to be a PC sync port, although unlike the current A700, the port is nearly at the bottom of the camera. The grip looks promising, and includes the sense-switch functionality. The rear LCD looks large, and it appears it may be hinged to swing like other recent Sony dSLRs..

So when we we see more on this new wonder camera? No guarantees, but the CliQ trade show (formerly known a the PMA show) is scheduled for September 6-11 this year. Since that is probably the latest Sony could introduce a new camera and hope to get on dealer shelves in time for Christmas, my guess is all our questions will be answered at CliQ.

In the meantime, if you want to see photos of the mockup, the following sites have photos from the show:

ePhotoZine: Hands on with the Sony Alpha A700 Replacement

Pocket-Lint: Sony see-through SLT alpha camera concept hands-on

Photographers who shoot with the Sony NEX-3 and NEX-5 mirrorless cameras as well as videographers using the NEX-VG10 camcorder have something to be excited about. Sony has announced that they will provide full specifications of the brand new E-Mount lens mount to third party lens makers. As a result, aftermarket lens makes will be able to  produce E-mount lenses without paying a licensing fee.

Sony is even encouraging lens adapter makers to produce adapters to fit various non-Sony lens to the NEX cameras.

Obviously, this will be welcome news to NEX shooters. When the brand new NEX models shipped last year, the only available lenses were the 16mm prime and the 18-55mmm zoom.  The 18-200 zoom was announced but didn’t ship until a couple of months afterward.

Sony has promised more E-mount lenses, and showed several prototypes at Photokina.  Still the E-mount lens line is fairly sparse, although Sony does offer an adapter to allow Sony Alpha A-mount lenses to be used on the cameras.

Offering the specifications to third party lens makers should ensure that the E-mount will thrive n the coming years. We should see many new lenses and adapters appear in the E-mount. In addition there is a chance there will be more inexpensive lenses offered as well.

The Sony press release carries endorsements by Carl Zeiss, Cosina, Sigma and Tamron. Of course endorsement doesn’t necessarily mean these companies will produce E-mount optics, but it is an indication they are considering it.

The specification will not be released until April, so it is doubtful any of these manufactures have even seen the specification. It will probably take months before aftermarket E-mount glass starts to trickle in to dealers. But Christmas is the big selling season for digital cameras, so I think some  of these manufactures will do their best to provide new optics in time for the holidays.,

I find it interesting to see Carl Zeiss endorsement on the press release. Zeiss, of course, licenses some of their optical designs to Sony for the A-mount dSLR cameras. Some of Sony’s top-of-the-line A-mount lenses carry Zeiss optics but are sold under the Sony Alpha brand. Will Zeiss create their own line of E-mount lenses independent of Sony?

There are already several aftermarket lens adapters designed to attach various brands of lenses to the E-Mount cameras. Once the specification is released, adapter makers will have full reign to attach all manner of older  film lenses to the NEX cameras. With only an 18mm flange to sensor offset, almost any lens will be able to focus at infinity when adapted to the NEX.

Provide the E-mount specifications without licensing fees. Smart move Sony!

In case you missed it during the Christmas rush, Sony has posted a firmware update for the A900 and A850 full-frame dSLRs.

Sony claims Version 2.0 of the firmware increase auto-focus speed (varying by lens), adds an improved bracket setting that offers Exposure Variation of 3.0 (opposed the the 2 EV provided by version 1.0 firmware) and expands exposure compensation range to plus or minus 5 EV.

In all, it seems like its well worth upgrading the firmware. A850

US shooters can obtain the 2.0 firmware by going to the Sony Alpha support site then searching for their specific camera model and computer operating system. Although both the A900 and A850 can be upgraded to 2.0, you need to download the proper updater for your specific camera model.

In Europe, Sony A900 and A850 shooters can obtain the update at the Sony Europe site.

Sony advises users to match the upgrade to their particular model and geographic location. What would happen if you applied a A900 firmware upgrade to an A850 or installed the US version on a European camera? Maybe nothing, or maybe the installer would refuse to make the upgrade. Considering that a faulty firmware upgrade could potentially render your camera unusable, you need to follow Sony’s instructions and make sure the upgrade you install matches your camera.

It is nice to see that Sony is continuing to support their high-end flasgship models.

