Fullscreen HTML5Med Res (??MB)HTML4

As production of film cameras continues to shrink, it comes as no surprise to see the electronic ‘majors’, such as Sony and Panasonic, grasp an opportunity to feed the swelling demand for digital single lens reflexes, known to the in-crowd as DSLRs. Barrie Smith reports his experience with the Sony Alpha A100 camera. Sony’s new 10-megapixel Black Beauty 8  Silicon Chip siliconchip.com.au T he advent of the Sony Alpha A100 was signalled well in advance with a torrent of chatter in the tech press. Then it was shown to Australian journalists both in Japan and North Queensland; however, it was some weeks before production models began to do the rounds. At first sight, the A100 looks like an SLR. Pick it up and it feels like one, with most of the controls where you’d expect them but ardent fans of film SLR cameras will be dismayed to find it doesn’t always work like an SLR! The camera is solid, with a magnesium-alloy front cover panel and bottom plate mounted onto a diecast magnesium front chassis. With battery and memory card loaded and with the f3.5-5.6/18-70mm Sony lens attached to the A100, the scales register 790 grams, so carrying it on a trip would not be a great burden. Oversize A3 Specs-wise, the camera is well up to market expectations, packing 10.2 million pixels onto its CCD. If you size your images at 225 dpi (dots per inch) for printing, its maximum image size of 3872 x 2592 pixels will give you a 44 x 29cm print. The A100 uses interchangeable lenses, a factor which explains the enthusiasm evident in the Sony and Panasonic camps for the DSLR sell-on factor – you can never have enough lenses! Viewing is via an optical reflex finder turret (just like an SLR) or via The 23.6 x 15.8mm Sony Super HAD (hole accumulated diode) CCD chip – at 10.2 megapixels it’s not the biggest around these days (see last page!) but it is significantly larger than many of its competitors. the generous rear 6.4cm LCD screen which also acts as your gateway to the menu options. The CCD area is 23.6 x 15.8mm, similar to the APSC film format (0.66 of the 35mm film frame’s area) while the BIONZ image-processing engine uses an RGB primary colour filter. With an APS-C sized CCD area, a lens that is nominally 50mm in focal length (35mm SLR-speak) is actually 33mm. When using Maxxum/Dynax lenses this shrinking factor has to be taken into account; telephotos get longer, wide-angles become narrower. Control The arrangement of external controls is a little different to other cameras but easily grasped in a shooting situation. Viewed from behind, the power switch is at the left edge. Above it is a function dial which gives you direct access to ISO speeds (up to ISO 1600), white balance settings, D-Range optimiser, colour mode selector, auto and manual focus mode, flash and metering modes. A tiny button in the centre of the function dial fires up the rear LCD screen, giving access to the options. Now some explanations need to be made. D-Range optimiser: There are three choices: off, adjust image brightness and contrast of a scene, optimise contrast and colour. These two tweaks appear to vary the dynamic range of an image; using either will add about half a second to the camera’s imageprocessing time. Each is a short cut for those unwilling to fiddle with images in software. Colour mode selector: This alters the ‘colour space’ of the camera, in other words, tunes the colour tone/white balance/contrast/saturation/sharpness that best suits your subject. Each setting can make your pictures either more vivid (greater colour saturation in skies, greenery etc), improve portraits (enhances skin tones), landscape, sunsets, night views or create a black and white rendering – and there’s Adobe RGB. If you’re not going near any imageediting software, choose any of the above except for Adobe RGB. If you are going to Photoshop your pictures later, set the camera to Adobe RGB. Focus modes: This offers settings for Sony realises that buying the A100 camera body is only the first step: there is a very large after-market for lenses and accessories – and has catered for it, with much more promised! siliconchip.com.au November 2006  9 At left is a close-up of the Sony Alpha’s lens mounting arrangement with the lens itself above. Photographers used to the KonicaMinolta A-type mount may recognise that it’s identical – in fact these lenses can be used with the Sony Alpha. single-shot auto focus, continuous AF and manual focus. The focusing area can also be specified, from a 9-zone grid to spot AF. Metering modes: Exposure determination can be made via a 40-segment matrix, from a centre-weighted area or a central spot reading. On the right side of the camera, on the top deck you will find the mode dial. Here you can select auto operation, Program auto, aperture and shutter priority, manual shooting plus a number of scene selection presets (portraits, sports, sunset, landscapes, night portraits, macro). Sprinkled across the camera’s top surface and rear panel are buttons to access the on-screen menu, preview stored images, a delete