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24 hours with Sony's A99 II full-frame camera
With high-end mirrorless cameras such as the A7S II and A7R II, it's easy to forget that Sony also makes full-frame DSLR-like shooters. Its latest one, the A99 II, is set to arrive later this month for $3,200 body-only. That gets you a massive 42.2-megapixel sensor, max ISO of 102,400, 12-fps continuous shooting and, unlike the original A99, in-camera 5-axis image stabilization. While I've only been using it for a day or so, I can tell you the camera shows a lot of promise -- which isn't surprising given its sensor type and price.
Sony's Alpha A37 and NEX-F3 pose for the camera, reveal more angles, details
Well, well, talk about déjà vu! It was just yesterday that a corner of Sony's 16.1 megapixel NEX-F3 leaked onto the interwebs and now more photos have surfaced, along with a previously unannounced shooter, the Alpha A37 SLT. The pictures come courtesy of Yang Canggih, which says it had a chance to demo the two devices yesterday at Sony's Partner's Conference in Jakarta (curiously, the NEX-F3 post isn't live as of this writing, but Sony Alpha Rumors has the images up). Starting with the F3, the mirrorless camera has lost a smidgen of the curves found on its older sibling, the C3, adopting a slight bit of the angular edges that once made the NEX-7 the badass standout in the lineup. You'll notice that the shutter button and grip have an uncanny resemblance to the 7's, not to mention that it's clearly gained a pop-up flash -- a first for the lower-end NEXs. Past that, the rumored -- and self-portrait friendly -- 180 degree tilt-screen is also present, which'll likely give the C3 an edge over its siblings when it comes to composing shots. Also worth note, some of the buttons on back have been slightly repositioned. Moving along, those hoping for a successor to the A35 will apparently have their wish granted with the 16.1 megapixel A37. According to Yang Canggih, it features the articulating display from the last generation of NEX cams, Auto Portrait Framing (first introduced with the A57), four more effect modes than the A35 (up from 11) and an ergonomic grip in the vein of the A77. Sadly, that's about all that's currently known, so hopefully we'll get an official introduction to the cameras soon. Head past the break for a shot of the A37 and then check out the links below for even more of both.
Sony A55 / A33 video recording limited by overheating sensor
So this is why the promo video accompanying Sony's launch of the A55 and A33 was set against a snowy backdrop. It turns out that these oh-so-revolutionary translucent mirror shooters can't keep their cool for any longer than 11 minutes when recording video at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius with Image Stabilization turned on. The A55 is even quicker to overheat at 9 minutes, though it's worth noting that with IS switched off you can obtain the maximum of nearly half an hour of footage -- provided the weather doesn't heat up. Sony blames this on the APS-C-sized sensor within, and it' true that plenty of DSLRs come with artificial time limits -- our D5000 won't let us get past five minutes however we try to sweet-talk it -- but it's an irksome limitation to consider if you're thinking of buying either of these Alphas for their otherwise awesome video capabilities.
