Sony announces a7 II, first full-frame cam with 5-axis IS

Sony has just announced its newest model in the a7 series of interchangeable-lens model. The a7 II is touted as the world’s first camera with optical 5-axis image stabilization designed for a full-frame image sensor. With it comes a lineup of improvements as well as new features.

Sony a7 II specs:
Sensor Type: 35mm full-frame Exmor CMOS sensor
Effective Pixels: 24.3MP
ISO Sensitivity: 50-25600
Viewfinder type: 0.5”-type EVF
Screen type: 3-inch TFT LCD
Lens Compatibility: Sony E-mount lenses
Processing Engine: BIONZ X
NFC
Wi-Fi
Dimensions: 126.9 x 95.7 x 59.7mm
Weight: 556 grams (body only)

sony-a7-ii-2

These 5 camera shakes are now detected and optically stabilized to produce sharper images.

Some of the a7 II’s most notable features include:

  • Detecting and correcting five camera shakes (pitch and yaw, X and Y axes, and roll) for a more stabilized shot even without a tripod.
  • The 24.3-megapixel 35mm full-frame Exmor CMOS sensor itself moves to compensate for these kinds of shakes.
  • Stabilization is equal to up to 4.5 steps faster shutter speed of correction for still images.
  • Camera’s IS is still effective even when used with E-mount lenses without Optical SteadyShot (OSS).
  • Handheld shooting with low-light and slow shutter speed is now possible.
  • Users can monitor corrected image in real-time on the camera’s LCD screen or in the OLED viewfinder  for fine-tuned framing and focusing.
  • Autofocus is promised to be very responsive?–?30% faster than in previous models.
  • Predicts the next movement of the subject for tracking shots thanks to a more advanced algorithm.

The Sony a7 II sells in the Philippines for Php89,999 for the body alone, while having a 28-70mm kit lens will set you back Php105,999.

For the complete specs head over to Sony’s website.

The post Sony announces a7 II, first full-frame cam with 5-axis IS appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Sony announces a7 II, first full-frame cam with 5-axis IS

Sony has just announced its newest model in the a7 series of interchangeable-lens model. The a7 II is touted as the world’s first camera with optical 5-axis image stabilization designed for a full-frame image sensor. With it comes a lineup of improvements as well as new features.

Sony a7 II specs:
Sensor Type: 35mm full-frame Exmor CMOS sensor
Effective Pixels: 24.3MP
ISO Sensitivity: 50-25600
Viewfinder type: 0.5”-type EVF
Screen type: 3-inch TFT LCD
Lens Compatibility: Sony E-mount lenses
Processing Engine: BIONZ X
NFC
Wi-Fi
Dimensions: 126.9 x 95.7 x 59.7mm
Weight: 556 grams (body only)

sony-a7-ii-2

These 5 camera shakes are now detected and optically stabilized to produce sharper images.

Some of the a7 II’s most notable features include:

  • Detecting and correcting five camera shakes (pitch and yaw, X and Y axes, and roll) for a more stabilized shot even without a tripod.
  • The 24.3-megapixel 35mm full-frame Exmor CMOS sensor itself moves to compensate for these kinds of shakes.
  • Stabilization is equal to up to 4.5 steps faster shutter speed of correction for still images.
  • Camera’s IS is still effective even when used with E-mount lenses without Optical SteadyShot (OSS).
  • Handheld shooting with low-light and slow shutter speed is now possible.
  • Users can monitor corrected image in real-time on the camera’s LCD screen or in the OLED viewfinder  for fine-tuned framing and focusing.
  • Autofocus is promised to be very responsive?–?30% faster than in previous models.
  • Predicts the next movement of the subject for tracking shots thanks to a more advanced algorithm.

The Sony a7 II sells in the Philippines for Php89,999 for the body alone, while having a 28-70mm kit lens will set you back Php105,999.

For the complete specs head over to Sony’s website.

The post Sony announces a7 II, first full-frame cam with 5-axis IS appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

YugaTech Christmas Gadget Guide 2014: Cameras

You’ve seen the past few days our smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, and laptop holiday gadget guides. Today, we’ll discuss cameras of all shapes, sizes, and uses — in hopes that they win your hearts and pockets this holiday season.

ChristmasGuide2014-A6480

It is no doubt that cameras are still the best option to take better shots that will sure make your moments last a lifetime. With cameras, there are a lot of form factors that you can choose from: There are point and shoot digicams for light and easy operation, action cameras for the adventurous, mirrorless shooters for the weight-conscious professionals, micro four-thirds, and dSLR cameras. Let’s get started, shall we?

