mastering89: Yes I've tried IR with the NEX-5 (results at home, though...)

Congratulations fas29!

lwliam: It is separate because the top part only fits one particular lens.

ahtsong: Hooray!

evilhomura89: The A33L (single kit) is already in Malaysia... in the warehouse. They have the price in the inventory but it's not distributed to dealers yet.

lwliam: HDR from multiple frames is meant to have very little noise. HDR from one frame is just like DRO Level 5.

signither: Thanks!

zstan: Nicely done!

Clone out that hallway in the top-right corner.

Also I'd go with totally neutral WB for blogshops - you want to give the idea that there are no color casts hiding the color of the clothing. Given that the average customer might open the package while in flourescent light, they'd get a totally different experience...

cjlai: Congratulations, though yes a novel might be more appropriate.

Deerc: The NEX cannot send Alpha wireless signals. You can however use a flash that has an optical slave trigger with a pre-flash skip function.

Digitral: Nicely done (though I'd have liked a bit more of the flower to the right.)

Gen-X: Thanks, though it does look kinda stretched in aspect ratio...

Windy87: I would wait for the A55V.

Deerc: My Sunpak PF20XD works; the Nikon SB-26, SB-800 and SB-900 work also (in SU-4 mode).

porkchop: What is your objective in changing lenses?

clivengu: I love the sunlight in your shots!

Gen-X: Uhhh... compressed aspect ratios don't do it justice.

gjtan: Nice butterfly-on-landing-strip! I wonder if you got another shot of it from straight on...

porkchop: Sounds like an ultra-wide might do you good, and the 28mm for everyday and miscellaneous shots.

Deerc: According to http://www.nissindigital.com/en/Di622.html:



You have to try it to see if it works or not.

For #1 if you could frame it such that it looks like you were looking up at it, like a real statue on a hill, it would add to the realism of the shot. Likewise for #2 - go from the angle where someone would climb the hill to find this sifu!

kysham: Wow, popping! (In a weird way, your hands look juicy...)

Here are my findings with the Sony A55V in 10 FPS, and the Sony A33 in 7 FPS mode. Note that due to the inability to repeat the test consistently, you cannot take these results as fact. The subjects were mostly waterskiers, with varying speed, and the camera operator (me) is not a experienced sports shooter. Hence, when I framed too tight, it caused the subject to be out of frame and out of focus.

A proper scientific test would use a subject with fixed speed and fixed path, e.g. a toy train on a fixed track with fixed tungsten light.

In 10 FPS mode, the camera will:

1) set the aperture as close as possible to F3.5, due to the phase-detect AF sensors having a virtual aperture of F3.5. This means a 50mm F1.4 will be set to F3.5... but a 70-400mm F4-5.6G SSM will be at 5.6 if the lens is at 400mm. No matter how bright the lighting is, it will never choose F8 if the brightest aperture of the lens is F5.6.
2) set the shutter speed to the reciprocal of the focal length (multiplied by crop factor) or faster. For 400mm it would be 1/400*1.5 = 1/600s. However since the A55V does not have 1/600s as a shutter speed, it goes to the next fastest shutter speed - 1/640s.
3) set the ISO sufficient to give exposure now that the aperture and shutter speed have been determined. In bright daylight, it would end up being ISO100.
4) if the shutter speed is too slow, speed it up to avoid overexposure (mostly on shorter focal lengths.)

This means that in bright sunlight, the Zeiss 24mm F2.0 will be shooting at 24mm F3.5 ISO100 1/500s (or however the meter reads.) Meanwhile, the Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6G SSM does 400mm F5.6 ISO100 1/640s. Of course if you point at the sun it would probably do 1/4000s!

I did not get to test either lens or combo indoors though. I imagine that using 10 FPS mode in low light without flash and a 50mm F1.4 will be bad since it will be at F3.5 all the time.

My findings with the A55V in 10 FPS mode are as follows:


It helps tracking greatly if the subject is not too big in the frame, around this size.


Don't let the subject travel near the edges of the frame! The frame before this was in focus and the subject was in the same area.

Once the subject is out of frame, when it reenters, it may take 3-4 frames to reestablish focus. If anything, I would say it has to do with my technique (I am not a sports shooter.)

Avoid zooming in too much as there is a large risk of losing the subject totally. Better to zoom out a bit, to allow yourself room to follow the subject. This also makes for sharp, in-focus shots!


This is as tight a framing I could get without losing the subject.


This is too tight!

