Archive for the ‘Sony’ Category
Sunday, October 12th, 2014
Photo of the Day: St Peter’s Abbey is a Benedictine monastery next to the Salzurger Dom in Salzburg, Austria. It is one of the oldest monasteries in the German-speaking world.
The grand interior of St Peter’s Abbey, which was raised to the status of an Archabbey in 1927. This photo was taken at ISO 1250.
* All photos in this article were taken with a Sony A7 full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
The elaborate altar of St Peter’s Abbey. Photo taken at ISO 2500.
St Peter’s Abbey was founded in 696 AD by Saint Rupert, at the site of a church from the early days of Christianity.
Until 987, the abbot of the Abbey was also the Archbishop of Salzburg.
The current building was built in the Romanesque period in the 13th century, and completely renovated in the Baroque style in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The monastery also houses the oldest library in Austria, with some 800 manuscripts and 100,000 volumes.
The light within the Abbey was rather dim and I didn’t want to use any flash – so it was a good opportunity to put the reputed low-light prowess of the Sony A7 to the test.
The Salzburg Madonna
We found this beautiful statue of the Holy Mother and Child within St Peter’s Abbey and I looked it up on the Web afterwards.
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Tags:A7, Austria, Austria 2014, Carl Zeiss, Europe, full-frame, photography, photos, potd, Salzburg, Sony, St Peter’s Abbey, travel
Posted in A7, Austria 2014, Holiday, MIL, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Sony, Travel, travel | No Comments »
Friday, October 10th, 2014
Sony’s first curved 4K Ultra HD TV is now available in Singapore. RRP: S$8,999. Check out the promotion below.
Sony’s 4K X-Reality™ PRO technology up-scales regular TV broadcasts and Blu-ray movies to four times more details than Full HD. X-tended Dynamic Range intelligently boosts brightness and contrast for sparkling highlights and deep blacks.
Announced during IFA 2014 early last month, the 65-inch BRAVIA S9000B sports a gentle curvature that offers a natural sense of depth and realism.
Features such as 4K X-Reality PRO, X-tended Dynamic Range, TRILUMINOS Display, and an all-new 4.2 channel Multi-angle Live Speaker system help bring your favourite content to life.
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Tags:3D, 4K, Bravia, IFA, IFA 2014, promotions, Singapore, Sony, TRILUMINOS, TVs
Posted in 3D, audioVisual, Availability, Bravia, Gadgets, gadgets, newArrivals, Prices, Sony, Specifications, TV | No Comments »
Sunday, October 5th, 2014
Photo of the Day: We were strolling along a path at the side of a hill one evening when we came across a peaceful lawn that the path overlooked into. Inside the lawn were these two metallic sculptures at one corner, right by the hedge.
The two dogs seemed to be frozen in time, and yet looked as if they would come to life anytime and were about to pounce onto something in the lawn. Photo taken with a Sony A7 full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
“有一个宁静的傍晚，我在奥地利萨尔茨堡山边小径走着时看到了路边一个私人住宅的小草坪里摆设了两只铁雕小狗狗，栩栩如生；就好似将要向前扑跳，捕猎什么猎物似地。耐人寻味。” – 科技点心（微薄）
We had just finished visiting the Salzburg Fortress and were walking towards the Nonnberg Abbey when we came across these metallic sculptures in a quiet lawn.
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Tags:A7, Austria 2014, Carl Zeiss, full-frame, photography, photos, potd, Salzburg, Sony, travel
Posted in A7, Austria 2014, cameras, Events, gadgets, Holiday, MIL, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Sony, Travel | No Comments »
Sunday, September 28th, 2014
Photo of the Day: The Salzburger Dom overlooks the Residenzplatz in the centre of Salzburg Altstadt (old town). It contains the baptismal font in which Mozart was baptised.
According to Wikipedia, during the second World War, single bomb crashed through the central dome over the crossing. Repairs and restoration were only completed in 1959.
* All photos in this article were taken with a Sony A7 full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
The Salzburg Cathedral – called the Salzburger Dom in German – is dedicated to Saint Rupert and Saint Vergilius.
The interior of the Salzburger Dom.
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Tags:A7, Austria, Austria 2014, Carl Zeiss, Europe, full-frame, photography, photos, potd, Residenzplatz, Salzburg, Salzburg Cathedral, Salzburger Dom, Sony, travel
Posted in A7, Austria 2014, Cameras, Holiday, MIL, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Sony, Travel, travel | 1 Comment »
Sunday, September 21st, 2014
Photo of the Day: Brought my daughter back to where I had discovered this kindle of kittens last year. Lo and behold, they were all still there sans one or two who had been adopted or died.
