Digitagl Cameras

Digital Cameras (go to top) What is the ideal camera for today's artist? That question has many answers. It depends on what your priorities are and how much you have to spend. And the answer may change weekly with the advent of ever better models. The choice you make will always be a compromise. Not too many years ago the choice came down to a consumer grade point-and-shoot digital or a professional Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR). You knew an artist was serious about their work if they spent the big bucks for a large DSLR. It was a status symbol, too. Those days are long gone. Now you can find a wide range of serviceable cameras with a long list of features in every price range. Even if you are pretty serious about photography you will find that many of the cameras below compare well with DLSR in image quality. If you already know you must have a DLSR then this page is not for you. Shooting in public or 'street photography' is of interest to many artists. With a compact camera or even a mirrorless compact you may pass for a tourist. Pull out a DSLR and you will be quickly spotted as some kind of serious photographer. My Philosophy The biggest sensor, smallest camera, newest technology, all for the lowest price. A few obvious conflicts there. You can have the biggest sensor, but it won't be the smallest camera, and visa versa. You can go with the lowest price, but it won't be the newest technology, and visa versa. Compromises must be made. Decide what is most important to you. For me image quality was most important ruling out compact point-and-shoots. DSLRs are too big, so that left the mirrorless compacts. The prices range from $275 to $1200 and more. I was willing to pay extra for the latest technology, so I settled on the Sony NEX 5N. You may find something else suits you better. What you need to know to choose a camera Sensor size Body style Lenses Low-light capable Ease of use Video modes Continuous mode Pixels Formats   Not Technically Inclined? Short on cash? That's ok. If you have no interest in the technical aspects of photography, almost any new camera over $100 will serve the purposes of the artist ninety per cent of the time. It could be that your present point-and-shoot compact is adequate, especially if you learn to use all it's features, shoot in good light and use a tripod. So, relax and read your manual! Sensor Size At the heart of every digital camera is a light-sensitive silicon chip called a sensor. The sensor takes the place of film for recording images. This is a case where bigger is clearly better. Bigger means sharper image, less noise, better in low light. But a bigger sensor means a bigger camera body and a higher price. Below is a comparison of  common sensor sizes... Thanks to wikipedia.org Focal Length Multiplier (FLM) "Crop Factor" Multiplying your lens's focal length by the FLM or Crop Factor gives the equivalent focal length for a 35mm film camera or full frame digital camera. Very handy as a way to compare the many sensor-lens combinations. For example, my Canon G9 has a diagonal measurement of 1/1.7" or 9.5mm. The full frame sensor has a diagonal of 43.3mm. Dividing 43.3 by 9.5 equals 4.56. The G9's FLM is 4.56. The G9's zoom lens is labeled 7.4-44.4mm. Applying the FLM gives an equivalent 34-202mm. The G9 also has a 6X optical zoom. That comes from dividing the longer focal length by the shorter. 44.4/7.4 = 6. Sensor "Type" Oddly sensor sizes are expressed in inches and approximately 1.5 times the actual length of the sensor's diagonal. You might think a camera sensor advertised as 1/2.7" would measure 0.37" diagonally. In fact, it measures around 0.26! Sensors called 4/3 type, you guessed it, are not 1.33". Nope, they vary from 5/8" to 9/8". This is a holdover from the way camcorder sensors were measured. With sensors it's just a nominal size, like lumber. A 2x4 is really 1.5x 3.5". Small vs. Large Most point-and-shoot compacts have the smallest sensor shown above. A larger sensor becomes important in low light. In good light, meaning outdoors in open shade, for example, any sensor will produce a useable image for the artist. You will also notice a difference in large smooth areas like blue sky. The small sensors will make the sky mottled, not nice and smooth. Very upsetting to the photographer, not so much to the artist interested in reference material. Sigma's Foveon Sensor This is a special sensor unique to Sigma. "World's first full color image sensor: Foveon X3® Direct Image Sensor." It is rated at 14.5 mp, but takes pictures more like a 20-25 mp SLR. It has three sets of sensors one for each color. Image quality seems to be superior for Sigma's DP line of cameras. Even so I can not recommend them as do-everything cameras for the artist. Reviews say "slow and difficult to use". Video is only 320x240. The sensor is worth keeping an eye on for future improvements. Body Style Fixed lens cameras                            Interchangeable lens cameras Thanks to dpreview.com for this image. A great site for camera reviews! Click on the image. Ultra Compact - very small, auto, inexpensive, no viewfinder, LCD, flash, smallest sensor, Pocket - Yes! A good choice for the artist. Canon Powershot Elph 100 $135 Compact - small, auto, inexpensive, no viewfinder, LCD, flash, smallest sensor, Pocket - Yes! A good choice for the artist. Panasonic Lumix ZS15 $200 SLR-like (bridge) - bigger, full manual, smaller sensor, fixed lens, often mega-zoom, bridging compact to DSLR, optical or EVF (E = Electronic) viewfinder, LCD, Pocket - No. A good choice for the artist. Nikon Coolpix P510 42x zoom $400 Large Sensor Compact - bigger, auto or full manual, 4/3 sensor or APS-C, lens fixed or changeable, mirrorless, LCD, EVF maybe, Pocket - semi, w/pancake lens. Prices from $275 - $1200. Great pix that can equal DSLR but much smaller body/lens. Best choice for the artist. Sony NEX-5N $650  Compact System Cameras ~270 choices on amazon.com Rangefinder Style Mirrorless - Serious professional, expensive, no autofocus, niche camera, Viewfinder, LCD, Pocket - maybe. Overkill for the artist. Leica M8.2 body only $6300 SLR Style Mirrorless - Looks like old film SLR, 4/3 sensor, higher end, Viewfinder, LCD, Pocket - no. Upper limit of price for the artist. Olympus OM-D E-M5 $1100 DSLR, Compact, Mid, Large - Serious photographer, Overkill for the artist, great cameras, large, hard to lug around all day, Viewfinder, LCD, Pocket - no. Too large for the artist. More for photographers. Olympus E-5 body only $1600 Smart Phone iPhone iSight - Not really a camera...wait...yes it is! 8 mp, advanced optics, f/2.4, flash, zero shutter lag, fast, zoom, edit, HDR, HD Video 1080p, 30 fps, Pocket - Yes! Lower limit of quality for the artist. More for the point-and-shoot crowd. Actually a useable camera for the artist. I now have an old hand-me-down iPhone 3G with just 2mp. Here are a few example photos: 100% crop shows a lack of sharpness, but the areas of uniform color are not grainy thanks to the use of filters on the computer. For areas without texture, like blue sky, you will have graininess. I applied a filter in Paint Shop Pro called 'Edge preserving smooth...' which improved it a lot. Another filter called 'Clarify...' seems to help these small images, too. Only 2048 x 1536, yet plenty useable for reference and may print well enough at 8x10". Imagine what the latest 8mp phones can do! 100% crop from the new iPhone 4S, 8mp camera. I think this is as it came from the camera. Some graininess is apparent, sharper than my 2mp, plenty useable. Another 100% crop from the 4S, Apple website. The Smart phone camera is a pleasure to use, small, handy, simple, fast and fits in pocket or purse. Many people have one and everyone is used to seeing them, so you don't attract much attention with it. In a recent article in Time Magazine, A Camera Goes Anywhere, by Michael Christopher Brown, August 27, 2012... "Like many photo-journalists, I've been shooting with my iPhone for a while. Using a mobile phone allows me to be somewhat invisible as a professional photographer; people see me as just another person in the crowd. "...in Congo...the phone helped me shoot scenes unobtrusively. Taking photographs with a phone also raises my awareness as a photographer. Instead of concentrating on camera settings and a large piece of equipment, I am better able to focus on the situation before me. It becomes more about how I feel and what I see." Here's what one of the stock photo websites thinks... "Social media defines the trends in imagery right now. People want images that look and feel like those streaming past second-by-second online. We think the best way to deliver that is to encourage mobile photography submissions from our contributors...We want to take the cuffs off and bring mobile photography into the iStock collection in a big way. "Today’s mobile devices give you access to what we like to call the telephonic-trifecta of creativity. Take a photographer’s visual talents, add a device that is always handy and can capture a good (or great) quality image, then give it the power and applications to edit, apply filters, and create a model/property release right there on the spot. You have a perfect storm for stock production. Here’s why the time is right to take the cuffs off and bring mobile photography into the iStock collection in a big way: • The overriding appeal of these images isn’t so much about retro filters and the low-fi aesthetic (which can be duplicated) – it’s the real and authentic feeling the best ones have. Authenticity is central to the current media conversation. The omnipresence, familiarity and spontaneous nature of mobile devices make them uniquely suited to capturing images that feel real. • As more and more advertising takes place online there is an ever-growing market where absolute size and resolution has become secondary. Mobile devices are now more than capable of meeting these needs. • You’re already taking these images. Probably in vast numbers. We want to help you broadcast the best and get paid for them." A comparison the iPhone 3G, 2mp, tiny sensor vs. the Sony NEX-5N, 16mp, large sensor... iPhone 3G resized to 500p wide NEX-5N resized to 500p wide iPhone 3G 100% crop, 400p wide NEX-5N 100% crop, 400p wide The 5N is far shaper, but in bright sunlight the 3G does pretty well. The difference will really show in low light conditions. Photographing Artwork The setup: In bright sunlight, rays coming from the right at a very shallow angle to the painting; tripod to set the iPhone on. It doesn't have a mounting screw base like a camera. 