Does the EVF, showing the last picture shot when doing 10 FPS, cause me to lose the subject? No - I've been missing the subject previously whenever I zoomed in too much.

I shot a few 10 FPS sequences. I could put each picture in one of three categories - good focus, so-so focus, and out of focus.


This is good focus.


100% crop from the above.


This is so-so focus - not tack sharp, but not totally out of focus either.


100% crop from the above. Note that you could still get away with the above picture, but not the 100% crop!


This is out of focus - 100% crop.

Series 1 - waterskier shot with A55V and 70-400mm F4-5.6G SSM at 400mm.
Good focus: 19/34
So-so focus: 8/34
Out of focus: 7/34


50% crop from the A55V with 70-400mm F4-5.6G SSM at 400mm F5.6 ISO100 1/640s. From Series 1.


Likewise, from a few frames later.


Series 2 - waterskier shot with A55V and 70-400mm F4-5.6G SSM at 400mm.
Good focus: 15/30
So-so focus: 7/30
Out of focus: 8/30


Series 3 - people with A55V and Zeiss 24mm F2.0 SSM.
Good focus: 14/30
So-so focus: 6/30
Out of focus: 10/30


Series 4 - panning far away person with A55V and Zeiss 135mm F1.8.
Good focus: 5/6
So-so focus: 0/6
Out of focus: 1/6 (only the first shot - the other 5 shots look similiar)


Series 5 - panning much nearer person with A55V and Zeiss 135mm F1.8.

Once your subject is this close and near the edge of the frame, you might just lose focus. It is nearly outside the comfort zone of the A55's AF!


Series 6 - waterskier shot with A33 and 70-400mm F4-5.6G SSM at 400mm and 7 FPS.
Good focus: 31/40
So-so focus: 0/40
Out of focus: 9/40


50% crop from DSC09505.JPG.

DSC09520.JPG.


I don't remember how much this was cropped.

All of the shots of the waterskier were in good focus! Strangely, the out-of-focus shots were attributed to some of the boat frames.


Series 7 - people shot with A55V and Zeiss 24mm F2.0.
Good focus: 22/28
So-so focus: 3/28
Out of focus: 3/28

The gains from the translucent mirror technology are more apparent with moderate to slow subjects - I definitely would feel the performance when shooting events, gigs and weddings, for example. However I am not sure how much a sports shooter will benefit from this. While some would say the A55V equals the Canon EOS 7D in AF, and some would say it does not - I have tried the Canon EOS 7D myself and found the AF to be not that great (but this is probably due to operator error - first time I picked up a Nikon D3 with AF-S 300mm F2.8 VR I just got a bunch of back-focused faces.)

It would be best to wait for the birders and sports shooters to get the A55 to see how it performs in their trained hands.

I also shot a video using the Zeiss 24mm F2.0, tracking behind someone walking at a moderately fast pace (think street documentary) and it was able to keep focus on the subject while not having visible motion blur. However, when tracking behind someone running, the video started rolling (tilting left and right) due to running motion. The difference is like the old Handycams with SteadyShot but without 3-way shake cancelling. Unfortunately though, those videos were not in my Memory Stick...

Thanks all!

Mikeshashimi: If I could choose just one camera, I would go for the A55 over the NEX-5.

evilhomura89: Yes they were.

zstan: Nicely done. Though you can 'interfere' and adjust the fringe. Probably would've wanted more of her thighs as well and a bit more space (that she is looking at.)

ahpingko: I can't read it but #1 is preferred over #2.

I like the crispness of the first flower shot. Somehow you've made it look very real.

fansoption: Crop the top bit off #1. #2 geli. #3 crop tighter and adjust perspective (use the Transform tool in Photoshop - Ctrl-T). #6 would work better in portrait mode. #8 show more of the waterfall to show it chilling.

Love #9! This one is outstanding.

freddy manson: Yes, I have played with my friend's Hasselblad 501CM with Carl Zeiss Planar T* 80mm F2.8 CF and A12 back.



However this was a manual focus back and you can use the entire ground glass for focusing anywhere in the frame.

Windy87: The most practical solution is to use a flash.

To make colors vibrant, simply set your Creative Style to Vivid and adjust contrast and saturation as you like. I like Vivid +1 +2 +3.

I've reworked your shot a bit, making masks for both the face and tie (hint: you can use a color channel as a mask; it's a lot faster than painting it in):



ahpingko: Didn't go to SRJK© mah.

zstan: Firstly, your WB is a bit off - a bit cold. After fixing that, I pulled up the reds that were 'hiding' behind the very strong blues.