This photo was taken just after the cat had scuttled into the safety of this drain as it eyed us warily with its dilated eyes. It was already twilight and rather dark in the drain but the A7R didn’t have any problems getting a focus on the cat, although I had to dial up the ISO to its maximum of 25,600. The result was not surprisingly grainy but it was amazing that we even got any shot at all in that dim light! Photo taken with a Sony A7R full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, with a 55-210mm E-mount zoom lens. 184mm, f/6.3, 1/250 sec, ISO 25,600. Photo credit: John Tan.
In particular, there was one black and white cat which I had photographed previously (see below).
“陪伴小女儿重游去年拍摄小猫咪的地方，发现当时只有几个星期大的小妈咪如今已长大了。连小女儿也觉得些许感概。但看到它安然成长，却也是一种安慰。祈福它与同伴们日后也能够继续安然度日。” – 科技点心（微薄）
We had so much fun comparing the fully grown cat with the photos that I’d taken of the kitten a year ago to affirm they were the same cat – the lines emanating from the corner of the eyes, and the stripes on the forehead.
The retirees looking after the cats confirmed that these cats were indeed those kittens all grown up.
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Tags:A7R, animals, cats, kittens, photography, photos, potd, Singapore, Sony
Posted in A7, Cameras, cameras, Gadgets, gadgets, MIL, Photos, POTD, POTD, Sony | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 16th, 2014
The Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS (SEL1635Z) lens has a versatile wide-angle zoom range and is optimised for Sony A7 series 35mm full-frame cameras. Available in Singapore from November 2014. Price TBA.
Unveiled at Photokina 2014: Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS (SEL1635Z) lens.
The lens ships with Optical SteadyShot in-lens image stabilisation and is compact and portable.
It is built with dust and moisture resistant design.
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Tags:A7, Alpha, lens, lenses, Photokina 2014, Sony, Vario-Tessar, ZEISS
Posted in A7, Accessories, Exhibition, Gadgets, gadgets, Lens, MIL, newArrivals, Photography, Sony, Specifications | No Comments »
Friday, September 12th, 2014
Sony has introduced the world’s first Full-Frame lens with power zoom capability. The SELP28135G lens is an addition to the Alpha E-mount camera system. Price & availability TBA.
Despite its heavyweight credentials, the lens’s compact dimensions and reduced weight are especially welcome in shooting situations where maximum mobility is needed.
The FE PZ 28-135mm F4 G OSS (SELP28135G) offers videographers and film-makers a new creative tool for cameras such as the 35mm full-frame α7S, whether they are shooting 4K video, Full HD or stills.
The SELP28135G is compatible with all Sony E-mount cameras and camcorders.
Its focal length extends over an even wider 42-202.5mm (35mm equivalent) range when attached to bodies with an APS-C sensor.
These include Sony’s α6000/α5100 cameras as well as pro-friendly Super 35mm format camcorders like the NEX-FS700 or new PXW-FS7.
A constant F4 maximum aperture lets movie-makers and still photographers achieve beautiful depth of field effects and stable exposure control across the entire zoom range, from wide-angle to telephoto.
The needs of serious film-makers are catered for with Sony’s new ‘Smooth Motion Optics’ design philosophy.
Targeting the highest possible image quality when using large-sensor cameras, this advanced optical/mechanical design addresses three issues of prime concern to movie-makers: change in angle of view (‘breathing’) while focusing, focus shifts during zoom and movement of the optical axis during zoom.
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Tags:Alpha, E-Mount, full-frame, lens, photography, Sony, video
Posted in Announce, Gadgets, gadgets, Lens, newArrivals, Photography, Sony, Specifications | 2 Comments »
Sunday, September 7th, 2014
Photo of the Day: Cliff the Golden Retriever is usually lively and enthusiastic. But why does he look so rueful today?
There’s a carnival just outside but it’s not time for Cliff to go for his walk yet. So after peering eagerly through the grills of the garden gate, he has resigned himself to the role of onlooker – resting his head on the grill to see the world go by.
* All the photos in this article were taken with a Sony A7R full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, with a 55-210mm E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Cliff the Golden Retriever is a friendly fellow who loves to mix with the crowd.
Here’s Cliff looking ruefully at me while I snap his portraits from the garden.
There’s a rowdy carnival just outside and Cliff can see the kids out there.
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Tags:A7R, animals, dogs, photography, photos, potd, Singapore, Sony
Posted in A7, Cameras, cameras, Daily life, Gadgets, MIL, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Sony | No Comments »
Friday, September 5th, 2014
Sony has expanded its lens-style cameras with the new ILCE-QX1 and DSC-QX30 during a pre-IFA event in Berlin, Germany. The Japanese camera maker also added two fresh new colour options for the DSC-QX10.