Prices may subject to change without prior notice. Our basis for the camera prices are the ones we’ve seen on malls, and from the brochures and price lists from camera companies, unless otherwise linked to an online website.

ChristmasGuide2014-A64802
20141204_191229

For starters, who just want a fancy camera on their pockets or fancy buying a digicam but on a budget, the cheapest you can find on the market now are Nikon Coolpix L29 (Php 3,690) and Sony CyberShot DSC-W800 (Php4,499, Electroworld). Samsung has the DV150F which has a secondary screen and WiFi for easy selfie capturing and sharing over the internet. At the same price range, you can get a Canon Ixus 155 (Php5,998).

20141204_190553

Let’s go a little higher.  Canon has the Powershot SX700 HS, a compact camera designed for travelling and is built with both NFC and WiFi, retailing in stores for Php16,998. Sony DSC H40 is a digicam that can be mistaken as a DSLR cam and can be yours for Php16,999.  A compact, rugged, waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof digital camera with built-in WiFi in the name of Nikon Coolpix AW120 is selling for Php19,990. We also have the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Camera selling for Php21,900. A couple of bucks more, and you get the FujiFilm FinePix X20, a classic-looking point-and-shoot worth Php23,990. If you still want more, then there are the Sony RX100 Mark III (Php44,999) and the Fujifilm X100T (Php64,990).

ChristmasGuide2014-A64801

PlaygroundCam100_2

Do you want to do more adventure next year? Action cameras are the ones that suit your needs. If you are up for an affordable action camera, the cheapest you can actually get now is the Qube X-Cam which retails for Php3,990 and Kodak PixPro Mercury (Php3,995, SM Department Store). If you’re not convinced with buying that, you can get ones we have reviewed such as the Playground Cam100, which is worth Php5,600. GoPro also released its own entry-level action camera, the Hero, which is on sale right now at Php7,990.

goPro2014

Spending a lot on a great camera designed to shoot fast-paced outdoor activity is can actually be an investment in the long run. Sony‘s got is own action cam, the HDR-AS100V, priced at Php20,999 (Electroworld). The GoPro Hero 4 Black and Silver are some of the most expensive ones you can find, and they sell for Php 25,990 and Php20,990, respectively. There is also the Garmin Virb Elite which is being sold for Php25,590 online.

ChristmasGuide2014-A64804
Z-Nikon-J4-Black

For those who love to change their lenses and hold a camera a fraction of a DSLR’s weight, then a mirrorless camera may be what you need. There’s the all-plastic Samsung NX2000 (Php18,500), the Panasonic Lumix GX1X equipped with the company’s highly regarded touchscreen interface (Php19,400), the compact and colorful Canon EOS M (Php22,998), the extremely small and light Nikon 1 J4 (Php36,100), Sony‘s NEX 5RY with a Hybrid Auto Focus technology (Php37,700, includes two lenses) and the A6000 which claims to have the fastest AF performance amongst interchangeable lens cameras (Php39,999), and the mid-range FujiFilm X-E2 (Php66,500).

Still have more money to shell out? Luxury camera brand Leica just came to town in time for the holidays, and we checked that the Leica T costs around Php90,000 for the body alone. The cheapest lens you can but? A 18-56 lens worth around Php80,000.

ChristmasGuide2014-A64805
lumix gx7

In this category, only two camera makers have been successful in making the Micro Four Thirds system: Panasonic and Olympus. We have the Panasonic Lumix GX7, arguably the company’s most enthusiast-focused mirrorless camera yet (Php67,924), and the Olympus OM-D E-M10 which is great for outdoors (Php49,295).

ChristmasGuide2014-A64803
Nikon D810 (web)

*Prices indicated include the lens included in the kit package, unless otherwise specified.

For those who are very serious and want to take capturing moments to another level, a DSLR Camera may be good for you. These are full-range photography equipment though, and it can cost as much as a hundred thousand pesos if you’re really serious on your photography stuff. If you’re looking to try one without hurting your wallets, the cheapest you can get now are the entry-level Canon EOS 1200D (Php21,998) and the Nikon 3200D (Php24,400).

If you want a DSLR that’s not that bulky, Canon EOS 100D, at 407 grams, is a capable DSLR lightweight which costs around Php33,998. Nikon’s D3300 comes at a close second with 460g for Php26,900. The Sony SLT-A57 may be within this price range as well at Php28,999, but it isn’t as lightweight as the other two.