So you are strolling through a flea-market or garage sale and you stumble across a cache of old Minolta lenses. They look clean and the optics are clear. Will they fit your Sony Alpha?

If you read my earlier post on using Minolta lenses on the Sony Alpha, you know that only A-Mount Minolta lenses work on the Sony Alpha without using an adapter. So the question is, can you identify which Minolta lenses use the A-Mount?

Brand Name appears above front element

Although Minolta never used the term A-Mount on their lenses, most A-Mount lenses sold in the North American market carried the name Maxxum above the front element. Minolta used different trade names in other countries, so presumably A-mount lenses may have been marked differently on other continents. In today’s global environment, you may find that lenses from other countries have made their way to the US, and North American lenses could have wound up in other continents. So you cannot rely solely on the brand name to determine whether a Minolta lens is in fact, an A-mount lens.

Still, all lenses marked Maxxum are A-Mount optics.

Most of the older Minolta lenses are marked with the Rokkor name, but Minolta started selling SR lenses before the Rokkor brand emerged. As the Rokkor line was being phased out, Minolta stopped using that name on their lenses, so many Rokkor mount lenses are floating around with no identification. Minolta also marketed an inexpensive series of lenses under the Celtic brand name. These use the Rokkor style mount and are not A-Mount compatible.

Rokkor lenses have an Aperture Ring

Except for a few fixed-aperture lenses, all Rokkor lenses have a physical adjusting ring that controls the aperture opening. If you find a Minolta lens with an aperture ring, it is definitely a Rokkor style mount, not an A-Mount. Catadioptric (mirror) lenses do not have an adjustable aperture, and you may come across other specialty Rokkor lenses without an aperture ring. If a lens has a ring, however, it is not an A-Mount lens.

Electrical Contacts on A-Mount

Another clue to the lens type is found inside the mount itself. Rokkor lenses are fully mechanical and have no electrical contacts. A-mount lenses, on the other hand, use electrical contacts so the camera can control the aperture opening, auto-focusing and image stabilization. If you see contacts inside a Minolta mount it is not a Rokkor, and is either an A-Mount or Vectis style lens.

One minor caveat: just before releasing the first auto-focus Maxxums, Minolta experimented with focus-confirmation Rokkor lenses. These were only used on the rare X-600 bodies and only marketed in Japan. These lenses do not provide auto-focus, but when used on a X-600, the camera will indicate when the lens is properly focused. While quite rare, these Rokkor style lenses do have electrical contacts to communicate with the camera. I doubt you will come across one of these, but you can still tell them apart from A-Mount lenses, as the A-Mount optics have either five or seven contacts on the mount.

Diaphragm post on Rokkor

One last difference between the A-mount and the a Rokkor lenses is the mechanical automatic diaphragm mechanism. On the Rokkor optics, the auto-diaphragm is controlled by a cylindrical post that protrudes from the mount. On the A-mount optics the camera operates the auto-diaphragm through a recessed lever inside the mount. Some of the pre-Rokkor SR lenses did not have an automatic diaphragm, and these lenses do not have a control post. Overall, however, the auto diaphragm post is dead give-away that the lens in question is using a Rokkor style mount.

You should now be equipped to easily recognize the differences between the A-Mount and Rokkor lens line. You still need to watch out for Minolta Vectis lenses, however. These were created for the short-lived Vectis SLR Minolta created in the late 1990s. They look quite similar to the A-mount lenses, but they are NOT compatible. Avoid Vectis lenses if you are looking for glass to fit your Sony Alpha dSLR.

I got a recent comment that basically asked how often you can reuse a memory card:

How many times can you erase and reuse a CF card? I have been having trouble with a card I have deleting images or corrupting images on occasion. I am curious if the CF card is just a bad card, or if I have simply erased and reused it too many times. Any suggestions?

Thanks a lot.

I have used a variety of Memory Cards over the past decade and a half. I never heard of a card wearing out from use. The Compact Flash Association claims that in typical usage, a Compact Flash card can be used for more than 100 years with no loss or deterioration of data.

I’m not sure what the association considers “typical use,” but my cards get reused often, usually several times a week. I haven’t experienced a failure with cards based on flash memory. I have had an old IBM Mircodrive fail on me, but that unit used mechanical hard drive technology, not flash storage.

