Download the HD Version of this podcast (Right Click Save As), or get it on iTunes.

Welcome back after an extensive break! We hope that you have missed us and that you have not lost hope. During the break we have been restructuring how to run the podcasts in the future; with shorter shows, looking at specific features and the occasional news and reviews editions. In this episode, we will just catch up on some of what we have been doing while we have been “off air”.

News

There have been a few new cameras announced while we were away. The A37 and NEX-F3 are the most recent additions. Both serve more as evolutions to their predecessors than as any form of revolution to the ranges.

Also announced was the A57 which has been getting a significant amount of ‘hands on’ time. The 16mp sensor and 12fps make for a fantastic mid-range camera. It is fast becoming my favourite Alpha.

Another new item I have been enjoying thoroughly more than I thought I would is the new 18-200 for the NEX. It is smaller than the first generation and feels fantastic to use. It does appear to be a lot like the Tamron version and that may be its downside. If there is a fair price difference, I think that most will opt for the practically identical Tamron.

Not quite Alpha related, but still of great interest is the new Cyber-shot RX100. This little compact camera uses a 20mp, 1-inch sensor which is 4 times the size of the average compact camera sensor. It is, infact, the same kind of sensor size used in Nikon’s mirrorless camera, but here there is no changeable lens. It is Sony’s professional compact and looks very appealing.

Tutorial

So… in the tutorial feature for this episode, we are going to talk about a new feature in some of the Sony Alpha cameras (think Alpha 57 and 37) called Clear Image Zoom.

In the early days of digital cameras (and on most smartphones today), many manufacturers kept prices down by offering a camera with no optical zoom; opting rather to promote digital zoom. Essentially, digital zoom crops your image to make it look like it has zoomed into the scene. The trouble with this was that it would reduce the resolution of the image and – with early cameras boasting a tiny 3.2 million pixel count – there was no room to throw away pixels.

Today, things have come a long way. Both the Alpha A57and 37 share a 16mp sensor. You can print really reasonable images from 6 or 8mp, so you can afford to crop into an image a little. Sony’s Clear Image Zoom does that, but then it goes a step further… Instead of leaving the resolution at 8mp, it takes that image and – with some very clever processing – increases the cropped image back up to 16mp again. It does so rather well, with minimal quality loss.
To use this feature is rather simple.

On the back of the A57 is a button near your thumb that says “Zoom”. Simply hit that button and then turn the control dial till you get the zoom you need – up to 2x the magnification you start off with from the lens.

Why is this such a cool feature? Well… among Sony’s recent announcements is the release of a new standard zoom lens: the 18-135mm. While I was away, I took the A57 and only this new 18-135mm lens. It was all I needed. For the odd occasions when I wanted a longer lens, I simply used the Clear Image Zoom feature.

Imagine travelling or being on a tight budget. You cannot take the weight (or the price) of the big 500mm lens. Instead, you opt for the fantastic 70-300G. When you come across some wildlife needing you to get in closer, the Clear Image Zoom can double the 300mm to 600mm whilst maintaining the aperture of f/5.6; something an optical teleconverter cannot do as it cuts down your light.

Thanks to Sony’s electronic viewfinder, all of this happens without any additional thinking on your part; something optical viewfinders could not do.

Conclusion

That brings us to the end of the first of our new series of shows. Be sure to check out our website at http://alphatutorials.co.za for more articles and information. Please also send us your questions. We enjoy hearing from you.

The post Podcast Episode 12 – Back From a Long Break and Clear Image Zoom appeared first on Alpha Tutorials.

Download the HD Version of this podcast. (Right Click Save As) or get it on iTunes

Welcome to 2012! In this first show for the year we catch up on news and wrap up everything that we’ve looked at in the tutorial sections thus far.

News

We knew that it was going to come at some point, but we were a little nervous about how long it might take. At last; Sony have announced a firmware update for the NEX-3, 3c and NEX-5. It makes the cameras compatible with the LA-EA2 adapter that we spoke about with Darryl from Sony South Africa last year. The LA-EA2 adapter has a Translucent mirror which basically turns an NEX into an Alpha A35-like camera with high speed Phase Detection Autofocus. It also offers autofocus compatibility for the older lenses that don’t have their own internal focus motor. This means that you could use – for example – old Minolta lenses.

You can get the details about the update and a link to the download files at this link: http://blog.sony.com/%CE%B1nex-camerasnew-firmware-enables-translucent-mirror-adapter-compatibility

Remember to check out Episode 2 of the podcast for a tutorial on how to update the camera’s firmware.