3G from the camera resized to 500p wide, no adjustments. 3G from the camera 100% crop, no adjustments. Resized the original from the 3G, 1700p to 3500p on the long side, and applied the Clarify filter, here resized to 500p wide. 100% crop of the above 3500p wide image. Can't really see the weave of the canvas. Could this be used for your website, Facebook or entering shows online? Probably, though it is iffy for the latter. A print for personal use could be made up to maybe 8x10". Most likely Fine Art America would not print a poster from this. They would ask you to rephotograph and upload an image like the one below. Photo taken with 5N, resized to 500p wide. Looks very similar to the 3G photo above, but zooming in shows the difference... 100% crop of the above image, clarify filter. Super! Micro 4/3 (M43) System The Micro Four Thirds system (MFT) was created by Olympus and Panasonic in 2008. Many lenses available. Olympus PEN and Panasonic Lumix G. For more info. 4/3 System A standard created by Olympus and Kodak for DSLR cameras allowing for interchangeable lenses, entirely digital. For more info. Lenses Lens Terms to Know Fish Eye......Extreme wide angle Wide Angle......Focal length less than Normal Normal......50mm equiv. in 35mm film world            similar to normal vision Telephoto.....Focal length longer than Normal Macro......extreme closeup, zoom lens feature Optical Zoom......lens, range of focal lengths Digital Zoom...in-camera cropping Pancake......Thin, prime, light Prime......One focal length, sharp, fast. Fast.....f/1.8 or less, needed for low light. Depth of Field......Greater 'f' = greater depth in focus Bokeh.....pleasing out-of-focus areas On the right the area in focus is less than on the left. The Depth of Field is less with a lower F-stop. The background is more in focus on the left. This is often used by portrait photographers to blur the background. We are not completely free of the old 35mm film camera. Digital lens focal lengths are still converted to old camera equivalents. For example, a 20mm pancake lens for a new 4/3 camera is equated to a 40mm lens for an old 35mm film camera...a slight wide angle. The conversion factor is different for each sensor size The lens is as important as the sensor. The lenses above are offered by Canon. A complicated subject. The artist can avoid the issue by acquiring a fixed lens camera. Or if you choose a camera with interchangeable lens limit yourself to just a modest zoom lens and maybe a pancake or prime lens. Most such cameras come new with either a kit zoom or a pancake. A Pancake lens being thin, wide angle is good for travel, but not so good for portraits. A Zoom lens is more useful, but bulky with a higher f rating. A prime lens is a single focal length and the best for sharpness and low light. A good lens can cost more than the camera! Current micro 4/3 lenses. Olympus above and Panasonic below. Notice the shortest Panasonic lens. That is the Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 OIS collapsible power-zoom lens. It is amazingly small for a zoom lens. Very handy, no bigger than a pancake lens, but not real good for low light. Cost: under $400. Some problems according to reviews on amazon, but a great idea. One to consider... a decent, not great, general purpose travel lens. All M43 lenses will work on all M43 cameras (with the exception of the 3D Panasonic lens which only works on Panasonic M43 cameras), with no adapters of any kind needed at all. Low-light Capable You won't always have good natural lighting. Traveling light means you won't want to carry a remote flash unit or two on your reference gathering excursions. If your camera has a built-in flash you will find it is only effective for a few feet. A flash attracts attention and is not permitted in many places like museums and churches even if it would help. So, what does the artist do? Rely on... Fast Lens High ISO Big Sensor Tripod Bracing The artist relies on a "bright", "fast" lens with a low F-stop like f/2.0 or less; a high ISO to increase the light sensitivity of the sensor; and a large sensor to avoid graininess at high ISO settings. A zoom lens has the lowest F-stop at the shortest focal length or widest angle of view. In some cases long exposures may be practical. Use a tripod, monopod, brace yourself or set the camera on something to steady it. Here is an actual example from a recent concert. I knew a flash would be disruptive. Besides, even in the second row I was too far way for the tiny flash to make any difference. With the Canon G9 set like this... Max. Resolution - 4000 x 3000 Zoom - 18.9mm (7.4-44.4mm) F-stop - F/3.5 (F/2.8 - 4.8) Shutter - 1/60 ISO - 400 (80-1600) Sensor - 1/1.7" Elbows braced on arm rests Tension on neck strap As it came from the camera. The bow hand is a little blurred. Not a bad exposure. A little under exposed, but for digital that's better than over exposed. Zooming in I lost an F-stop. 100% crop, no adjustments. Now the graininess is clearly visible. A serious photographer might not be happy with this. I could have done better with a faster lens and a larger sensor. Even so this is a useable photo for the artist in less than ideal conditions. Should I upgrade to the G12? A quick look at the specs shows that there is only minor differences. Same sensor, 10 mp down from 12, 5x zoom down from 6x, 3200 ISO up from 1600, HDR mode... that would be good. A new G12 would cost $380 refurbished. G9s are on eBay Buy It Now for ~$225. This upgrade makes no sense. Ease of Use Is it small enough you hardly notice it? Do you find yourself leaving it home because it's too big and heavy? Can you slip it in a pocket, at least a large pocket? When the moment arrives can you start from "off" and get that first shot in a second or two? In full manual can you easily and quickly adjust F-stop, exposure and ISO? All cameras we will consider have an auto setting and a list of scene modes to make it easy, like a point-and-shoot. They also have a list of exposure modes and settings for the time when you want to have greater control of your pictures. Here is an example list from the Olympus PM1: Exposure Modes iAuto Program AE (with shift) Aperture priority AE... you set - aperture/camera sets - shutter Shutter priority AE... you set - shutter/camera sets - aperture Manual... you do both Other Settings White balance Megapixels Image size Art filter Scene select   Most prefer Aperture priority, some prefer Manual. Reading reviews on sites like dpreview.com and amazon.com will give you some idea of how easy the camera will be to operate. It depends on the layout of buttons, dials and menus. It's ok to shoot on auto...it's the fastest. If you have time and want to take full advantage of your cameras features in the interest of creative control you will have to read the manual. Scan the entire thing page by page to see what is covered. Keep it handy, refer to it often. Tip: Many digital cameras overexpose on automatic...one good reason to get away from auto eventually. It is better to under expose a digital image and adjust it later. Learn these parameters and how they relate to each other: Aperture/F-stop...Size of aperture, depth of field Shutter speed...Open time, stop action ISO setting...Sensitivity to light, noise ...and you'll be on your way! Shutter Speed and F-stop Thanks to Teresa-Marie. Click the image to see her blog.   Thanks to Teresa-Marie   ISO Setting Some cameras now have ISO settings of 12,000 or more! The higher the ISO setting the less light you need and the grainier it gets. The larger the sensor, the less grainy. Video It is difficult to catch a moving subject at the exact right instant with a single exposure. For something like a horse race or a powwow a short video clip is often the best option. All the new cameras we will consider have HD video from which you can capture just the right frame. The Olympus PM1 has... AVCHD Format: • FullHD Fine : 1920x1080, 60i Recording, 17Mbps • FullHD Normal : 1920x1080, 60i Recording, 13Mbps • HD Fine : 1280x720, 60p Recording, 17Mbps • HD Normal : 1280x720, 60p Recording, 13Mbps Frame rate of image sensor output is 30fps Motion-JPEG Format: • HD: 1280x720, 30fps*, Aspect 16:9 • SD: 640x480, 30fps*, Aspect 4:3 (VGA) * Some Art Filters are at reduced frame rates What is AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) Format? AVCHD is a camcorder video format used in high definition digital camcorders...Blue-Ray standards. Something new in digital cameras and great if you have a need for it. It has a down side. You will need special software to view it on your computer and a powerful computer to edited it. The artist should find that regular HD in AVI, MOV or MP4 formats adequate, especially if supplemented with a few high resolution still shots. With the NEX 5N I record in MP4 which is the same resolution as AVCHD, but not as wide and it will play on players you already have. How do you capture a single frame from your video? Did you answer 'use the Print Screen function'? That may work fine. You may get the screen alright, but where the image should be is a black rectangle. To overcome the black rectangle you can purchase special software. I've used WinDVD for many years. It allows you to click through the clip a frame at a time capturing the ones you want. Free software is available for this purpose that works well. Click this image to see four of them. I recommend Imagegrab because it will handle the high end MTS format (AVCHD) should your camera have that. Below is a frame captured with Imagegrab from a video taken on the California coast with the Canon