For a gallery of Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 images, Click Here!

Officially known as the MC Rokkor – PF 58mm f/1.4, I’ve shot with this Minolta prime lens on 35mm film cameras, APS-C digital cameras and full-frame digital cameras. The resulting photos have never disappointed me.

The MC Rokkor – PF 58mm f/1.4 lens is a fast, inexpensive prime lens that can be easily adapted to Sony Mirrorless cameras. I have also employed an adapter to shoot on Sony A-Mount cameras, with favorable results.

About the MC Rokkor – 58mm f/1.4 Lens

The MC I version of the Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 was introduced in 1966. My copy is the updated MC II which Minolta began selling in 1969. Although the lenses are similar, the general consensus is that the MC II is the superior optic.

MC stands for meter coupled, which means this lens can relate f/stop information to the camera’s light meter. The camera cannot physically adjust the aperture, but the meter can tell what f/stop has been selected. Back in 1966, this was a big deal.

According to Minolta’s internal code, the PF designation represents a lens with 6 elements in 5 groups. The body of the lens is all metal, no plastic here.

Similar to the majority of Minolta’s early SR mount lenses, the body is black, while the mount and the aperture are silver. The Minolta designers probably thought that a silver background would make it easier to read the f-stop markings in dim light.

Since the 58mm f/1.4 dates to 1966, it is a purely mechanical lens. There are no electronic connections, which means this lens lacks autofocus and electronic aperture control. Hardly surprising, since these features weren’t available on Minolta SLRs until many years after this lens was discontinued.

At 10.2 ounces, it is a relatively heavy lens, which is partially the result of the previously mentioned metal construction. Personally, I like the heft of this lens. The overall weight of my photo gear isn’t a big concern for me. I understand that photographers value lightweight baggage. A camera bag full of gear isn’t much fun to lug around. But in use, weighty cameras and optics can go a long way toward dampening vibration. Given the option, I would always choose sharper images over a few tired muscles.

There is no imprint indicating my copy is the MC II version. Minolta never labeled these lenses as MC I or MC II. There are two primary ways of telling the two versions apart.

The first is the serial number. According to various online sources, the MC II version of this lens starts at 5064519. Thus, a lens with a lower serial number will be an MC I version, while anything greater will be the MC II.

A quicker method of identifying the MC II version is to glance at the focusing ring. The superior MC II has what is known as a “hills and valleys” design, where the metal grip undulates with high and low areas. The MC I features a circular grip with knurled areas and a band that has a constant height throughout its circumference.

I haven’t shot with an MC I lens, so I can’t really comment on the actual differences. I can say I love the results I obtain with my MC II 58mm, and the easy to grasp wavy grip is an added bonus.

I am not a pixel peeper. I seldom fritter away much time analyzing charts and graphs taken with a particular lens, since I’m not in the habit of photographing charts or graphs. Corner sharpness and edge fall-off are crucial aspects, but what I really care about is the look of the images delivered by a particular lens.

While I avoid lenses with egregiously undesirable characteristics, I am most concerned about whether a given lens can produce sharp and clear images. My MC II version of the Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 consistently produces great images for me, on 35mm film, digital APS-C and digital full-frame cameras.

In testing, the lens is slightly soft at its maximum aperture. Stopping down to f/2.8 improves sharpness, and the lens is razor-sharp at f/4 and above. This is based on examining images taken under controlled conditions. When making actual photographs, I haven’t detected any lack of sharpness when shooting wide-open.

In testing, I also noticed corner vignetting when shooting wide open. Once again, the darkened corners were visible in testing, but didn’t seem to affect any of my real-world images. In any case, the vignetting is absent at f/4 and smaller apertures.

Smooth focusing with the 58mm f/1.4.

Another reason I love this lens is the feel of the focusing ring. The ring conveys a precise tactile impression. The focus action on my copy is velvety smooth. Whenever I twist the ring on this lens, it radiates quality.

Maybe I just got lucky, because other reviewers claim their version has a scratchy focusing ring. My lens provides the smoothest focus of any manual focus lens I own. Despite the effortless focusing, the focus stays where you put it, without the focus shifting caused by a sloppy ring.