facility, single frame and continuous shooting options (up to six shots at 3 fps), an exposure lock and a manual exposure over-ride. Immediately behind the lens on the camera’s body is a 2-position slide that switches from manual to auto focus. While viewing the rear screen, most options are selected via a 4-way rocker and central confirmation button. The shutter button is in its natural position over to the far right on the camera’s top surface. Directly in front and barely 5mm from the shutter button is the control dial. At this point you need to view the bright array of settings through the optical reflex turret viewfinder and vary the lens aperture (f stop) while staying with a fixed shutter speed or vice versa – otherwise known as aperture and shutter priority. Here’s the back and top of the Sony Alpha A100 to show the main controls. While most of the controls are easy to operate and reasonably self-explanatory, I found the control dial and shutter button too close – I continually changed settings without wanting to. I guess in time that would be less of a problem. 10  Silicon Chip siliconchip.com.au SILICON CHIP If you are seeing a blank page here, it is more than likely that it contained advertising which is now out of date and the advertiser has requested that the page be removed to prevent misunderstandings. Please feel free to visit the advertiser’s website: www.mgram.com.au Specifications: Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Sensor: ............................... 23.6 x 15.8mm interline interlaced CCD. Pixel Count: ........................ 10.2 million effective pixels. ADC: ................................... 12-bit. Image Sizes: ....................... 3872 x 2592; 2896 x 1936; 1920 x 1280. Image Formats: .................. RAW, RAW+JPEG, JPEG (fine and standard). Lens Mount: ....................... Sony Alpha (also compatible with Minolta A-type bayonet lenses) Anti-shake Effect: ............... Equivalent to 2-3.5 f stops in shutter speed. Anti-Dust: ........................... Charge protection coating on low-pass filter and CCD-shift mechanism. Auto Focus: ........................ TTL CCD line sensors (9-points, 8 lines with centre cross-hair sensor). Predictive focus control for            moving subjects. Auto-tracking focus point display. AF area selection: ............... Wide AF area; spot AF area (centre); focus area selection (any of 9). Focus modes: ..................... Single-shot AF; direct manual focus; continuous AF; automatic AF; manual focus. Shooting Modes: ................ Auto; Program AE (with shift); aperture and shutter priority AE; manual. Scene Modes: ..................... Portrait, landscape, macro, sports, sunset, night portrait. Sensitivity: .......................... Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600. Metering Modes: ................ Multi-segment (40 segment); centre-weighted; spot. Shutter Speeds: .................. 30-1/4000 second, Bulb. Flash X-sync: ...................... 1/160 sec; 1/125 sec (with Super SteadyShot on). Flash Modes: ...................... Auto; fill flash; red-eye reduction; wireless/remote off-camera flash; rear curtain flash sync; high speed sync; slow sync with AE lock.. speed sync; slow sync with AE lock. Flash range at f 2.8: ............ 1.4-8.6m. Colour Space: ..................... sRGB, Adobe RGB. Viewfinder: ......................... Eye-level fixed pentaprism. LCD Monitor: ...................... 6.4cm (230,000 pixels). Drive Modes: ...................... single-frame, continuous (RAW: 3 fps, up to 6 frames total. RAW+JPEG: 3 fps, up to 3 frames. JPEG: 3fps, unlimited).. JPEG: 3fps, unlimited). Interface: ............................ USB 2.0; AV output (PAL/NTSC); DC input; remote terminal. Storage: .............................. Compact Flash Types I/II; Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo via CF adapter; Microdrive. Power: ................................ Rechargeable lithium-ion rechargeable battery; AC adapter (optional). Dimensions: ....................... 133 x 95 x 71mm. Weight (body only):............. 545 grams. Supplied Accessories: Strap, body cap, USB and AV cables, battery charger, rechargeable 7.2V/11.5Wh lithium-ion battery, Memory Stick CF adaptor, CD-ROM of software (Picture Motion Browser (Windows), Image Data Converter SR (Windows/Mac)). Prices: ................................ Body only - $1499. Body and 18-70 mm lens - $1749. Body plus 18-70mm and 75-300mm lenses $1999. Body plus 18-70mm and 75-300mm lenses $1999 Distributor: ......................... Sony Australia 1300 720 071 or www.sony.com.au/dslr I found the proximity of the control dial to the shutter button to be annoying. The dial’s knurled surface often fell naturally to a probing forefinger when I was searching instead for the shutter button. And why in heaven’s name is the shutter button black, small and nearly flush with the surface of the camera body? The A100 accepts CompactFlash Types I and II as well as Memory Stick Duo cards and Microdrive, the latter sliding into the same slot via a CF adaptor. Neither card is supplied with the camera, a perfect lever for you to pressure the sales assistant in hammering down the overall purchase price. RAW format Experienced and discerning digital 12  Silicon Chip photographers have embraced the use of the RAW format in recent times. Without question it’s the best way to head in the quest for superb digital images; JPEG just isn’t in the race. As you shoot with the A100, you have the option to write the images to the memory card as RAW files solo, RAW files plus matching JPEGs – and as JPEGs only in two qualities. To unpack the RAW images is a separate, post-shoot chore in software. Photoshop CS2 will do it and let you save the image as a Digital Negative (Adobe’s DNG format), as a JPEG, TIFF or Photoshop native file. A CD in the camera kit carries Sony’s Image Data Converter SR application which works in similar fashion and saves an image as a JPEG, TIFF or in the native SR format. Both applica- tions display a tri-coloured histogram to give you a graphic representation of RGB brightness levels. If you want to move forward in this digital picture business RAW is the only show in town. When you shoot the original picture is saved as RAW data, with no presets such as the prevailing colour temperature, colour balance etc locked in. When converting a RAW file to a TIFF or JPEG for a later touch up in editing software you have access to contrast, brightness, shadow levels, saturation, exposure. Image metadata is also saved in RAW. You can access data on the lens used at the time of the shoot and its f stop, shutter speed, exposure mode, time of day as well as other parameters. siliconchip.com.au Some cameras, especially the upper end compacts, will chew up time in writing RAW files to the card. The A100, with a hefty built-in buffer swallowed the RAW images with no complaint. I shot pictures two at a time as quickly as I could hit the button, the buffer slowing down only after each pair; in continuous mode the three frames per second speed was a revelation. The speed is even more surprising when you consider that the maximum image size of 3872 x 2592 pixels can represent a RAW image of anywhere between 9 and 12MB, paired with a JPEG that varied between 3-5 MB. Vive la differences! Digital SLRs use the familiar turret viewfinder that takes an optical split from the reflex mirror before the image hits the CCD. Ideal for viewing and even manual focusing, it’s a bright, clear display, viewable in bright sunlight. The rear LCD screen is used only for viewing your captured shots and can suffer from washout in bright conditions. This is possibly the biggest shock for newcomers to DSLR technology. With the recently released Olympus E-330 DSLR, you can view your subject matter before and during shooting, via a ‘live’ display on the rear LCD screen. This is a first and will be welcomed by digital newbies who have become accustomed to viewing a live image on the LCD in their $300 digi compacts. So the Sony A100 is still back with the rest of the gang; the turret finder is Sony’s RAW application – Image Data Converter SR – which converts images to TIFFs, JPEGs etc. Range of control over the image’s contrast, brightness, shadow levels, saturation, exposure and much more is extreme. used for viewing and shooting while the rear LCD is only for post-shooting evaluation. There is one bright note: the camera kicks off the AF action as soon as you look through the viewfinder. Simply bring your eye to the finder and the focus system starts working away. It also works if you move your finger close to the eyepiece! Carrying the camera body carelessly could also easily trigger the AF system into battery-sapping action! Steady on A relatively weighty camera that wears a longish lens cries out for an image stabilising system, preferably an optical one. With Super SteadyShot Sony has carried over Minolta’s excellent anti-shake approach that operates by mounting the CCD on a base that constantly moves in opposition to movement of the camera body itself. The major benefit is that there is no need for each lens to be stabilised, as in other camera systems. Sony claims that you can wind down the shutter speed by anywhere between a factor of x2 or x3.5. In other words, a best-case scenario would let you shoot and capture sharp shots at 1/150th of a second instead of 1/500th, using the digital equivalent of a 500mm lens. There is an indicator in the view- Two Into One Do Go Until a few years ago mergers in any sector of Japanese industry were rare occurrences. But global economic shifts have forced many companies to face hard facts and join the enemy or better still, swallow them! In January 2003, Konica and Minolta merged. Both had fine reputations for camera and lens design and manufacture. Both had entered the digital camera market and failed. They hoped the merger “could propel them into the big league of office machine makers.” What a come down! But as time wore on, neither Minolta nor Konica were able to leverage their strong brands in film photography into the hotly competitive digital camera market, dominated by