Sony gives more detail of its OLED viewfinder

September 8, 2011 in OtherReview

Sony Japan has published more detail about the OLED viewfinder used in the NEX-7, SLT-A77, SLT-A65 and the optional EVF for the NEX-5N. The display is manufactured by Sony and is based on white OLEDs that sit behind colored filters, rather than the red, green and blue colored OLEDs used in many other displays. This could explain the apparent higher color accuracy of the Sony display (since it’s easier to adjust the behavior of a color filter than change the emission color of an OLED).

Press Release (Translated from Japanese by Google Translate):

Achieved a 2.4 million effective pixels
Type 0.5 (12.7mm diagonal) EL ultra-compact high-resolution color OLED Display

0.5-type organic EL display

For ultra-compact high-resolution color organic EL display

This product type 0.5 (12.7mm diagonal) 2.4 million effective pixels (XGA) is ultra-compact high-resolution color organic EL display. Driving the semiconductor silicon technology and organic EL display, Sony’s unique technologies, high contrast, wide color gamut and fast response and performance. This product is mounted on the camera’s electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens type digital SLR*1 Sony announced on August 24, 2011. As consumer electronic viewfinder will be the industry’s highest resolution and*2, as the organic EL display has been achieved industry’s smallest pixel size*3.

Development and background

Markets digital SLR cameras in recent years, and mirror-less type to enjoy pictures and movies of high quality easily with a small, performed at the same time imaging focus and product in the new method and mirror type semipermeable enjoy the movie and continuous shooting speed has been rapidly increasing.

These new methods, the optical viewfinder is mounted on a conventional SLR camera (OVF) electronic viewfinder instead of the reflectors and the (EVF) is adopted, reflecting directly the object image captured by the CMOS image sensor. The EVF so, it reflects a realistic image in nature comparable to OVF, bokeh natural characteristic Cameras addition, the seminiferous tubules, expressed in depth is required characteristics superior video you can also shoot video or moving subjects The. In addition, its small size is also required in the viewfinder of a camera can be mounted in a limited space.
Sony this time, for the camera viewfinder, has developed a new ultra-compact high-resolution organic EL displays these demands.

Features Ultra-compact high-resolution color organic EL display ● Newly developed

Ultra-compact high-resolution

The realization of 3.3um x 9.9um pixel size of the industry’s smallest and *3 achieved a 2.4 million pixel high-definition 0.5 effective ultra-compact type. This time, we adopted the color separation overlay color filter on the white organic EL layer to achieve the ultra-compact high-definition.

Fast response and high contrast wide gamut

High contrast is a characteristic inherent organic EL displays, wide color gamut, fast response by the performance, video and attentive, more natural color reproduction, tone characteristics, and provides excellent video characteristics.

In general, the smaller the pixel size, harder to reproduce the correct color information between pixels become smaller. This challenge, overcome by driving the semiconductor silicon technology and proprietary organic EL display technology, has made it possible to tap the inherent properties of organic EL display, yet ultra-compact high-definition.

Built-in driver

D / A converters needed to drive, drive built into the silicon substrate such as a timing controller functions, and helping to reduce board space in digital camera with the product itself.

Sectional configuration of color organic EL display comparison

*1: “α77″ “α65″ “NEX-7″
*2: *3 points for consumer electronic viewfinder as August 24, 2011 Date: Date points as the organic EL display of August 24, 2011

DxO Labs releases FilmPack3 film simulation software

September 7, 2011 in OtherReview

DxO has released FilmPack 3, the third version of its sliver halide simulation processing software. The latest version, announced in June, now includes the ability to mimic up to 60 famous black and white, and color films, based on calibration from professional prints, giving what the company claims is the most precise film simulation on the market. Version 3 adds new film looks and color filters. It also brings a greater degree of control, including HSL sliders, a channel mixer for optimizing Black and White conversions and, at customer request, the ability to add vignetting. The software is available in two versions, ‘Essentials’ and ‘Expert,’ which offer different levels of function, with introductory pricing starting at $49/€49/£49 for the Essentials version.

Press Release:

DxO FilmPack 3 Brings Classic Film Looks Back to Digital Photos

September 6, 2011 – DxO Labs today announces the immediate availability of DxO FilmPack 3 at a special launch price starting at $49, until September 30.

DxO FilmPack 3 allows photographers from beginners to experts to authentically recreate the magic of dozens of black white or color film stocks on their digital images in one click, offering limitless creative options.

Legendary black white film photographer Sebastio Salgado, who recently migrated from silver halide to digital, said, “DxO FilmPack has become a must-have step in my photographic workflow to render the unique Kodak Tri-X® grain on my large-format prints.”

What’s new?