G9 at 1024 x 768, 15 fps, the highest setting. I got this camera before HD became common. It has been resized to fit the page. Even so, it is useable for reference and the video with sound of the wave breaking brings it all back much better than a still photo. I was able to easily capture the frame I wanted with the spray at full height. Some new cameras allow you to take a still picture at full resolution while shooting video. And some let you take a still picture and a short video clip at the same time with one push of the button. Both very handy for the artist! One example is the Nikon 1 J1. The Olympus PM1can do 1920 x 1080, 60i in AVCHD. And what is 60i? Sixty interlaced fields per second. Two fields make a frame, for thirty full frames per second. Fields are separated in time by 1/60th of a second so it is referred to as 60i. Continuous Mode I could have shot the wave with the G9 using the Continuous Shooting function which allows 1.5 frames per second, Large/fine mode. Newer cameras can do much better. The Olympus PM1is capable of 5.5 fps, for example, while the NEX 5N shoots 10 fps. Remember these will be still images, not video with sound. Pixels How many pixels do you need? You'll want at least 6 megapixels (mp). Not really an issue any more since it's hard to find a new camera with less than 10 mp. My Canon G9 is 12 mp. Max resolution is 4000 x 3000 for a compressed .jpg file of about 4 or 5 mp. I normally detune to 2592 x 1944 for reference photos because that is plenty good and makes the file size about half of full resolution. For prints the usual recommendation is 300 pixels per inch (ppi). On FineArtAmerica.com they print my paintings at 100 ppi with good results. A 4000 x 3000 pixel image in focus with good exposure will print at 40" x 30". I've never had a print returned so I'd say it's working. Formats All new cameras have the standard .jpg and most have RAW which is of more interest to the professional photographer or advanced amateur and enthusiasts than to the artist. See the Video section above for a discussion of video formats. Bob's Camera Picks (go to top) These cameras will work for the artist. DSLRs are not included, too big to be handy. Any choice will be a compromise. Use a tripod and good lighting when possible. Other models/brands may also be fine. Check them out. Search out the newest releases... Sony Panasonic Olympia Nikon Fujifilm Canon Sigma image-resource fourthirds.org fourthirdsphoto.com dpreview.com steves-digicams.com Techradar.cameras Use the amazon.com links on the left to read the very helpful reviews and to purchase. Your cost will be the same and it helps maintain this page. Thanks!
	$ /  iPHONE
	My Favorites - 017 Apple iPhone 4S 16GB (White) - AT&T Apple $554.00 Privacy	iPhone 4S ~$200 + contract Not really a camera...wait...yes it is! 8 mp; 3264 x 2448, ?" Fixed lens, 35mm (equiv), f/2.4, Size: 2.5x0.5x4.5" flash, zero shutter lag, fast, zoom, edit, HDR, HD Video 1080p, 30 fps, Pocket - Yes! Low end of useful for an artist Graininess can be a problem
	$$$ /  iPAD
	My Favorites - 016 Apple iPad MC705LL/A (16GB, Wi-Fi, Black) 3rd G… Apple Computer $496.99 Privacy	New iPad  ~$560 Same as iPhone 4S, but huge LCD! I resized a 3264 x 2448 to the size needed at Juried Art Services to enter contests, 2000p on the long side. The sharpness improved at 100%. Color was ok. Should print ok at 8x10". Better at gathering reference, photo and video.
	$ / 1/2.3 ULTRA-COMPACT
	My Favorites - 002 Canon PowerShot ELPH 100 HS 12.1 MP CM… Canon $124.95 Privacy	Canon PowerShot ELPH 100 HS  ~$130.0012.1 mp; 4000x3000; 1/2.3" CMOS; Fixed lens 4x optical zoom; f/2.8; Size: 3.67x2.20x0.78";  Video: MOV-1920x1080 @ 24fps; Burst: 2.5 fps @ 12mpPoint-and-shooter-easy auto/manual
	$ / 1/2.3 COMPACT
	My Favorites - 015 Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZS15 12.1 MP High Sensitiv… Panasonic $251.00 Privacy	Panasonic Lumix ZS15 ~$200.0012.1 mp; 4000x3000; 1/2.3" CMOS; Fixed lens 16x optical zoom; f/3.3; Size: 4.13x2.28x1.3";  Video: Mpeg-4/AVCHD-1920x1080, 60fps; Burst: ?Point-and-shooter-easy auto/manual
	***** $ / 4/3 (7/8) MIRRORLESS
	My Favorites - 004 Olympus PEN E-PL1 12.3MP Live MOS Micro Four T… Olympus $382.99 Privacy	Olympus PEN E-PL1 ~$27512.3 mp; 4032x3024; 7/8" MOS; Chageable lens: 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom; Size: 4.5x2.8x1.7";  Video: AVI-1280x720, 30fps; Burst: 3 fps Outstanding value with large sensor, excellent pix! Older tech - May 2010 Entry-level/Beginner to Pro may like this
	$$ /  1/1.63 (?) FIXED LENS
	My Favorites - 013 Olympus XZ-1 10 MP Digital Camera with f1.8 Lens an… Olympus $275.00 Privacy	Olympus XZ-1 ~$38012 mp; 3648 x 2736; ?" CMOS; Fixed lens: 28-112mm (equiv.) f/1.8-2.5 zoom; Size: 4.4x2.6x1.7";  Video: AVI-1280x720, 30fps Burst: 2 fps View finder; Retro Enthusiast compact, easy
	$$ / 4/3 MIRRORLESS
	My Favorites - 005 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3KK 12 MP Micro 4/3 Co… Panasonic $379.99 Privacy	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 ~$40012.1 mp; 4000x3000; ?" MOS; Chageable lens: 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom; Size: 4.24x2.64x1.28";  Video: MOV/AVCHD-1920x1080, 60i; Burst: ? fps
	** $$$ / CX (5/8) MIRRORLESS
	My Favorites - 007 Nikon 1 J1 10.1 MP HD Digital Camera System with … Nikon $399.95 Privacy	Nikon 1 J1  ~$55010.1 mp; 3872x2592; 5/8" CMOS; Chageable lens: 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom; Size: 4.4x2.4x1.2";  Video: MOV/AVCHD-1920x1080, 60i; Still/Video; Video/Still; Slow Motion Burst: 60fps/.5sec.= 30 frames Point-and-shooter-easy auto
	New! ** $$$$ / CX (5/8) FIXED LENS
		Sony DSC RX100  ~$65020.2 mp; 5472x3648; 5/8" CMOS; Chageable lens: 10-37mm f/1.8-4.9 zoom; Size: 4x2.3x1.4";  Video: MPEG4/AVCHD-1920x1080, 60i;  Video/Still; Burst: 10fps; fast lens True compact with bigger sensor Pretty good images and features, but pricey for the small sensor compared with mirrorless, see Sony NEX 5N for same price
	$$$ /  2/3 (11/16) FIXED LENS
	My Favorites - 012 Fujifilm X10 12 MP EXR CMOS Digital Camera with … FUJIFILM (Nov… $499.00 Privacy	Fujifilm X10  ~$60012 mp; 4000x3000; 11/16" CMOS; Fixed lens: 28-112mm (equiv.) f/2.0-2.8 zoom; Size: 4.61x2.76x2.24";  Video: H.264-1920x1080, 30fps Burst: 10 fps View finder; Retro Point-and-shooter-easy auto
	***** $$$$ / 4/3 (7/8) MIRRORLESS
	My Favorites - 019 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5XK Live MOS Micro 4… Panasonic (Ap… $698.00 Privacy	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5X  ~$75012.1 mp; 4000x3000; 7/8" MOS; Chageable lens: 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom; Size: 4.25x2.64x1.46";  Video: MP4/AVCHD-1920x1080, 60i; Burst: 4 fps Beginner/High amateur
	Bob's Ultimate Pick
	***** $$$$ / 4/3 (9/8) MIRRORLESS
	My Favorites - 010 Sony NEX-5N 16.1 MP Compact Interchangea… Sony $449.99 Privacy	Sony NEX-5N  ~$65016.1 mp; 4912x3264; 9/8" CMOS; Chageable lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom; Size: 4.38x2.38x1.56";  Video: MPEG4/AVCHD-1920x1080, 60i; Burst: 10 fps; Flash 6-image layering; HDR Beginner/Enthusiast/Pro's street cam
	Adaptors available for most any legacy lens; Optional EVF
	Best Image quality, features, value, does it all and small!
	*****$$$$ / 4/3 (7/8) MIRRORLESS
	My Favorites - 009 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1K 16 MP Micro 4/3 Co… Panasonic $479.95 Privacy	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1  ~$680-85016 mp; 4594x3448; 7/8" MOS; Chageable lens: 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom; Size: 4.58x2.67x1.55";  Video: MP4/AVCHD-1920x1080, 60i; Burst: 4fps Enthusiast-fast, intuitive
	$$$$ / 4/3 (9/8) MIRRORLESS
	My Favorites - 008 Samsung NX200 20MP Compact Digital Camera Samsung $723.99 Privacy	Samsung NX200  ~$63020 mp; 5472x3648; 9/8" CMOS; Chageable lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom; Size: 4.6x2.48x1.42";  Video: MP4-1920x1080, 30fps Slow Motion Burst: 7fps Enthusiast-fast, intuitive
	$$$$$ / 4/3 (7/8) MIRRORLESS
	My Favorites - 014 Olympus OM-D E-M5 16MP Live MOS Interchangea… Olympus (Jul 3… $1,299.00 Privacy	Olympus OM-D E-M5 ~$110016.1 mp; 4608x3072; 7/8" MOS; Chageable lens: 14-42mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom; Size: 4.8x3.5x1.69";  Video: AVCHD/H.264/MPEG-4 -1920x1080, 60i Viewfinder Burst: 9 fps Enthusiast/Photographer
	ARMPOD
	My Favorites - 022 Armpod Arm & Camera Stabilizer Xtend Products $34.99 Privacy	Supports arm or camera, rests on leg when seated or hooks on belt when standing. For use in stadium or auditorium seating, recitals, bird/wildlife watching, family gatherings, birthday parties, school plays or musicals, choir/band/orchestra concerts, graduations, sporting events, powwow, parade...more stable, less fatigue, camera mount included.
	MONOPOD
	My Favorites - 021 Opteka MP100 67" Professional Heavy Duty … Opteka $16.95 Privacy	Follow the action and keep your horizons true. Reset it level in seconds. Reduce blurry pictures and tired arms. A plus in low light. Ideal for today's artist whether shooting digital, film or compact video. Four-section black anodized aluminum monopod, 21.25"-67", 4 sections, featuring sure rubber grip, wrist carrying strap, quick action lever leg lock system with 45° flip, large 1.2" camera / head platform with plastic cover and camera screw.
	Reader Recommendations
	$$$$ / 4/3 (7/8) MIRRORLESS
	My Favorites - 018 Olympus PEN E-P3 12.3 MP Live MOS Interchangea… Olympus $369.00 Privacy	Olympus PEN E-P3 ~$800 Designed for photographers who want total control over their creative vision with a camera portable enough to travel the world, the powerful Olympus PEN E-P3 delivers professional image quality, the world’s fastest auto focus, built-in creative features, and a new OLED touch screen in a classic, all-metal body with fully advanced controls. CON: aging sensor, noise. APPROVED FOR ARTISTS-RB
	RUMOR, Jun 2012: Canon is rumored to be announcing their first mirrorless compact this summer or maybe in the fall. No specs. Will it be any better than Sony, Nikon, Olympus, Samsung, Panasonic? Must wait and see.