Another interesting news story is one that I spotted on Peta Pixel. It seems that ‘out there’, some photographer with a Sony A55 damaged his Translucent mirror by using a cleaning Fluid. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THE FOCUSING SCREEN OR MIRROR OF YOUR CAMERA WITH ANY KIND OF FLUID! Sorry… I got sidetracked. Where was I? That’s right: Turns out he used plastic or cling wrap as a replacement. Now there is no chance that we are going to recommend that you do that, but who knows? It might be information that comes in handy one day, in an absolute emergency. Here is a link to that article: http://www.petapixel.com/2011/12/27/plastic-wrap-can-be-used-as-a-pellicle-mirror-substitute/

Our final news item is about the new XQD memory cards which were announced by Sony ahead of the CES and PMA combined show which kicks off in Vegas as we start recording this show. No… we are unfortunately not there. The new memory standard – which has also been adopted by other manufacturers and is found in Nikon’s ‘just announced’ D4 – allows for larger capacity and higher speeds in the world of ever-increasing resolutions; be it in stills, or in video.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/06/sony-xqd-memory-card-official/

There is bound to be more news coming out of CES, but we have to record this show at some point so we will shoot a CES wrap-up show next week should there be any big Sony camera announcements. (Which there were not really)

Tutorial

Over the last couple of shows, we have been going through some of the fundamentals of photography. I just wanted to recap on them in this show and remind you about where you can go to get the more detailed information.

Episode 1 and 3

We looked at the three means of controlling light (which is our paint, if you will). Those three things are: ISO (the camera’s sensitivity to light), Aperture (the diaphragm inside a lens which is used to control the amount of light passing through the lens itself, as well as into the camera), and Shutter (the mechanism in front of the film, or sensor that controls the amount of time in which the film, or sensor is exposed to light). A lower number ISO means a low sensitivity and – obviously – the higher the ISO setting, the greater the sensitivity. The trade-off is that with increased sensitivity, comes increased ‘graininess’ in the image (more commonly known as “Noise”). Apertures are fractions. This means that they look like they work in reverse to ISO, where the smaller the F/number, the more light comes through. Also, less area in front of and behind your subject will be in focus. This is called depth of field. Shutter speeds are also fractions. This means that when it says ‘1000’, it is actually a ‘1000th’ which is a great deal quicker than – for example – a 30th. The faster the shutter, the more movement it will freeze. Balancing the above-mentioned three things is how you create your exposure.

Episode 4

We explained the different exposure modes. ‘M’ is for ‘Manual’; where you need to balance all three exposure controls manually. ‘A’ is for ‘Aperture Priority’; where you can set the ISO and Aperture, and the camera sets the Shutter Speed for you. ‘S’ is for ‘Shutter Priority’; which is the reverse of ‘Aperture Priority’ mode, and finally; ‘P’ which is for ‘Program’ mode. In this mode, you can still set the ISO, but the camera will take control of everything else. We suggest using this mode even over and above the ‘picture’ or ‘scene’ modes. In essence, they are ‘Program’ modes, but without overrides such as the ‘Exposure Compensation’ button that allows you to lighten or darken an image. This feature can be used in ‘Program’, but not in the other scene modes.

Episode 7

Your camera measures light as an 18% grey which it believes to be correct exposure. We explain how easily the camera’s light-meter can be fooled with such thinking in therefore giving less than pleasing results. We thus arm you with the knowledge of when you need to take control and override what the camera thinks

Episode 8

This is where we looked at the different light-metering modes of Centre Weighted, Evaluative, and Spot. We looked at the pros and cons of all of them and where best to use them.

Episode 9

We looked at the three different types of focusing modes on your camera and how they will effect your image taking.

Episode 10

White balance was the topic and we dealt with the fact that different light has different colours. We looked at how the camera handles this and how you can use it to your creative advantage.

These points are all fundamental to the use of any camera. As we move forward, we will look at things more specific to some models of cameras than to others. There will be other general items, but none may be more significant to the improvement of your images than the ones we have covered thus far. They are the life-blood of photography.

Viewers Question or Feedback

Viewer Invisible Cut sent us some feedback on the website.