Although I do own a few Memory Sticks and a micro SD card, all of my dSLR work is captured on various flavors of Compact Flash cards, so I really can’t comment on other forms of memory.

My CF cards are so reliable that I take them for granted. In the past, I did have to occasionally resort to using photo recovery software to retrieve images from a card the computer could not read. But that was years ago. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a problem with a card.

I don’t use my older cards very much, but that is only because they have a smaller capacity then my newer cards. Sometimes, if I have to quick product shoot for Alphatracks, I may use my ancient Viking 256mb card, which continues to work flawlessly, despite it’s age. For normal, everyday shooting, however, I prefer to use my 4 or 8 GB cards. But all my old CF cards are still functional, even after years of heavy use.

So the answer is that I don’t think you can wear out a memory card just be erasing and reusing it; at least not in either of our lifetimes.

Having said that, that doesn’t mean that memory cars are indestructible. Damage, manufacturing defects and careless handling can cause an individual card to go bad. If you are experiencing frequent data loss with a particular card, I would discontinue using it. Memory cards have become quite affordable, so it doesn’t make sense to risk capturing your precious images to a memory card that might be corrupt.

Before discarding the card, you could try reformatting it. All digital cameras offer the option to either erase or format memory cards. When you simply erase images, the images are removed from the card’s directory, but the data remains on the card until it is overwritten. The card’s file system and directory are untouched. If something corrupted the file system, or bad data is stored somewhere on the card, that corruption will remain even after erasing the card.

Formating wipes all the data from the card and installs a shiny new file system. It tales slightly more time and it removes all the data even if it is marked protected. Most cameras allow you to protect images on a card so they cannot be accidentally erased. Formatting ignores any protection and eliminates everything. So if I had an unreliable memory card, the first thing I would do is reformat it.

I don’t know how experienced you are or how you handle your memory cards. The following suggestions are fairly common knowledge and you may already know about these precautions. For what it’s worth, I will include them here as for those who need a refresher course on the care and feeding of their camera’s storage memory.

Always turn your camera off when removing or inserting a card. Removing or adding a card in a live camera can cause electrical arcs that can cause data loss.

Take care of your cards. Don’t throw them loose in your camera bag or pocket. Get a protective case and store your cards in the case when they are not in use.

Don’t fill your memory cards to capacity. With a fresh card, your camera is free to write data anywhere it wishes in all that empty space. As the card becomes filled, however, the camera needs to shoehorn new data into out-of-the-way locations on the card. There is a greater potential of data corruption with a card crowded with images.

Don’t erase or format the card from the computer, always use the camera’s own erase and format controls. I learned this tip when I started using memory cards, and I have never deviated from it. Many software programs do offer the ability to erase the card after you upload images. The way I see it, computers have a more complex file system than a dSLR, as they need to read a variety of disk formats, including CDs, DVDs and file servers. In contrast, your camera only has to read and write to a single device: a memory card. This means your dSLR is probably more precise than your computer when writing to a card. So you can avoid glitches by letting your camera format the card exactly the way it expects to store the data.

Buy top quality cards. As I mentioned, the prices of memory cards continue to fall, so it makes little sense to try to save money by buying a no-name card. Watch for sales and buy SanDisk, Lexar, Sony or other brand name cards.

I hope this helps. If formating doesn’t make the card reliable, I would stop using it immediately. New cards are inexpensive, so there is no need to play Russian-roulette with your precious images!

Aug 23, 2010 Sony Alpha cameras are in the news in a big way, thanks to a flurry of announcements about their high-end dSLR and Translucent Mirror cameras.

Translucent what? Sony has announced the A55 and A33 cameras, which look like conventional dSLRs…but are actually a form of Pellix Mirror cameras.

Although the concept of a Pellix or half-mirror camera has been around for decades, Sony has adapted the translucent mirror concept to a modern electronic viewfinder to create a whole new animal.

The implications of utilizing this system in the Sony Alpha are quite exciting. The biggest benefit involves shooting video, since the Pellix technology allows the camera to maintain fast autofocus while shooting, eliminating a limitation that plagues dSLR video cameras from other manufacturers.