How to take care of your laptop battery to prolong its lifespan

When I bought a new notebook recently, I resolved to take better care of my laptop battery this time than I had with my previous ones. With my last laptops the battery was more or less dead after a year or so. If a battery is treated with care it can last up to four years. I thought that I knew how a notebook battery has to be handled, but after googling this topic, I realized that quite a few of my beliefs were outdated. Most of my layman’s knowledge about rechargeable batteries was related to Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) and nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries, which are no longer used in laptops (as far as I know). In this post, I summarize the tips I found on the web to preserve lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, which are probably in most laptops nowadays.

There are two important keywords when it comes to battery preservation: charging and temperature. That is, how the batteries are charged, and the temperatures to which they are exposed, are key factors that determine their lifespan. Today I will write about how temperature influences the lifespan of a laptop battery, and in my next post I will cover charging and discharging.Many people believe that low temperatures are harmful for batteries because they think of past winters when their car didn’t start in the morning after a cold night. However, the technology used in car batteries has little to do with Li-ion batteries. The same applies to non-rechargeable batteries, which can even be recharged a little by exposing them to the warm sunlight. The truth about Li-ion batteries is that high temperatures are their worst enemy. Therefore, the following tips will help prevent laptop batteries from getting too warm.

Always use a laptop on a hard surface. Don’t put it on your lap (despite its name) or on thermal insulating materials such as cushions. If you like to work in bed with your laptop, I recommend using a laptop table. I have this one, and I am quite content with it.
Try to avoid charging the battery while you are working with the laptop. Charging the batteries increases your laptop’s temperature. The problem is that the CPU, the graphics card and the hard disk also heat up your laptop, which adds to the temperature increase experienced when charging the battery. Many vendors deliver their laptops with software that allows you to disable charging. You also can remove the battery while you are working on AC current.
Make sure the laptop’s ventilation can always work properly. Don’t place objects before the ventilation systems opening. Don’t run or charge the laptop while it is in its case.
Don’t leave the laptop in the car or under the sun in summer. Use a bike. It keeps your laptop battery cool and your own battery healthy. And too much sun exposure causes only skin cancer anyway.

0 times. The actual number depends on the way it has been treated. In the last post of this series, I outlined the influence that the temperature has on a battery’s lifespan. Today, I will explain how a battery should be charged and discharged with care.

Fully discharge a new battery and then re-charge it. This calibrates the battery.

Calibrate the battery every 30 charges, i.e., fully discharge it and charge afterwards.

Avoid frequent full discharges. In contrast to NiCd (Nickel-cadmium) and NiMh (Nickel-metal hydride) batteries, Li-ion (Lithium-ion) batteries show no memory effect. That is, it will do no harm to the battery if it is re-charged before it is empty. Full discharges will strain the battery.

Avoid total discharges. Total discharges, i.e., to the cut-off point, can destroy battery cells. Not all cells in a laptop have the same voltage. Your laptop’s battery gauge only displays the state of the whole battery. If a cell goes below a certain voltage it will be destroyed. Therefore, it is safer to stop working when your battery level reaches 20%. The low battery level can be configured under Vista in the advanced power settings applet. Vista will warn you when the battery reaches the low battery level.

Avoid high discharge rates. High discharge rates also strain the battery. Therefore, I would avoid power intensive tasks while working on battery. Some laptops come with special power management software that can disable unused components. Every piece of hardware that is active produces heat and wastes precious battery capacity. I also recommend checking out Vista’s advanced power management features. You will find many ways to reduce the power consumption. For example, I always set the maximum processor state to 1% while working on battery. You will be surprised at what a modern CPU can accomplish with 1% of its capacity.

Avoid full charges. Fully charged batteries deteriorate faster, especially at high temperatures. Monitor the battery icon in the systray and disable charging before it is fully charged. I guess this is not really a practical advice. Hence, it is only something for battery life-saver enthusiasts.

Avoid charging. This might sound like a rather unrealizable piece of advice because an empty battery has to be charged so it can be used again. The problem is that a lithium-ion battery only allows a limited number of discharge/charge cycles. If you are working on main, Windows will try to charge the battery whenever it falls below a certain level. This procedure is the worst thing that can happen to a battery. Usually, power management is set to high performance while the laptop is connected to AC. This increases the heat in the laptop while the batteries are being charged. One option is to disable charging while working on main. A far better option is to remove the battery if you don’t need it for the next couple of days.

In the next and final post in this series, I will give some tips on how a laptop battery should be stored to extend its lifetime.

In the last two parts of this series, I covered the factors of temperature and charging. While the high temperatures inside modern laptops are probably the worst enemy of a Li-ion battery, frequent discharge/charge cycles will negatively influence a battery’s life. If your laptop is a desktop replacement, then you probably only need the battery every now and then. It can be quite frustrating if you want to use your laptop for the first time after a year without AC, only to realize that your batteries are already dead even though you never really used them. However, if you remove the battery from the laptop and store it accurately, there is a good chance that it will be in good condition when you need it next time.
Don’t store a battery that is almost empty. Stored batteries continue losing energy, albeit at a much slower pace. If the stored battery is totally discharged, it could be destroyed.

Don’t store a fully charged battery. Fully charged batteries deteriorate faster than half-charged batteries. Most articles I’ve read recommended storing laptop batteries with a 40–60% charge.

Store the battery at a low temperature. I usually put it in the fridge. It keeps my battery fresh and crisp. Check out this table at Wikipedia. 0°C (32°F) seems to be the best storage temperature. I wouldn’t put the battery in the freezer even though Li-ion batteries only freeze at approximately −40°C.

Store the battery in a dry place. A moist environment will accelerate discharging the battery.

Check the battery state every now and then. I would remove it from the fridge at least every 30 days to calibrate it (fully discharge and charge).

Let the battery warm up a little before you put it back into your laptop. If the temperature is raised too fast, it will strain the battery.