Hi guys. Don’t you find that metering modes work exactly opposite to what they should? When evaluative metering is selected, focus AND exposure are fixed at shutter half press which can lead to an incorrect exposure if I recompose. If I select center-weighted or point-metering, focus is locked but exposure is not locked… your subject will most likely not be in the center of the screen, so you do have to lock exposure with the AEL button and then recompose. Would it not make sense to lock focus and exposure when using center- or point-metering, but NOT lock exposure when using evaluative metering? I love the colors on my alpha, but I find that I have to exposure-compensate a little too often. When I go out with my buddy who has a Nikon (focus is locked but exposure is not locked when shutter is half pressed), it seems he can concentrate on framing while I have to concentrate on framing and on changing exposure (even in MF, when exposure is not locked, it is still heavily influenced by the selected exposure point).

What do you think? I guess I have to get a 65 in order to see what I get before I press the shutter…

Thanks a lot and keep up the good work.
Love TWIP
By the way… it’s always fun when you are on the show and you change their Canikon talk a bit

Conclusion

That brings us to the end of another show. Be sure to check out our website http://alphatutorials.co.za for more articles and information. There are three articles following our first show; each on one of the areas of exposure: ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speeds. You can also send your questions to us on the site.

The post Podcast Episode 11 – Welcome to 2012, Review of 2011, CES Announcements or Lack Thereof appeared first on Alpha Tutorials.

We talk Thailand floods and the impact it will have on Alpha, Sony CEO names photography person of the year and a look at what White Balance is and how to change it on your camera. This is Episode 10 of Alpha Tutorials.

News

If you check in on any of the tech or photography sites out there you will know by now that the recent floods have had a significant impact on technology companies like Sony, Nikon and others who have production facilities there. Following the earthquake and tsunami earlier this year in Japan, many companies increased, moved or shifted production of their products to neighbouring countries like Thailand. For the companies that have done this its been a double whammy as – in the case of Sony and Nikon – their factories are sitting at least one floor under water. In Sony’s case their sensor production is based in their Thailand operations which has not only meant delays for the Alpha A77, A65 and (to my complete horror) the NEX-7 but it is also impacting other companies that make use of Sony sensors in their cameras. While Nikon announced that water levels where dropping last week, they are still way above ankle height so its going to be a while before we know when things will be back on track. Not a good hear for the photographic industry.

Also in the news, Sony CEO, Sir Howard Stringer was recently names Person of the Year by PMDA – PhotoImaging Manufacturers and Distributors Association. For the full story head on over to PMAnewsline.com or follow the link in our show notes.

Tutorial

Lets look at White Balance

White Balance and Colour of Light
Believe it or not, all light has a colour to it. Perhaps you have noticed it though never consciously thought of its impact on your photographs? Well, truth is, it makes a difference to your pictures. I am not going to give you a physics lesson here. Let it suffice to say that Daylight is white light and has a colour measurement of 5000-6000K (Kelvin). Light that we would call warm in colour is in fact cooler in Kelvin so like a Candle light measures only 1000-2000K. An overcast day which can give a bit of a blue light (same as being in the shade) will measure anywhere from 6500-10000K. That’s enough science. Lets get practical.

Warm lights (in terms of colour) are Candle Light, Tungsten light bulbs found in many homes and Sunsets. Your camera has a white balance setting which allows you to say you are shooting by for example: Tungsten light and the camera will then add blue to balance the orange. The opposite is true when you set the white balance to clouds. There is also a creative use for white balance. If you want a blue sky to be bluer then set the white balance on the camera to Tungsten which adds blue to scenes. Ever taken a picture of a bright red sunset but you just not getting the red? Set the white balance to cloudy which will add some red or orange.

Other light sources with odd colours are Fluorescent lights which tend to have a greenishness to them.

Viewers Question

In the comments on YouTube for Episode 8 frank392 ask

how to use a? a35 fo studio work? is it possible?

To be honest, we have not found a way on our A35 review unit to bypass the live view exposure display given which – in a studio environment with limited ambient light renders the viefinder almost completely dark and useless. We have heard that unlike the A33 and A55 where nothing can be done about it, the A35 is supposed to get a way to bypass this problem like the A65 and A77 have however we have yet to here more about this solution, we will keep you posted on any progress.

Conclusion

That about brings us to the end of another show. Be sure to check out our website http://alphatutorials.co.za for more articles and information. For example there are three articles following our first show each on one of the areas of exposure, ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speeds. You can also send your questions in to us on the the site.

The post Podcast Episode 10 – Floods, CEO and White Balance appeared first on Alpha Tutorials.

We go hands on with the Sony NEX-7 and talk about the focusing modes available on your camera, all in Episode 9.