D810 Back (1080)

With mid-range DSLRs, we have the Sony Alpha SLT-A77V (Php59,999), the Canon EOS 70D with built-in WiFi (Php63,998, 18-55mm lens), and the Nikon D7100 with two SD card slots (Php64,900, 18-105mm lens).

As for full-frame flagship cameras for professionals, the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, which boasts of up to 6.0 frames per second, could be yours for Php190,998. The Nikon D810, which also has dual SD card slots and shoots up to 7 frames per second, costs Php151,000 for the body alone. On the other hand, Sony has the SLT-A99V, which takes pride of its Dual-AF System, is priced at Php120,999.

That’s it for our Camera Christmas Guide this year, folks. Got an amazing camera that’s not on this holiday list? We’d love to hear your suggestions at the comments section down below.

Ronnie Bulaong contributed to this post.

The post YugaTech Christmas Gadget Guide 2014: Cameras appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

YugaTech Christmas Gadget Guide 2014: Cameras

You’ve seen the past few days our smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, and laptop holiday gadget guides. Today, we’ll discuss cameras of all shapes, sizes, and uses — in hopes that they win your hearts and pockets this holiday season.

ChristmasGuide2014-A6480

It is no doubt that cameras are still the best option to take better shots that will sure make your moments last a lifetime. With cameras, there are a lot of form factors that you can choose from: There are point and shoot digicams for light and easy operation, action cameras for the adventurous, mirrorless shooters for the weight-conscious professionals, micro four-thirds, and dSLR cameras. Let’s get started, shall we?

Prices may subject to change without prior notice. Our basis for the camera prices are the ones we’ve seen on malls, and from the brochures and price lists from camera companies, unless otherwise linked to an online website.

ChristmasGuide2014-A64802
20141204_191229

For starters, who just want a fancy camera on their pockets or fancy buying a digicam but on a budget, the cheapest you can find on the market now are Nikon Coolpix L29 (Php 3,690) and Sony CyberShot DSC-W800 (Php4,499, Electroworld). Samsung has the DV150F which has a secondary screen and WiFi for easy selfie capturing and sharing over the internet. At the same price range, you can get a Canon Ixus 155 (Php5,998).

20141204_190553

Let’s go a little higher.  Canon has the Powershot SX700 HS, a compact camera designed for travelling and is built with both NFC and WiFi, retailing in stores for Php16,998. Sony DSC H40 is a digicam that can be mistaken as a DSLR cam and can be yours for Php16,999.  A compact, rugged, waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof digital camera with built-in WiFi in the name of Nikon Coolpix AW120 is selling for Php19,990. We also have the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Camera selling for Php21,900. A couple of bucks more, and you get the FujiFilm FinePix X20, a classic-looking point-and-shoot worth Php23,990. If you still want more, then there are the Sony RX100 Mark III (Php44,999) and the Fujifilm X100T (Php64,990).

ChristmasGuide2014-A64801

PlaygroundCam100_2

Do you want to do more adventure next year? Action cameras are the ones that suit your needs. If you are up for an affordable action camera, the cheapest you can actually get now is the Qube X-Cam which retails for Php3,990 and Kodak PixPro Mercury (Php3,995, SM Department Store). If you’re not convinced with buying that, you can get ones we have reviewed such as the Playground Cam100, which is worth Php5,600. GoPro also released its own entry-level action camera, the Hero, which is on sale right now at Php7,990.

goPro2014

Spending a lot on a great camera designed to shoot fast-paced outdoor activity is can actually be an investment in the long run. Sony‘s got is own action cam, the HDR-AS100V, priced at Php20,999 (Electroworld). The GoPro Hero 4 Black and Silver are some of the most expensive ones you can find, and they sell for Php 25,990 and Php20,990, respectively. There is also the Garmin Virb Elite which is being sold for Php25,590 online.

ChristmasGuide2014-A64804
Z-Nikon-J4-Black

For those who love to change their lenses and hold a camera a fraction of a DSLR’s weight, then a mirrorless camera may be what you need. There’s the all-plastic Samsung NX2000 (Php18,500), the Panasonic Lumix GX1X equipped with the company’s highly regarded touchscreen interface (Php19,400), the compact and colorful Canon EOS M (Php22,998), the extremely small and light Nikon 1 J4 (Php36,100), Sony‘s NEX 5RY with a Hybrid Auto Focus technology (Php37,700, includes two lenses) and the A6000 which claims to have the fastest AF performance amongst interchangeable lens cameras (Php39,999), and the mid-range FujiFilm X-E2 (Php66,500).