Available in Singapore from October 2014.
The new lens-style cameras from Sony: ILCE-QX1 (right) and DSC-QX30 (left).
Sony’s lens-style cameras combine the spontaneity and easy sharing of smartphones with the image quality of dedicated cameras.
These cameras are connected to the smartphone via Wi-Fi.
ILCE-QX1 lens camera
The ILCE-QX1 lets serious photographers make use of their E-mount / A-mount (requires LA-EA4 adaptor for A-mount lenses) lens collection – be it zoom, wide angle, tele or macro.
QX1 comes with built-in pop-up flash.
Users can exercise control over exposure, focus and shooting modes.
The camera’s APS-C size Exmor CMOS sensor has 20.1-megapixels works with Sony’s BIONZ X processor that now features improved area-specific noise reduction – producing low-noise images, even when shooting in near-darkness.
The big sensor inside the QX1 also creates pro-style ‘bokeh’ effects with creamy background blur – another trick that smartphones can’t match.
The QX1 comes with many features, including RAW recording and pop-up flash.
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Tags:cameras, IFA, IFA 2014, lens, PlayMemories, QX1, QX10, QX30, Sony, Xperia
Posted in Accessories, Announce, Cameras, cameras, Gadgets, gadgets, Lens, newArrivals, Photography, Seminars, Sony, Sony Mobile, Specifications | 3 Comments »
Thursday, September 4th, 2014
Sony has just announced at IFA 2014 the mid-range Xperia E3 smartphone; Xperia Z3, Z3 Compact phablets & Z3 Tablet Compact tablet; as well as its new SmartWear gadgets – SmartBand Talk and SmartWatch 3.
Update (16 September, 2014):
The slew of products announced during IFA 2014 were showcased at the Xperia Z3 SEA launch event in Singapore.
Local pricing and availability below.
| Model / RRP |
Availability |
| Xperia Z3
$998 |
Pre-order on week of 22 September 2014.
Launch on 4 October 2014
|
| Xperia Z3 Compact
S$798 |
| Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
S$TBA |
Price and availability to be announced closer to launch date. |
| Xperia E3
S$298 |
| SmartBand Talk
S$228 |
End Oct 2014 |
| SmartWatch 3
S$298 |
The Sony Xperia Z3 series and SmartWear devices. (The Xperia E3 is not shown above – see below).
Sony has rolled out a slew of new gadgets – from premium flagships to novel SmartWear devices, whilst keeping an eye on the budget conscious mid-range.
Xperia Z3 series phablets/tablet
All three new members of the Xperia Z3 series run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 2.5 GHz quad-core CPUs and 3G RAM, with fully integrated Qualcomm Adreno 330 GPU.
The Xperia Z3 is 7.3mm thick and is available in white, black, copper or silver green. The Xperia Z3 Compact is 8.6mm thick and weighs 129g, and is available in orange, green, white or black. The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact (not shown here) is available in white or black.
They are waterproof and dust-tight (IP 65/68)
The Xperia Z3 flagship phablet comes only six months after its Xperia Z2 predecessor.
The screen is of similar size to the Z2 at 5.2 inches, but the Z3 is smaller, thinner and lighter.
Together with the Xperia Z3 Compact, the Z3 has a 20.7-megapixel camera with 1/2.3-inch “Exmor RS for mobile” image sensor, new 25mm “G Lens” and ISO 12800 sensitivity.
A dual SIM variant is also on offer in select markets.
The Xperia Z3 Compact phablet is a smaller version of the Xperia Z3 but with the same CPU and graphics chip.
It is a replacement for the Xperia Z1 Compact. Its 4.6-inch screen is larger than the 4.3 inches in the Z1 Compact.
Sony claims that the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact tablet is the world’s slimmest and lightest compact tablet, at 6.4mm thick and 270g weight.
It features an 8-inch Full HD TRILUMINOS.
Xperia E3 mid-range smartphone
The Xperia E3 sports a 4.5-inch 480 x 854 IPS display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core 1.2GHz processor, and Adreno 305 graphics, with 1GB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage.
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Tags:IFA, phablets, SmartBand, smartphones, SmartWatch, smartwatches, SmartWear, Sony, tablets, Xperia, Xperia E3, Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact, Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
Posted in Accessories, Android, Announce, Gadgets, gadgets, newArrivals, Phones, Seminars, smartphones, smartwatches, Sony, Sony Mobile, Specifications, Tablets, tablets, Tech news, Tickers, Watches, Xperia | 3 Comments »
