Sony Alpha 55 and 33 Digital Cameras with Translucent Mirror Technology

New Alpha 55 and Alpha 33 Single Lens Translucent mirror cameras by Sony

The α (pronounced Alpha) family of interchangeable lens cameras from Sony grows with the compact new Alpha 55 (SLT-A55V) with 16.2 megapixels and Alpha 33 (SLT-A33) with 14.2 megapixels. In this post you can see the main features of these cameras. In green are the differences between the Alpha 55 and the Alpha 33 : megapixels, shutter speed, GPS and price: the Alpha 33 is cheaper than the Alpha 55.

SONY ALPHA 55 – Photo © 2010 Sony Inc.

SONY ALPHA 33 – Photo © 2010 Sony Inc.
The Alpha 33 has the same design but without GPS

Sony's first-ever digital cameras to employ Translucent Mirror Technology showcase an innovative optical system that opens up dramatic new shooting possibilities. In contrast with conventional DSLR cameras, Translucent Mirror Technology uses a fixed, translucent mirror that 'splits' the optical pathway between the main image sensor and a separate phase-detection autofocus sensor.

High-resolution live image preview with rapid, accurate phase detection autofocus is thus available at all times - either via the angle-adjustable 7.5cm (3") LCD or precision Tru-Finder (electronic viewfinder). This also ensures that even moving objects stay in sharp focus at all times, whether you're shooting Full HD video or stills.

Translucent Mirror Technology overcomes other traditional limitations of DSLR models, with its simplified mechanical design shrinking camera size and complexity. This makes the Alpha 55 and Alpha 33 a compelling choice for casual photographers who want to capture spontaneous family moments and travel scenes with less to carry.

Full-resolution shooting at up to 10fps with precise AF tracking

Ground-breaking Translucent Mirror Technology allows high-speed shooting with the Alpha 55 at up to 10fps (Alpha 33: 7fps) in Continuous Priority AE mode. This represents for the Alpha 55 the world's fastest burst continuous AF shooting performance of any interchangeable lens camera with an APS-C size sensor.

A newly developed 15-point phase-detection autofocus system assures rapid, accurate AF tracking, keeping even moving subjects in sharp focus during continuous shooting. This enables the Alpha 55 and Alpha 33 to capture split-second action or fleeting nuances of expression with portrait subjects.

World's first Quick AF Full HD movie shooting among consumer oriented interchangeable lens digital cameras (as of 24 August 2010).

The large sensor size Exmor™ APS HD CMOS Sensor inside both cameras lets photographers capture cinematic HD video footage with background defocus (bokeh) effects.

The Alpha 55 and Alpha 33 also mark the debut of Quick AF Full HD movie shooting. Translucent Mirror Technology enables AVCHD 1080i video shooting with smooth, precise phase detection AF tracking of moving subjects. Real-time video image preview is now possible via the viewfinder - in contrast with DSLR cameras where the raised mirror prevents light from reaching the optical viewfinder during video shooting.

Effortless composition and image viewing

The Alpha 55 and Alpha 33 enable new possibilities for framing and viewing highest-quality video and still images. Quick AF Live View system is now more effective. High-resolution live image preview is teamed with uncompromised phase detection AF performance - even with rapidly-moving subjects.

Tilting and swivelling freely (to maximum 270 degrees) for comfortable framing at any shooting angle, the bright 7.5 cm (3.0") (16:9) Xtra Fine LCD offers more detail and contrast.

There's also a precision electronic viewfinder with 1.15 million dot resolution that delivers a clear, bright image with 100% frame coverage. Adjustments to exposure, depth of field and colour can be previewed instantly, either in the viewfinder or on the LCD. Effortless composition is aided further by switchable grid line in the finder and LCD screen, plus a new digital levelling gauge.

SONY ALPHA 55 Back – Photo © 2010 Sony Inc.

Enriched creative possibilities

The Alpha 55 and Alpha 33 are compatible with the full range of over 30 A-mount interchangeable lenses and offer SteadyShot INSIDE. This in-body image stabilisation system provides up to 4 exposure steps of anti-shake correction when shooting handheld.