Flare

Most, if not all, vintage lenses exhibit flaring when shooting into the sun or intense light. My copy is not particularly horrible in this regard, but you do need to take care to prevent flare. I acquired my copy used, and it came with a collapsable rubber hood. I use this hood almost all the time, indoors and out. Minolta specified the D55NA metal hood as the standard shade for the 58mm f/1.4. I have found the rubber hood does an excellent job, and it is easier to fit in my gadget bag, so I have never bothered replacing it.

The Rokkor PF 58mm f/1.4 on Minolta SR Mount Film Cameras

Naturally, this lens was designed for film cameras and it is right at home on a manual focus Minolta such as the SRT series. Practically any 50-60mm prime lens from this era will yield excellent results because the engineers had so much experience in this area. More complicated optics, such as zooms, wide-angles, and telephotos require more care in the design. However, the “normal” lenses of 50-60mm focal lengths were a lens maker’s bread and butter. Hence you would expect this lens to work well on 35mm film cameras, and it does.

It was a different world in the 1960s, and camera makers lavished great attention on the “kit” lenses for their SLRs. Today’s kit lenses are usually merely adequate; camera makers expect buyers to purchase from their top-tier lens lineup if they want excellent image quality. The kit lens is frequently treated as a throwaway compared to the much more expensive “professional” optics.

In that bygone era, manufacturers treated the lens that came with the camera as the foundation of their camera system. The kit lens was considered an example of other lenses in the lineup, so nearly all of the base “normal” lenses were very high-quality.

Of course, the 58mm f/1.4 was never the base lens. To justify its existence in the Rokkor line, it had to be superior to the already first-class Minolta standard 50mm.

Adapting the lens to the Sony E-Mount

I use a cheap — by that I mean inexpensive — metal adapter to attach this lens to my Sony E-Mount cameras. All Minolta SR mount lenses have a flange focal distance (FFD) of 43.5mm. In contrast, the Sony E and FE mount cameras ( all the mirrorless models ) have a flange focal distance of 18mm.

Why do we care about this? All interchangeable lenses are designed to focus on a specific plane located at an exact distance from the mounting flange. This is known as the Flange Focal Distance. If the FFD of the lens is different than the FFD of the camera, it becomes impossible to focus the lens properly at infinity.

Without spending time on a physics lesson, it is easy to see that if we use an adapter that is 25.5mm thick (18 + 25.5 = 43.5), it will hold our Rokkor SR mount lens perfectly at 43.5mm from the film plane. Thus, we will have no problem focusing.

Because there are no additional lens elements employed in this type of adapter, they are simple to manufacture. As long as the lens is held exactly 25.5mm from the mounting flange and there are no light leaks, any adapter will produce excellent results.

Adapting to Sony APS-C Cameras

On an APS-C camera like the A-6000 series or the NEX models, the smaller sensor creates a focal length of 87mm. This makes for a great portrait lens.

Some full-frame lenses lose quite a bit of character when mounted on a smaller sensor. The Rokkor 58mm f/1.4, however, still produces wonderful bokeh on APS-C cameras when opened to maximum aperture.

In addition, wide-open sharpness improves on an APS-C sensor because you are effectively cropping away the outer edges of the photo and only utilizing the center image.

Adapting to Sony Full-Frame Cameras

One of the advantages of adapting a lens like this to a full-frame camera such as the A7 series is the lens is designed to cover a full 35mm frame. This lens produces first-class results when used in full-frame applications.

Under careful full-frame testing conditions, I was able to detect a slight amount of light fall-off at the edges at f/1.4. The vignetting is fairly mild and I never noticed it in my day-to-day photos. It may seem like I am making excuses for this lens, but that is not the case. I never noticed vignetting until I ran an in-depth test. Like the soft corners, the light fall-off completely disappears at f/4 and smaller apertures.

Don’t tell the nay-sayers, but I think the results from using this old lens on a full-frame Sony are on par with the top-tier modern glass. Naturally, you have to forgo autofocus and shutter priority exposure. But aperture priority works and in many cases focus peaking is more than adequate to achieve pin-sharp focus.

I am not saying I don’t occasionally miss autofocus. In certain cases, like birds in flight, autofocus is nearly mandatory. But for the majority of my shooting, manual focus is more than sufficient.