I've written a tutorial here to recover colors, which I used for both your picture and Windy87's:

http://www.glaringnotebook.com/default.asp?id=1313

Also, here is a repost from another forum:

Pros of A33/A55 over A560/A580:
- A55 has 10 FPS
- video recording has phase-detect AF (A560/A580 is manual focus video)
- no loud mirror slap sound
- no mirror shake
- the swivel LCD is arguably more practical and can be folded to protect the screen
- you can change all your settings in the EVF (ISO is missing from the A450/A500/A550; don't know if it came back in the A560/A580)
- you can use the EVF in bright sunlight
- you can playback pictures in the EVF (useful for chimping in low light conditions and places where you don't want the LCD to be glaring)
- you don't get the ghosting from the side LEDs in the viewfinder that the A450/A500/A550 suffered from (I don't know if they've fixed this on the A560/A580)
- A55V has built-in GPS unit
- A33/A55 has much bigger viewfinder
- A33/A55 always has phase detect AF in Live View; A560/A580 has phase detect AF in Quick AF LV, and contrast detect AF in main-sensor-based Focus Check LV (since CDAF is introduced, they cannot call it MF Check LV anymore.)
- you don't get inconsistent WB from MF Check LV compared to Quick AF LV (my experience on the A550)

Cons of A33/A55 versus A560/A580:
- EVF exhibits RGB tearing in bright contrasty light
- weaker battery life
- 10 FPS mode shows last picture taken, not live feed
- smaller
- does not support battery grip
- supposedly less light and thus more sensor amplification (have to wait for DxO to get the official numbers)
- the shutter has to go down first and then open and then go down again and then open again (like the NEX-3 and NEX-5, or the A550 in MF Check LV)
- mirror absolutely must not be touched as there is no way to clean it
- if there is any backfocus you cannot tune it as easily as you can on a body where the AF unit is on the bottom of the camera
- in 10 FPS mode, the aperture is fixed to as close as F3.5 as possible (meaning a F1.4 lens will shoot at F3.5, and a F5.6 lens will shoot at F5.6)
- in video with AF, the aperture is fixed to as close as F3.5 as possible (meaning for videos in low light needing F1.4, you should switch to MF to allow the aperture to be at F1.4)
- EVF means you cannot manually focus the lens or check framing when the camera is off

Both the A33/A55 and A560/A580 have magnified view when focusing.

RazorVista: Make sure that you are not recomposing.

http://www.mhohner.de/recompose.php

Your A700 center AF sensor is made of two cross-type sensors and one F2.8 sensor, thus made out of a total of 5 line sensors. It can detect detail to focus on in both horizontal and vertical direction.

However the other sensors are line sensors which mean they can only detect detail best in one direction. If the line sensor is horizontal, you can focus on a vertical wall fine, but you might have problems using this same line sensor to focus on the edge of a horizontal table.

My A700 had backfocus on the center AF point. It would happen at further distances with my Minolta 50mm F1.4. This is one of two common cases - the other is backfocus with wide-angle lenses and the 16mm end of the Zeiss 16-80mm (which miraculously focuses fine at 18mm!)

evilhomura89: Thanks for finding the quote!

They might be able to fix battery life, come up with some hack for RGB, and 10 FPS live feed, but the aperture being F3.5, to me, seems to be pretty much set in stone. Though I don't see why they can't keep the aperture wider while using virtual F3.5, this could be done to remove focus shift. *

* focus shift is a characteristic of some bright aperture lenses, where if you've focused at F1.4, and stopped down to F8, your lens focus shifts. This happens on the Minolta 50mm F1.4 and Nikkor 50mm F1.4 AF-D, and is optically fixed on the Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM. The Sony A230/A900 onwards seemed to have smarter firmware to compensate for this, but my A700 did not, hence I had backfocus with my Minolta 50mm F1.4.

fansoption: Nice #2 though remove the tilt. Get #3 framed so that you can see what it is looking down at.

evilhomura89: I sold my A100 to get the A700, and sold my A700 to get the A900. Nope, I am not considering the A580 at all. If I knew about the A55 I might not have gotten the NEX-5. I have a Cybershot WX-1 for pocketability (but the color isn't quite like the NEX!)

I like having both FF and APS-C for reach and composition.

24mm on the A900 is a group shot wide-angle lens which also does close range well (because it is wide enough.)