Canon, Sony and Olympus. The merger came at an opportune time for Sony, ambitious to proceed with DSLRs but lacking street cred in the photo market: the company was recognised as a premium maker of CCDs for its compact siliconchip.com.au digicams but was forced to buy in Zeiss lenses to give it a marketing advantage. July 2005 saw Sony and Konica-Minolta agree to jointly develop DSLRs. Sony would make the imaging sensors and the internal processors while the other entity would deliver its acknowledged camera design skills, along with their optical and lens mount prowess. Minolta possessed considerable eminence in the latter as well as excellent anti-shake technology built into the camera body, not each individual lens, like Canon and Nikon’s models. Sony of course has immense skills in product planning and manufacturing. The result is that the new line of Sony DSLRs incorporate the Konica-Minolta lens mount system and anti-shake functions. The cameras can accept Konica-Minolta optics as well as a special prestige line of lenses manufactured by Zeiss in Japan. November 2006  13 finder of how steady the camera is held while shooting. No more dust problems Dust is a big bugbear with DSLRs if you need to constantly fit and refit lenses in hostile environments. With the A100 a special indium tin oxide anti-dust coating on the CCD reduces static charge build-up which repels dust particles from its surface. Like the Olympus system, the CCD also activates high-speed vibrations that dislodge particles each time the A100 is powered on or off. Believe me, an anti-dust system is an essential for a DSLR! Accessories Three screen menus for the Sony Alpha A100. The top allows you to set the auto focus zones, centre the ISO and the bottom sets Adobe RGB paramaters (for Photoshop users). In typical SLR fashion, once you buy a camera the next step is to furnish it with a brace of accessories and Sony has not missed a trick to feed this appetite. There is a range of compatible flashes and lighting systems that attach to the camera’s hot shoe. Suitable for use on-body or off-camera, two flashes are available in Guide Number 36 and 56 output power. There’s also a Macro Twin Flash with adjustable arms and a ring light for ultra close macro shooting. Lenses? Heaps of ’em, from macros to a 16mm (35mm SLR equivalent) fish-eye to a 500mm mirror lens as well as a bunch of zooms, the longest drawing a 35 SLR equivalent of 18-200mm. Tele and wide angle converters? Yes. The camera will accept lenses from the Maxxum/Dynax lens mount system. At this stage there is also small group of high performance, high ticket Carl Zeiss lenses, two examples of which each exceed the cost of the A100’s camera body. End notes Sony has done its homework, without doubt but it would not have created the fine camera it has without the Konica and Minolta heritage. The review camera was delivered with the 18-70mm zoom and knowing that budget optics sometimes lack a little in the distortion department, I checked it for this problem. I was not surprised to find that the wide end of the zoom produced barrel distortion at the image edges and pincushion distortion at the tele end. This is par for the course for this level of lens and of concern only to those who shoot a lot of rectilinear subjects, like stamps, documents, framed paintings and similar. The picture quality is beyond reproach for a DSLR at this price level. Shooting with the RAW format I pulled some remarkably sharp, naturally colour images, quickly, with no fuss. What more could you ask? There is little in the A100 that would concern committed photographers, either in the control layout or ergonomics. It’s an SLR – of the digital kind! And a very well executed one at that! SC That’s not a camera. THIS is a camera! While this article was in production our attention was drawn to this as-yet unreleased Seitz D3 6 x 17 panoramic camera which offers a 160 megapixel resolution. Yes, you read that correctly: 160 megpixels. That’s 7500 pixels vertical and 21,250 pixels horizontal (compare that to the Sony Alpha above). This results in an uncompressed file size of about 950MB. And it can capture 300MB in just one second (think how long it takes your PC to copy a 300MB file!) With an ISO/ASA range of 500 to 10000, the Seitz D3 has 48-bit colour depth. Its preview screen is 640 x 480 pixels – the largest colour camera screen yet on the market and can 14  Silicon Chip allow in-camera previewing, editing, zooming and image control without having to download to a computer. When the Seitz D3 is released in January next year, it will be available in both mobile (!) and studio models. And the price? Glad you asked! It will set you back around $50,000 give or take – and remember, you’re still going to have to add a lens or twenty. And with a camera of this impressive quality, you’re going to want a Schneider or Rodenstock (which Seitz recommend) or some other $$$$$$$ model! Oh yeah: don’t forget a big memory card. The old 512MB just won’t quite cut it – though the camera does have a 16MB flash memory for preview pics. siliconchip.com.au