Adapting to A-Mount dSLRS and SLT Cameras

On an A-Mount camera, adapting this lens — or any SR lens — is a different proposition. A-mount cameras have an FFD of 44.5mm, a distance 1mm greater than the 43.5mm design specification of the SR lenses. Because of that extra millimeter, a simple adapter cannot be used to mount an SR lens to an A-mount camera. The lens could be used for close-ups, but it could not focus at infinity.

Physics dictates you cannot make an adapter that would hold the lens closer than 44.5mm. The mirror box of an A-Mount camera is too thick. The adapter would need to move the lens inside the camera; a physical impossibility.

There are adapters that can make this possible, but unlike the simple E-Mount adapters, the MD to A-Mount adapters incorporate a close-up lens inside. This lens recasts the light so the image will converge properly at 44.5mm from the flange.

Purists argue that introducing an additional lens element into the light path will degrade quality. They are particularly troubled when these adapters are not made by major camera manufacturers. Most of these adapters are sold by small Asian vendors. How could these tiny operations develop an internal lens that won’t downgrade a sharp Rokkor lens? They point out that these off-brand sellers can hardly be expected to grind an element that could match Minolta’s standards.

There may be some truth to this concern, especially if you are a pixel peeper. In my own experience, I see very little difference between images shot with a Minolta film camera and the same lens adapted to an A-Mount Sony APS-C dSLR. I can’t comment on how well these adapters perform on full-frame Sony cameras because I have never used an SR lens on a full-frame A-mount camera.

At any rate, unless you are producing 30 X 40-inch prints, I doubt you will detect much difference.

One interesting note: In your quest for MD to A-Mount adapters, you may come across glassless adapters without an internal lens. As you have learned, these lenses cannot focus to infinity. But they can focus properly at closer distances, particularly if you are shooting close-ups. If you have a yen to do some Macro photography, these glassless adapters are perfectly suited to mounting an old SR Macro lens on an A-Mount dSLR.

Video Applications

I am primarily a still shooter, so I haven’t used this lens with video very often. The wide aperture, nice bokeh, smooth focusing and low cost suggest that this lens would be a wise investment for any video content creator.

Buying a used copy of the Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 Lens

The Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 has been out of production for decades, so if you are buying one of these lenses, it is almost certainly an “experienced” optic. Fortunately, Minolta sold a ton of these lenses, so they are relatively easy to come by. You’ll find them on eBay, used camera stores, pawnshops and flea markets. At the time this is written, prices range from $20 to $100. A careful shopper should have no trouble locating a nice example in the $50-$60 area.

With its metal body and solid construction, reliable working copies of this lens are readily available. Flaws are few, but they do exist.

Watch for dents and other evidence of being dropped. This lens can take a lot of punishment, but dropping any lens can cause a host of problems, including rough focusing and dented or unusable filter rings. In extreme cases, the lens may suffer misalignment of the optics after a fall, leading to degraded optical quality.

Many older lenses suffer from sticky aperture blades. This isn’t a concern if you are using the lens with an adapter, because adapted lenses don’t make use of an automatic aperture anyway. For film shooters, however, you want to be sure the aperture blades snap closed as they should.

Haze and Fungus

Haze and fungus are the by-products of improperly stored optics. Some people buy moldy lenses hoping they can clean away the fungus and get a bargain. This calls for some solid camera repair skills, as the lens will require dismantling.

More importantly, fungus is a living organism that can eat away the surface of the glass. This will destroy any special coatings applied to the lens elements. In extreme cases, the fungus can permanently etch the glass.

With plentiful copies of this lens available at attractive prices, I would steer clear of any that exhibit fungus and look for a variant with pristine optics.

From the tone of this review, it should be obvious I highly recommend this lens whether you are shooting with a Minolta film SLR or adapting it to a Sony digital camera. It isn’t in the same class as the legendary Rokkor 58mm f/1.2, but you can expect to pay five or six times as much for the f/1.2 lens. That is if you can find one. For everyday shooting, the fast, inexpensive f/1.4 warhorse will serve you well.

Minolta Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 at a Glance:

• #Rokkor58mm
• #minoltalens
• #fastprimelens

For a gallery of Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 images, Click Here!

The post Old Glass: The Rokkor 58mm f/1.4 Prime Lens. Star Performer. appeared first on Alphatracks.

