Electronics | Imagination Works

Sony SEL-20F28 – compact fixed photo-lens for Sony E mounts

Lets meet in optics part today with compact standard photo-lens Sony SEL-20F28 for Sony E mounts. Its 20 mm focus is fixed, diaphragm can be set in f/2.8 – f/16 range ( it is relatively light lens ) with use of 7 diaphragm blades. It is designed for APS-C sensors and gives 70 degrees field of view with them, minimal focusing distance is 0.2 m, it does not support automatic focusing and optical image stabilization ( which camera can perform by itself via sensor shifting, if it supports such function ). 6 lens elements in 6 groups are built into it, among them 3 are aspherical for chromatic and geometric distortions reduction, they all are coated with protective and anti-reflective multi-coating. 49 mm optical filters can be attached to it, its sizes are 62.6 ( diameter ) x 20.4 ( length ) mm, and mass is 69 g.

Sony SEL-20F28 photo-lens optical scheme

Package contains : Sony SEL-20F28 photo-lens itself, frontal and rear caps, protective and carrying case and user’s guide. All in all, this is a good fixed photo-lens with small glasses amount, aspherical lens elements, relatively high light strength and big field of view; it is more oriented to photos making, because it does not support automatic focusing and optical image stabilization ( which camera can perform by itself, if it supports it ), but experienced photographers can use it for videos recording also.

Review of fixed light photo-lens Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D

Lets review fixed light photo-lens Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D for Nikon F mounts. Its 85 mm focus is fixed, diaphragm is set in f/1.8 – f/16 range with use of 9 diaphragm blades, it is designed for 35 mm full-frame ( with 28 degrees 30 minutes field of view ) and APS-C ( with 18 degrees 50 minutes field of view ) sensors, minimal focusing distance is 0.85 m. It supports automatic focusing and does not support optical image stabilization ( which can be performed by camera itself via sensor shifting, if it supports it ). 6 lens elements in 6 groups are built into it ( it is adequate amount for fixed lens ), they all are coated with protective and anti-reflective Super Integrated Coating. 62 mm Screw-on optical filters can be attached to it, lens sizes are 71.5 ( length ) x 58.5 ( diameter ) mm, and its mass is 380 g. Package contains : Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D photo-lens itself, frontal and rear caps, carrying and storage case and user’s guide. It is good fixed light photo-lens with small lens elements amount ( for light dispersion and internal reflections on optical surfaces amount reduction ), it supports auto-focusing and is useful for photos making and videos recording ( especially if camera supports optical image stabilization ) by novice and experienced photographers.

Yongnuo EF YN 50mm F/1.8 – standard prime photo lens for Canon EF mounts

Lets review standard light lens Yongnuo EF YN 50mm F/1.8 for Canon EF mounts. Its 50 mm focus is fixed, diaphragm can be set in f/1.8 – f/22 range with use of 7 diaphragm blades, its field of view is 46 degrees and minimal focusing distance is 0.45 m. It supports automatic and manual focusing and does not support image stabilization ( which can be performed by camera itself, if it supports it ). 6 lens elements in 5 groups are mounted into it, they all are covered with protective and anti-reflective multicoating. There is ability to attach 52 mm optical filters to it, its sizes are 73 ( diameter ) x 55 ( length ) mm, and mass is 120 g. Package contains : Yongnuo EF YN 50mm F/1.8 photo-lens itself, frontal and rear caps, 52 mm thread frontal cap and user’s guide. It is good standard photo-lens with adequate lens elements amount, high light strength and automatic focusing support, which costs much less, than Canon prime lenses. It will be useful for photos and videos making ( especially if camera supports image stabilization ) by novice and experienced photographers.

chord Micro MU Control Station – mini MIDI keyboard with maxi functions

Lets meet in audio part with mini MIDI keyboard chord Micro MU Control Station with functions, that are inherent to high-level keyboards. It has : 25 velocity-sensitive mini-keys, 8 velocity-sensitive drumpads, 4 programmable sliders, 4 programmable knobs and 8 customizable buttons. Wherein its sizes are 320 ( width ) x 35 ( height ) x 190 ( depth ) mm and mass is 750 g. It is powered from 1 USB port and works without additional drivers in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and newer and Mac OS X operating systems via Plug and Play technology, in which it integrates with modern DAWs, their instruments and VST plugins : Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER and others. Package contains : chord Micro MU Control Station MIDI keyboard itself, USB cable and user’s guide. Overall, it is mini keyboard with very rich functions, which costs approximately 60 USD at the middle of Autumn 2015; pitch-bend and modulation control wheels ( programmable sliders, knobs and even buttons can perform their functions ), pedals inputs and specialized transport control buttons ( programmable buttons can act as they ) can be wished, but with such price it has quite adequate functions.