When I started this article, I thought I’d just share a few tips I’ve found on the web. But then I realized that there are quite a few things that can be done wrong with laptop batteries. That’s how I ended up with three articles. It is quite amazing that we can build space ships that have enough energy to fly to the moon but still have no decent portable energy sources for simple laptops. Perhaps fuel cells will change the picture in a few years.

Please note that even though physics was my minor in college, I consider myself a layman when it comes to battery preservation. Any comments and tips are welcome. Here are some of the articles I’ve read about this topic:

Lithium-ion battery, Wikipedia
How to prolong lithium-based batteries, Battery-University.colm
Laptop Battery Care, Battery.com
Take Care Of Your Li-On Battery, Ezine @articles
How to Take Care of Your Laptop’s Battery and Make it Last, Associated Content
Notebook Battery Guide, NotbookReview.com
5 Tipps: So halten Sie Ihre Akkus fit, PC-Welt
Should I Remove the Laptop Battery For A Desktop Replacement Laptop?, About.com

Sony NEX-5 Video Recording

Sony has long been a dominant player in both professional and home-video recording, and many of their point & shoot digital cameras have offered HD video recording for some time now - But their SLR lineup has until now lacked this capability. Likewise, Sony has until now sat on the sidelines in the SLD (Single-Lens Direct view) camera market, being content to let Panasonic and Olympus break the new ground there.

With the announcement of the new NEX line of SLD cameras, Sony has made a bold step in two important directions, offering both their first SLD models, and their first interchangeable-lens hybrid still/video cameras at the same time.

Video capability. There is no separate video recording mode on the Sony NEX-5: Video can be initiated from any still-capture mode by pressing the video Movie button on the angled rear face of the body.

The new Sony NEX-5 is built around fundamentally new technology, employing both a new CMOS Exmor sensor ( Exmor is Sony's trade name for their advanced sensors), as well as an all-new lens design engineered specifically for the demands of video recording. The combination of Sony's Exmor CMOS technology and an APS-C sensor size (larger than the Four Thirds chips used in SLDs from Olympus and Panasonic) brings excellent noise characteristics at high ISOs, which which in turn means better low-light recording capability than other current SLD competitors.

Its lack of manual control over video exposure parameters means that the Sony NEX-5 may not be a choice for serious video aficionados, but it does offer the ability to attach an external stereo microphone via the top-mounted accessory terminal. While it may not quite have the feature set required by high-end video users, its autofocus tracking during recording and its good low-light capability make it an excellent choice for consumers looking for a true all-in-one still/video camera for recording memories. (And as we've noted elsewhere in this review, its excellent still-image quality and low high-ISO noise make it well suited for enthusiast still photographers.)

Bottom line, if you're looking for serious still-image quality and easy and effective video capture in the same affordable camera, the Sony NEX-5 clearly belongs on your very short list of cameras to consider. Let's look at its video capabilities in a bit more detail:
Sony NEX-5 Basic Video Specs

* 1080i (1,920 x 1,080), 60i (interlaced) fields/second HD recording (presumably 50i in European versions) in AVCHD format
* 1,920 x 1,080 (subsampled at 1,440 x 1,080), 30 fps HD recording in MPEG-4 format
* 640 x 480 30 fps standard-definition recording in MPEG-4 format
* Autofocus functions during movie recording, with any NEX-series lenses (currently the 18-55mm and 16mm kit lenses, with an 18-200mm model coming soon)
* Essentially silent autofocus and aperture operation on NEX-series lenses
* Auto-only exposure (that is, no aperture-priority, shutter-priority, or manual exposure control)
* EV adjustment is available in all movie recording modes
* Stereo audio recording via built-in microphones or via an external mic attached to the top-mounted accessory connector (Sony accessory mic available; it's not clear whether there will be adapters to connect standard 3.5mm phone plugs or not.)
* Much better than average video recording under low-light conditions
* Compatible a wide range of Sony Alpha-mount lenses, via an accessory adapter (Alpha-mount lenses permit only manual focus on the NEX-5, and aperture control may not work properly during video recording .)
* Some scene modes carry over into video recording, adjusting parameters for color and tone to match specific subject types

Sony NEX-5 Video: Aperture control or not?

In the early days following its announcement, there was a lot of confusion as to whether it provided any control over lens aperture during video recording, and even some Sony corporate sites were displaying incorrect information. We checked with our main technical contact for Sony imaging here in the US, who detailed for us which settings you're able to adjust in movie mode, and which remain under the camera's control. Here's the definitive list, as received from Sony US:
Sony NEX-5 Video Settings
Function

Condition
AF Mode
(AF/MF/DMF)

Can preset (before recording)
Exposure Compensation

+/- 2EV in 1/3 EV increments
Adjustable during recording
White Balance

Can be preset (before recording)
Creative Style

Can be preset (before recording)
AF Area

Fixed at "Movie AF"
(Can't preset, can't change during recording)
AE Pattern

Fixed at multi-segment
(Can't preset, can't change during recording)
Exposure Control
(Aperture/Shutter Priority)

Fixed at Auto
(Can't preset, can't change during recording)
ISO Sensitivity

Fixed at Auto
(Can't preset, can't change during recording)
Scene Selection

Fixed at Standard
(Can't preset, can't change during recording)


Sony NEX-5 Video: Image Size, Frame Rate, and Encoding

The Sony NEX-5 records just two different video resolutions, and can record high-definition movies in either AVCHD or MPEG-4 formats. Audio is encoded during movie recording in Dolby Digital (AC-3) for AVCHD and AAC-LC for MPEG-4. No spec is provided for the sampling rate of the audio tracks, though video players report 48 kHz at 256 kbps for AVCHD and 48 kHz at 128 kbps for MPEG-4.

The table below shows the specs for various video recording options.

Sony NEX-5 Video Options
AVCHD Format (.MTS files)
Menu Designation

Resolution

Frame Rate

Card Capacity

FH


1080i
1,920 x 1,080


60i (interlaced)
(59.94 fields/second actual)
17 Mbps

1.9 MB/second
(17.6 minutes
on 2GB card)
MPEG-4 Format (.MP4 files)
Menu Designation

Resolution

Frame Rate

Card Capacity
(very approximate)

1080


1,920 x 1,080
(subsampled at
1,440 x 1,080)


30 fps (progressive)
(29.97 fps actual)

~~1.5 MB/second
(~22 minutes
on 2GB card)

VGA


640 x 480
(4:3 aspect ratio)


30 fps (progressive)
(29.97 fps actual)

~~0.4 MB/second
(~83 minutes
on 2GB card)

As noted above, the Sony NEX-5 offers two video recording formats, either the HD-only AVCHD format or the less space-efficient but more computer-friendly MPEG-4. The MPEG-4 file format is a bit less efficient in its use of memory card space for a given image quality level, but is more widely supported, and seems to be a bit easier for older computers to read. AVCHD is the best choice if your primary output is going to be directly to a HD television, but MPEG-4 probably a better choice for your computer, particularly if it's more than a year or two old.

In AVCHD mode, the pixel resolution is 1,920 x 1,080, and the data stream on our test sample seemed to be recorded at an average rate of 1.9 MB/second, a bit slower than the 2.1 MB/second that's the maximum rate according to the "Main Profile" spec for AVCHD. No options are offered for lower bit rates, but in our experience, there wouldn't be much point to them: We've generally found lower AVCHD bit rates to result in poor detail and excessive artifacts, especially in higher-resolution and higher frame-rate cameras. At ~17 Mbits/second, file sizes are modest enough that we see little or no benefit in greater compression. (You'll definitely want to buy a really big SD card for use with your NEX-5, though: Even with AVCHD compression, video files take up a lot of card space.)

With a frame rate of 60 fields-per-second (interlaced), the Sony NEX-5 produces smooth motion, though not as smooth as could be possible with a sensor running natively at 60i. The NEX-5's sensor is read at 30 frames-per-second (progressive) and video is interlaced to 60i by extracting alternate field pairs of each 30p frame. (The AVCHD standard does not define 1,920 x 1,080 at 30p, so providing 60i from a 30p sensor makes perfect sense.) While this is not true 60i from the sensor, it does have the advantage of making de-interlacing much easier, though sophisticated de-interlacers can certainly produce more fluid looking motion from true 60i video.

MPEG-4 mode offers a choice of two resolutions both recorded at 30 frames/second (progressive), with data rates and compression ratios as detailed in the table above. The MPEG-4 formats on the Sony NEX-5 actually use slightly less memory card space than does its AVCHD format. This may in part be due to their lower frame rate, but also reflects the subsampling and significant compression that the NEX-5 applies to these files.

Sony doesn't list a card-speed spec for the NEX-5, but past experience has shown that Class 4 rated memory cards are adequate for AVCHD recording. Given that the bitrate of the Sony NEX-5 is lower than that of its AVCHD output, a Class 4 card should be adequate for any usage.

