Sony Alpha

Sigma will always be guaranteed a place in the history books as pioneers of the wide-angle zoom lens. Our advanced super wide angle technology was developed far earlier than any of our competitors. Sigma designed and produced the first wide-angle zoom lens, the “zoom gamma 21-35mm F3.5-4.2″, in 1979. The wide-angle zoom category didn’t even exist before this date. The market comprised only standard and telephoto zoom lenses with most people believing that wide angle zooms were impossible to develop. However Sigma’s advanced design and pioneering technology went on to prove them wrong and strongly influence subsequent product development.Four Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements are provided for effective compensation of color aberration, which is a common problem with super-wide angle lenses. Two pieces of molded glass and three aspherical lenses, including two molded glass aspherical lens elements, offer excellent correction for linear distortion as well as all types of aberration. It is an ideal lens for Digital SLR Cameras as well as film SLR cameras.Equipped with Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) for Sigma, Nikon and Canon. It is easy to revert to Manual Focus by simply turning the focusing ring and overriding the AF. An inner focus system provides high performance and convenience. The non-rotating lens barrel perfectly suits the matched petal shaped lens hood. A circular polarizing filter can also be used conveniently. 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 EX DG lens offers a minimum focusing distance of 28cm/11in. at all focal lengths. The super-wide angle’s useful range of view offers the photographer greater freedom of expression. This lens is equipped with a fixed Petal-type hood to obtain a superior extraneous light-blocking effect.

(From Sony literature) Sony Introduces Two Mainstream DSLR Cameras with Unique “Quick AF Live” View System. Sony is bringing live-view shooting to its digital SLR camera line with today’s introduction of a 14.2-megapixel Alpha DSLR-A350 camera and 10.2-megapixel Alpha DSLR-A300 model. Both cameras feature new technologies that make picture taking faster, easier, and more familiar for first-time DSLR users.

Quick AF Live View System
They both offer Sony’s new “Quick AF Live View” technology so you can frame photos on the camera’s LCD without sacrificing auto-focusing speed common to other live-view systems.

Sony’s innovative Pentamirror Tilt mechanism directs light to a dedicated live view image sensor, enabling fast and responsive TTL phase-detection auto-focusing, even during live view.

Eliminating the focus delay of other systems, the new models are equally responsive whether using live view or optical viewfinder.

With its two sensor design, Quick AF Live View can even continuously focus-track the subject and provide live view during burst shooting, helping you capture that special moment.

Taking further advantage of Quick AF Live View is the models’ variable angle 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD ™ screen. This makes it easy to frame scenes from high or low positions difficult to reach when using an eye-level viewfinder.
With Live View and an adjustable LCD, the cameras do not need to be in front of the user’s face, allowing parents, for example, to maintain eye-contact when photographing their children.

“Mainstream users stepping up to DSLRs are looking for a similar experience to their point and shoot cameras, but without compromise in speed or performance” said Phil Lubell, director of marketing for digital cameras at Sony Electronics. “Quick AF Live View gives these new models a familiar shooting style without compromising speed - ideal for the growing market of first-time SLR users.”

Exceptional Image Quality
The new models produce images with fine detail, rich tonality and vibrant color due to their APS-C CCD image sensors and BIONZ® processing engine. To aid shooting in low light, Super SteadyShot® image stabilization enables shutter speeds 2.5 to 3.5 steps slower than otherwise possible, with every compatible Minolta Maxxum® and Sony a (alpha) lens (sold separately) attached to the camera.

High sensitivity operation at ISO 1600 and 3200 and very low noise are made possible by the user-selectable high-ISO noise reduction features. Sony’s D-Range Optimizer delivers suitable tonality and exposures with rich shadow and highlight detail, even under high contrast situations.

Powerful Performance, Easy to Use
The DSLR-A300 model can shoot about three continuous frames per second and the DSLR-A350 model can shoot up to two-and-a-half continuous frames per second, when using the optical viewfinder. Both are powered by the Bionz processing engine and supplied InfoLITHIUMTM battery for fast start-up times, quick response and long battery life - up to 730 shots per full charge when using the optical viewfinder and up to 410 shots per full charge in live-view mode.

Both models feature lighter, slimmer bodies for easy handling; an improved user interface; an automatic pop-up flash; a comfortable camera grip with an easily accessible mode dial; an anti-dust system to keep the CCD image sensor clean for spot-free pictures; and JPEG and RAW file format support. Both have a slot for CompactFlash™ Type I/II media cards.

An adaptor for Memory Stick Duo™ media cards is also available for the cameras and sold separately.
The new DSLR-A300 and DSLR-A350 cameras are compatible with a range of accessories, including the ergonomic Sony VG-B30AM vertical grip. Also available as an option is the new Sony HVL-F42AM flash unit. It offers advanced features such as automatic white balance adjustment with color temperature information, adjustable bounce angles, ADI metering and wireless remote operation to suit the needs of most photographers.

