Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3

Yesterday Sony introduced a fairly run-of-the-mill compact camera. Today, they have something much different. The new Cyber-shot DSC-G3 has built-in Wi-Fi and can use any public hotspot (AT&T Wi-Fi is free for 3 years). Once you're logged on, you can easily transfer photos and video clips to popular sharing sites. Even crazier: the G3 has a web browser! That said, I've gotta wonder how well this $500 camera will sell in this economy -- it seems like kind of a luxury item. Anyhow, here are the details:

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Sony develops CMOS sensor for phones

Sony Corporation today announced the commercialization of "IMX060PQ", a new type 1/2.5 CMOS image sensor "Exmor™" for use in camera enabled mobile phones that leverages Sony's proprietary formation technology to realize the industry's smallest unit cell size (1.4µm), and the industry's highest pixel count^*1 (12.25 effective megapixel resolution). "IMX060PQ" is designed to meet the increasing need for advanced image quality within mobile phone enabled cameras. Sony also announced the launch of "IMX046PQ", a type 1/3.2 CMOS image sensor "Exmor™" with 8.11 effective megapixel resolution, and "IMX045PQ", a type 1/4 "Exmor™" CMOS image sensor featuring 5.15 effective megapixel resolution.

Furthermore, Sony will also commercialize "IU060F", a type 1/2.5 lens module with 12.25 effective megapixel resolution, and "IU046F", a type 1/3.2 lens module with 8.11 effective megapixels. Equipped with lens and auto focus functions, the two modules are the industry's smallest^*1 and thinnest in their class, and with the launch of these products Sony will seek to enhance the enjoyment of taking high quality images using camera enabled mobile phones.

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Sony reveals the Alpha A900 full frame DSLR

Nigel Atherton

Sony has finally revealed its new flagship digital SLR. The Alpha 900 features a 'full-frame' (35mm film sized) CMOS sensor, containing 24.6 effective megapixels and an impressive range of features, including sensor-based image stabilisation, high resolution LCD screen and a 100% viewfinder.

The Alpha 900 makes Sony the third DSLR manufacturer to offer a full-frame option, along with Canon and Nikon, though Sony's newcomer boasts the world's highest resolution for a 35mm type DSLR.

Aimed at the professional and advanced enthusiast user, the A900 features a high-tensile aluminium and magnesium alloy body, with dust and moisture seals on all sensitive areas. Inside, Sony's Exmoor sensor performs on-chip analogue/digital conversion and noise-reduction, and dual BIONZ processors for extremely high speed operation, allowing 5 frames per second shooting at full 24MP resolution.

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New Premium Lenses Support Full-Frame Alpha DSLR Camera

Sony is expanding its number of high performance Carl Zeiss® and G Series lenses with the addition of the new SAL1635ZA and SAL70400G models.

Vario Sonnar T* 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Series Lens

The SAL1635ZA model is a super wide angle 16-35mm f/2.8 constant aperture zoom lens, well-suited for landscape, snapshot and indoor photography.

It is constructed of 17 lens elements in 13 groups, including an extra-low dispersion (ED) for exceptional clarity and center-to-edge resolution and a super ED glass element for much stronger correction of chromatic aberration or discoloration. It also features three aspherical lens elements that provide greater brightness from center to the edge of the image field.

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Sony Announces Flagship 24.6MP SLR

Sony rounded out its digital SLR lineup today with the Alpha DSLR-A900, a high-end, full-frame 24.6-megapixel model priced at $3000 for the body alone. As with other full-frame cameras, the A900 sensor is the same size as a 35mm film frame, meaning wide-angle lenses deliver their full panoramic potential, and telephotos reflect the same range as they would on a film camera, without the typical 1.5x apparent magnificent that occurs with standard-sensor-size cameras. The A900 is compatible with current Sony lenses along with classic Minolta and Konica-Minolta auto focus lenses. Sensor-shift Image stabilization is built into the camera body, so any lens mounted on the A900 benefits from the technology.

The A900 has dual slots to accept both MemoryStick and CompactFlash cards simultaneously, and plenty of storage is certainly recommended: the top image size is 6048 x 4032, a 24-megapixel image. Uncompressed RAW files are supported, along with lossy and lossless RAW compression and four levels of JPEG file quality. Our tests shots in extra fine JPEG mode each took up 14 to 22 megabytes.

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T500

Sony is adding high-definition movie recording to its digital camera line with the introduction of the Cyber-shot® DSC-T500 model. This 10-megapixel camera features wide and full-screen 720p movie recording at 30 frames per second in fine, standard and VGA recording modes. This resolution is three times higher than standard-definition movies. The movie function is based on the MPEG4 AVC/H.264 codec for video compression and stereo audio. Benefits of the format include high-quality video as well as small file sizes that are easy to download, upload and share.

“Our research revealed that people like to shoot video with their point-and-shoot cameras, but were very dissatisfied with the video quality and the resulting large files,” said Phil Lubell, director of digital camera marketing at Sony Electronics. “Our new T500 fulfills this customer need for a digital camera that delivers high-quality movies in a small form factor.”

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Sony Alpha DSLR-A200

Review by Shawn Barnett and Siegfried Weidelich

Sony's Alpha A200 is a relatively minor revamp to the electronics giant's first digital SLR, the A100, which itself was a more significant step up from the Konica Minolta 5D. The Sony A200 is lighter and smaller than the A100, and a good deal easier to use.

Sony claims improvements to the Sony A200's AF system that will make focus acquisition 1.7 times faster, thanks to the high-torque AF motor and improved AF sequence borrowed from the A700, and our test results do indicate a significant improvement.

Sony's Alpha-mount lens system is the oldest SLR autofocus system in the business, going back 28 years, so there's a broad and growing selection of lenses to choose from.

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Sony Alpha DSLR-A200

By Lars Rehm, July 2008

Sony's start into the world of Digital SLRs was quite a slow paced one. The first Sony branded model, the A100, appeared on the scene in June 2006 and it took over a year for it to be joined by a companion, the A700 prosumer model which was launched in September 2007. More recently though Sony has stepped up a gear and launched not one, but three cameras to replace the A100 - the DSLR A200, A300 and A350.

There is now something for everybody in the Sony line-up. The A350 for the feature-loving photographer on a budget, the A200 for those whose number one buying criterion is value-for-money and the A300 for bargain hunters who want a balance of the two. The A200 is, in terms of specification, not a million miles away from the veteran A100. It's got a larger screen, comes with an ISO3200 mode and user controlled High ISO noise reduction but in turn lacks the A100's depth of field preview (it's unsurprisingly much cheaper though).

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