Recording full 1,080i video to a memory card at reasonable data rates can be a real stretch, because of the amount of compression that must be applied to the imagery. We've often in the past been disappointed by 1,080i recording in compact cameras, because the compression needed to cram that much data into a reasonable bit rate frequently results in low image quality and an excess of image artifacts. At the time of this review, the only other SLR/SLD we had in the lab that was capable of 1,080 resolution video was the Canon T2i. (The T2i shoots 1,080 line video at 30p frames/second, vs the 60i fields/second of the NEX-5.) A brief comparison with the T2i showed softness in both cameras, but the NEX-5 acquitting itself quite well. Detail levels on the two cameras seemed similar (if anything, the NEX-5 seemed to be capturing a bit more), while the color and contrast on the NEX-5 was noticeably more vibrant: The T2i video looked a little dull and lifeless when viewed side by side.

Here are some examples of video shot with our sample of the Sony NEX-5:
Sony NEX-5 Video Samples
AVCHD
(1,920 x 1,080)
MPEG-4 HD resolution
(1,440 x 1,080)
(16.6 MB)
MPEG-4 VGA resolution
(640 x 480)
(3.9 MB)

Focus Tracking Example 1
MPEG-4, HD quality
(10.1 MB)
A bit of what looked like focus lag at first, but it turned out to be Charlotte not being a large enough subject with enough sharp contrast.
(See below for framegrabs)
Focus Tracking Example 2
MPEG-4, HD quality
(17.7 MB)
A larger human subject with sharp contrast on his shirt let the NEX-5's AF track the motion perfectly.
(See below for framegrabs)

Rolling Shutter Artifact Example
AVCHD (1,920 x 1,080)
(3.8 MB)
Some rolling shutter artifacts, but better than some of the NEX-5's competitors. Night Video, AVCHD
AVCHD SH quality
(26.0 MB)

Night Video, MPEG-4
MPEG-4 HD quality
(16.8 MB)
The night scene above right is a pretty dark shot, captured under slightly dimmer than average city street lighting. Some cameras can manage it, albeit with a fair bit of noise; some can handle it cleanly, but produce very dark videos. The Sony NEX-5 managed to get very usable detail, albeit at the cost of some noise and minor focus-hunting. Its overall performance was better than anything else anywhere near its price range, though.

Sony NEX-5 Video-Mode Focusing

Live autofocus during video recording has been a consumer bugaboo ever since video first appeared as a feature on SLR cameras a bit less than two years ago. It's less of an issue than one might expect, because the lower resolution of video images results in greater effective depth of field than with high-resolution still images, but it's still an issue for many consumers. Sure, you can often arrange the camera angles so the subject will stay in the plane of focus for the duration of a clip, but it's not always possible to do that. You can also learn to "pull focus" while the camera is recording, moving between preset focus points manually, but doing that well requires a surprising level of skill and experience.

Without live AF, consumers for the most part are reduced to only shooting subjects at a constant distance from the camera, or to having to settle for a lot of poorly-focused video. A lot of video-capable SLRs are certainly being sold to consumers these days, and having some video capability is certainly better than none, but for most consumers to make full use of a video camera, it really needs to be able to focus on the fly.

Most SLD cameras currently on the market offer at least some level of live autofocus, but very few do it well. Until now, the Panasonic GH1 was the only model with an autofocus system that was truly effective during video recording. The recent Panasonic G2 did very well, too, but wasn't quite in the same league when operating with its kit lens as was the GH1. For its part, the Sony NEX-5's live AF speed seems to be on par with or perhaps a bit ahead of the G2's.

There are two requirements for live autofocus in a camera using contrast-detect focusing; namely a fast AF-determination system, and a lens with very fast and stable focus operation. In the Sony NEX cameras, the advanced Exmor image sensor and powerful Bionz image processing engine provide the focus-determination speed required for live autofocus. On the lens front, Sony's NEX announcement included an entirely new lens mount (the E-mount) and a set of three new lenses to fit it. These new E-mount lenses are all designed with low-mass focusing elements and high-speed stepper motors, to give the rapid response required for live contrast-detect focusing during video recording. (They also employ a continuously-variable aperture mechanism, to provide stepless exposure control, another key issue for video recording.) While you can mount other lenses on the NEX-5's body via adapters, it's important to note that you do have to use Sony's E-mount lenses to get live AF capability. In fact, as noted above, standard A-mount lenses revert to manual focus when attached to the Sony NEX-5 via the optional mount adapter.

The result of this new technology is a pretty effective live AF system for movie recording, delivering the focus performance the average consumer needs for video recording. In our testing, focus-tracking speed seemed quite good, and for rapidly-moving subjects, any lag in focus generally caught up with them in just a fraction of a second, once they came to rest. Most problems we thought were the fault of focus tracking turned out on further analysis to be caused by the background having more contrast than our subjects did.

This brings us to our biggest complaint about the Sony NEX-5's video-mode focusing: The video AF area is just way broad. A bright or contrasty object a good ways away from the center of the frame can draw the camera's focus away from a centrally-located but lower-contrast subject pretty easily. It turns out that video recording on the NEX-5 ignores any AF area setting you might have made in still-capture mode, always reverting to what seems to be an unusually large focus area. We don't know exactly how large the video AF area is, but it seemed that a bright object anything more than about 15% of the frame width/height from the edges would cause the camera to shift focus to it. In our own shooting with the Sony NEX-5, we frequently found ourselves wishing we could tell it to use a specific focus area (as is easily done on the Panasonic G2), and had to be careful to keep contrasty background objects well away from the center of the frame. Also note that the Background Defocus control in iA mode has no effect when you begin video recording; aperture control is always automatic when recording movies.

There may well be technical limitations that preclude it (it takes quite a lot to get any kind of live AF to happen at video frame rates), but we'd really like to see an option for closest-subject focus priority and/or the ability to set a specific focus point the way you can in still capture mode. We think a lot of users will just assume that the center-area or flexible-spot focus selection they made in still mode will carry over to video recording, and be disappointed when that isn't the case.

For more advanced users, manual focus during video recording is certainly an option, just as it is on many video-capable SLRs. The Sony NEX-5's very high resolution screen makes this somewhat feasible, but without magnification, even a screen as sharp as this one doesn't quite hold up to 1,920 x 1,080 video resolution: The AF system could almost always do a noticeably better job of focusing than we could manually, even when we got out a loupe and held it to the screen to compensate for our less-than-perfect eyesight. While 921K dots sounds like a ton of resolution (and it is, for a compact LCD screen), it only amounts to 640 x 480 pixels, less than half the linear resolution of a full HD image. This isn't a specific knock against the Sony NEX-5, as there aren't any appreciable differences between cameras in this regard; the LCD screen on the NEX-5 is as high-resolution as they come. One solution for manual focus inaccuracy is to simply stop down the lens more; alas, this isn't possible with the NEX-5, because you have no aperture control during video recording.

The crops below show how well the Sony NEX-5 did tracking the official IR mascot Charlotte, as she retrieved a frisbee. On a number of runs, we initially thought the camera was lagging behind Charlotte, but further experiments with a person as the subject revealed that the problem with Charlotte was most likely that she didn't occupy enough of the frame, so the camera was taking its contrast-detect focus signal from the grass in the background. Bottom line, while not perfect, the Sony NEX-5's video AF actually did very well. (Note that the crops below of individual frames are the video equivalent of extreme pixel-peeping in still images.)

Sony NEX-5 Video: Tracking Autofocus
(MP4 files, shot with the 18-55mm kit lens)

I started the camera rolling after Charlotte had rounded the corner and was already heading back. None of the video here is wonderfully-sharp looking, thanks to the file compression and many areas of subtle contrast. (Which get compressed more.)

This is 15 frames into the clip (a half-second after the previous shot). While still looking soft from the compression, the camera is tracking very well. (Note the sharp individual grass blades, where they stand out against Charlotte's shadow; the compression tends to leave high-contrast edges alone.)

Around frame 28 (a quarter-second or so following the prior shot, the camera is a bit behind Charlotte, as it hunts for focus. (Grass blades behind her are sharper than those under her feet.)

Just five frames later, though, the camera is back at proper focus. Details in Charlotte's face are really stepped on by the compression, but note how crisp the high-contrast elements on the frisbee are.

A third of a second later (frame 53), Charlotte's quite a bit closer to the camera, and it's starting to lose her again. Her fur isn't a whole lot softer than in the prior crop, but the logo is only just starting to go out of focus.

The camera had her face back in good focus again very quickly after she came to a stop. The camera and Charlotte were both still moving quite a lot, literally just a couple of frames before this one. Re-acquiring focus in just a couple of frames is pretty impressive.

The prior sequence was the best focus tracking we saw with Charlotte, obtained after I took particular care to keep her at the center of the frame. On several other runs, it seemed to be tracking behind her, but we discovered it was most likely just a matter of it focusing on the grass rather than Charlotte. We tried a human subject and found that the camera tracked perfectly.