Hands On

We just got our hands on the new NEX-7 and though we have only had it for a day or so I am already fairly confident I want one. This camera is clearly aimed at the more serious or professional photographer looking for a compact mirrorless camera. It has a built in flash, the same 24mp sensor that is in the A77 and the OLED viewfinder. There are two control dials to control Aperture and Shutter speeds.

The body is fairly bigger than its other siblings but still feels smaller than say Fuji’s X100 and even some other mirrorless cameras out there. It feels really well made. If I have one complaint about it, it would be the lack a plus for using a cable release on it.

In addition to the tiny – and rather flimsy feeling – pop up flash, the NEX-7 has a Sony Alpha Hotshoe for using the other Sony Alpha flashes on it. We are busy putting it though it’s paces but as I say, my initial feeling is that this could very well be my primary camera as soon as it goes on sale, and I can afford to get one.

Tutorial

Now that we have covered the exposure side of photography and how the camera measures light etc, lets talk about Auto Focus modes.

Single Shot / One Shot AF
Simply put, this autofocus mode prevents the camera from taking the picture till the camera is in focus. This is great for static subjects, horrible for action like a speeding race car, where the slightest delay from the camera only beginning to take the image when the car is in focus, will mean that by the time the shutter opens the car has likely moved past the point where the camera is in focus.

Continuous AF (Focus Tracking)
This mode of Auto Focus is where the camera tries to continually keep up with and predict what your subject is doing. It will allow the camera to fire at any point that you push the shutter button completely, whether the subject is in focus or not. It is best used with your camera’s continuous or motor drive mode.

Automatic or AF Servo
This mode was created to help prevent photographers from needing to change between modes. The principle is that it looks at the scene and judges if the subject is static or moving. If static, it works like Single Shot. If  the subject is moving it works like Continuous. Here is the catch! Things like camera shake can on some cameras be perceived as subject movement and the camera could switch to Continuous when you want it to be in Single Shot. Nothing is perfect I am afraid.

Viewers Question

Hubert asked us in the comments for Episode 5 if the A77 compares to the Nikon D7000.

Hubert, here is how I would answer that question. When Sony launched the A700 it was compared mainly to Nikon’s D200/300 range. If we were to view the A77 as the A700’s replacement then in theory it should be compared to the Nikon D300 still – or what ever will likely be replacing it in the near future. At the same time the D7000 is a substantial step up on the old D90 and since it comes so close the the aging D300 it will likely be the camera that gets compared to the Sony A77 most. I would say that while the two cameras are going to be compared a lot they are in many ways two different beasts. The A77 offers far higher resolution and incredible shooting speeds, if however you shoot a lot of low light photography where you really need to push the ISO to extremes the D7000 will hold an edge in terms of noise levels simply because it is 8mp down on the A77. Which you will buy then comes down to what you shoot and if you have lenses with really fast apertures etc. Personally I think the A77 is mind blowing and for the photography I do, it would serve just as well if not slightly better than the Nikon D7000 thanks to the higher resolution but I might not shoot the same things you do.

Conclusion

That about brings us to the end of another show. Be sure to check out our website http://alphatutorials.co.za for more articles and information. You can also send your questions in to us on the the site. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook

The post Podcast Episode 9 – Sony NEX-7 Hands On and Talking Focusing Modes appeared first on Alpha Tutorials.

The Sony Alpha A77 gets DXO Mark treatment, we go hands on with two new Sony NEX lenses (55-210mm and Zeiss 24mm f/1.8), Metering Modes and RAW versus JPEG, thats what we are talking about in Episode 8

News

Lets first talk news. Sony’s Alpha A77 sensor got put through it’s paces over at DXO Mark. These guys do tests to see just how well a camera’s sensor does in areas of noise, dynamic range etc and allows you to compare the results with other cameras they have reviewed. The A77 has done very well, even bettering some cameras we did not expect it to beat. You can check out the results for yourself here.

Hands On

We have been testing two of the recently announced Sony NEX lenses lately, namely the 55-210mm and Zeiss 24mm f/1.8

The 55-210mm is a great lens and makes far more sense from a size and weight perspective than the 18-200mm which is a real monster. Image quality and autofocus is great, a good companion for the standard 18-55mm.

The real beauty here is the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8. This lens – if it was available yet – would in an instant be my standard lens for an NEX camera. The f/1.8 aperture comes in super handy and image quality is great. Focus is fast and quiet as we expect from NEX but even nicer is the soft Bokeh you get. What is Bokeh you ask? It is a word that talks about the out of focus area in a photograph with shallow depth of field. Cheap lenses which can give very harsh out of focus areas, the Zeiss 24mm blurs things nicely.

