Sony Unveils Alpha, NEX-Series Cameras

By Greg Tarr On Sep 8 2011 - 4:01am

SAN DIEGO – Sony unveiled a pair of new NEX-series compact interchangeable-lens cameras and a pair of Alpha series d-SLRs for advanced photo enthusiasts.

The company also announced a second-generation model of its consumer-level interchangeable-lens camcorders – the NEX-VG20 (shipping in November at a $1,599 suggested retail), which takes E-mount lenses designed for the NEX camera family.

The new Alpha d-SLRs include the A65 and A77 models, both of which incorporate Sony’s unique Translucent Mirror technology and are scheduled to see fall market introductions.

The translucent mirror technology, which was introduced last year, allows the camera to continuously track and adjust exposure and focus through to image capture. Other d-SLRs lose the ability to continuously adjust focus and exposure after the reflex mirror is raised prior to exposure.

The camera also includes an electronic first curtain technology that significantly reduces release lag time and lets the camera go directly from live view to an exposure without cycling the focal plane shutter.

The A77, which is the successor to the popular A70, is scheduled to fit in the $1,200 to $2,000 price point class when it ships in October. Amazon is showing the body only at a $1,400 price point. It features a fulltime continuous AF system with tracking focus at high speed, and phase detect AF in movie mode.

It includes a new 19-point AF system with 11 cross sensors and enables high-speed shooting in up to 12 fps with full resolution.

The camera includes an ultra-high resolution 24.3-megapixel APS-C Exmor R CMOS image sensor, Bionz image processor and records video in up to FullHD 1080/60p and 24p format with improved sound.

As with several Alpha models introduced last year, the A77 includes an electronic viewfinder, but is one of the first cameras to use OLED (2.5 million dots) technology in a eye-level viewfinder instead of LCD. Sony calls the feature an XGA OLED Tru-Finder.

The company also employs a three-way tiltable LCD and includes built-in image stabilization.

Low-light shooting is supported with an ultra-high ISO range from 100 to 16,000. Also included is a built-in flash, extensive weather sealing throughout the camera, multi-frame A-HDR capability and a cropped zoom (12-megapixel, 1.4x crop factor) function.

The Alpha A65 d-SLR, which will ship in October at $899 (body only) or $999 (with 18-55mm lens) is positioned at the top of the entry d-SLR class, Sony said.

It features the same 24.3-megapixel Exmor R CMOS imager as the in the A77, but steps down to 10 fps shooting with continuous AF and object tracking.

The AF system steps down to 15 sensor points with three cross sensors.

It also uses a new Bionz processor, includes an electronic first curtain feature and captures video in 1080/60p in AVCHD Progressive compression format.

The A65 also features an eye-level 921,000-dot OLED EVF, articulating LCD screen, full-time continuous AF, ISO range from 100 to 16,000 and built-in image stabilization.

Both the A65 and A77 also include Sweep Panorama and 3D Sweep Panorama functions, GPS geo-tagging capability and D-Range optimization.

Sony’s new additions to the NEX-series compact mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras include the NEX 5N and NEX 7 models, to fill out a three-model lineup for 2011.

The NEX 5 is expected to ship in September at a $600 suggested retail for the body only or $700 with an 18-55mm lens. The NEX 7 is expected in November at a $1,200 suggested retail for the body or $1,350 with an 18-55mm lens.

The NEX 5N, which is the successor to the NEX 5, features a 16.1-megapixel APS-C EXMOR R CMOS image sensor, new Bionz image processing, electronic first curtain technology for a release lag time of 20ms (.02 seconds) and up to 10fps continuous burst shooting.

The new NEX-7 camera will feature a built-in eye level OLED EVF, a new 24.3-megapixel APS-C image sensor, new Bionz image processor, and a new Tri-Navi three-dial control (two on top one on the back) interface for very detailed control.