Sony has just announced the Alpha A58, a low-cost, 20 megapixel SLT interchangeable lens camera. The new camera is a wonderful illustration of how far we have come in digital camera development.

In 2006, Sony introduced its first dSLR, the venerable Alpha A100. The A100 was a conventional dSLR with a flip-up mirror, based around the 6mp Minolta 5D, the last major camera design from Minolta.

The A100 garnered plenty of interest, principly because it was the first commercially available dSLR to offer a 10mp sensor in a camera that sold for under $1000.  Fast forward seven years and the photographic landscape is a drastically different place.

Alpha A58 List Price: $600 with Lens

The all new Sony Alpha A58 is 20mp translucent mirror camera with an electronic viewfinder. When the A58 ships sometime in April, it will sell for under $600, including a 18-55mm kit lens. Whether or not you appreciate the SLT direction that Sony has adopted, you have to admit that is a whole lot of progress in just seven years. The A58 isn’t Sony’s first dSLR/SLT to sell for under $600, but it is certainly the most camera the company has offered at that price point to date.

The A58 can shoot at 5fps, offers an ISO range of 100 to 16000, and lets users choose from 1080/60i/24p AVCHD or 1080/30p MP4 video. Inside the A58, you will find a new 20.1 mp Exmor CMOS APS sensor. The camera features Sony’s new Lock-On auto focus system that Sony claims “dramatically increses the in-focus rate.” The Hand-held Twilight mode racks up a quick sequence of six photos, then combines them into single image that is claimed to eliminate blur and noise, providing exciting nighttime photos.

Focussing is controlled by a 15 point phase-detection AF system with three cross sensors.   Following the path of the Alpha A99 and the NEX-6, the new camera uses the new Multi-Interface Sony Hot Shoe. The A58 also uses the new RM-VPR1 Remote Commander, Sony’s new wired remote that can control video operation as well as still image capture.   Like most of Sony’s recent SLT cameras, the A58 has a single memory card slot that accepts either Memory Stick Duo or a SD, SDHC or SDXC media.

A lot of camera for the money

I think the Sony Alpha A58, represents a whole lot of camera for $600. It is no Alpha A99, but it looks like a wonderful starter camera for those wanting to enter the world of translucent mirror, interchangeable lens cameras. When you compare it to what was available seven years ago, you won’t feel too bad trading six hundred bills for a camera with twice the megapixels and whole lot more features.

Pre-order the Sony Alpha A58 at B&H Photo

You can also Pre-order the A58K Package at SonyStyle

The post Sony Alpha A58: New Low-Cost 20 MP SLT appeared first on Alphatracks.

As expected, Sony announced the new Alpha A99 full-frame camera at Photokina in Germany. Unquestionably the best and most full-featured Sony Alpha yet, many have labeled the new machine as a “full-frame version of the Sony Alpha A77.”

While there are many worse things than being compared to great camera like the A77, the new full-frame Sony boasts a number of features beyond the size of the sensor.

Starting with the sensor, the A99 is equipped with a new Sony 24.3mp Exmor CMOS chip. While this is roughly the same pixel count as the A77, the larger sensor makes for larger pixels, which should result in superior noise reduction.

As far as the other features mentioned above, the A99 includes Sony’s all new..eh, old?…hot shoe design. While I think this is somewhat of a step backwards, it does mean the Sony A99 (as well as the brand new NEX 6 ) will be able to utilize more flash and flash accessories. Presumably this the future for all Sony dSLR/SLT cameras, so get used to it.

There is also a brand new, top of the line Flash unit (Sony HVL-F60M Flash) equipped with the proper shoe for the new mount. Don’t worry, if you own older Sony/Minolta flash units, there is a new, inexpensive Multi Interface adapter to mate these flashes with the new camera.

Being a SLT translucent mirror camera, the A99 lacks a traditional optical viewfinder. The electronic view finder (EVF) offers an interesting improvement over optical finders of the past. Like previous full frame Alpha (A900-A850) you can use crop-sensor lenses on the body. You will get a lower resolution image, but it works. With the EVF, however, Sony created a system that automatically detects whether you are shooting with full-frame glass or not. If you attach a crop-sensor lens on the A99, the viewfinder automatically enlarges the image to show you a 100% view of what the lens sees in the viewfinder. Switch to a full-frame A-mount lens and the view will adjust itself again, showing you 100% view of what the full-frame lens sees. Try that with an optical viewfinder.

