Tag: Camera

Lets review in optics part compact mirrorless photo-camera Sony Alpha NEX-7 with 24.3 MP Exmor HD CMOS APS-C sensor, BionZ graphical processor and Sony E mount for interchangeable lenses. It saves photos in JPEG, RAW ( with 12 bits per channel precision ) and RAW+JPEG formats and records video in Full HD 1920 x 1080 28/24 and HD 1280 x 720 28/24 modes, saving it in MPEG-4 format with AVCHD or H.264 image encoding and AAC stereo sound, recorded via built-in or external microphones. ISO sensitivity levels are in 100 – 16000 range; camera has built-in flash and OLED viewfinder with 2.4 M dots resolution, its 3″ touch LCD screen can be tilted and has 921.6 K dots resolution; image stabilization is optical with lenses, that support it.

Sony Alpha NEX-7 supports automatic and manual focus, exposure and diaphragm settings and can be used for astronomical shooting with T-mount adapter. It saves photos and videos on Memory Stick PRO HG-Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, SD, SDHC and SDXC ( UHS-I ) flash memory cards; and has following connectors : USB 2.0 for connection with computer, HDMI Mini Type-C, Hot Shoe and 1/8″ mini-jack for external microphone; one charge of Li-ion battery NP-FW50 enough for approximately 400 photos making. Camera sizes are 120 ( width ) x 67 ( height ) x 43 ( depth ) mm and mass is 292 g ( only camera without lens, memory card and battery ); its body is made from metal. Operating conditions are the same, as other cameras have : temperature in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius range and relative air humidity levels in 30 – 90 % range.

Package contains : Sony Alpha NEX-7 camera itself, USB cable, Li-ion battery NP-FW50, BC-VW1 AC recharger, body cap, shoulder strap, clearing cloth, CD-ROM disk with software, 1-year warranty card and user’s guide; there are also kits with included lenses. Camera is very good, it gives high quality photos and video and have compact metal body and APS-C sensor; its minus is very big price ( but it is not overpriced for its functions and technologies ), for which entry-level mirrored camera can be bought.

Lets meet with compact mirrorless camera Olympus PEN E-P5, made in retro-style with 4/3″ Live MOS sensor with 16.1 MP effective resolution, Micro Four Thirds mount for interchangeable lenses and TruePic VI graphical processor. Camera can make photos with 4608 x 3456 pixels maximal resolution and save them in JPEG, RAW ( with 12 bits per channel precision and lossless compression ), RAW+JPEG and MPO formats; it records videos in Full HD 1920 x 1080 30p, HD 1280 x 720 30p and SD 640 x 480 30 modes, saving them in MOV ( with MPEG-4 AVC or H.264 image encoding ) or AVI ( Motion JPEG ) formats and recording Wave ( Linear PCM 16 bits and 48 kHz ) stereo sound via built-in or external microphones. Image stabilization is performed via sensor-shifting and neutralizes movements on 5-axes; ISO sensitivity levels are in 100 ‐ 25600 range; color spaces are sRGB and Adobe RGB. Camera has built-in flash, has no built-in viewfinder, its 3″ touch LCD screen can be tilted and has 1.04 M dots resolution.

Olympus PEN E-P5 saves photos and videos on SD, SDHC and SDXC ( UHS-I ) flash memory cards with support of Eye-Fi; it can establish Wi-Fi connection for remote data transfers and control. Camera supports manual and automatic focus, exposure and diaphragm settings, it can be used for astronomical photos and videos making. It has following connectors : combined USB 2.0/AV output/remote control port, HDMI Micro Type D, Hot Shoe and Accessory Port 2; one charge of battery is enough for 330 photos making. Its sizes are 122.3 ( width ) x 68.9 ( height ) x 37.2 ( depth ) mm and mass is 378 g ( only camera without lens, memory card and battery ); its body is made from metal; operating conditions are : temperature in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius range and relative air humidity levels in 30 – 90 % range.