Both cameras also feature 3D Sweep Panorama, allowing photographers to capture detail-packed extra-wide panoramas with a huge field of view. 3D panoramas can be enjoyed on any compatible 3D HD television. The Alpha 55 (but not the Alpha 33) is also the first Alpha camera by Sony with integrated GPS, allowing automatic geo-tagging of images and video clips.

The new-generation Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor inside both cameras supports a sophisticated range of digital image compositing and processing functions. This gives greater artistic possibilities to beginners and photo enthusiasts alike.

Auto HDR is now refined further compared with previous-generation Alpha models. Data from a burst of three frames at bracketed exposure values is automatically combined, creating a single image with extended highlight and shadow detail Multi-frame Noise Reduction 'stacks' a high-speed burst of six frames, creating a single low-noise exposure that boosts effective sensitivity as high as ISO 25600.

The new cameras accept both Memory Stick PRO Duo (including Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo) and SD (including both SDHC and SDXC formats) media (all sold separately). Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX 30MB per second transfer rate offers the best performance during cameras' continuous shooting mode or when transferring the data to another media.

The new Alpha 55 and Alpha 33 Single Lens Translucent mirror cameras by Sony are presented at Photokina 2010 and are available in September 2010.

Sony - Carl Zeiss Cooperation

Carl Zeiss today announced that its Camera Lens Division will extend their successful collaboration with Sony Corporation for a further 5 years. Taking full advantages of their competence both companies agreed to cooperate even closer in developing and commercializing new imaging devices in the future. As early as 1996, the two global specialists in imaging technology start a collaboration. Now, this cooperation has been extended. “The excellent competence of Sony in electronics and sensor technology in combination with the best possible optics for film and video cameras – that is what this partnership stands for”, states Dr. Winfried Scherle, General Manager and Vice President, Carl Zeiss AG, Camera Lens Division. “Numerous outstanding devices are the product of this corporation and there are more to come.” In 1996 the first Sony camcorder with Carl Zeiss lens was launched onto the market. Since then the cooperation has been expanded to compact digital cameras or camcorders to high end bridge cameras and interchangeable lenses for the Sony Alpha digital SLR camera system. Today both companies agreed on a partnership allowing Sony to apply ZEISS branded lenses on an exclusive basis on selected digital cameras and camcorders.

Photo : Shigeki Ishizuka, President, Digital Imaging Business Group, Sony Corporation and Dr. Winfried Scherle, General Manager and Vice President, Carl Zeiss AG, Camera Lens Division. (c) Carl Zeiss - All right reserved - www.zeiss.com/photo

Eye-Fi secures $5.5 million in series a funding

The round was co-led by Opus Capital and Shasta Ventures. Eye-Fi is developing wireless-enabled products and services that intend to make the “ease of use” promise of digital photography a reality. Carl Showalter, general partner for Opus Capital, and Robert Coneybeer, managing director for Shasta Ventures, have joined Eye-Fi’s board of directors.

“Digital cameras have made it very easy to take pictures, but it’s a chore to get photos off the camera to a place where you can print or share them,” said Coneybeer. “This is a very real problem affecting both consumers who own digital cameras, and companies in the digital photography industry looking to boost profits. We see a huge market opportunity for Eye-Fi because anyone with a Wi-Fi network and a digital camera is a potential customer.”

Eye-Fi was founded in August 2005 by Yuval Koren, president and CEO; Ziv Gillat, vice president of marketing and sales; Eugene Feinberg, hardware architect; and Berend Ozceri, systems architect. The team has five decades of collective experience in delivering successful products at companies including Apple, Atheros, Cisco and Silicon Graphics.

“Wireless technology can enhance digital photography and help the market reach its full potential by removing some key obstacles,” said Ben Bajarin, analyst and strategist at Creative Strategies. “Wireless networks will make it easier to synchronize, upload and share photos, and provide other valuable services like geo-tagging to indicate where the photograph was taken.” said Bajarin.

“Remember that sense of anticipation you felt when you picked up your prints from the local store? We want to bring that excitement back to photography,” said Koren. "Our services will use wireless technology to automatically upload photographs from a digital camera, making it easy for people to experience the real magic of digital photography."