Since this is a pro-level camera, it needs pro-level auto-focus and it seems the A99 has that in spades. Sony claims the A99 is the first digital camera from any manufacturer to include a dual AF system. The main focus system features a 19-point AF grid with 11 cross sensors.  The Sony engineers have backed this up with an a 102-point phase detection sensor that is overlaid on the image sensor. The result is a system that Sony says uses both phase-detection sensors to create an extremely fast and accurate AF system. Time will tell, but I am pretty excited about the potential of dual AF system.

Another thing the A99 has going for it is weight — or rather the lank of it. Sony is touting the A99 as the lightest 35mm full-frame dSLR on the market. The body of the camera tips the scale at 740 grams (26 ounces). Not bad for an ultra-full-frame camera.

The ISO range is 100-32000. Because this is full-frame camera, which creates much larger files than APS-C frame cameras, the frame rate is limited to 6fps. That is pretty impressive, but pales next to the Alpha A77, which can crank out a full 10fps. If you absolutely have to have faster frame rate, the A99 allows you to shift into an APS-C mode. At this setting, the A99 actually captures APS-C size images instead of the full-frame 35mm size files it would normally gather. While you will end up with lower resolution images, you can shoot at the same 10fps as the A77. It’s a trade-off, full resolution or fast frame rate. I like having options.

The A99 is Sony’s first full-frame camera to offer video recording, as the A900 and A850 lacked video capture. Although the A99 should produce excellent still photos, Sony certainly didn’t overlook the videographer. in addition to he most advanced video AF system in a dSLR, the A99 features a silent dial that allows users to adjust settings such as f/stop and shutter speed without adding noise to the film clip. The A99 makes up for whatever was missing on the previous Sony flagships, offering 60p, 60i and 24p HD video modes.

When you done shooting, you can output uncompressed 60p and 60i HDMI footage.

After Sony killed off the highly regarded A900, some commentators voiced the opinion that Sony was done with the high-end; that the company would be content to play in the advanced amateur level and leave professional level cameras to other manufacturers. The A99 demonstrates why it is dangerous to listen to the pundits. There are a few things that could be improved on the A99 (wireless radio trigger for one), but overall the A99 is full-featured as well as full-frame.

Pre-Order the Sony Alpha A99 at Sony Style

Pre-Order the Sony Alpha A99 on Amazon

The post Sony announces the Alpha A99: A-mount full-frame is back appeared first on Alphatracks.

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.

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.

The post Sony Alpha A77 and A65 | New Cameras, New Capabilities appeared first on Alphatracks.

I had hoped to update my copy of Adobe Lightroom to version 1.4, which is required to read the RAW files from the Sony Alpha A350, A300 and the A200 as well as several other new cameras. Unfortunately, Adobe posted the update for only a few hours. If you click on the link to update to 1.4, you get the message:

Adobe hasn’t said when the revised 1.4 updater will be available, but until they get their act together, I won’t be able to process my A350 RAW files in Lightroom. This limitation also applies to Adobe Camera Raw, meaning at this point there is no way to edit A350 RAW files with an Adobe product.

Sony has started shipping the A350 model, with the similar A300 to come shortly. Don’t expect to edit RAW files in Lightroom/ACR until Adobe perfects the latest update to ACR.

My fall back has been Sony’s Image Data Converter and Lightbox SR which shipped with the A350. The two programs do a credible job, but I know exactly what to expect from LR. It will take some time to become comfortable with editing in with the Sony software. In addition, the Sony software does not recognize my older Minolta RAW files, so I require two different sets of software to work with my image collection. Grrr. I hope Adobe fixes the bugs in 1.4 soon.

Of course there is another solution: Apples’ Aperture. Frequent Alphatracks contributor Bert Pasquale has been playing with Aperture 2.0 and he seems more than happy with it. He writes:

Let me think about this. Aperture and iPhoto are more or less niche products in Apple’s product line. They help with the bottom line, of course, but they are far from Apple’s main bread and butter. On the other hand, Photoshop is Adobe’s crown jewel. They make a lot of cash from other sources, but Photoshop is their premier product.