  • User-friendly interface (Windows and Mac)
  • New film looks
  • Additional color and BW conversion controls
  • Multiple plugins for better integration with the workflow

Unrivaled film fidelity

Building on its unique 10 years of recognized expertise in characterizing digital and film-based photographic systems, DxO Labs has worked with world class film processing facilities, Picto in Paris and Duggal in New York, to develop a unique film profiling process that ensures the most precise film simulation available on the market today. Users can easily give their images the appealing grain, color, saturation and contrast of famous film stocks, recalling the deep history of photography and rich legacy of each film look.

“Our thorough approach to accurately characterizing the unique rendering of each film allows DxO FilmPack 3 users to faithfully apply the visual signature of many iconic silver halide films, some of which are not available anymore, such as Kodachrome®,” said Jerome Meniere, CEO of DxO Labs. “We put a strong focus on authenticity for all DxO FilmPack 3 renderings, developing our software in partnership with expert photographers having extensive knowledge of both film and digital photography, to ensure unrivaled film fidelity.”

Boundless creativity

In addition to 10 new film looks and 10 new color filters, DxO FilmPack 3 also features new tools that provide photographers with full control of their images:

  • Creation of customized film looks
  • Hue/saturation/lightness sliders for additional color creative control
  • Channel mixer for extended Black White rendering styles
  • Creative vignetting to give images a particular look – Noise removal tool for more authentic grain rendering

Ease of use

DxO FilmPack 3′s interface has been completely revamped. Photographers can now easily choose among the numerous built-in film looks thanks to the user-friendly filmstrip. This means that beginners can obtain good results with a single click, whereas experts will take advantage of all the advanced functionalities to fine-tune their pictures. The batch mode allows users to process hundreds of images at once for unparalleled productivity.

For optimal flexibility, each DxO FilmPack 3 license includes the standalone application as well as plugins for Adobe® Photoshop® CS4/CS5, Adobe® Lightroom® 3, Apple® Aperture® 3, and DxO Optics Pro 6. In addition, DxO FilmPack 3 can be used as a Smart Filter in Adobe® Photoshop®. All can be simultaneously installed on two computers.

Availability and pricing

Compatible with Mac and Windows, DxO FilmPack 3 is available in two editions, Essential and Expert, which differ in terms of available film renderings and features.

A free 31-day trial version of DxO FilmPack 3 is available on DxO Labs’ website, and allows testing its functionalities on your own pictures (http://www.dxo.com/intl/photo/free_trial_version).
DxO FilmPack 3 is available immediately from the DxO Labs e-store (www.dxo.com) and from popular photo stores at a special introductory discount of up to 30%:

USD:
• DxO FilmPack 3 Essential Edition: $49 instead of $79
• DxO FilmPack 3 Expert Edition: $99 instead of $129
• DxO FilmPack 3 Expert Upgrade from DxO FilmPack 1 or 2: $39 instead of $49

EUR:
• DxO FilmPack 3 Essential Edition: €49 instead of €79
• DxO FilmPack 3 Expert Edition: €99 instead of €129
• DxO FilmPack 3 Expert Upgrade from DxO FilmPack 1 or 2: €39 instead of €49 (Suggested retail prices, including VAT)

GBP:
• DxO FilmPack 3 Essential Edition: £49, instead of £69
• DxO FilmPack 3 Expert Edition: £79, instead of £99
• DxO FilmPack 3 Expert Upgrade from DxO FilmPack 1 or 2: £29 instead of £39 (Suggested retail prices, including VAT)

Epson releases NX430 ‘Small-in-One’ combined printer, scanner and copier

September 7, 2011 in OtherReview

Epson has announced the Stylus NX430 Small-in-One, a compact, wireless printer, scanner and copier. Without the print tray extended, the unit has a footprint of 39 x 30 cm (15.4 x 11.8″). It is able to scan at 2400 dpi and print at 5760 x 1440 dpi. It can print at a rate of 6.2 ppm for mono prints and 3.2 ppm in color (ISO standard ppm).

Press Release:

New Epson Small-in-One™ Delivers Superior Performance

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Sept. 6, 2011 Epson America, Inc., a leading provider of superior performing desktop printing solutions, today announced the Epson Stylus NX430 Small-in-One™, featuring all-in-one performance in an unprecedented space-saving design – the smallest footprint available for the feature set.

“Consumers will be amazed with the compact size and powerful performance of the Epson Stylus NX430,” said Kristi Lanzit, product manager, Consumer Ink Jets, Epson America, Inc. “The name Small-in-One says it all; no other printer offers such great performance in a small size – guaranteed.”  

The Epson Stylus NX430 is easy to set-up, affordable and great for sharing with the entire family. With the latest wireless technology and built-in remote printing, the Epson Stylus NX430 is a powerful all-in-one that meets a busy family’s home printing, scanning and copying needs.

The Epson Stylus NX430 comes complete with a 2.5” color LCD with touch panel, built-in memory card slots for PC-free photo printing, easy wireless connectivity, mobile printing capabilities, and quiet operation. This high-performance Small-in-One fits perfectly in virtually any setting, delivering superior quality results for everyday projects.