Pentax HD Pentax DA 40mm f/2.8 – compact prime lens with just 5 glasses

Lets review in optics area compact prime photo-lens Pentax HD Pentax DA 40mm f/2.8 for Pentax K mounts. It is notable by its small sizes and mass and small amount of lens elements. Its 40 mm focus is fixed ( with support of automatic and manual focusing ); diaphragm can be set in f/2.8 – f/22 range with use of 9 diaphragm blades, it is controlled by camera or manually; it is designed for Pentax APS-C optical sensors, with them it has 39 degrees field of view. Minimal focusing distance is 0.4 m, there is ability to attach 49 mm optical filters to it and it does not support optical image stabilization ( which camera perform by itself by sensor shifting, if it supports such function ). It has 5 lens elements in 4 groups, they all are covered with protective and anti-reflective multicoating. Its sizes are 63.5 ( diameter ) x 15.24 ( length ) mm, mass is 88 g, it is produced in 2 color variants : black and silver. Package contains : Pentax HD Pentax DA 40mm f/2.8 photo lens itself, frontal and rear caps, storage and carrying case and user’s guide. All in all, this a good photo lens with compact sizes, small mass, small glasses amount, automatic focusing and electronic diaphragm control ability, so it is good fit for videos recording ( especially if camera can perform image stabilization ) and photos making by novice and experienced photographers.

Akai MPK88 Hammer-Action – professional MIDI keyboard with full spectrum of functions

Lets review professional MIDI keyboard Akai MPK88 Hammer-Action. It has full spectrum of functions for music playing and DAW control. Following modules are integrated into it : 88 velocity-sensitive keys with Aftertouch function; 16 velocity-sensitive drumpads, which also react on pressure strength and have access to 4 samples banks; pitch-bend and modulation control wheels; 8 knobs, 8 buttons and 8 sliders with assignable functions, together they can control 72 parameters with use of Q-Link technology; 6 transport control buttons; Key Split function, which allows to play 2 sounds simultaneously from 1 keyboard; MPC Note Repeat, MPC Swing and arpreggiator modules; MPC Full Level, MPC 16-Level, Tap Tempo and Time Division units; inputs for optional pedals; USB port, through which it is powered and communicates with computer; and MIDI input-output. Keyboard works in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and newer and Mac OS X 10.4.11 and newer operating systems without need of additional drivers installation via Plug and Play technology and tightly integrates with modern DAWs, their instruments and VST plugins : Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live and others.

MIDI keyboard Akai MPK88 Hammer-Action ( rear view )

MIDI is bundled with DAW Ableton Live Lite Akai Pro Edition and is optimized for work with AIR Ignite software. Its sizes are 1.31 ( width ) x 0.38 ( depth ) x 0.13 ( height ) m, and mass is 30.4 kg. Package contains : MIDI keyboard Akai MPK88 Hammer-Action itself, USB cable, optical disks with software and user’s guide. It is very good keyboard with wide range of functions and controllers and corresponding price.

Sony Alpha SAL85F28 85mm f/2.8 – entry level tele-photo lens with 5 glasses

Lets meet with entry level tele-photo lens Sony Alpha SAL85F28 85mm f/2.8. Its 85 mm focus is fixed, diaphragm can be set in f/2.8 – f/22 range with use of 7 diaphragm blades; it is attached to camera via Sony A mount. Field of view with 35 mm full-frame sensors is 29 degrees, with APS-C sensors : 19 degrees. Objective lens supports automatic focusing with use of Smooth Autofocus Motor ( SAM ), which is useful for videos recording; and does not support optical image stabilization ( which camera can perform by itself via sensor shifting, if it supports such function ). Minimal focusing distance is 0.6 m. It has only 5 lens elements in 4 groups, this reduces light dissipation and internal reflections amount, all glasses are covered with protective and anti-reflective multicoating. There is ability to attach 55 mm optical filters to it; its sizes are 52.1 ( length ) x 70.1 ( diameter ) mm, and mass is 173 g. Package contains : Sony Alpha SAL85F28 85mm f/2.8 photo-lens itself, frontal and rear caps, carrying and storage case and user’s guide. This is good entry-level tele-photo lens with small glasses amount and auto-focusing, which can be used for video recording, if camera supports image stabilization, and which fits very well for photos making by novice and experienced photographers.

