WHAT’S NEW
NEW CAMERA ANNOUNCEMENTS that aren’t in the
mirrorless category are becoming rarer events these days,
but Canon has provided some light relief by upgrading two
higher-end PowerShot compacts.
The new models are the PowerShot G5X Mark II and the
G7X Mark III. Both offer 4K UHD video shooting with no crop-
ping (hence no pixel binning) on a ‘1.0-inch’ format stacked
and back-illuminated CMOS sensor, and both are powered by
Canon’s latest ‘DiG!C 8’ processor. The sensor in each new
model has a total pixel count of 20.9 million (20.1 MP effective),
giving a maximum image size of 5472x3648 pixels with the
choice of 14-bit RAW and JPEG capture, the latter in a choice
of four image sizes. There’s also a choice of four aspect ratios.
The sensitivity range is equivalent to ISO 125 to 12,800 with
a one-stop extension to ISO 25,600. Both cameras use SD
format memory cards, but only with UHS-I speed support.
The G5X II returns to a conventionally-styled compact
camera body, but retains an EVF which is a pop-up module
employing an OLED panel with a resolution of 2.36 megadots.
It’s complemented by a 7.62 cm monitor screen with a
resolution of 1.04 megadots which is adjustable for tilt
(through 180 degrees for selfies) and provides touch controls.
The lens is an 8.4-44mm zoom (equivalent to 24-120mm) with
a maximum aperture range of f1.8-2.8 and linked to 31-point
contrast-detection autofocusing. The zoom also incorporates
optical image stabilisation, giving up to four stops of correc-
tion for camera shake.
Continuous shooting is possible at up to 8.0 fps with
frame-by-frame adjustment of autofocusing and exposure, or
up to 20 fps with the AF/AE locked to the first frame. Even
faster shooting is possible using the camera’s sensor-based
shutter which enables RAW capture at 30 fps with pre-buffer-
ing for 0.5 seconds (i.e. 15 frames) when the shutter release
is depressed half-way. A full set of ‘PASM’ exposure control
modes is available with the choice of multi-zone, centre-
weighted average and spot metering. The built-in flash allows
for manual adjustment, and has both slow-sync and second-
curtain sync modes. The EOS-type ‘Picture Style’ presets are
provided (including Fine Detail) along with ‘Ambience’ and
‘White Priority’ auto white balance correction, both WiFi and
Bluetooth connectivity, in-camera battery charging via USB-C,
and a focus peaking display to assist with manual focusing.
Canon is targeting video bloggers (a.k.a. ‘vloggers’) with
the G7X Mark III so it has a slightly different feature set. It
goes without the EVF, but has a 3.5 mm stereo audio input for
connecting an external microphone, and it has live streaming
capabilities to YouTube via WiFi. It can also record video when
vertically orientated. It has a 24-100mm f1.8-2.8 (equivalent)
zoom, again with optical image stabilisation. It also offers
a set of ‘Creative Filters’ special effects which are available
post-capture, and ‘Creative Assist’ functions such as contrast,
colour saturation and background blur.
The Canon PowerShot G7X Mark III is priced at $
and the G5X Mark II at $1430. Both are available now.
For more information visit http://www.canon.com.auCANON UPDATES TOP
SHOT POWERSHOTS
ONY LAUNCHES FE MOUNT
...AND A FAST
WIDE-ANGLE
ANNOUNCED NOT LONG after the
pair of supertelephoto lenses (above)
was the long-awaited mid-range fast
wide-angle prime, the FE 35mm f1.8.
It’s a compact and lightweight lens,
measuring 73 millimetres in lengthand just 280 grams which means it is
also suitable for use on Sony’s ‘APS-C’
format E mount cameras, where the
effective focal length becomes 52.5mm.
The FE 35mm f1.8 has an
11-element optical construction (in
nine groups) which includes one
aspherical type to correct for
distortion. The minimum focusing
distance is 22 centimetres and a
linear-type focusing motor is used
to give faster and smoother auto-
focusing. There’s a nine-blade
diaphragm for cleaner, more rounded
out-of-focus effects. The lens accepts
55-millimetre diameter screwthread
filters, and a bayonet-fit lens hood is
supplied. The construction employs a
mixture of metal alloy and composite
barrel tubes with weather sealing to
prevent intrusion of dust and moisture.
Australian pricing and availability
has yet to be announced. For more
information visit http://www.sony.com.auY CONTINUES TO work hard
anding its FE mount lens system
andis now starting to concentrateon
morespecialist optics. The latest
additionsto the line-up are two
supertelephotos – a 600mm f4.0 prime
and a 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 zoom.
The 600mm is a G Master standard
lens (the tenth GM lens), while the
200-600mm is a G series model. The
number of Sony full-frame E mount
lenses is now 34.
Not surprisingly, the 600mm is the
longest focal length Sony FE mount
prime thus far, and it’s obviously
primarily aimed at sports, action and
wildlife photographers. It weighs
in at 3.04 kilograms and its optical
construction employs 24 elements in
18 groups, including a large ‘Extreme
Aspherical’ (‘XA’) type designed to
optimise centre-to-corner sharpness,
two with extra-low dispersion (ED)
characteristics and three fluorite types
to minimise chromatic aberrations.
The supertelephoto also employs
a pair of Sony’s ‘XD’ (‘Extreme
Dynamic’) linear motors to drive the
lens’s focus group in conjunction with
specially-developed motion algorithms
to minimise both lag and instability,
and also reduce noise levels. Sony’s
‘Nano AR’ multi-coating helps reduce
internal reflections, ghosting and flare.The built-i
stabiliser
whenuse p p
mirrorlesscamerabodies.
If 600mmisn’tlongenoughfor
you, the new supertelephoto prime
is compatible with Sony’s1.4x and
2.0x E-mount teleconverters which
give an 840mm f5.6 and a 1200mm
f8.0 respectively. The new FE 200-
600mm f5.6-6.3 G OSS also features
a weather-proofed external construc-
tion, an 11-blade circular diaphragm
and a 24-element optical construction,
but in 17 groups and with a different
arrangement of special types, with
Sony’s Nano AR coating again used
to minimise ghosting and flare. The
200-600mm also has built-in opti-
cal stabilisation with three operating
modes, and is compatible with the
1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters. It uses
Sony’s ‘DDSSM’ (‘Direct Drive SSM’)
autofocusing system and has a mini-
mum focusing distance of 2.4 metres.
Australian pricing for both lenses has
yet to be announced.SONY
atexpa
and ismen opticalimage
enablesfive-axiscorrection
edwithcompatibleAlpha