Tutorial

Last time we spoke about how the camera measure 18% light reflectancy as correct exposure. Today we want to look at what the three metering modes are on your Alpha camera.

Centre Weighted

This metering mode is the original method used in many of the earliest cameras. Simply put, the camera would base (depending on the manufacturer) between 60-80% of its exposure calculation on the light reading coming from the centre of the viewfinder. This form of lightmeter was easily fooled at times and – as you will find when we talk about composition – was not great if you composed your images more creatively, meaning, the subject is not in the middle of every picture you take.

Partial or Spot Metering

This method of metering uses the centre of the viewfinder or frame (you will usually see a thin circular line showing the exact area of the meter) to measure the light ignoring the rest of the frame. This was very useful when measuring the light off a grey card for example or the neutral brown wing feathers on say a bird, like a fish eagle, thus ignoring any white or other areas that would adversely effect the exposure.

Matrix or Multi Segment Metering

This metering method is the most commonly used one today. Essentially the camera divides the scene up into different segments (depending on the camera they could be from as few as 2 to in the thousands) and each segment is measured and an average is determined that should provide good exposure over the whole image… while its better by far than Centre Weighted in the vast majority of situations, it is not fool proof, so learn to see the light and know its impact on your image. With digital that is easily previewed on the LCD screen on the back.

Viewers Question

Mat Rogers sent us in a question recently asking if on the Alpha A55 does it really matter whether you shoot RAW or JPEG and why in RAW mode special effects like partial colour don’t seem to have any effect.

Mat here is the simplest way to answer your questions. RAW files are files where the camera captures as much information or DATA about the scene you have photographers as possible. Because it is the RAW information the file is free of any effects, white balance setting etc as you are required to adjust the image in software like Adobe Lightroom etc later on to get the final product you want before you save the image as a JPEG or TIFF file.

JPEG is a standard for compressing image data. By compressing the image data there is a lot of information that gets discarded in the camera to make the file significantly smaller on your memory card. For this reason it will save any effect you make to the image as well. It is a hotly debated subject as to which is better. I shoot RAW when I want to give myself the room to fix an image later if need be. For general snaps where I dont want to sit behind a computer processing files I shoot JPEG. If you would like to see a great article on this check out the post at Pixiq.

Conclusion

That about brings us to the end of another show. Be sure to check out our website http://alphatutorials.co.za for more articles and information. For example there are three articles following our first show each on one of the areas of exposure, ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speeds. You can also send your questions in to us on the the site.

The post Podcast Episode 8 – NEX Lenses 55-210mm, Zeiss 24mm, Metering Modes and RAW vs JPEG appeared first on Alpha Tutorials.

In this episode we dive into the new Sony Alpha A77 in more detail and look at the way your camera’s light meter sees light.

Review of the Sony Alpha A77

When we recorded the last video about the new Alpha A77 we had literally just got it, now a few weeks on – and two firmware upgrades later – we can share our view point on the camera with a little more authority.

The first thing that will blow you away with the A77 is the screen, the OLED viewfinder is significantly higher resolution than what was offered on the Sony A33 and A55. In addition to the increased resolution, the OLED technology allows for a wider contrast range and more true to life colours. What does this all mean? Essentially we enjoy this electronic viewfinder more than we do an optical one, and I never thought I would see the day that I say that.

I had concerns about image quality when I heard that Sony were cramming 24mp into the smaller APS-C sensor size. In theory the noise levels should be horrendous and yet they have been no where near as bad as we thought it would be. In fact, in early comparisons with the A850 which is 24mp on a larger full frame sensor, we still cannot decide which is the better.

The Autofocus on the A77 is quick and coupled with the 12fps makes for a great tool when the action picks up. With that said, the one limitation the A77 has is that it can only maintain the 12fps burst for 17 frames which means its not even 2 seconds of the action. You also need to use top end speed cards or you will be waiting for days before you can capture the next sequence.

Video quality is also fantastic and Sony have spent a lot of time working on the sound quality you get straight out of the camera, certainly it is better than some other cameras we have used in the past.

All in all we think the wait for this A700 replacement has been well worth it.

Tutorial

Last time we did a tutorial we spoke about the different exposure modes on the camera. This time we are going to just chat a little bit about how the camera sees light. We will then in the next coming shows talk about the different light metering modes your camera has.

