Sony Alpha 330

We may have to group them since the firmware updates sometimes happen nearly at the same time. The latest ones are:

• Sony Alpha series (A380, A330 & A230): Mac, Windows (Sony Europe)
• Canon EOS 7D v1.1.0 (to correct an issue where a previous image may partly superimpose itself on the next, in continuous shooting): Instructions and download link

Save money on photo gear

Since this is time for the end of the year and its high sales of electronic gadgets and photographic gear, here also comes the time for cashbacks, sales and promotions. The photography market will not forget this in these recession times and there are many offers and promotions or bundles.

Among the offers I tried to identify for you, I want to list the following ones:

• Pentax “Focus on savings” for K-7 system: $100 prepaid card on a choice of over 20 Pentax lenses. From now until January 15, 2010 (Pentax special offers)
• Nikon Canada adjusted its prices to reflect evolution of the exchange rates (November 16, 2009) – From NR
• Pentax opens a European on-line store with Digital River
• Sony launches an “all in one” kit made by bundling the Alpha 850, a Sony 28-75mm f/2.8 SAM lens and the Elite version of DxO Optics Pro, at a listed price of 2700€. (According to AN)
• Sony France cash-back offer of 50€ on the Alpha 330, Alpha 380 with the SAL50F18 lens and 100€ on the Alpha 500 and Alpha 550 with the SAL50F18 lens (Sony 50mm f/1.8 DT), up to December 2009
• Canon cash back offer for Europe and UK: £150/€170 cashback on PowerShot G11, from Canon UK
• Pentax offers up to 250€/£250 of cash-back coupons for purchases all over Europe before the end of 2009. All the details on www.pentax-cashback.com.

You can try and take advantage of them by rushing to your local photography shop or by browsing to one of the on-line shops that support YLovePhoto.

• Buy it from B&H (The Professional’s Source)
• Buy from Amazon.com
• Acheter sur Carrefour online

In any case, you are strongly advised to check case-by-case the exact conditions required (sometimes only applicable in one country; Sometimes against the return of a special coupon) and exact limit dates.

The new Sony Alpha 330 and Sony Alpha 380 have a nice specificity that is worth mentionning separately: A special autofocus (AF) system designed to maintain maximum performance even in LiveView mode.

Usually, the LiveView mode is done merely by moving the reflex mirror up. The image is then projected onto the single image sensor of the phot camera (like it is done in the point and shoot cameras). But in this case, the little AF sensor is no longer able to work. The main image sensor is used. Instead of the best phase detection algorithms, the camera must used a less powerful micro-contrast detection approach.

Sony decided to opt for another solution, more innovative. The AF sensor (4) is always kept in full operation (the reflex mirror (3) is not moved up). Instead, when going in LiveView mode, a small viewfinder mirror (1) is used to direct the view either toward the eye cup, or toward a LiveView video sensor (2). Everything is visible on the Flash animation below.

Kudos to the Sony engineers.

Following the recent announcement of the new Sony Alpha SLR line, I just updated the SLR camera database:

• Sony Alpha 230
• Sony Alpha 330
• Sony Alpha 380

For all details (and to collect the list of the tests and reviews that will soon arrive in the press).

As expected, Sony has announced the new SLR line. Nothing less than 3 SLR photo cameras in a single announcement (plus a four new lenses and a flash).

	Sony Alpha A230	Sony Alpha A330	Sony Alpha A380
Features
Sensor resolution	10.2 MP	10.2 MP	14.2 MP
Sensitivity	100-3200 ISO	100-3200 ISO	100-3200 ISO
Shutter speed	30s -> 1/4000s	30s -> 1/4000s	30s -> 1/4000s
Continuous shooting	2.5 fps	2.5 fps with viewfinder	2.5 fps with viewfinder
AF system	9 points, with center-cross	9 points, with center-cross	9 points, with center-cross
Live View mode	Yes	Yes, with Quick AF	Yes, with Quick AF
LCD	2.7″ (230,000 dots)	2.7″ with tilt screen (230,000 dots)	2.7″ with tilt screen (230,000 dots)
Scene selection	6	6	6
Creative style	7 settings	7 settings	7 settings
Image stabilisation	In-body, by sensor shift	In-body, by sensor shift	In-body, by sensor shift
Anti-dust cleaning system	Coating on low pass filter, plus image sensor shift	Coating on low pass filter, plus image sensor shift	Coating on low pass filter, plus image sensor shift
HDMI connector & Bravia Sync	Yes (HDMI cable optional)	Yes (HDMI cable optional)	Yes (HDMI cable optional)
Dimensions	128 x 97 x 67.5 mm	128 x 97 x 71.4 mm	128 x 97 x 71.4 mm
Weight	450g	490g	490g

New Sony lenses announced at the same time:

• Sony DT 18-55 mm f/3,5-5,6 SAM
• Sony DT 55-200 mm f/4-5,6 SAM
• Sony DT 50 mm f/1,8 SAM
• Sony DT Macro 30 mm f/2,8 SAM (will be ready in Fall 2009)

(more…)

With the next arrival of 3 entry-level SLR photo cameras from Sony, it is time to start asking a few questions about the content of these upcoming offers. On the “leaked” photos from the Russian Sony Style web site, we could easily recognize they will have a smaller body with a more angular hand-grip.