The translucent mirror uses beam-spliting technology to direct some light to the focusing sensor, while the rest of the light passes directly through the mirror to the imaging capture sensor. Thus the A55 and A33 can use fast phase-detection auto focus, even when shooting video.

To date other most other dSLRs handle the focusing issue by not offering auto focusing at all, or using slower Passive autofocus.

While I suspect that solving video issues is the main reason Sony has chosen to go down this road, there are several other advantages that photographers can look forward to in Sony Alpha translucent mirror cameras.

Because the mirror doesn’t need to flip up for each shot, the cameras is able to deliver faster frame rates. In the 1970s, Canon produced a high-speed motor-driven version of the F1 film SLR equipped with a pellix mirror. It was specifically aimed at sports and technical photographers looking for high-speed capture.

Because of the non-moving, translucent mirror, the Sony A55 can shoot at 10fps, an outstanding frame rate for a dSLR priced under $800. (US price is $749.)

Secondly, the Pelilx camera should be much quieter. Typically, shutter noise isn’t a big issue, but there are times when the noise generated by that flipping mirror can be objectionable. Shutter noise can negatively impact wedding ceremonies, speeches, training classes, undercover surveillance, wildlife photo shoots and other quiet events. I love shooting with my Sony Alpha dSLRs, but I keep an old Minolta Dimage 7i around because it can shoot in absolute silence. I don’t use it often, but I have captured images I never would have gotten because of the noise of a conventional SLR or dSLR would have interrupted the proceedings.

Finally, the photographer can follow fast action without the mirror blacking out the scene each time the shutter fires. In fact, the viewfinder will never black out, since the mirror will always be projecting light to the viewfinder, even when the shutter is open.

Sounds great, you say. Sign me up.

Before you get too enamored about the translucent system, there are good reasons you don’t see too many Pellix cameras on the market.

First that beam-splitting technology means the sensor and viewfinder have to share the available light. In bright sunlight it isn’t a problem, but as the illumination fades, any light reflected to the viewfinder must be subtracted from the light falling on the sensor. As a result, Pellix cameras are not known for their stellar low-light performance.

Sony has solved this problem by replacing the conventional optical viewfinder with an electronic viewfinder (EVF). (There is also a live-view LCD on the back.)

When you look through the eye-piece on a Alpha A55 or A33, you will actually be looking an electronic viewfinder — a feature the aforementioned DiMage 7i offered a decade or so ago. There is one big difference. The EVF in the old 7i was prone to smearing if the camera or subject moved quickly. I haven’t yet had a chance to play with a A55 or A33, but the newer EVF cameras I’ve used recently rival an optical viewfinder in refresh speed. Hopefully the new Sony models will have a similar high-performance EVF.

Because the EVF can amplify the signal in the viewfinder, we can expect that the view from the finder in the new cameras will be bright and clear in dim light, something that could not be said about old-scholl half-mirror cameras.

A third possible drawback involves dust on the mirror. In current dSLR designs, dust on the mirror is meaningless. Dust on the sensor is a concern, but anything on the mirror has no effect on the final image.

Since pellix style camera actually shoot through the mirror, however, crud on the mirror could reduce image quality.

I have no experience with pellix mirrors, but I am told that they are usually quite delicate. Will it be easy to keep the translucent mirror dust-free? Is the mirror easy to clean? Only time will tell.

I’m quite excited by the new Translucent cameras, and might just pickup one of these in the near future. Of course there are other items that must be budgeted for. Sony has also announced two new conventional dSLRs (with video capabilities) and three new lenses. I’ll discuss those in my next post.

The Sony Alpha A55 is available for pre-order for $749.00 at Sony Style

The Sony Alpha A33 is avialable for pre-order for $649.00 at Sony Style

These are the body-only prices. The A55 and A33 use the complete range of Sony and Minolta A-Mount lenses.

The most common question I get about the Sony Alpha dSLRs is “Can I use Minolta lenses on the Sony Alpha dSLR?” The answer is, not surprisingly, “it depends.”

Over a span of fifty-plus years, Minolta produced a dizzying array of optics. The company continued to pour its own glass, long after other camera manufactures started to outsource their glass making. In addition to making lenses for photographers, Minolta produced optics for scientific, medical and industrial needs. A lens may say “Minolta” on it, but that is no guarantee that lens is appropriate for photographic use.