This is about 2 seconds into the clip, and only a quarter-second or so after the crop on the left, so Chris was approaching the camera pretty rapidly at this point. We again see the overall softness from the image compression, but the logos on his shirt are about as crisp as they can get.

A bit over a third of a second (23 frames) later, the camera is still maintaining excellent focus tracking. Chris is quite close to the camera and approaching rapidly, making this a very tough AF challenge.

Another 7 frames (a bit over a tenth of a second), and Chris is now getting really close. Not surprisingly, this was about the point at which the NEX-5 finally started to lose tracking. Pretty impressive, that it could track this well!

The above shots were all cropped from MPEG-4 frames captured at 1,080 resolution (1,440 x 1,080 pixels) and are shown 1:1 on-screen. (In comparing these crops to those you might see on our site for other cameras, note that most competing models only capture at 1,280 x 720 pixels, so they'll naturally appear a bit more crisp when viewed 1:1 like this.)

As you can see, the camera actually did a very good job of tracking motion with its live AF, provided that the subject was large enough in the frame: We initially thought it was lagging a bit when we shot Charlotte retrieving the Frisbee, the sequence above being one of the better ones we shot. Once we discovered how large its AF area is, though, it occurred to us that it might just be an issue of Charlotte not being a large enough or contrasty enough subject. The tests with Chris running toward the camera showed that the NEX-5 could indeed track very well, to very close distances. With the larger subject, there was also very little sign of it hunting back and forth to find the correct focus: It seemed to do a surprisingly good job of predicting where the proper focus point would be as the subject moved.

Bottom line, the Sony NEX-5 is a very serviceable "hybrid" video/still camera. Usable autofocus tracking during video recording is hugely important for consumers, and the Sony NEX-5's live AF worked pretty well. We'd really like to see a tighter AF area, and the ability to set specific AF points for movie recording, but the average consumer will find the NEX-5 vastly more usable than cameras that offer either manual-only focus in video mode, or that stop focusing once recording has started.

Sony NEX-5 Video Exposure Control

While the Sony NEX-5 lets you record movies directly from any of its still-image exposure modes, including aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and full manual exposure modes, the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings for video recording are always automatically controlled. Thus, while the camera's menu system might suggest full PASM (programmed, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and full manual exposure) exposure control for videos, there in fact is no direct control over aperture, shutter speed, or ISO during movie recording.

Exposure compensation adjustments made in still-capture modes do carry over into movie recording, provided that there's enough light. (That is, if it's too dark, boosting the EV adjustment won't make your video any brighter.) White balance settings also carry over to video mode, as do the tone/color aspects of the camera's various scene modes.

Shutter speed is one aspect of video exposure we've recently become more aware of. It turns out that slower shutter speeds tend to produce more natural-looking videos than faster ones: The motion blur associated with a slower shutter speed tends to smooth-out transitions between frames with rapidly-moving subjects: Cameras with 30fps recording, but shutter speeds 1/100 second or higher produce somewhat choppy, artificial-looking movie footage, while cameras with exposure curves biased toward shutter speeds in the 1/30 - 1/60 second range show a lot more motion blur, but the end result looks more natural to the eye. As with most of its competition, the Sony NEX-5's video exposure curve is biased toward higher shutter speeds and the crispness they bring, but its 60i frame rate helps avoid some of the choppiness you'd normally see from such a fast shutter. We'd obviously like to see full user control over shutter speed and aperture in the NEX-5, but suspect those features are more likely to appear in Sony cameras aimed more at the video enthusiast in the not too distant future.

Sony NEX-5 Movie-Mode Image Stabilization

Sony's unique among camera manufacturers, in having both body-based and lens-based image stabilization technology in their product lines. In the case of the NEX-5, image stabilization happens in the lens, so its availability will be a function of the particular lens used. Among the new E-mount lenses that were announced with the NEX-5 and NEX-3, the 18-55mm and 18-200mm models offer nearly silent lens-based IS, while the 16mm f/2.8 model does not. Even in dead-quiet passages in the Sony NEX-5's video, we were unable to hear any trace of the 18-55mm lens's IS in the sound track. (Or to hear any other aspect of lens operation, for that matter.) This was by far the most silent IS system we've yet found on as SLD-style camera.

Sony NEX-5 Video: Audio recording

External Mic. The Sony NEX-5's optional external stereo mic plugs into the top-mounted accessory port also used by the flash.
Like most competing SLR/SLD cameras with video recording capability, the Sony NEX-5 can record audio via its internal microphones. The NEX-5 goes most of its competitors one better, though, in that it actually has two internal mics, providing stereo sound. It also provides for recording via an external stereo microphone, attached via the same accessory socket on the camera's top that's used by the bundled mini-flash. Currently, only a proprietary Sony external mic (shown above right) can be connected to this jack. We hope that Sony will eventually offer an adapter for the common 3.5mm stereo phone plug standard, but they may choose to reserve that capability for some as-yet-unannounced future NEX model aimed more specifically at video enthusiasts: People serious enough about video to think in terms of attaching external mics with 3.5mm plugs are also probably serious enough that they'd consider the NEX-5's exposure control limitations too confining creatively.

Sony's only published spec for the NEX-5's audio recording capability simply says "Dolby Digital (AC-3) / MPEG-4 AAC-LC", so we don't officially know the sampling rate or number of bits of A/D resolution employed, although third-party MPEG players suggest a 48 KHz sample rate. Audio recorded with the camera's internal mic sounded very clear, but we do no tests to measure frequency response or sensitivity, so can't comment quantitatively. Hiss levels during quiet sections also seemed quite low compared to those of some competing models. We did notice that there was audible hiss in audio tracks recorded with the in-camera mic in very quiet environments, but less than we've heard on some competing models. The camera's auto-gain system also did a good job of adjusting sensitivity as sound levels got louder or softer, with no evident "breathing" in transitions from high to low sound levels.

We did have one significant complaint with the Sony NEX-5's audio recording: As is the case with most video-capable SLR/SLD cameras we've tested, the NEX-5's internal microphones are exquisitely sensitive to noise produced when operating the camera's controls or even moving your hands on the body. Unique in our experience, though, is that the NEX-5 records a very audible click at the end of every clip, produced when the Movie Record button is pressed to stop recording. This seems absolutely nonsensical to us. Since you're trying to stop the recording, why should the camera record the sound of the very button you're using to tell it to stop? Rather than having an approximately half-second lag before the recording stops, why can't the camera just look back in its buffer, and simply not record the last half-second of video to the memory card? It's probably not as simple as that, and the NEX-5's behavior in this area is probably preferable to that of the Panasonic G2, which actually stops recording the video before you press the button. Still, the inevitable "click" at the end of every recording was probably our second-biggest gripe with the Sony NEX-5's video mode. (Second behind its over-large video-mode AF area.)

As noted above, the AF and iris-control systems on both kit lenses we tested (the 18-55mm and 16mm) were effectively silent, in that their operation couldn't be heard on the audio track, even with no background noise. Zooming the 18-55mm lens could produce audible noise, but the amount and whether it was apparent on the audio track depended a lot on how much background noise there was, and on how fast we zoomed (slow zooming was almost never audible, except in very quiet environments).

Finally, as with all its competitors, the Sony NEX-5 doesn't have any provision for manual audio level control, whether working from the internal or optional external mic. As is the case with the lack of a 3.5mm external jack, we don't think this will be an issue for the NEX-5's primary target buyers.

Sony NEX-5 Movie Recording/Playback User Interface

The Sony NEX-5 makes movie recording very easy, as you can initiate it at any time, regardless of the mode-dial setting: Simply press the prominent Movie Record button with the red dot at its center on the camera's top panel, and the camera will start recording video.

Normally, this is where we'd list the Movie-mode menu items, but the NEX-5 has no separate movie menu. In fact, the only menu items exclusively related to video recording are the choice of file format (AVCHD or MPEG-4) and image size (1,920 x 1,080 for AVCHD; 1,440 x 1,080 or 640 x 480 for MPEG.)

Playback mode on the Sony NEX-5 is decidedly odd, although it offers at least one feature we liked. The odd part is that the NEX-5's playback is an either/or proposition, relative to stills and videos: If you've just shot a video and press the playback button, you'll see only movies that are stored on the card; not the still images. Likewise, if you've just shot a still image, you'll only see other stills when you hit the playback button. To switch between the two modes, you have to either navigate to an option on the Playback menu, drop into thumbnail view and scroll over to the left, to select the correct tab on that screen, or simply grab a throwaway exposure of the type you want to view. We actually found it much more convenient to hit the Movie Record button twice (to record a brief video clip) than to navigate through the playback menu to change the playback mode. This was the first time we'd ever seen a camera's playback mode work like this, and it caused us some consternation until we figured out what was going on. "Where'd all my movies/stills go?" RTM, as they say, but we can only imagine the dismay many users will experience (if only until they read the manual) when they think all their vacation photos disappeared after they'd finally shot a video. Since so few people actually do read manuals, we also suspect this is going to be the source of a lot of service calls to Sony's support centers.