Package contains : Olympus PEN E-P5 camera itself, Li-ion battery BLN-1, BCN-1 recharger, USB cable, shoulder strap, CD-ROM disk with OLYMPUS Viewer 3 program, warranty card and user’s guide; there are also kits with included lenses. Camera gives great photos and videos and has professional technologies of Olympus OM-D cameras; its one minus is the price, for which APS-C sensored Sony, Canon and Fujifilm compact cameras can be bought; so, in this case customer should make his or hers own decision : whether to buy professional technologies in compact body or APS-C sensored camera.

Lets make review of compact mirrorless photo-camera Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5, which differs only slightly from previous model in this line : GF3. It has 12.1 MP MOS sensor with 4/3″ size, Venuc Engine VII HD graphical processor and optical image stabilization with lenses, which support it, they are attached to camera via Micro Four Thirds mount. Camera makes photos with 4000 x 3000 pixels maximal resolution and saves them in JPEG, RAW, RAW+JPEG and MPO formats; can record videos in Full HD 1920 x 1080 60i, HD 1280 x 720 60i and VGA 640 x 480 30 modes, saving them in MOV ( with AVCHD or MPEG-4 image encoding ) format with AAC stereo sound recording via built-in microphones ( this is a improvement in comparison with GF3, which has only 1 microphone ). ISO sensitivity levels are in 100 – 12800 range, previous model has 6400 maximal level; color spaces are sRGB and Adobe RGB. It has no built-in viewfinder, has built-in flash, 3″ touch LCD screen has 920 K dots resolution ( 2 times more, than the predecessor ).

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 saves photos and videos on SD, SDHC и SDXC ( UHS-I ) flash memory cards; and does not support wireless connections. Camera supports automatic and manual focus, diaphragm and exposure settings, it can be used for astronomical photos making. Following connectors are placed on it : USB 2.0 for data transferring and Li-ion battery charging, HDMI Mini Type C and AV output; it has no Hot Shoe connector; one charge is enough for 330 photos making : this is a small improvement in comparison with Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3. Camera sizes are 107.7 ( width ) x 66.6 ( height ) x 36.8 ( depth ) mm and mass is 225 g ( only camera without lens, memory card and battery ); it has small panel for better grip on front side, its body is made from metal; operating conditions are : temperature in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius range and relative air humidity levels in 10 – 80 % range.

Package contains : Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 camera itself, USB cable, Li-ion battery, recharger, strap on hand, bayonet cap, 1-year warranty card and user’s guide; there are also kits with included lenses. All in all, this is a good camera, but it has small amount of differences with previous model, so, when one of them is being chosen, there is need to look on price.

Today we will talk about compact mirrorless camera Sony Alpha NEX 6, equipped with electronic viewfinder, built-in flash and CMOS APS-C sensor with 16 MP effective resolution. Interchangeable lenses are attached to camera via Sony E mount, manufacturer does not tell what type of image stabilization is used, but, probably, it is optical or performed via sensor shifting ( unlikely, that camera of such level would use digital stabilization ); manufacturer also does not disclose information about used graphical processor, but, most probable, it belongs to BionZ family. Camera can make photos with 4912 x 3264 pixels maximal resolution and save them in JPEG, RAW and RAW+JPEG formats; it records video in Full HD 1920 x 1080 60/24, 1440 x 1080 30 and VGA 640 x 480 30 modes, saving it in MPEG-4 ( with AVCHD or H.264 image encoding ) format with stereo-sound recording via built-in microphones. Wherein ISO levels are in 100 – 25600 range, it has built in flash and viewfinder; Sony removed touch function from screen in this model, and left tilting, 3″ size and 921 K dots resolution.

Camera saves photos and videos on Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick PRO HG-Duo, SD, SDHC and SDXC ( UHS-I ) flash memory cards; it has Wi-Fi connections support for remote data transferring and control. Sony Alpha NEX 6 supports automatic and manual focus, exposure and diaphragm control and can be used for astronomical photos making. Following connectors are installed on it : Micro-USB 2.0 for data transferring and Li-ion battery charging, HDMI Mini Type C and Hot Shoe; one charge of battery is enough for 270 photos making with viewfinder. Camera sizes are 122 ( width ) x 71 ( height ) x 28 ( depth ) mm and mass is 286 g ( only camera without lens, battery and memory card ); its body is made from metal. Sony does not provide information about operating conditions, but, probably, they do not differ much from other cameras : temperature in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius range and relative air humidity in 10 – 90 % range.