“I don’t care about that, I just want to know if my dad’s old Minolta lenses will fit my new Sony Alpha!”

I understand, but the answer is still “it depends.” Fortunately, figuring which Minolta lens are compatible with the Sony mount is fairly straight forward, but there is a lot of confusion and misinformation about.

Minolta created a number of lens lines during its photographic manufacturing period. The early Minolta M43 Lieca mount lens were so well designed that Lieca actually contracted Minolta to produce some of their optics. Minolta also produced lenses for it’s short lived 110 SLR.

In the last fifty years or so, the bulk of Minolta optics production was devoted to lenses in three major mount types:

• A-Mount auto focus lenses (1985 – 2006) which are fully Sony compatible
• SR and ROKKOR manual focus lenses (1958-2001), which can only be used on the Sony Alpha with an adapter
• Vectis auto focus lenses, which cannot be used on the Alpha

As you might expect, there are idiosyncracies with certain lenses that could effect whether a specific lens is 100% compatible. The statements above, however, apply for the overwhelming amount of Minolta glass.

Let’s look at each lens mount in detail:

Minolta A-Mount lenses

Minolta introduced the A-mount in 1985, and with only a few slight variations, they continued to use the same mount for all their top level SLRs and DSLRs until the Minolta photographic assets were sold to Sony. Although Sony has started to use the term Alpha mount to describe their dSLR lens system, it is really the old Minolta A-mount. Minolta A-lenses work on the Sony Alpha, because Minolta originally designed the mount that Sony currently uses. Sony has beefed up the camera mount in its later offerings, but the lens mount itself is exactly the same as Minolta. So all Minolta A-Mount lenses attach and operate perfectly on the Sony Alpha. There is no difference, because the mounts are identical.

As I said, there are few idiosyncrasies that effect some of the Minolta lenses. The biggest of these involves the power zoom “i” lenses. When Minolta introduced the “i” series film SLRs, they included a power zoom feature that allowed users to change the focal length of certain lenses by pressing a button. I’m not sure how useful an asset this was, but Minolta sold a ton of I lenses.

Obviously, there are no power buttons or zoom motors on any Sony Alpha, or for that matter, any Minolta dSLR. So obviously, you can’t use the power zoom feature of the i lenses on these cameras. But that is the only limitation. These lens attach to the Sony Alpha, just like any lens in the Sony catalog. Auto focus, auto exposure, auto diaphragm all work perfectly. So does image stabilization. The only limitation is that there is no power zoom; you have to zoom manually. So technically, the i lenses are not 100% compatible with the Sony Alpha….but do you really care? For all practical purposes, the i optics work just fine.

Sony also indicates that Minolta DT lenses (designed to cover the APS-C sensor) may not work correctly on the full frame A850 and A900. They do work as expected on the APS-C cameras that compse most of the Sony dSLR lineup.

What about third-party A mount lenses? Almost as soon as Minolta introduced the A-mount in 1985, lens makers like Tamron, Sigma and Vivitar started cranking out auto-focus optics to fit the new Maxxum AF cameras. So there are thousands, if not millions of non-Minolta, non-Sony A-mount lenses out there.

In theory, these lenses were designed to be compatible with the original Maxxum 7000. Minolta lenses for the Maxxum 7000 are fully comptible with the Alpha, so you would expect the third party optics for the Maxxum to be usable on the Alpha.

In truth, most older third party A-Mount lenses work beautifully on the Alpha. Unfortunately, there are some early third party lenses that don’t work correctly when attached to the Sony Alpha. Some manufactures offer an upgrade program to convert older lenses to work on the Sony dSLR mount, but this involves time and expense.

If you are considering buying a third party A-mount lens, I suggest that you check out the lens database at Dyxum. They have an entry for almost every A-mount lens in existence, including optics you probably never knew existed. The great thing is every lens is rated for sharpness, quality build and general usefulness. You can check whether a third party lens will work on on the Alpha. In just a couple of minutes you will have an idea if a particular lens is a dud or a bargain.

Minolta Rokkor lenses

Next up, you will run across millions of older Rokkor and SR mount lenses. Minolta cranked these out in great numbers before they introduced the Maxxum auto focus cameras in 1985. At one point, Minolta was churning out 30,000 lenses a month, and they did that for years.