Eye-Fi will use the funds for product development, operations, support, marketing and production. The company plans to release its first product, which is currently in beta trials, later this year.

About Eye-Fi - Founded in 2005, the company is dedicated to building services that help consumers navigate, nurture and share their visual memories. Eye-Fi’s patent-pending technology works with Wi-Fi networks to automatically send photos from a digital camera to online, in-home and retail destinations. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., the company’s investors include Opus Capital and Shasta Ventures. More information is available at www.eye.fi

About Shasta - Shasta Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in technology-enabled businesses serving consumers and enterprises. Located in Menlo Park, Calif., Shasta Ventures manages a $210 million fund. Shasta was formed in 2004 by venture capital veterans and has made 19 investments to date across consumer and business services, infrastructure and software. For more information on Shasta Ventures, please visit www.shastaventures.com

About Opus Capital - Opus Capital is a venture capital firm with more than $1 billion capital under management, investing in committed, high integrity entrepreneurs building early-stage technology companies. The team has participated in the successful outcomes of more than 80 companies (including 50 IPOs) in the U.S. and in Israel including AirGate PCS, Electronics for Imaging, FedEx, Genesys, Harmonic, Precept Software and Vantive. Opus Capital is headquartered on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, California.

Olympus Camedia C-3020 Zoom Digital Camera

Olympus Camedia C-3020 Zoom Digital Camera

Olympus Camedia C-3020 Zoom

(c) Olympus America Inc.

Olympus Camedia C-3020 Zoom Back

(c) Olympus America Inc.

Olympus America Inc., today announced the C-3020 ZOOM 3.2 Megapixel (2048 x 1536 effective pixel resolution) filmless digital zoom camera to its line of award-winning digital cameras. The C-3020 ZOOM offers consumers an easy-to-use point & shoot camera with all the creative controls of an advanced camera - all for only $499.

Although simplicity of operation is clearly a focus, the Olympus C-3020 ZOOM is much more than a point & shoot camera. The Olympus C-3020 ZOOM combines a large collection of creative control features and high picture quality in a compact easy-to-use design. Based on the familiar and well-established Olympus C-3000 series of digital cameras, most of the advanced features of the award-winning Olympus C-3000 ZOOM are included: a 3X optical zoom aspherical glass lens with continuous 2.5X digital telephoto for a 7.5X total seamless zoom (32-240mm equivalent); 6 mode flash with a slow synchro red-eye reduction mode; and a host of manual exposure adjustments - all for that perfect picture. In addition, DPOF compatibility in the camera allows for easy setup and printing of the photographs you select.

New in the Olympus C-3020 ZOOM is 5 Scene Program Modes, which make the perfect shot easy, plus the customizable "My Mode" setting; USB Auto-Connect ready for Windows XP and Mac OSX for fast downloads; user-friendly menu system; extended battery life; and Noise Reduction modes.

Unsurpassed Optics

Olympus digital cameras are well-known for their exceptionally high-quality images. Images captured with the Olympus C-3020 ZOOM produce photographs equivalent to that of many film-based cameras. This is achieved by a number of factors, including a "designed to be digital" truly world-class all glass 8-element 3X zoom lens with a fast f2.8-f11 aperture range, low compression ratios including an uncompressed mode, and a host of other sophisticated Olympus technologies. Because of these technologies, Olympus high quality images can be achieved above an 8" x 10" photo size.

New Features:

Noise Reduction System - Gives the user clean colors and sharp pictures. For exposures of 1/2 second or longer, the Noise Reduction Mode (when activated) automatically compares the original image with an image taken immediately after the first exposure with no light. This frame contains only the background noise. The Olympus C-3020 ZOOM then compares both images and cancels background noise in the original image for clearer, shaper pictures.

My Mode - Creates unique custom camera settings that can be accessed by simply turning the mode dial to the "My Mode" position.

New Scene Program Modes - Scene Program selects the perfect settings for portrait, sports, landscape-portrait, night-scene, and QuickTimeTM movie modes.