Some are drawn to surprising conclusions like the possible disappearance of the AF motor from the SLR body (a little like has been done by Nikon). It would lighten the camera body and would be indirectly confirmed by the appearance of new lenses (like a 50mm/1.8 and a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 that would be sold only with these new Alpha 330 and Alpha 230). This would be a serious breach of the usual compatibility with exisintg lenses, but it is easy to recognize that the entry-level photo consumer is not fanatic about this compatibility.

Memory Stick

The visible reference to MemoryStick (on the photo of the all-new, all-nice LCD screen) also make us fear that Sony would possibly announce that these new SLR cameras could abandon the usual double compatibility with CompactFlash (major Flash card standard of the recent years) and Memory Stick (small standard only known inside Sony). Sony marketing department could pressure the engineering departement into adopting the in-house standard where any other photo company would rather choose using SmartCard or microSD cards. To be checked quickly because this one could really frighten customers (even at entry-level).

Finally, there is a real curious surprise in the images leaked by the Russian web site: Not a single reference to video capture, while all photo brands are rushing toward what is supposed to be the most visible feature of SLR photo cameras in 2009. But here comes a more complex analysis that I may submit to your opinion: Sony would be reserving the engineering efforts at HD video capture for a later camera really able to do video (for the time being, we have to admit that this feature is still incomplete with no real AF and a behaviour which is still disappointing, with Canon as well as Nikon). The real target would be a Sony Alpha 800 (a800) which would be an Alpha 700 with a super HD video mode, with all-features-included!

We’ll see the reality next week for sure.

If you want to know the contents of the new Sony Alpha 230, 330 and 380, here is the information leaked during an update of the Russian version of a Sony web site.

What we learn:

• New ergonomics: Thinner hand-grip, new shutter release button, nicer LCD color interface (with a choice of 4 colour themes)
• The Sony Alpha 380 will have a 14.2 MP sensor (no information for the other ones, but I’d guess they will have the existing 10.1 MP sensor with minor improvements)
• The Sony Alpha 380 will go up to 3200 ISO sensitivity
• The Sony Alpha 330 and Sony Alpha 380 will have a tiltable LCD screen (but not full tilt-and-swivel)
• The Sony Alpha 230 will have an in-body help mode accessible from the LCD screen to provide support of basic functions to beginners
• Apparently no video mode, but only an HDMI HD TV output (right from the Alpha 230)
• Astonishing “smart teleconverter” mode on the Alpha 330 (and probably the Sony Alpha 380, too): “digital zoom” or “electronic zoom” which gives an additionnal x1.4 or x2 at the press of a button (to go further than the optical zoom, but at the expense of image resolution)

Thanks to PhotoClubAlpha and its Google-translated screen copy.

We learned about the arrival of the new Sony Alpha 230, Sony Alpha 330, Sony Alpha 380 SLR photo cameras by a leak from Sony web sites. Obviously, Sony is ready to announce them and is actively leaking information, since the Sony Style web sites are now showing pictures of the new cameras (in the page headers).

In these, it is possible to recognize the new Sony Alpha 230, Sony Alpha 330, Sony Alpha 380. And everybody is seeing that they will be replacing the older Alpha 200, 300 and 350 (in this order).

The most obvious change is the form of the body grip. I am not sure this will be an improvement (for user confort, I tend to go for the ergonomic shape, rather than this rough-cut shape).

No spec or feature list yet. Pixels may go up (Sony likes pixel counts more than Nikon), video is expected since this is the year of the video on SLR cameras, a tilt-and-swivel LCD screen would be welcome (the Sony Alpha 350 was showing the lead for SLR cameras), but we will have to wait for it. Specifically, people say that the announcement should be done early next week, but the press seems to be tight-lipped. So, I would suppose that Sony got plenty of people under NDA before this. It would suggest that the launch will be tracked by a zillion journalists. 3 photo cameras on the same day would probably be worth such a fanfare.

Directly from Sony, but this may still be an error… it seems that a Sony Alpha 330 is coming in the near future. Impossible to say what this is really, but I’d bet on an SLR photo camera looking like a cheaper Sony Alpha 300/350.

Sony Alpha 330 seen at Sony

Nothing more tehcnical, no feature list, but the error seems genuine and interesting enough from a Sony web site. Probably a small hickup, but quite certaily not a hoax.

Via: Photo Club Alpha.