Sony Turns EVIL

The first pictures of the Sony EVIL cameras are out. They have been rumored to be announced on 11th May 2010. Apparently two versions of the camera will be released, the NEX3 and the NEX5. Both will have the EXMOR 14mpx sensor but the NEX5 will come with a faster fps and 1080p capability. The NEX3 will only support 720p. Apparently there won't be any EVF, only a detachable OVF... (hmmm... I wonder how that would support zoom lenses)

Based on some observations made on the NX10, I believe these are the critical factors which will determine if the camera will be a success:

- AF speed, AF speed, AF speed - This was the main concern on EVIL cameras, Panasonic managed to get it right, Samsung NX10 came close and Olympus's latest firmwares seem to have gotten it much closer to an acceptable AF speed. Unless Sony can get this right, we can all forget about the NEX series - the good news is, even Sigma DP1x managed to make great improvements in this department, so the chances are high that Sony will get this right.

-High ISO noise - The m4/3 are the most successful EVIL cameras around and in order to beat it, Sony need to make sure they make full use of their main advantage, their larger APS-C sensor. Numerous tests of the similarly spec'ed Samsung NX-10 showed that the high ISO performance is not very different from the m4/3, thus neutralizing much of the advantages of the bigger sensor. Judging from the current Sony dSLR line up, they do have a lot to do in this aspect.

- Lenses - The m4/3 was a semi-compatible system with the 4/3 and that gave the system, at least psychologically, a lot of boost when it was first introduced. The fact that it can mount Leica M mount (and practically any other interchangeable lens mount) helps in its success. Sony will have to make sure enough lens compatibility to ensure that consumers do not feel they are buying into a very custom and niche system.

-Video Features - Many of the EVIL camera users are PnS upgraders and they are very used to having cameras (and mobile phones) capable of doing AF and other sophisticated features during video filming. It simply doesn't make sense to upgrade to an EVIL camera with better still photos but is heavily handicapped when taking video.... and pleeease provide an external mic jack.

- Overall Camera Performance - Why is this different from AF speed? Let's take the Sigma DP1x for example. The AF speed has improved tremendously, some say it is up to 30%-40%. Shot to shot time?... it went something like 6.5 to 6.0 seconds...zzzz With shot to shot time like this, your subjects have better be sleeping, frozen, dead or non-living to begin with. Even the Samsung NX-10 has room to improve in terms of its buffer clearing time.

- AF Assist Light - This will definitely improve low light focusing speed. However, an option to turn this off is a must. Unless you enjoy irritating your friends in parties.

- Popup flash - From the picture above, it seems like an external flash has been used. Again as a camera for PnS upgraders, popup flashes no matter how unprofessional they are, are a must. Olympus's decision to leave them out in the EPx series gave the GF-1 a leg up against it.

Sony have always been great and giving good quality finishing to their consumer products and from the pictures above, I believe the NEX series will be no different. Just hope that Sony can deliver the features to match the finishing.

Full Frame Sensors Have More Bokeh? Think Again...

I have heard it at least a zillion times in photography forums and in some articles, "If you want more bokeh, go full frame..." I have always accepted this to be the ultimate truth although all it takes is a few seconds playing around with a DOF calculator and one would be confused as hell.

Yes, the DOF calculators such as this one http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html would produce results that contradicts this notion, at least as I interpret them. All this while, I always thought that I was merely misinterpreting or misunderstanding things and that FF sensors would produce shallower DOF and more Bokeh.

Then I came across this from Bob Atkins. It is the 5 Basic Truths of DOF

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/technical/digitaldof.html

1. For an equivalent field of view, a Canon APS-C crop sensor camera has at least 1.6x MORE depth of field that a 35mm full frame camera would have - when the focus distance is significantly less then the hyperfocal distance (but the 35mm format needs a lens with 1.6x the focal length to give the same view).
2. Using the same lens on a Canon APS-C crop sensor camera and a 35mm full frame body, the a Canon APS-C crop sensor camera image has 1.6x LESS depth of field than the 35mm image would have (but they would be different images of course since the field of view would be different)
3. If you use the same lens on a Canon APS-C crop sensor camera and a 35mm full frame body and crop the full frame 35mm image to give the same view as the APS-C crop image, the depth of field is IDENTICAL
4. If you use the same lens on a Canon APS-C crop sensor camera and a 35mm full frame body, then shoot from different distances so that the view is the same, the Canon APS-C crop sensor camera image will have 1.6x MORE DOF than the full frame image.
5. Close to the hyperfocal distance, the Canon APS-C crop sensor camera has a much more than 1.6x the DOF of a 35mm full frame camera. The hyperfocal distance of a Canon APS-C crop sensor camera is 1.6x less than that of a 35mm full frame camera when used with a lens giving the same field of view.