The camera’s light-meter can be easily fooled depending on what you are photographing. You get different types of light-meters. The one found in most cameras is what we call a reflective light-meter. It measures the amount of light reflecting off your subject or scene. It is calibrated to find perfect exposure as 18% reflectance which is neutral grey. In the old days, a photographer would buy a “Grey Card” that reflected 18% light at the camera’s light meter, put the card next to their subject and read the light off that card. As you can imagine, measuring light coming off a white dress or snow capped mountain, the light reflected back to the camera is significantly more than the Grey Card would give and it confuses the light meter to make you shut out more light by either closing the aperture or making the shutter speed faster. If you do that, the scene will look grey, not white, and be under-exposed.

Conclusion

That about brings us to the end of another show. Be sure to check out our website at http://alphatutorials.co.za for more articles and information. For example there are three articles following our first show each on one of the areas of exposure, ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speeds. You can also send your questions in to us on the the site.

The post Podcast Episode 7 – Sony Alpha A77 Review and Light Meter Tutorial appeared first on Alpha Tutorials.

We were fortunate enough to be invited to help with the launch of the Sony A77 and A65 to Sony South Africa’s dealers just a day or so after the official announcement and got to do an interview with the product manager for Alpha, Darryl Gibbs. We took some time to go through the product line with him getting hands on with some of the new products.

LA-EA2 NEX to Alpha Lens Adapter

This new adapter essentially turns a Sony NEX mirrorless camera into an SLT (Single Lens Translucent) by use of the Translucent mirror in the adapter. It not only provides Phase Detect autofocus on the NEX but also Autofocus for all Sony Alpha mount lenses, not just lenses with the internal SAM or SSM focus motors.

NEX-5N and 55-210mm Lens

This is the updates version of the NEX-5 and Darryl explains that apart from an increase in the sensor to 16mp the camera also sports a touch screen and 1080/60p or 24p video. We also look at one of the new NEX lenses announced, the 55-210mm.

A77 and A65

So what sets the two new Alpha cameras apart? Well firstly the A77 is dust and moisture sealed. The screen moves in 3 direction opposed the to A65’s two and it has a higher frame rate. The A65 also lacks a information LCD display on the top of the camera. Those are the key differences in a nut shell.

The post Podcast Episode 6 – Interview with Alpha Product Manager from Sony South Africa appeared first on Alpha Tutorials.

Here is our hands on with the new Sony Alpha A77. We have had a day or two with it and will still put it through it’s paces for an in depth review however we share our firsts thoughts in this episode of the show. Enjoy.

The post Podcast Episode 5 – Hands On With The Sony Alpha A77 appeared first on Alpha Tutorials.

We do a Rumour Round Up ahead of some big Sony announcements expected next week and expose the exposure modes of your camera. This is Episode 4 of Alpha Tutorials.

News / Rumour Round Up

With talk of Sony announcing some new Alpha products on the 24th August 2011 the internet is alive with rumours and leaks – which experience with Sony products in the past this close to launch date are usually spot on.

Lets recap what is being rumoured. Before we do so we must let you know that we have been invited to a local event on the 24th and 25th and can hopefully bring you the news from their on the day.

Two great websites to follow for rumours on new cameras are Sony Alpha Rumours and 1001 Noisy Cameras which focuses on all brands.

Here is the talk thus far.

A77

First the announcement of the long awaited Alpha A700 replacement in the form of the A77. Already there is a website that has been set up under this name where they are listing the specs and other rumours http://sonya77.com/sony-a77-specs/ to list them:

24 Megapixels

New kit lens (See below)

1080p/60/24fps plus 720p/60fps and 720p/30fps HD video

AF fine-tuning capabilities

3 Million dot OLED viewfinder

Magnesium alloy body and weather sealing

Takes SD cards – CF dropped at late stage

12 Frames a second (not clear whether at 24MP or at a cropped resolution)

19 point AF system with 11 cross sensors

50-16000 ISO

1/8000 shutter speed

New 3-way tilting LCD (?)

1200 zone metering

Smart teleconverter function with 1.4x and 2.0x option

Built-in GPS

Battery life with over 500 shots

In addition to the specs there is a video of a Sony camera being used in harsh conditions that made its way onto the web and has since been removed.