Package contains : Sony Alpha NEX 6 camera itself, USB cable, Li-ion battery NP-FW50, recharger AC-UB10, shoulder strap, caps for body and viewfinder, CD-ROM disk with software, 1-year warranty card and user’s guide; there are also kits with included lenses. Camera is great, giving very good image and video quality, only in JPEG there can be noticeable amount of compression and processing artifacts; wherein it costs as entry-level mirrored cameras, but gives APS-C sensor and semi-professional functions in compact, light and tough body.

Lets review compact mirrorless camera Olympus PEN E-PL5, equipped with 4/3″ Live MOS sensor with 16.1 MP effective resolution, TruePic VI graphical processor and Micro Four Thirds mount for interchangeable lenses; sensor and processor are the same, as used in top-level Olympus OM-D 5 camera. It makes photos with 4608 x 3456 pixels maximal resolution and saves them in JPEG, RAW ( with 12 bits per channel precision and lossless compression ), RAW+JPEG and MPO formats; supported video recording modes are Full HD 1920 x 1080 30p, HD 1280 x 720 30p and VGA 640 x 480 30 with saving in MOV ( with MPEG‑4 AVC/H.264 image encoding ) and AVI ( Motion JPEG ) formats and Wave РСМ 16 bits and 48 kHz stereo sound recording via built in microphones or external one. ISO sensitivity levels are in 200 – 25600 range; color spaces are sRGB and AdobeRGB. Camera has no built in flash and viewfinder, there is ability to attach external ones, its 3″ touch LCD screen can be tilted and has 460 K dots resolution.

Olympus PEN E-PL5 supports automatic and manual focus, exposure and diaphragm settings and can be used for astronomical photos making. It saves photos and videos on SD, SDHC and SDXC ( UHS-I ) flash memory cards; supports FlashAir, Eye-Fi and Bluetooth wireless connections for remote data transfers and control. It has following connectors : USB 2.0 port for communication with computer and Li-ion battery charging; combined USB/AV output; HDMI Micro Type D; Hot Shoe and Accessory Port 2. One charge of battery is enough for 360 photos; camera sizes are 110.5 ( width ) x 63.7 ( height ) x 38.2 ( depth ) mm and mass is 279 g ( only camera without lens, battery and memory card ); operating conditions are temperatures in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius range, relative air humidity levels in 30 – 90 % range.

Frontal handle can be unscrewed, camera is supplied in 3 color variants : black, white and silver, its body is made from metal. Package contains : Olympus PEN E-PL5 camera itself, USB cable, Li-ion battery BLS-5, recharger BCS-5, external flash FL-LM1, AV cable, CD-ROM disk with OLYMPUS Viewer 2 software, shoulder strap, warranty card and user’s guide; there are also kits with included lenses. Camera is great, giving photos and videos quality on level of professional mirrored camera Olympus OM-D 5 with improved hand grip and battery use effectiveness; from its minuses only high price can be noted, for which APS-C sensored Sony, Canon and Fujifilm compact cameras can be bought; in this case there is need to look what is better : professional technologies of OM-D 5 in compact body or APS-C sensor.

Lets meet with new mirrorless photo camera Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 – first one with tiltable built-in electronic viewfinder. 4/3″ Live MOS sensor with 16 MP effective resolution is built into it, image is processed by Venus Engine, interchangeable lenses are attached via Micro Four Thirds mount, image stabilization is via sensor shifting. Camera makes photos with 4592 x 3448 pixels maximal resolution and saves them in JPEG ( DCF, Exif 2.3 ), RAW and MPO formats; supported video recording modes are Full HD 1920 × 1080 60fps ( signal from sensor comes with 60p frequency ), HD 1280 x 720 30fps ( 30 ) and VGA 640 x 480 30fps ( 30 ) with saving in AVCHD ( with Dolby Digital 2ch sound format ) and MP4 ( AAC 2ch ) formats. Camera records sound only via built-in microphones in stereo mode; external microphones can not be attached to it; ISO sensitivity levels are in 160 – 25600 range, color spaces are sRGB and Adobe RGB. Electronic tiltable LCD Live View viewfinder has 2.76 M dots resolution; it has built-in flash; tilting touch TFT LCD screen has 1.04 M dots resolution.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 records video and photos on SD, SDHC and SDXC ( UHS-I ) flash memory cards; it supports Wi-Fi and NFC connections for remote data transfers and control. Camera allows manual and automatic control of focus, diaphragm and exposure, it can be used for astronomical photos making with use of T-mount adapter. Following connectors are placed on it : USB 2.0 for data transfers and Li-ion battery charging; HDMI Mini Type C; AV output; 2.5 mm input for remote control; and Hot Shoe; one charge of battery is enough for 320 photos making. Camera sizes are 122.6 ( width ) x 70.7 ( height ) x 54.6 ( depth ) mm and mass is 360 g ( only camera body without lens, memory card and battery ). Operating conditions are : temperature in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius range and relative air humidity levels in 10 – 80 % range.

