Sony formally introduces full-frame Alpha 900, ends all rumors

Today's announcement comes more than a year after the first prototype made its appearance. Turns out that most of what has been leaked/reported online is true. Sony's latest Alpha 900 packs a full-frame 24.6-megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor and an optical glass pentaprism viewfinder with 100-percent coverage. Other features include sensor-shift image stabilization for up to 4-stops when used with Alpha lenses, 3-inch LCD, 9-point autofocus with 10 focus assist points and a 5 frames per second (fps) continuous shooting mode at full resolution. Sony also claims the NP-FM500H Lithium-ion battery is capable of delivering 880 shots on a single charge.

A first for the Alpha family would be that the Alpha 900 will sport dual BIONZ image-processing engine which work simultaneously for faster performance.

Two new lenses have also been introduced with the Alpha 900: The 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM telephoto lens and the Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM wide-angle zoom lens.

According to DPreview, the Alpha 900 body will cost around US$3,000. The camera will be available in the Asia-Pacific region from the end of October, while the lenses will ship in 2009.

Bond-style flying camera

The next time you see a menacing glowing red light hovering in the air, it could be someone nearby controlling the Draganflyer X6 and snapping a picture of you as you "accidentally" dropped a piece of tissue paper along the pavement.

Measuring 91cm across in diameter with rotor, the X6 has three motors to spin its carbon fiber blades and is capable of carrying a maximum weight of 500g. This means your typical point-and-shoot camera, budget dSLR or camcorder should be able to fit properly on the bird. It comes with an anti-vibration camera mount which minimizes shaky videos or images.

The really tech-savvy can opt for the GPS option, which lets you track the X6's whereabouts on its 2.8-inch touchscreen control display. But the ultimate experience is surely the video glasses which let users on the ground see through the eyes of the X6 in flight. There are other accessories that you can throw in, but bear in mind that a basic unit will set you back US$14,995. Rather than breaking the bank, I think tying my shooter to a kite is a more affordable alternative.

Pictures credit: Draganfly

LG's photo frame plays DVDs, too

If Sony's Internet-friendly photo frame (VAIO CP1 Wi-Fi) just doesn't rock your world, its Korean rival has another proposition for you. LG's photo frame will even pull double duty as a portable DVD player. Which personally makes more sense than reading news and surfing the Web off a tiny display. Style-wise, this LG isn't half bad-looking since the chaebol's clearly picked up a thing or two from its neighbor about chic, pretty lines. And being of Korean pedigree, this offering packs on the frills with an inbuilt DVD player, 8-inch screen, UBS connectivity, SD card slot and a built-in stand, for US$100 less than its Japanese counterpart. So Sony or LG? Japanese or Korean? Vogue or value? Decisions, decisions...
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New dSLRs from Sony and Panasonic coming this week

PC World has reported that Sony and Panasonic will unveil their new dSLRs this week, so hold back your purchase if you are thinking of getting one now.

Sony has confirmed that it is indeed announcing a new "trailblazing" Alpha dSLR soon, and we think it could be the full-frame A900 we reported earlier. Leaked reports online have indicated that this unit will sport a 24.6-megapixel "Exmor" CMOS sensor and have onboard sensor-shift image stabilization. This almost coincides with the date 15th September that Carl Zeiss has set for the announcement of its new lens mount. Does this mean that the German optics manufacturer has something up its sleeves and it has to do with Sony? We'll know real soon.

In the same report, Panasonic said that it will showcase the successor to the Lumix DMC-L10 dSLR. While no specifications were given, the company did hint that the new model will deliver "unique features to set a new trend in digital SLR photography". With the recent announcement of its partnership with Olympus in the Micro Four Thirds System, will the new dSLR debut the new technology? Again, it is a mystery for now.

Source: PC World

Canon EOS 5D's destined to evolve

Picture credit: Canon

Canon has launched a teaser site for its dSLR fanboys regarding its upcoming camera. The copy states "Destined EVOLUTION" and we have every reason to believe this is the successor to the full-frame EOS 5D.

Although there is no mention as to which model this dSLR is, we are guessing from the teaser image that this unit will not have a pop-up flash and the curves on the body point to a pro-series camera. We were told earlier by Canon that the new shooter won't be an EOS 1D-series, which indirectly points to it being a successor to the EOS 5D.

Some photographers we know got so frustrated with the wait that they opted for the competing model, Nikon's D700, instead. We guess Canon has to offer something groundbreaking in order to win them back.

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