Another place where the camera crept up was on the Nomination page for the Good Design Awards

http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/10/unreleased-sony-alpha-a77-already-nominated-for-good-design-awar/

A65

From the talk on the web this model seems to be a cut down version of the A77 in some ways though the excitement seems to be more around the bigger A77.

http://www.sonyrumors.net/2011/06/23/sony-alpha-a77-and-a65-pictures-and-details-leaked/

NEX-5n and NEX-7

The NEX-C3 was released not so long ago and it is given that sooner or later the NEX-5 would be replaced. The rumoured NEX-5n specs are

16.1 MP Exmor sensor (Same us Sony NEX-C3)

ISO 100-25600

1920×1080 60p/60i/24p AVCHD 2.0 video recording

10 fps

Capacitive Touch Screen

The NEX-7 is the very interesting one, in essence the specs look like a mirrorless A77.

24,3 Exmor HD sensor

100-16.000 ISO

1200 zone metering

1920×1080 60p/60i/24p AVCHD 2.0 (28Mbit/s) video recording

3 million dot XGA OLED viewfinder

3inch 921k TruBlack LCD display (touchscreen)

10 fps

20ms startup time

Built-in flash

New universal hot shoe

Battery life for over 400 shots

Magnesium alloy body

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr4-an-nex-7-hands-on-report-and-nex-5n-info/

Lenses

There are a number of lenses rumoured to be announced. In the mix are three new NEX lenses. They include a Zeiss 24mm f/1.8, a 50mm f/1.8 and a 55-210mm f/4-6.3 OSS

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-full-size-images-of-all-three-upcoming-nex-lenses/

Tutorial

Essentially, all the modes on a camera are based around the above mentioned, 3 foundation stones of creating a photograph. A camera’s mode dial in its most basic form will offer 4 settings. P, A, S, M or P, AV, TV, M. Lets briefly look at them individually.

P – Program

This mode grants the camera and its computer the ability to take full control of your exposure. It essentially will set the ISO (if you have left the ISO setting in the menu of the camera on Auto) as well as the Shutter and Aperture trying as far as possible to make sure: the shutter is not too slow to allow for camera shake, the ISO too high that you have lots of Noise or Digital Grain and the Aperture to allow enough depth of field for what the camera thinks you want to be in focus. Perhaps you have spotted the problem already. The camera doesn’t really know what you want the end picture to be like. Some cameras will allow in the “P” mode for you to nudge it to a faster or slower shutter speed, or to manipulate the aperture, but there will be a limit to how far it will let you go.

A – Aperture Priority / AV – Aperture Value

Commonly referred to as Aperture Priority Mode, this mode does just as

the name suggests. It is a semi-automatic mode that allows for you to choose the Aperture you desire based on the depth of field you wish to have and the camera will match the shutter speed. Despite what some people may say about real professionals only shooting in Manual mode, the vast majority of serious and professional photographers do in fact shoot in this mode.

S – Shutter Priority / TV – Time Value (not TeleVision)

This mode is used in the reverse of Aperture Priority, namely you select the shutter speed you need and the camera will take care of the Aperture. It tends to be rather useful in photographing sports for example.

M – Manual

Manual is as the name suggests, where you take full control. The camera’s light-meter will guide you to correct exposure as you adjust the combination of Aperture and Shutter speeds till they are in balance.

What About All The Other Modes?

In essence, the AUTO mode is a non nudge-able or shift-able Program mode and the different Picture Modes that show a Person for Portrait, or Mountains for Landscape, or a Running Guy for Action are just ways of trying to tell the AUTO mode to focus on Shutter Speeds for Action or Depth and Aperture for Landscapes. In the end it is far better to just know, understand and use the 4 modes mentioned above.

Conclusion

That about brings us to the end of another show. Be sure to check out our website http://alphatutorials.co.za for more articles and information. For example there are three articles following our first show each on one of the areas of exposure, ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speeds. You can also send your questions in to us on the the site.

The post Podcast Episode 4 – Rumour Round Up and Exposure Modes Explained appeared first on Alpha Tutorials.

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In this episode we get hands on with the NEX-C3 and wrap up our tutorial around exposure from Episode 1. We also answer a viewers question about what wide angle lens to get for a Sony A200.

First Let’s Clarify Something From Episode 2

In the last show we took a look at the Alpha SLT-A35 and you may recall how we mentioned that personally with the current pricing on the A33 and the new firmware we would opt for that over the A35. It seems we created some debate with those remarks and some of what I said was taken out of context or perhaps I didn’t express my thoughts properly.