24mm on the A55 is a 'regular' angle like your phone camera. The other benefit is that it is very versatile - if I wanted to take a shot of 4 people in a small room, I could still do it without switching lenses. At the same time, it is narrow enough to be able to frame one subject (plus, the Zeiss 24mm F2.0 goes much closer, like a digicam's macro!)

85mm on the A900 is superb for a shot of 2 people from a slight distance, while looking portrait-ish. It is also superb for getting a portrait of a person from head to waist.

85mm on the A55 is tight, but it picks out one person in a telephoto way. It is also perfect for stages.

With this combo, I can be shooting tele, and quickly switch to wide when needed. e-jump is having this perfect prime combo (28mm F1.8 + 85mm F1.4.)

hiansitt: Hmmm I have posted the link before (probably a few threads back hehe.)

zstan: Eh! I saw a bunch of photographers at Garden, The Curve! I didn't spot any Sony neckstraps though.

signither: Not the most certain thing that the LA-EA1 will have AF but we can hope.

lwliam: What is that a 3GP screenshot? LOL.

ieR: Crop off the rest of the cupboard, below and left. I like the head closeup though! And the pose on the sofa is good, if only it wasn't on the sofa.

cjlai: Nice to see singled-out flowers like CJ2!

calvin_ng: ewin, an aircraft engineer, says it is called an inclinometer.

d4rkholeang3l: Clean background in #1, nice. Not a fan of the processing though - it looks like a sunny shot and should look like one. Get rid of the shrubbery on the right of #2 and plastic bag in #7. The legs are awkward in #3.

It is nice that she's a natural. #8, if just zoomed in on the face and in clear focus, can be a stock picture!

signither: Sony has said there might be AF with the LA-EA1, but they have also said there would be a 500mm F4.0G SSM... which we have not seen yet.

Though yes, it is beneficial to avoid screw-drive lenses if you're buying new, if only for the A55 in video!

d4rkholeang3l: Very nice #11!

jerrylyh: Stand behind the shoulder of your cousin in #2 - should have a much better angle!

Your sunsets are a bit slanted LOL.

ahpingko: Is that who we think we is?

ahpingko: Wah don't say like that lah.

zstan: Like the hearts, but not the bokeh bit in front.

demio121: Yes, sensor cleaning always happens upon turning off the camera.

applemango: Yes seriously, use a blue ink eraser. You can also use your fingernails to scrape the oxidization off the top.

zeipher, nice! Love #2 and #4 (but with a very slightly looser cropping.) #6 #7 #8 is awesome!

RazorVista: You mean the Minolta 100-200mm F4.5 or the Minolta 70-210mm F3.5-4.5? The 100-200mm is weak in the minimum focus distance of 1.8 meters while the Minolta 70-210mm F4 allows you to focus to 1.1 meters near.

ieR: Nice champagne shot!

freddy manson, I like how the mirror shows more sea!

calvin_ng, I am liking the mood in #2, even if the framing is a bit unconventional (but still good in a unique way.)

destfull: Fisheye converter is sold separately.

clivengu: Studio Zaloon may have the A33 and Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 Active OSS on Friday 17th September 2010.

You could try adjusting focus again (which is why people are warned about the difficulty of tuning it.)

I like #3, very Inception-like. Love the processing in general! Crop off the 1/3rd right part in #15 to make it much better. Love #16 and #20!

fas29: Nice, the fisheye suits the BMW.

Mikeshashimi: Nice wood abstract on #1. I like the idea of #2 but properly aligned (do a Free Transform in Photoshop). #5 is awesome!

destfull, here are Sony Retail Prices:

NEX-5H + Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 Active OSS = RM3699
Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 Active OSS = RM2399

raynmay, thanks for the heads-up; you gotta ask a staff to open it so you can put your memory card in. In this case V12Kompressor was helpful!

signither: 18-200mm is a fair bit dark indoors. Will post pictures later!

clivengu: Love #26 and #27 (though with less from the top.) #29 is awesome though I'd prefer a less near perspective.

d4rkholeang3l: I like the stork shot! Particularly because of two reasons - it looks like it doesn't know where it wants to go, and your picture gives it space to go where it wants (as opposed to a picture of a racer where you know its exact path.)

e-jump: Nice #2!

evilhomura89: Don't read; look at pictures that you feel, have feel, and copy that.

ahpingko: I like the 50mm F1.8 for those same reasons - gets much closer, and has better bokeh.