Package contains : Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 camera itself, USB cable, Li-ion battery, recharger, CD-ROM disk with software ( PHOTOfunSTUDIO 9.2 PE, SILKYPIX Developer Studio 3.1 SE and LoiLoScope 30-days trial version ), shoulder strap, body cap, warranty card and user’s guide; there are kits with included lens, blends and caps for them. This is a great mirrorless compact camera, packaged with modern technologies and giving excellent videos and RAW photos quality; from its minuses following can be mentioned : higher, than competitors, JPEG photos compression artifacts amount ( this is inherent to all Panasonic cameras with Venus Engine ) and very high price ( when new models will come out, it will go down, but even now its technologies and functions justify its price; although for such money there is ability to buy APS-C sensored Sony, Canon and Fujifilm cameras ).

Today we will talk about compact mirrorless camera OLYMPUS PEN mini E-PM2 with 16.05 MP Live MOS 4/3″ sensor – the same, as used in top level Olympus OMD E-M5, and Micro Four Thirds mount for interchangeable lenses. It makes photos with 4608 x 3456 pixels maximal resolution and saves them in JPEG, RAW ( with 12 bits per channel precision and lossless compression ), RAW+JPEG and MPO; records video in Full HD 1920 x 1080 30p, HD 1280 x 720 30p and SD 640 x 480 30 modes, saving it in MOV ( with MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 image encoding ) or AVI ( Motion JPEG ) with sound recording in WAVE Stereo Linear PCM 16 bits and 48 kHz, recorded via built-in or external microphones. ISO levels are in 200 – 25600 range, color spaces are sRGB and AdobeRGB. Image stabilization is via sensor shifting, pictures are processed by TruePic VI graphical engine; it has no built-in flash and viewfinder, there is ability to attach external ones, its 3″ touch LCD screen has 460 K dots resolution.

Camera saves photos and video on SD, SDHC, SDXC ( UHS-I ), Eye-Fi and Flash Air flash memory cards; it can be controlled remotely. OLYMPUS PEN mini E-PM2 supports automatic and manual focus, exposure and diaphragm settings, it can be used for astronomical shooting. It has following connectors : combined USB 2.0/AV output/remote control input, HDMI Micro Type D, Hot Shoe and Accessory Port 2; one charge of Li-ion battery is enough for 360 photos making. Camera sizes are 109.8 ( width ) x 64.2 ( height ) x 33.8 ( depth ) mm and mass is 223 g ( only camera body without lens, memory card and battery ); it can work in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius range and relative air humidity levels in 30 – 90 % range.

Package contains : OLYMPUS PEN mini E-PM2 camera itself, USB cable for battery charging and data transfers, AV cable, Li-ion battery, recharger, external flash, strap on hand, CD-ROM disk with Olympus Viewer 2/ib software, 1-year warranty card and user’s guide. This is a great camera : Olympus accounted experience of previous camera from this family and made more convenient protruding parts for better grip, made touchscreen, which made it easier to work with camera, and increased amount of shots, that can be taken from one battery charge. From its minuses following can be mentioned : lack of built-in flash, noise on high ISO levels ( it is present in all semi-professional cameras ) and small amount of specialized controls, but this is mainly cavils, than real weaknesses.