If you take a look at point 3 (in pink), you would realize that it is obvious. Why? Because nothing has changed for the lens in real life. All an APS-C sensor does is to crop. Something that you can do in post processing as well, in fact we all do it most of the time.

So you open an image in Photoshop, do some cropping, and voila the DOF changes? Ofcourse not! That is precisely what APS-C sensors do - cropping.

Why DOF is seen as shallower for FF sensor is because of point 4 (in blue). Photographers need to get closer to the subject to get the same angle of view. In many of the so called bokeh test, the distance to subject is not constant. As an FF camera gets closer to the subject to get the same angle of view as an APS-C camera, the DOF decreases and the bokeh increases.

Makes sense? At least this seems to be the most logical explanation of all the confusion I had with APS-C, FF, DOF, Bokeh, man, women, Tax Filing, etc.... well, at least it solved the first four things for me... :D

Samsung Launches the NX-10

Specifications

	NX10
Colors	Noble Black and Titan Silver
Image Sensor	14.6M APS-C CMOS
Mount	Samsung NX Mount
Display	3.0” AM OLED (VGA)
View Finder	Electronic viewfinder
Movie	720p HD (MP4. H.264)
Size & Weight	4.8” x 3.4” x 1.6” (excluding the projecting parts of the camera) .78 lbs (without battery and card)
ISO	100 - 3200
Flash	Built-in Pop-up Flash
OIS	Lens Shift
Dust reduction	Supersonic Type
Special Features	· APS-C sized image sensor · 3.0” AMOLED · Smart Range · HDMI (Anynet +) · Fast & Decisive Contrast AF · New DRIMe II Pro engine and advanced AF algorith
Availability	Spring 2010

The main concern with EVIL cameras using CDAF is the AF speed. Initial impressions by dpreview indicate that this would not be much of an issue with NX-10.

DPreview says:

"The most important part of this discussion - how fast the NX10 can focus - we're going to have to leave until we've got a final product (ours is a pretty early pre-production model), but the good news is that it appears to be in the same ballpark as the Panasonic G series (Samsung engineers tell us they're pretty sure that the final product will - overall, taking all shooting scenarios into consideration - be faster than the GF1). We're happy to report that our initial impressions are that focus speed isn't going to be a major issue with the NX system"

The Report Card is in

BCN Ranking posted the dSLR market share for the Japanese market in 2009.

Amongst the top 20 cameras

Canon has 37.9%
Nikon has 28%
Panasonic 8.5%
Olympus 4.3%
Pentax 4.3%
Sony 4%

Why I would choose S90 over LX3

Dimensions:

- I prefer the Canon because it is a true pocketable PnS
- Fully retractable lens which does not protrude like the LX3
- Built in auto lens cap, not like the LX3 with detachable lens cap which can be easily dropped
- Lack of a flash hotshoe keeps profile pocketable. If I want to lug around a flash, I will use an SLR
- The Canon is lighter and smaller than the LX3

Image Quality:

- Numerous reviews by imaging-resource.com and cameralabs.com showed that the S90 does better than the LX3 in high ISO, especially in RAW. Camerablabs even finds it to outperform G11. The new 10mpx sensor have definitely overtaken the aged LX3 sensor in terms of high ISO performance.
- More useful zoom range 28-105mm instead of the LX3's 24-60mm which is more restrictive.
- The Canon colors is more preferable to me than the over punchy Panasonic colors. I am not into Panasonic colors, even the GF-1 cameras have a funny tone curve.

Usability:

- The Canon powershot UI is easy to use. Very similar to IXUS and other Canon PnS
- The customizable control ring is convenient
- For those using Canon dSLR, the S90 is a natural choice because you can use the same set of software, DPP to handle all raw files from S90 to 1Ds Mark III.
- Canon does not restrict the use ad 3rd party batteries as strictly as the Panasonic. Panasonic requires users to use original Panasonic batts.

To LX3 credit:

- It is faster but not as fast as an SLR, so the difference in speed does not make a lot of difference to me
- Flash hotshoe. As mentioned earlier, if I want to lug flash and stuff, I will carry a dSLR
- LX3 supports lens adapters. This will again add weight and bulk to the system. For those using S90, you can buy Cokin add-ons if you want to use filters and adapters.

The new Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4 HSM OS

A few days ago, Sigma launched a new version of its prize winning standard zoom lens. Equipped with HSM, faster aperture and OS, Sigma is leveling the playing field against the original manufacturers. This lens is aimed squarely at the new Canon 15-85 f3.5-5.6 IS and the Nikon 16-85 f3.5-5.6 VR. Since the new Canon has recently been receiving favorable reviews, I would like to do a rough comparison in case anyone is deciding between these two lenses:

For the Canon 15-85:

- The 15-85 is a very sharp lens, as compared to similar lenses and very comparable to its Nikon counterpart (finally) while having a marginally wider zoom range. From the manufacturer published MTF figures, I think the 15-85 could be slightly sharper than the new 17-70 OS wide open. Currently measured figures shows the 15-85 to outperform the current 17-70 marginally.
- The 15-85 has a wider range (24-136 equiv). As a walkabout lens it is about as wide and as much tele as you need.
- The 15-85 seems to support MF better with a smooth focus ring. The 17-70 was thought to be a little stiff
- Being a Canon lens, its profile is available on DPP, so auto correction of vignetting, CA, distortions can be done at a click of a button.