Epson Connect and Printing On-the-Go
The Epson Stylus NX430 also comes equipped with Epson Connect, a new portfolio of cloud and mobile services enabling mobile users to print documents and photos directly to their Epson printers from a mobile device1. Epson Connect offers two solutions – Email Print and Epson iPrint. Email Print allows customers to print out e-mail and file attachments by simply sending an e-mail from their smartphone or other mobile device to an enabled Epson printer. The Epson iPrint application, for the latest iOS- and Android-based devices, allows customers to print a wide range of content such as photos, documents and web pages by simply downloading the Epson iPrint application and connecting to a Wi-Fi enabled printer. More information on Epson Connect is available at www.epson.com/connect.

Pricing and Availability
The Epson Stylus NX430 Small-in-One ($99.99*) will be available in September at major retailers nationwide and Epson’s retail store, www.epsonstore.com. For more information on the Epson Stylus NX430 Small-in-One, visit Epson.com or see the fact sheet.

Just Posted: Sigma SD1 preview Raw and JPEG samples

September 7, 2011 in OtherReview

I was very excited to look at these, but I have to say I’m anything but impressed. I don’t see the ‘amazing detail’ others seem to see here.

I agree with a previous comment that these looks oversharpened but don’t seem to have the detail I would have expected from a true color pixel sensor.

I also don’t think the colors looks particularly impressive, but that’s no surprise. The second and third layer color channel is suffering from light loss of the layers above. The signal to noise ratio can’t be anywhere close to Beyer sensor, thus it has a clear disadvantage in terms of colors.

The best detail I have seen recently was the samples from the Samsung NX200. That camera even outperforms the Sony A77 and is sharp into the corners and is amazing at handling contrast.

Featured article: The what and why of wildlife macro photography

September 7, 2011 in OtherReview

It is always a pleasure to read such a fresh article.Presently all compact cameras have a macro mode. Some at 0cm, while others at 5cm. But hardly we go through that function. It is a kind of redundant option. But macro photography is always a joy to watch. SLRs with prime macro lens cost a lot.But undoubtedly they produce superior result at any time in compareable situation.The photograph of the flying dragon fly is excellent. I hope we will get more tips and tricks in your future articles.

Panasonic DMC-FZ150 samples added to studio comparison tool

September 7, 2011 in OtherReview

I must say, the comparison, again at ISO 400, with my “old” FZ35 gives the edge again to the FZ35, though not in every area. The image of the date in the watch looks better with the 150; a lot of other areas look better with the 35.

Samyang 7.5mm F3.5 fish-eye for Micro Four Thirds coming soon

September 6, 2011 in OtherReview

Great. m43 now has 3 (yes, three) fish-eye lenses. It makes so much more sense than to introduce an inexpensive 50/1.8 lens like the ones sold by Nikon, Canon and Sony. After all, what would you possibly do with such a lens on a x2 crop system like m43? A fast 100mm-equiv lens? Useless!

Just posted: IFA 2011 DSLR video show report from EOSHD

September 3, 2011 in OtherReview

Just posted: EOSHD’s show report on the latest developments in DSLR video from IFA. The IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung) trade show, currently going on in Berlin, is the world’s largest for consumer electronics and home appliances. EOSHD’s Andrew Reid went along to hunt down the big news in DSLR HD video.

Click here to read the article.

Just posted: Hands-on video of the Samsung NX200

September 3, 2011 in OtherReview

Showing hands-on usage of the camera and configuration is intrinsically better with video.

We are somehow gaining the feeling of experience just by watching. It involves us more. Tactility is also able to be shown. Half the experience of using the camera in one video.

I think this is due largely in part to the neutral backdrop and even lighting.
You should exaggerate or increase the volume of the handler as he manipulates the camera. Let us hear the “click” of the lens as it locks into the body, or the mush of a poor rubberized button.

The narrators voice is great. Clean, sharp, and the accent works.
Comfortably fitting for any tech related review.

I’m not a fan of the intro animation. The angles do nothing for me. However, the sweeping fade transition from title to the camera scene is great.

An idea for the handling of the camera is perhaps a PoV-style where left and right hands appear to protrude from behind the recording camera which would decrease blocking our view.

Toshiba announces its first WiFi SDHC card

September 3, 2011 in OtherReview

Finally a wireless SD card that can receive. I always wonder what took Eye-Fi so long to come up with a card that receives data. Toshiba has the answer.

A Wi-Fi SD card that can receive can potential mean we can turn any digital photo frame into active photo album, even carry useful information like weather, tweets, etc (overlay text on photo) and this can even be provided as premium solution that requires paid subscription. A lot of people may be willing to buy it if it is done right.

Sadly, timing is everything. With cheap Android tablets going for $99 or less. I no longer see a lot of value.