Today in the optics part we will talk about compact mirrorless camera Sony Alpha NEX-5N with Sony E mount for interchangeable lenses and 16.1 MP CMOS APS-C sensor. Camera shoots photos with 4912 x 3264 pixels maximal resolution and saves them in JPEG, RAW and Multi Picture Object formats; supported video recording modes are Full HD 1920 x 1080 60p and 1440 x 1080 30p with saving in AVCHD ( with AAC sound encoding ) and H.264 formats with stereo sound recording via built in or external microphone. ISO sensitivity levels are in 100 – 25600 range; image is processed by graphical processor BionZ; stabilization is optical with lenses, that support it. It has no built in viewfinder and flash, they can be attached to it, its 3″ LCD screen can be tilted and has 921 K dots resolution.

Camera saves photos and videos on Memory Stick PRO HG-Duo, SD, SDHC and SDXC ( UHS-I ) flash memory cards; it supports Eye-Fi cards for remote data transferring via Wi-Fi connections; optional infrared remote control unit is released for it and can be bought separately. Sony Alpha NEX-5N supports automatic and manual focus, exposure and diaphragm settings and can be used for astronomical photos making. Following connectors are placed on camera : USB 2.0 for data transferring and Li-ion battery charging, HDMI Mini Type-C, AV output and Smart Accessory Terminal 2; 1 charge of battery is enough for 430 photos.

Camera sizes are 111 ( width ) x 59 ( height ) x 38 ( depth ) mm and mass is 210 g ( only camera without lens, memory card and battery ). Package contains : Sony Alpha NEX-5N camera itself, USB cable, Li-ion battery, strap on hand, recharger, external flash, CD-ROM disk with software, 1-year warranty card and users guide; there are also kits with bundled lenses. This is a good camera with large sensor and compact sizes and small mass, which gives great videos and photos quality; its minuses are : too small body, which makes good grip harder, not always convenient menu and high cost ( Sony products are always priced very high, but in majority of cases they worth this ). Wherein APS-C and Micro Four Thirds sensored cameras of other manufacturers also produce great photos and videos, if used properly, so, when camera is being chosen, there is need to look on the price, technical characteristics and personal taste.

Lets review compact mirrorless photo camera Panasonic Lumix DMC GX1, which has semi-professional functions and Micro Four Thirds mount for interchangeable lenses. 16 MP Live MOS sensor with 4/3″ size is built into it, image is processed by graphical Venus Engine FHD, image stabilization is optical with lenses, that support it. Camera makes photos with ISO 160 – 12800 sensitivity levels and saves them in JPEG, RAW and MPO formats; supported video recording modes are Full HD 1920 х 1080 and HD 1280 х 720 with saving in MP4 ( AVCHD image encoding ) and MOV ( Motion JPEG ) with Dolby Digital Stereo Creator sound recording. Wherein microphones are located very close to each other and stereo channels separation, the most probably, is low. It has no built-in viewfinder, has built-in flash, its 3″ touch LCD screen has 460 K dots resolution.

Camera saves photos and videos on SD, SDHC and SDXC ( UHS-I ) flash memory cards; it has no Wi-Fi connections support for remote data transferring and control. It supports automatic and manual focus, exposure and diaphragm control and can be used for astronomical objects shooting. Following connectors are located on Panasonic Lumix DMC GX1 : USB 2.0 for data transferring and Li-ion battery charging; HDMI Mini Type C; AV output; Hot Shoe; and remote wired control port; one charge of battery is enough for 310 photos making. Camera sizes are 116.3 ( width ) x 67.8 ( height ) x 39.4 ( depth ) mm and mass is 318 g ( without lens and with battery and memory card ); its body is made from metal with rubberized insets for better and more convenient grip.

Package contains : Panasonic Lumix DMC GX1 camera itself, USB cable, Li-ion battery, strap on hand, mount cap, optical disks with software ( PHOTOfunSTUDIO 7.0 HD Edition, SILKYPIX Developer Studio 3.1 SE and LoiLoScope ), warranty card and user’s guide; there are also kits with bundled lenses. Overall, this is a great camera with interchangeable lenses, which gives very good RAW photos quality; JPEG photos of Panasonic cameras with Venus Engine FHD can give higher amount of compression artifacts, in comparison with competitors. Its other minus is weak stereo channels separation, this is a consequence of its primary design for still photos making.