What many photographers don’t realize is that Minolta kept many of the older Rokkor lenses in their catalog for years after introducing the Maxxum. As late as 2001, you could still buy a brand new X700 manual focus camera from Minolta, and they also offered many of the more popular Rokkor lenses to go with it.

As I mentioned in an earlier article, Minolta probably would have continued to use the Rokkor X-mount on the Maxxum cameras, but they couldn’t find the room to incorporate auto-focus into the Rokkor design. So they made the painful choice to abandon the old mount and create a completely new design for the auto focus cameras.

This means that you cannot attach a Rokkor lens directly to an A-Mount camera. The mounts are completely different, there is no compatibility.

Of course, Minolta realized that they had millions of existing customers with extensive collections of Rokkor lenses. These photographers were unlikely to adopt the new Maxxum models unless they could bring their older lenses with them. So Minolta designed an adapter which allowed Maxxum users to make use of Rokkor lenses. These adapters were actually in the form of a teleconverter, and for a long time were very expensive and difficult to find. More recently, a number of accessory manufacturers have responded to the need by offering inexpensive Minolta MA-MC adapters. I will delve more completely into MA-MC adapters in a later post in this series. The important thing is that the only way to mount a Minolta SR, MC, MD Rokkor style lens to the Sony Alpha is with an adapter. Unless you want to seriously modify the lens, which is another possibly I will discuss in another post.

Minolta Vectis Lenses

The final lens you might run across in your search for used Minolta lenses are known as Vectis mount lenses. In the 1990s, Minolta developed a line of APS (Advance Photo System) cameras they called the Vectis. Some of the Vectis models were fixed lens rangefinders, but Minolta also offered a Vectis SLR that offered interchangeable lenses. There was even a 3mpVectis dSLR known as the RD3000.

While Vectis lenses are not as common at the A-mount and X-Mount optics, you may still run across them on eBay, Craig’s List, pawn shops and used camera vendors. They look quite similar to the A-mount lenses and many of them are marked with the Minolta logo.

Do not be fooled. Vectis lenses are not compatible with the Minolta A-mount and there is no way to use these optics on a Sony Alpha. When the Vectis SLR was introduced, Minolta announced they were creating an adapter that would allow photographers to use their existing A-mount lenses on the new Vectis cameras. As far as I can tell, the adapter was never put into production, so the A-mount and Vectis lenses are totally incompatible. Even if Minolta did actually produce the adapter, it wa designed to attach A-mount lenses to Vectis cameras, so it would be no help in using Vectis glass on the Alpha models. I don’t know of any adapter that would mount a Vectis lens on the A-mount, and I doubt that there is sufficient interest in the V-mount optics that any third party will ever produce one.

June 10, 2010: Remember when Sony waited a full 18 months to introduce a new dSLR after releasing the A100? Now it seems they seldom wait more than 18 days before releasing a new model. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but the Sony dSLR factory will soon be cranking out two new entry-level models: the A290 and A390.

Sony is aiming the new A-mount cameras at first time dSLR users, and the specs are similar to earlier Alpha starter dSLRs. The new cameras are obviously closely related, the principle difference being the tilting live view system on the A390.

Both cameras will use a 14.2 megapixel sensor, and they include the usual Sony Alpha feature set: Steady Shot image stabilization, Sony and Minolta A-mount lens compatibility, pop-up flash and 9-point auotfocus system.

A couple of things set the new modles apart from earlier editions. There is a new grip design, which Sony claims is more comfortable to use. in addition, both cameras include HDMI output and BRAVIA Sync, so you can view images on your big-screen television if you are so inclined.

Because Sony is targeting first time dSLR buyers with these cameras, both models include Sony’s on-screen Help Guide and Graphic Display program.

The tilting live-view follows the design first offered in the A350 and A300.

Sony of Europe has announced that the A290 and A390 will be available in Summer 2010. Will the new cameras be sold in the United States? So far, there is no mention of the new cameras on Sony’s US web site. The Sony A450, profiled here some months back, has been on the market for several months…but it is not sold in the US.

Will Sony offer the A290/A390 in the USA? Or do they have something else in mind?