To cut a long story short, we did some more in depth testing and thought we should clarify our what we meant. The A35 has a newer 16mp sensor which does perform better in some areas than the A33 like noise levels at higher ISO. The difference is not a night or day comparison in normal user conditions and if you are looking for a camera right now, should not act a deterrent from purchasing the A33. As I said in the last Episode, I really like – and almost always use – the flip out screen on the A33. Sony South Africa have confirmed the Recommended Retail Price to be R6500,00 which is less than what the A33 launched at. If you shop around you may find the A33 coming rather close to that hence our advice to not cut the A33 off your short list.

News / Gear Feature

Meet the NEX-C3 Sony’s latest mirrorless marvel. If you are not familiar with what mirrorless cameras are all about let us briefly explain. Part of the reason DSLR cameras are as big as they are is the mirror that allows light coming through the lens to bounce into a prism and out a viewfinder so that we can see what the lens is seeing, hence the SL in DSLR stands for Single Lens and the R for Reflex. By removing the mirror the camera can be a lot smaller and in fact so can the lenses as they can move closer to the cameras sensor.

The NEX-C3 has the same sensor found in the Alpha A35 and that is a jump of 2mp from its NEX-3 predecessor. The C3 is also more compact and more ergonomically designed too. Battery consumption is improved as well. I must confess that I was working for Sony South Africa at the time these cameras launched and was very excited with them I use the NEX-5 for probably 80% of my photography these days and find the only thing really missing from the NEX system is the ability to use the wireless flash capabilities of the Alpha flashes with it. I don’t mind not having a hotshoe, the camera is small to put a large HVL-F43 type flash on it, but to be able to trigger them Strobist style would be great.

Tutorial: Exposure – Balancing the Three (ISO, Shutter Speeds and Aperture)

You may recall in episode one we looked at Apertures, Shutters, ISO. Today we will talk about creating the exposure which is balancing the three. If some of this is not making sense as you missed episode 1 then please go back and check it out or read the in depth articles at http://alphatutorials.co.za

In order to get a picture on the camera it (managed more by you as your experience increases) needs to balance these three means of creating a photograph. How you do that will depend on what you are photographing as they each will impact the image in a different way.

ISO as we discussed already will impact sensitivity and has the knock on effect of increase or decreasing the grain or noise in the image. If you are photographing a beautiful landscape and are looking to print it in a giant size then you will most likely want a low ISO like 100/200. Now you must realize that you will have less sensitivity to the light, that means allowing for more light, or more time for the light to hit the sensor

Because shutter speeds effect the time of exposure to light, images with movement in will be impacted by the shutter speed you use. For example, if you use a 2 second shutter speed and try to hand hold the camera, you are going to pick up a lot of camera shake as you won’t be able to hold it still. If you are photographing a racing car and need to freeze its movement you will need a rather fast shutter speed like 500, or 1000. In order to do this you will need to increase the amount of light coming in through the lens with the aperture and/or the ISO sensitivity.

Aperture impacts not only the amount of light coming in through the lens but also how much depth of field you will have. Depth of field is basically a term to describe how much of the area in front and behind the subject you have focused on, is in focus. Using a wide aperture like f/1.4 for example, could mean that this depth of field is as little as a few centimetres. A smaller opening like f/22 could mean that everything from 1m to infinity is in focus which is great for landscapes for example.

So, you can see the balancing act you will have here. For a landscape picture where you are using a good tripod you would likely say that you want little noise in the image and choose an ISO of 100 or 200. Then you would say you want maximum depth of field and opt for a smaller aperture like f/22. With this done you would adjust your shutter speed and using the camera’s light meter get to the speed that balances out the other two, which could be as long as a few seconds depending on the time of day and how much light there is.

Viewers Question

We were asked recently about what wide angle lens to get for the Sony Alpha 200. Options to look at include the Sony 11-18mm, Tamron 10-24mm or Sigma 10-20mm. Check out our in depth post on this question here.

Conclusion

That about brings us to the end of another show. Be sure to check out our website http://alphatutorials.co.za for more articles and information. For example there are three articles following our first show each on one of the areas of exposure, ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speeds. You can also send your questions in to us on the the site. We are also pleased to announce that you can down subscribe to this podcast from the iTunes store as well.

Till next time, keep clicking, shooting, whatever you want to call it, just as long as you don’t stop taking photographs.

The post Podcast Episode 3 – Alpha NEX-C3, Aperture Shutter Speed and ISO Continued, Wide angle lenses appeared first on Alpha Tutorials.