Review of photo lens Sony SEL50F18 50mm f/1.8 for Sony E mounts

Lets review photo lens Sony SEL50F18 50mm f/1.8 for Sony E mounts. It is light objective lens with 50 mm fixed focus and f/1.8 – f/22 diaphragm, which is set by 7 diaphragm blades. With APS-C sensor field of view is 32 degrees, minimal focusing distance is 0.39 m, lens supports optical image stabilization Optical SteadyShot and automatic focusing with use of silent motor, which is very convenient for videos recording. It has 6 lens elements in 5 groups, they all are covered with protective and anti-reflective multicoating. There is ability to attach to it 49 mm optical filters; its sizes are : 62 x 62 mm, and mass is : 202 g. It is produced in 2 color variants : black and silver, its body is made from aluminum. Package contains : Sony SEL50F18 50mm f/1.8 photo lens itself, frontal and rear caps, lens hood and user’s guide. All in all, it is good light photo lens with small amount of glasses ( for light dispersion and internal reflections reduction ), automatic focusing, image stabilization and support of manual focus and diaphragm settings, so, it will be useful for novice and experienced photographers for photos shooting and videos recording.

Review of Novation Impulse 25, 49 and 61 MIDI keyboards

Today in audio part we will look on professional MIDI keyboards Novation Impulse 25, 49 and 61, which are modifications of the same keyboard with according velocity-sensitive keys amounts. Besides them they have : 8 knobs, which can be rotated any amount of times in any direction; 8 velocity-sensitive drumpads with backlight; 9 sliders ( on 49 and 61 models ) or 1 slider ( on 25 model ); 6 transport control buttons; pitch-bend and modulation wheels; 2 octaves control buttons; LCD display; 6 programmable buttons, 4 of which has backlight; 4 control change buttons ( 49 and 61 ) or 3 such buttons ( 25 ); 9 mute and solo buttons; and arpreggiator. They have following ports : USB connector ( through which they are powered and communicate with computer ); MIDI input and output; power adapter input, which is needed only in MIDI connection case; 1/4” ( 6.3 mm ) TRS jack inputs for sustain and expression pedals; and Kensington slot. Keyboards support High Rate Scan ( HRS ) technology, with which they scan their state 10000 times per second and acquire all nuances of musician play. They are tightly integrated with modern DAWs, their instruments and VST plugins : FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase and others. MIDI keyboards are supplied with DAW Ableton Live Lite 9.

MIDI keyboard Novation Impulse 25 ( rear view )

They are compatible with Windows 7, 8 and newer and Mac OSX 10.8 and newer operating systems. Keyboards sizes are : 25 : 525 ( width ) x 332 ( depth ) x 100 ( height ) mm; 49 : 864 ( width ) x 332 ( depth ) x 100 ( height ) mm; и 61 : 1022 ( width ) x 332 ( depth ) x 100 ( height ) mm. Their package contains : Novation Impulse 25, 49 and 61 MIDI keyboards, USB cable, optical disks with software and user’s guide. They are good and functional keyboards with full spectrum of controls and adequate price for their functionality.

ESI U46 XL – professional external audio interface, that is designed for majority of studio tasks

Lets review professional external studio audio interface ESI U46 XL, which is designed for majority of sound recording tasks. It is created on base of preceding model ESI U46DJ. Card’s frontal panel has : balanced XLR microphone input ( this allows to neutralize all noises, which are added to signal during its movement in the cable ) with ability to switch +48 V phantom pwer, switch for choosing of linear or microphone work mode of the input, phantom power button and amplification level control knob; instrumental TRS 6.3 mm ( 1/4″ ) jack Hi-Z input, its Hi-Z or linear work modes switch and amplification level control knob; TRS 6.3 mm ( 1/4″ ) jack output for monitor headphones, their volume level control and power button. Back panel of sound card has : USB port and power adapter input; analogue TRS 6.3 mm ( 1/4″ ) jack mix inputs for left and right channels; 6 analogue RCA outputs ( which can work as 6 independent analogue outputs or as outputs for 5.1 channel audio system ); and 4 analogue RCA inputs. Sound card works on 48 kHz sampling rate with 24 bits precision and 100 dB range of digital-to-analogue and analogue-to-digital conversions. Body of card is produced from aluminum to increase its durability and to reduce electro-magnetic interference on its electronics.

For it drivers are released for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 ( with MME, WDM and ASIO 2.0 interfaces and DirectWIRE support ) and Mac OS X 10.3 and newer ( with support of Core Audio ) operating systems, with which it can tightly integrate with modern DAWs : FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase and others. Card is bundled with DAW Steinberg Cubase LE for PC and Mac systems. Package contains : ESI U46 XL sound card itself, USB cable, optical disks with drivers and software and user’s guide. All in all, this a good professional studio sound card, which supports majority of functions, except of MIDI and digital connectors; its other minuses are support of only 48 kHz sampling rate ( this is due to big channels amount and USB 2.0 bus speed capabilities limits reaching; but higher sampling rates are not always needed, for example, if sound will not be processed too much after recording ) and lack of volume level and clip indicators on its body. So, this interface should be bought only if it will be used exactly for functions, for which it is designed; if there is need to simply buy studio level or fully functional audio interface, then it is better to buy device, which has full spectrum of audio connectors and functions, for approximately the same price.

Tag: Electronics