The likely reason for this odd either/or choice for movie/still playback reveals itself when you try to scroll through movies you've recorded, to find a particular one you want to play back: Scrolling through recorded movies is just ineffably slow. Well, perhaps not ineffably; it's a matter of a couple of seconds per movie, but that's slow enough that navigating through more than two or three movies can be seriously painful. Why so slow? The camera is lightning-quick scrolling through still images, and doesn't it save a JPEG thumbnail of each movie, for just this purpose? This is another area that's going to produce a lot of frustration with users.

While it pales beside the slow playback scrolling, we missed one other playback option that's become increasingly common on both digicams and SLDs; namely the "trim" function. Whenever you record a short video clip, it's almost inevitable that you'll start earlier and keep recording longer than the action you're interested in. (If you don't do this, you're almost certainly going to miss action you're interested in.) While "padding" like this is important and necessary, we like to keep our videos concise by trimming away the extraneous material at the beginning or end of the clip after they're recorded. Many cameras support doing this in-camera these days, but the NEX-5 does not. You could certainly import the video clips to your computer and do the trimming there, but that's awfully cumbersome. Far easier to simply trim and toss away the unwanted footage on the camera. (More grist for the mill for the first firmware update to the NEX-5... ;-)

Sony NEX-5 Video Quality and Artifacts

We felt that the Sony NEX-5's video quality was pretty comparable to that of its competitors, neither exceptionally better nor worse than that of other models. (We seem to be saying this a lot lately; Other than professional SLR models, we haven't seen an SLR or SLD recently that stood out from the crowd one way or the other in video quality.)

As usual, the AVCHD recording format provided a high-quality viewing experience with very small file sizes, but lost detail pretty dramatically when the camera was panning rapidly, or when there was a lot of rapid subject movement. As we've noted before, though, those times are exactly when your eyes will be less aware of fine detail, so its loss isn't as significant an issue as some of the freeze-frame crops below might suggest. MPEG-4 has a similar limitation, as it also uses the H.264 keyframe-based codec. On the Sony NEX-5, we felt we saw slightly less degradation of the images in MPEG-4 mode, but it's possible that was because of the smaller amount of data captured there (only 1,440 pixels horizontally, vs 1,920). Comparing relatively static images, we did feel that there were a few more general compression artifacts visible in the MPEG-4 files than the AVCHD ones, but it wasn't a large difference. (At the 1,080 resolution settings, at least: The VGA-resolution MPEG-4 files showed a lot of compression artifacts, to the extent that we don't consider them terribly useful.) AVCHD produced higher image quality overall, despite its detail loss when faced with rapid motion and its limited compatibility with computer software. (The NEX-5's AVCHD plays back beautifully on HDTVs.)

Here are some examples of what we found in the Sony NEX-5's movie files:

Sony NEX-5 Video Quality Samples
AVCHD AVCHD

When there's little motion in the scene, AVCHD delivers excellent frame quality.

Rapid panning brings the usual loss of image detail. In fairness, though, some of the loss here is from motion blur, and in any case, the lack of detail isn't terribly noticeable when you watch at full speed on an HDTV.
MPEG-4 - HD Setting MPEG-4 - HD Setting

It's close to a toss-up between MPEG-4 and AVCHD. The MPEG-4 crop above looks a bit better here, but the AVCHD video tended to look better when playing back on an HDTV, and we felt generally gave slightly higher quality.

Again, this shot is close to a toss-up: I think Charlotte and the camera were moving slightly less here than in the AVCHD shots above, so some of the difference may be motion blur. Not a huge difference either way, though.
MPEG-4 - HD Setting MPEG-4 - VGA Setting

We frankly need some standardized test shots for video detail: We had the distinct impression that the Sony NEX-5's video wasn't as sharp as that from some of the competition, but it's hard to prove with such widely varying content.

MPEG-4 certainly doesn't mean fewer artifacts: The Sony NEX-5's VGA-resolution video (640x480) showed pretty severe compression artifacts, whether the subject was moving or not. (Check out the squirrely noise pattern in the road at upper right.) If you only want low-res videos for web use, you'd probably do better with a digicam...
AVCHD AVCHD

We did find the Sony NEX-5 much more capable of night video than its competitors. AVCHD in particular did a good job of preserving detail.

While this night video would be usable for family memory purposes (if you spent a lot of time at a nearly deserted Starbucks), there was a fair bit of noise. You can see it in this crop, in what should be a smooth, grey area.
MPEG-4 - HD Setting MPEG-4 - HD Setting

MPEG-4 didn't do as good a job with detail in the night shot...

- And the MP4 file also seemed to have a bit more noise. Still, very impressive when compared to the competition anywhere near the NEX-5's price point.


Rolling Shutter Artifacts
Sony NEX-5: Rolling Shutter Artifacts
While present, we found the Sony NEX-5's rolling shutter artifacts to be less obtrusive than those of some of its competitors. The slanted verticals in the shot above show this effect, in response to some pretty fast shaking. (Faster than you'd be likely to pan, even following action.)

Essentially every video capable digital SLR/SLD currently on the market exhibits some level of motion-related distortion called rolling shutter artifacts. These are caused because the image data is captured and then read off the chip sequentially by rows, rather than each frame's data being captured all at once. In the case of the Sony NEX-5, this means that image data for the last row of a given frame is captured and read out anywhere from 1/25th to 1/60th second after the data for the top row was captured. The effect on moving objects is like that of a focal plane shutter in an SLR, but more pronounced, because the video frame is read out much more slowly than the slit of a focal plane shutter moves across the sensor.

For a camera that scans video frames vertically (as all do that we're aware of), rolling shutter artifacts will be most noticeable for subjects that are moving rapidly side to side, or when the camera itself is being panned horizontally. Verticals in the scene will appear tilted to the right or left, depending on the direction of camera motion. As an example, consider the case of a camera being panned from left to right, with a flagpole or other vertical object in the middle of the scene when recording for a particular frame begins: If the top of the object was centered horizontally when the first line of the video frame is acquired, by the time the last line of the frame has been captured, the bottom of the object will have shifted to somewhere left of center: As a result, the vertical object would appear to be leaning to the right.

Computer Requirements for Viewing HD Video

A typical computer these days has little trouble dealing with still images, but high-definition video can be another matter. Depending on the file format involved, it can take a pretty beefy computer to handle HD-resolution video playback without stuttering or dropping frames. The Sony NEX-5 supports both AVCHD and MPEG-4 recording formats. The AVCHD format is slightly more space-efficient on the memory card relative to its quality level, and displays well on HD television sets, but is less widely supported by computer playback and editing software. If most of your video playback will be on a computer, you may find MPEG-4 to be more to your liking. On the other hand, if your computer supports AVCHD fine, that would be the preferred format, given its space efficiency.

As of this writing (in early May, 2010), support for AVCHD on the Mac platform is terrible. The free VLC player program does a decent job, but is prone to motion artifacts. We're not aware of any other free player software for the Mac that does any better. Windows users are better off, but AVCHD is still a bit problematic for computers.


Sony NEX-5 Video Mode: The Bottom Line

Overall, the Sony NEX-5 is a great camera for consumers looking for a capable interchangeable-lens camera that can record video without the hassle of poor or no live focusing encountered with most of its competitors. We'd really like to see both a smaller AF area and the option to change its location within the frame, but with reasonable-sized and reasonably well-lit subjects, the NEX-5's autofocus responds quickly and accurately. The near-silence of the 18-55mm kit lens' focusing, aperture and IS operation is a big plus. When recording video, the Sony NEX-5 offers no control over exposure other than exposure compensation and white balance, but most consumer-level users won't be looking for these capabilities. Serious video enthusiasts will likely pass over the NEX-5 unless or until more advanced exposure controls are added via a firmware update. Ditto with external audio: The Sony NEX-5's internal stereo mics do an excellent job of recording sound, and the proprietary Sony external stereo mic will likely do ever better. Video enthusiasts will miss the option of connecting external mic systems equipped with standard 3.5mm plugs. On a positive note, though, the NEX-5 does better recording under limited- or low-light conditions than most of its competition.

At the end of the day, the Sony NEX-5's video capabilities are a good match for its target markets: On the one hand, it'll be amply adequate for the average consumer who wants to record video, but doesn't want to learn learn the fine art of focus-pulling to do so. It should also be adequate for advanced still shooters drawn to the camera's good still image quality, but who want to record occasional videos with better quality and less hassle than a second-camera digicam would provide. All in all, it provides a level of practical video recording that few SLRs or SLDs can equal.