As many of you know, my other job is editing Photo Review Australia magazine. So, what follows has nothing directly – or indirectly – to do with surfing, but since any number of our visitors are into photography I still thought it worth sharing.
Photo Review Australia’s Technical Editor Margaret Brown has just posted a comprehensive review of the Sony ILC-a7 (which was officially released late today). Margaret is meticulous, measured and very thorough in her approach to the reviewing process, so you know when she says “Sony’s new ILC-a7 cameras are certain to excite both professional photographers and serious enthusiasts alike” that this is something unusual.
As you can see from the accompanying product shot, this 24-megapixel resolution unit is tiny in comparison to ordinary DSLRs. And yet it has a full frame sensor – something any photo enthusiast will tell you is the thing to have for serious photography.
A big sensor like the one in the little Sony means your pictures have better, more subtle colour and a smoother look to the transitions between the brightest and darkest parts of an image. Big sensors also deliver less “noisy” (think grainy) pictures under low lighting conditions, so apart from anything else, you don’t need to use your flash nearly as often.
Like all modern cameras, the ILC-a7 cameras (there are two models), also have very high quality video modes. Having a big sensor gives your video footage a far more cinematic look – both in terms of the image quality and in the way you can selectively focus on different points in a single sequence. (think of those shots where a scene starts with the actor in the foreground in focus and then, without the camera moving, the focus snaps to something approaching in the distance behind the character.)
Anyway, if you’re keen on photography trends, I reckon a quick scan of Margaret Brown’s review will be well worth your time. I know I’m looking forward to a chance to have put the new Sony through its paces.