For the Sigma 17-70 OS:

- The 17-70 is faster(2.8-4.0) than the 15-85, its max tele aperture is slightly bigger than the original 17-70 (2.8-4.5).
- From the charts, the 17-70 seems to show an improvement in terms of sharpness when compared to the 17-70 and could be closer to the 15-85. Actual measured results could be different though. We will never know until more data is available.
- The 15-85 is considerably more expensive. as an indication, on Amazon, the 15-85 is about US$700 while the 17-70 is about US$450.
- Other considerations include: Size/weight, Inclusion of a hood
- Vignetting performance is likely to be better than the 15-85 at certain apertures, but as mentioned, since the Canon lens profile will be available on the DPP, this is easily corrected.

Time for the Crystal Ball

It is December, the last month of the year. 2009, despite being a recession plagued year, has been a rather busy year for camera manufacturers. Numerous update models from the top manufacturers were launched. We also see a host of new innovative cameras in the form of the the Leica M9, X1, Canon 7D, the micro fourthirds based EP1, EP2, GF-1 and the interchangeable module Ricoh GXR.

There were also a host of sensor technologies being introduced this year, namely the Sony EXMOR-R, the Fujifilm Super CCD EXR and Canon's new 18mpx high sensitivity sensor which delivers impressive high ISO images despite being packed to the brim with photoreceptors.

Of all the manufacturers, Canon is most expected to release a number of new dSLR in the coming few months. Let me share my take on what will be released:

I think Canon will likely release the 550D around March and not forgetting the 2000D as well. From BCN ranking, while the 500D still dominates the chart, there are signs that sales is slowly weakening.

As of now, Canon has a strong set of offerings against Nikon in the 7D, 5D2 and 1DIV. They are still lagging Nikon in the D3x, D90, D5000, D3000 markets. The other manufacturers of the m43 cameras are also putting a lot of pressure on Canon in the low end dSLR market.

I expect Canon to address some of this. Thus releasing the:

1) 1Ds Mark IV vs Nikon D3x - I suspect only 30+mpx (not the widely speculated 40+mpx) with an improved AF system. Maybe the same 45pts all selectable, mostly crossed points like the 1DIV. I will not be surprised if Canon introduces some high-end video camera features into the 1DsIV. This would help Canon bring the 1DsIV into their traditional high end DV market as well, strengthening their position. Nikon was caught back footed when the market switched to digital and Canon being an electronic manufacturer capitalized on this and lead Nikon for a great part of the dSLR age. Now the market is slowly moving from still dSLRs to a hybrid video/still dSLRs. Again Canon, being a leading manufacturer of high end video cameras should capitalize on their expertise in this area to continue leading the market.

While Nikon's handicap in electronics can be mostly solved by buying sensors from Sony, it is a lot harder to buy video camera features from anyone.

2) 550D vs Nikon D5000 - I expect Canon to put in the 18mpx sensor from 7D into the 550D and that would be a killer cam. Also, they are largely expected to increase the number of cross AF points and up the video specs to 1080p 30fps (from 20fps).

Other enhancements may include adding the gapless LCD screen, flash commander mode, electronic leveling. That should put the 550D ahead of the competitors. On the other hand, keeping the Af points to 9, shooting speed to about 4fps (single DIGIC), the penta-mirror viewfinder at 95% coverage and non weather sealed lightweight body would differentiate it enough from the 7D.

3) 2000D vs Nikon D3000 - This may spot a 12mpx or 15mpx sensor. It would be nice if Canon can reduce the size of the 2000D to make it more competitive towards the m4/3. Perhaps Canon should introduce some chic styling into this range to make it less scary to first time dSLR users and more attractive to the PnS upgraders.

4) 60D vs the D90? - I don't really see a market segment for the 60D anymore. Nikon created the D90 because they wanted a low end built-in motor body to complement the AF-S D5000(D60 previously). A well engineered 550D can take on the D90 and D5000 at the same time, giving them more focus and make it less confusing to the consumers. Before long, the 7D's price would have dropped to somewhere close to the targeted launch price of the 60D anyway. Unless ofcourse, Canon decides to merge the xxxD series with the xD series.

5) EVIL camera? this could be in the SX20 or Pro1 format. I don't see Canon releasing a new lens mount.

I don't really see a market for the 3D. Unless it is a 5D mark III...