Price and Availability
The DSLR-A300 kit with a DT 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 standard zoom lens will ship in April for about $800. The DSLR-A350 camera body will be available in March for about $800, and the DSLR-A350 kit with a DT 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 3.9x zoom lens will be available for about $900 at the same time. Both models will be available at sonystyle.com, Sony Style® retail stores (www.sonystyle.com/retail), military base exchanges, and authorized dealers nationwide. Pre-orders begin online today at www.sonystyle.com/dslr.

It’s never been easier to capture great action shots than with the Tamron AF 70-300mm macro lens. Delivering superior image quality for both digital SLRs and 35mm film cameras, this flexible lens lets you zoom in extra close when shooting moving subjects, such as athletes on the field or children running or playing. When used with a digital camera, the lens does even better, producing a super-telephoto 35mm equivalent of 465mm–unbeatable in almost any other lens.

Macro Switch
The lens offers an easy-to-use macro switch that lets you alternate between the 180mm and 300mm focal lengths, letting you enjoy true macro photography with a telephoto effect at a maximum magnification ratio of 1:2. The minimum focus distance, meanwhile, is 59 inches from the subject in normal shooting ranges, but when you flip the switch, you can get as close as 37.4 inches. And as an added bonus, the lens boasts a nine-blade circular diaphragm that provides beautiful soft-focus imagery for a professional result. Now you can showcase all your photographic talent with close-up shots of small flowers and insects in parks or in the wild, or any other beautiful small object you discover.

Coatings
Tamron has also adopted various countermeasures against ghosting and flare, common problems in digital photography. The lens employs internal surface coating and new multilayer coating technology to minimize reflections that occur when light enters through the front element, while also reducing image-degrading effects caused by the imagers themselves. The strictest quality control standards were also applied to increase resolution performance and prevent flare due to aberrations, resulting in a telephoto zoom lens ideal for photography with digital SLR cameras. This is one lens you can use with confidence.

• Lens construction: 9 groups and 13 elements
• Diagonal angle of view: 34 to 8 degrees (at 21 to 15 feet)
• Type of zooming: Rotation
• Diaphragm blade number: 9
• Minimum aperture: f/32
• Minimum focus distance: 59 inches in normal setting; 37.4 inches in macro mode
• Macro magnification ratio: 1:2
• Filter diameter: 62mm
• Accessory: Lens hood
• Dimensions: 3 inches in diameter and 4.6 inches long
• Weight: 15.3 ounces

Get into the action. Designed to take advantage of APS-size CCD imagers like the Exmor™ sensor of the Sony® ?(alpha) DSLR-A700 camera, this amazingly compact premium zoom lens provides superior all-around performance. Its 35mm-equivalent range of 24mm wide-angle to 157.5mm telephoto is perfect for capturing faraway subjects, sports events, dramatic landscapes and intimate close-ups.
Internal Focusing System

Internal lens elements move, so the overall length does not change — creating a lens that focuses more quickly and doesn’t alter its balance.
Sophisticated Multi-Element Design

16 lens elements in 13 groups correct visual aberrations across the entire zoom range and help reduce weight.
ED (Extra-low Dispersion) Glass

ED Glass lens elements minimize flare and greatly reduce chromatic aberration, giving you sharp, clear shots even at full telephoto extension.
Circular Aperture

Because aperture blades form a near circle at the wide openings used for low-light shots, spot-light sources have a pleasing circular defocused effect.

 


A unique telephoto lens for smooth, natural focus effects in foreground and background. This advanced STF (Smooth Transition Focus) telephoto lens incorporates an apodization optical element that distributes light rays to create smooth, aesthetically pleasing out-of-focus backgrounds that make sharp-focus subjects stand out more vividly. Mounted on the Sony® a (alpha) cameras , this lens provides a 200mm focal length (35mm equivalent).

Smooth Transmission Focus:
While subjects remain in sharp focus, out-of-focus backgrounds or foregrounds are blurred smoothly and evenly with gradation that thickens toward the edges of the frame for a pleasing aesthetic effect.

Transmissive Brightness:
After light passes through the apodization element, the lens aperture of f2.8 yields a T (transmissive brightness) equivalent of 4.5; a manual aperture ring can adjust T setting from 4.5 to 6.7.

Wide Focus Ring:
The dedicated manual focusing system is controlled by a wide focus ring that’s comfortable to hold and gives you a solid, hands-on feel for pinpoint focusing of your subject.

Circular Aperture:
Because aperture blades form a near circle at the wide openings used for low-light shots, spot-light sources have a pleasing circular defocused effect. 
 comments: manual focus only