Category: English

Lets review compact mirrorless photo camera Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 with 16 MP 4/3″ Live MOS sensor, new Venus Engine graphical processor, 1040 K dots tilting touch LCD screen and Micro Four Thirds mount for interchangeable lenses. Camera can make photos with 4592 x 3448 pixels maximal resolution and saves them in JPEG ( DCF, Exif 2.3 ), RAW and RAW+JPEG formats; supported video recording modes are Full HD 1920 x 1080 60/50, HD 1280 x 720 60/50 and VGA 640 x 480 30/25 with saving in MP4 format with MPEG-4 AVCHD image encoding and AAC stereo sound recording via built-in microphones. Color spaces are sRGB and Adobe RGB, ISO sensitivity levels are in 160 – 25600 range; it has built-in flash and has no built-in viewfinder; image stabilization is optical ( MEGA O.I.S. ) with lens, that support it.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 saves photo and video on SD, SDHC and SDXC ( UHS-I ) flash memory cards; it has support of Wi-Fi ( IEEE 802.11b/g/n, NFC ) connections for remote data transferring and control. Camera supports automatic and manual focus, exposure and diaphragm settings and can be used for astronomical photos making via T-mount adapter. It has following connectors : USB 2.0 for data transferring, HDMI Mini Type C and AV output; it has no Hot Shoe connector; there is only one audio driver, which reproduces only mono sound; one charge of Li-ion battery is enough for approximately 330 photos making. Camera sizes are 111.2 ( width ) x 64.8 ( height ) x 38.4 ( depth ) mm and mass is 323 g ( camera, battery and memory card without lens ); its body is made from metal; working temperatures are in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius range, relative air humidity levels are in 10 – 80 % range.

Package contains : Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 camera itself, bayonet cap, Li-ion battery, recharger, shoulder strap, USB cable, CD-ROM with PHOTOfunSTUDIO 9.2 AE program, warranty card and user’s guide; there are also kits with included lenses and caps for them. All in all, this is a great camera : it produces high-quality photos and video, has compact sizes and new technologies; from its minuses following can be noted : lack of Hot Shoe connector for external flash, viewfinder and other accessories, small buttons on touch screen and sometimes oversharp JPEG images.

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.