So how is it that Apple appears to effortlessly produce an update that supports the latest cameras well in advance of their release date, while Adobe’s can’t ship it’s famed Camera Raw software until after the new models hit the street? For that matter, why did Adobe release an ACR/Lightroom update that was so filled with bugs that almost a week afterwards they still haven’t been able to fix it?

The post Sony Alpha A350 ships — Adobe pulls ACR update appeared first on Alphatracks.

Here is what technology site Gizmodo had to say when Sony took the wraps off the new sensor: “Sony isn’t about to pop it in one of its Alpha models, at least not as far as we can tell.” That idea was echoed by several other commentators.

That sound you hear is those same forecasters gnashing their teeth after Sony proclaimed that, yes indeed, the upcoming flagship will be equipped with the big full frame sensor. So much for the theory that Sony is afraid of competing in the professional category.

There is, however a minor mystery. The new full frame sensor is rated at 24.8 megapixels. The flagship, on the other hand, will boast 24.6mp. That unexplained 0.2mp difference has led to some interesting speculation.

Sony Alpha flagship will boast full frame sensor, 24+ megapixels

Some have suggested it is a completely different sensor. Sony however has indicated that the flagship will use the recently announced full frame sensor.

If you’ve been reading Alphatracks for any length of time, you know we have discussed at length the ramifications of installing a full frame sensor with in-body stabilzation.

Could that 0.2mp difference represent the crop factor needed to use the sensor with Super Steady Shot? If so, it isn’t much of a crop. If my math is correct, the sensor would be roughly 99.193548387096774193548387096774 percent of a full frame. That would be something like a 1.008 crop factor. In other words, no crop at all.

Of course Sony hasn’t said the missing 0.2 megapixel is related to the Super Steady Shot. Perhaps there is some other reason Sony trimmed that portion of a mp from the sensor. Since the flagship will use a CMOS sensor, it should be possible to “shut off” any unneeded pixels.

Sony has said the flagship will ship this year. Many observers are suggesting a Photokina timeframe. (September) Sony hasn’t confirmed that — in fact Sony hasn’t said that the dSLR will be known as the A900, although many people have already started calling it that. Sony has firmly said the dSLR will ship in 2008.

To me, it really doesn’t matter where that 0.2mp went. The flagship will be full frame and pack more that 24mp.

All of a sudden those Sony haters have started to get rather quiet.

Technorati Tags:

Alpha flagship full frame, Alphatracks, Photography, Sony Alpha, Tom Bonner

The post Sony confirms 24mp sensor in Alpha flagship dSLR appeared first on Alphatracks.

This isn’t a crippled trial version or a demo that will self-destruct in thirty days. Now through September 6, you can download the full working application from the DAZ website. This is the real deal. You don’t even have to give up your e-mail address to download the software. I just went to the site, clicked the link and the download started. For some reason the software downloaded as a text file instead of a Stuffit archive on my Mac. I simply dropped the text file on the Stuffit Expander application and everything unstuffed properly.

When you actually start the application for the first time, you will need a free DAZ account to get the required serial number. I already had an account, but if you’ve never registered with DAZ you will need to sign up to get the serial number. It’s no big deal to register. I have had my DAZ account for about a year now. I get an occasional e-mail, maybe one every five or six weeks. Usually the e-mail contains an interesting discount or featured 3D package. How do you think I discovered the free Bryce download? So I feel it was worthwhile to register.

Once I put the serial number in, the program launched and appears to be working fine. Of course, the Bryce interface can be intimidating and the program does have a steep learning curve. The DAZ website has a large tutorial section to get you started, and other training materials are available for free on the web. That is a good thing, because I didn’t find a PDF manual with my download.

Bryce 5.0 runs on Mac OS X, Mac OS 9, Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows NT. Like any graphics-intensive program the faster your processor and the more RAM you have the better the program will run.

Even if you only dabble at 3D rendering, Bryce 5.0 will be a great addition to your software collection. I suggest you down load it now, while the free offer is still in effect.

Here is the link:

DAZ Productions – 3D Models, 3D Content, and 3D Software

I promise I’ll tackle the Minolta 9D subject next time. Until then, Stay Focused.

technorati tags:Bryce, 3D Rendering, free software, DAZ Productioins

The post DAZ productions giving away free copies of Bryce 5.0 appeared first on Alphatracks.