Still have more money to shell out? Luxury camera brand Leica just came to town in time for the holidays, and we checked that the Leica T costs around Php90,000 for the body alone. The cheapest lens you can but? A 18-56 lens worth around Php80,000.

ChristmasGuide2014-A64805
lumix gx7

In this category, only two camera makers have been successful in making the Micro Four Thirds system: Panasonic and Olympus. We have the Panasonic Lumix GX7, arguably the company’s most enthusiast-focused mirrorless camera yet (Php67,924), and the Olympus OM-D E-M10 which is great for outdoors (Php49,295).

ChristmasGuide2014-A64803
Nikon D810 (web)

*Prices indicated include the lens included in the kit package, unless otherwise specified.

For those who are very serious and want to take capturing moments to another level, a DSLR Camera may be good for you. These are full-range photography equipment though, and it can cost as much as a hundred thousand pesos if you’re really serious on your photography stuff. If you’re looking to try one without hurting your wallets, the cheapest you can get now are the entry-level Canon EOS 1200D (Php21,998) and the Nikon 3200D (Php24,400).

If you want a DSLR that’s not that bulky, Canon EOS 100D, at 407 grams, is a capable DSLR lightweight which costs around Php33,998. Nikon’s D3300 comes at a close second with 460g for Php26,900. The Sony SLT-A57 may be within this price range as well at Php28,999, but it isn’t as lightweight as the other two.

D810 Back (1080)

With mid-range DSLRs, we have the Sony Alpha SLT-A77V (Php59,999), the Canon EOS 70D with built-in WiFi (Php63,998, 18-55mm lens), and the Nikon D7100 with two SD card slots (Php64,900, 18-105mm lens).

As for full-frame flagship cameras for professionals, the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, which boasts of up to 6.0 frames per second, could be yours for Php190,998. The Nikon D810, which also has dual SD card slots and shoots up to 7 frames per second, costs Php151,000 for the body alone. On the other hand, Sony has the SLT-A99V, which takes pride of its Dual-AF System, is priced at Php120,999.

That’s it for our Camera Christmas Guide this year, folks. Got an amazing camera that’s not on this holiday list? We’d love to hear your suggestions at the comments section down below.

Ronnie Bulaong contributed to this post.

The post YugaTech Christmas Gadget Guide 2014: Cameras appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Photo Showdown – Cherry Mobile Flare S2 VS Google Nexus 5

As some of you may know, the Cherry Mobile Flare S2 carries the same camera sensor used in Google Nexus 5. We did a little test to see if this sub-Php5K smartphone can really produce the same quality of photos with a Google-branded device.

Although the two smartphones share the same sensor for taking images, they are not 100% identical in the camera department. The Flare S2 has an 8MP rear camera with Sony IMX179 sensor, while the Nexus 5 has an 8MP with Sony IMX179 sensor and a built-in gyrosocope embedded in the camera for optical image stabilization. This helps counter the unwanted movement of the hands, therefore producing sharper photos. It has a single LED flash, however, and the Flare S2 sports dual LED flash for better performance in low-light situatuions. With those in mind, lets continue on to our photo showdown.

Here are some sample shots from the two devices. The photos are all taken using default settings, no flash, and no adjustments have been done to any of them.

Cherry Mobile Flare S2:

IMG_20140611_163339

CherryMobileFlareS2_1

CherryMobileFlareS2_3

And here are some from the Google Nexus 5:

GoogleNexus5_2

GoogleNexus5_1

GoogleNexus5_3

The photos are both good and acceptable but as you may have noticed, the two cameras didn’t produce the same output in quality. For us, the Flare S2 gave off better blacks than the Nexus 5.  The latter also showed digital noise on some parts of the dark areas. The following photos were taken with the same subject using both devices to easily compare the shots.

Nexus5_FlareS2_comparison1

Nexus5_FlareS2_comparison2

Here are two more sample shots on 1000 x 1000px:

It seems to us that the Flare S2 has more contrast and does a better job at shooting outdoors, while the Nexus 5 tries to brighten the image by default — resulting to its blacks not going as deep as the Flare S2′s. Though that may be the case, it worked well in that shot of wine bottles as it effectively showed more details than that of the Cherry Mobile’s.

So what do you guys think? Which camera would you prefer? And overall, which phone would you prefer? For reference, you can read our review of the Cherry Mobile Flare S2 and Google Nexus 5.

 

 

 

The post Photo Showdown – Cherry Mobile Flare S2 VS Google Nexus 5 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.