USB Auto-Connect - Connects to most any USB-compatible Windows computer (running Windows Me, 2000, or XP) or Macintosh (running MacOS 8.6 - OSX) in seconds. The camera is configured as an external hard disk for easy downloading of image files to computers without any additional software.

Extended Battery Life - New energy-saving circuitry gives longer battery life.

The Olympus C-3020 ZOOM will be available the end of October 2001 for $499. It includes a 16MB SmartMedia card, Auto-Connect USB cable, carrying strap, lens cap and retainer cord, 4 AA alkaline batteries, Camedia Master Software 2.5, manual, QuickStart Guide and remote control.

Suggested Retail Price: $599.95 Street Price: $499

Agfa ePhoto 307 Color Digital Camera

Agfa ePhoto 307 color digital camera

Agfa introduces the ePhoto 307 color digital camera, which offers high quality and an affordable price to the home and office computer user. With a lightweight body, the ease of a point-and-shoot camera, Adobe's PhotoDeluxe and Agfa's PhotoWise software, ePhoto is a quick and flexible tool for digitally capturing, editing and managing images.

Designed For Both Business And Personal Applications.

Agfa ePhoto allows PC and Apple Macintosh users to instantly capture images for a wide variety of purposes. Its two resolution settings of 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 pixels provides users with the option of using the lower resolution setting for on-screen applications such as web pages, electronic presentations and email, or the higher resolution setting for printed documents. In combination with high quality 24-bit imaging, this results in sharp pictures for home and business uses. Agfa ePhoto stores 36 high-resolution and 72 standard-resolution digital photographs. Whether for Web site construction, business documents, photo manipulation, or output to a printer, Agfa ePhoto provides businesses with an easy and affordable digital camera option. Every workplace, from real estate to advertising to design organizations can take advantage of its quality and efficiency.

As a tool for business, educational or personal use, Agfa ePhoto offers users an immediate way to capture images and bring them into their computer. It eliminates the steps of film processing and scanning. "With the widespread use of color-capable personal computers, color inkjet printers, and affordable image processing software, PC users can now make the simple next step of capturing their images with the ePhoto camera," said Etienne Van Damme, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for the Agfa Business Unit Electronic Prepress Systems. "We believe the immediacy of capturing photographs economically and the advantage of using images to communicate will make ePhoto a new creative tool for business and personal use."

Added Value Software Included.

Included with the Agfa ePhoto are Agfa PhotoWise and Adobe PhotoDeluxe software. Agfa PhotoWise moves the images quickly and easily from the camera into the computer. The pictures can then be organized and enhanced. PhotoWise also gives users easy access to images stored in the camera with the PhotoWise Quicklink browser, which provides drag-and-drop support into other OLE2 applications such as those in Microsoft Office. Adobe PhotoDeluxe is an image editing package that easily modifies and personalizes digital photos. Suited for home use, this software has over 25 guided activities to help you improve and manipulate images, as well as many tools for merging pictures into documents, postcards, greeting cards, or other desired formats. Both programmes are Windows 95 and Macintosh compatible. PhotoWise also operates with Windows NT.

Portable, Easy And Fun To Use.

The Agfa ePhoto 307 is as simple to use as a traditional point-and-shoot camera. A user operates a shutter button and can choose between several flash settings, including auto flash mode or red eye reduction. There is a "delete files" button and a button to choose high or low resolution. The Agfa ePhoto is light and compact, making it easy to carry in a briefcase, backpack or pocketbook. Most of all, the ePhoto puts creativity and control with the user, allowing home and office users to immediately capture and work with photos to make their own slide shows, reports, newsletters, advertisements, web pages, greeting cards and more.

In addition to the software, Agfa ePhoto also comes with serial cables for connection to both PC and Macintosh computers; 4 AA alkaline batteries; built in auto flash and self-timer features; and 2MB of internal flash memory. ePhoto is the newest addition to Agfa's line of digital cameras, including the StudioCam and ActionCam. Agfa ePhoto has a suggested list price of US $599 (US).

AGFA-GEVAERT AG
www.agfaphoto.com