New Sony FDR- AX1 Announced

While the IBC show video opens in Amsterdam; Sony has announced a new camera FDR- AX1, which will be available in late October. This is the first mainstream 4K camera from Sony; it can shoot images with a resolution up to 3840 x 2160 pixels (QFHD). The design of the FDR- AX1 is not new: it is similar to that of the Sony HDR- AX200. It is equipped with a "home" CMOS sensor Exmor R “back-lit” 1/2, 3 inch 12MP, including 8.3 effective. Its goal G Lens 29.5 to 590 mm (20x, f / 1.63 to 3.4) is stabilized and has 3 ND filters. 3 rings to make settings for zoom, focus and iris and are independent to each other. In addition to a microphone, the FDR- AX1 has two audio connectors XLR professional format. 4K videos are saved on expensive XQD cards, a recent XQD format provides efficient transfer rate and was previously used by the Nikon D4. The FDR- AX1 has two locations in this format. Sony want to sell like hotcakes its 4K screens , rather aggressively positioned in terms of quality and price against their Chinese and Korean competitors , it must justify its use until the 4K TV broadcasts becoming widespread.

 All Sony ecosystems are called upon to promote 4K, as there was little 3D, from cloud services PlayMemories until the PS4. Some choices Sony for its FDR- AX1 are sometimes a bit surprising for a camera that still costs 4 € 499.01. For example it uses the codec XAVC S placed in a MPEG4- AVC / H.264 container. It is a variant of the more compressed the XAVC/H264 Level version 5.2 codec. More bad news for users who want to go further than holiday movies on YouTube, the colors are sampled 4:2:0. Without going to a 4:4:4 coding or even RAW images, 4:2:2 would have left a significant latitude for color correction, calibration, clipping paths and masks, and other special effects and overlays on " green funds".

The FDR- AX1 is equipped with a single sensor of small size. In the same price range or less, many Full HD models competing not only have 3 sensors, and their size is larger. They record their video with 4:2:2 colors sampling, better than 4:2:0 solution. Sony seems to recommend a minimum of 4 lux for 4K images is more light than most HD cameras require ( the AX200 , very close to the AX1 requires only 1.5 Lux) and that the risk of require users to frequently use other extra light source. Sony has announced an update to make it compatible with the latest HDMI version 2.0 HDMI. The HDMI 2.0 will see a 4K video on a TV at 60 frames / s with a single HDMI cable. In addition, this update adds compatibility with the AVCHD codec and will also use SD cards for 1080p video.

The FDR- AX1 seems quite clear heat, after initial tests published on the Net. The XQD cards would be hot when removed from the camera. Similarly, AX1 which manages large data flows, processes and compresses, heat up quickly despite the internal fan which it is equipped. This also may be a concern for the sound by the internal microphone of the camera emits noise. This should not pose any problems to professional users, resorting instead to external microphones for their shots, but for the general public or semi pro users, high heat and fan trying to remedy it may hinder the sound made with the built-in microphone on the camera.

Adobe Announces Creative Cloud bundle

Adobe will soon release a bundle Creative Cloud combining Photoshop and Lightroom CC. Called "Photoshop photography program", this offer is particularly target the photographers and graphic designers who had nothing to do with the full range of software included in the overall formula. For € 9.99 plus VAT per month, the customer will be entitled only to CC Photoshop, Bridge and Lightroom CC and their future updates. It also includes 20GB of online storage, access to training resources and the portal Behance ProSite for presentation portfolio. This offer will be online as of from September 17; with the release of Lightroom 5.2 and it can be subscribed, with an annual commitment, before December 31. It will be limited to holders of a license at least CS3 Photoshop / Photoshop Extended. If you are already subscribed to Creative Cloud then it will be possible to change its registration to benefit from the cheaper formula, but subject to have an old Photoshop license. The owners of a license Lightroom, and only that are not qualified, however, to take advantage of this formula.

Canon PowerShot SX510 HS

Small, light, great zoom range with wireless data transfer via WLAN module is the new Canon PowerShot SX510 HS Bridge Camera. Despite 30x zoom, the PowerShot SX510 HS is Canon is in a compact housing. The Canon SX510 HS is a very light bridge camera with 350 grams. The operation is similar to its predecessor. That is about a dial on the surface, the photographer has access to full and half automatics or manual adjustment. On the back of the camera, there are buttons for shortcuts and other settings via a thumbwheel. Newly added is a wireless module that enables wireless transmission of photo and video material on PCs, tablets and Smartphones. If a Smartphone is connected to the camera, you also have the option to combine GPS data with the photos. With the 30- times zoom, the SX510 HS covers a focal length range 24-720 mm. Optical image stabilization ensures sharp images at long focal lengths. The light intensity is from 1:3.4 to 1:5.8, with values in the range of comparable cameras.

A highlight of the camera is its macro mode that allows you to zoom closer than an inch to the subject. When the number of pixels Canon has dared to take a bold step; instead of loading more and more pixels onto the sensor, the manufacturer has reduced the number from 16 megapixels to twelve at constant sensor size, thereby reducing the image noise when shooting under low light conditions. Video records in Full HD quality with stereo sound on. The camera has a slow motion mode and effect filters such as black and white, miniature and fisheye. A DIGIC 4 processor brings the camera up to maximum Speed. In the sequential mode, the SX510 HS shoots 3.8 shots per second at the highest resolution. Reduce the resolution to three megapixels, the number increased to 10.5 frames per second. One advantage of the new Canon is the ECO mode. This power -saving setting ensures that the camera according to the manufacturer with a battery keeps landing by about one-third longer. The Canon SX510 HS is available now at a price of 329 Euros.

Samsung quick start the production of its DDR4 RAM

A few days ago, Samsung announced that it had started mass production of its DDR4 RAM of 16 and 32 GB This powerful memory is expensive. Intended as a first step to data center, it should appear in public later products. These modules 4Gb DDR4, engraved with a fineness of class 20 nm (20-29 nm) are 1.25 times faster (2.667 Mb / s) DDR3 engraved in 20 nm. Icing on the silicon, it offers power consumption 30% lower. With the arrival of Haswell-E; however it will be the end of 2014 - the DDR4 memory should receive an interesting reinforcement with the first Intel platform able to offer compatibility with this type of memory.

The Galaxy Note 3 available from 25 September

Samsung is going to unveil its new Phablet which has a 5.7-inch full HD Super amoled screen while being thinner and lighter than its predecessor. It will be launched on September 25, but its price has not finalized. Samsung is back in the game with its Phablet namely Galaxy Note 3. This is a new model that displays a supercharged configuration to start with a 5.7 -inch Super AMOLED screen full HD 1080x1920 pixels. The design is evolving in terms of the back cover that receives a faux leather texture with seam visible. The Note 3 is also thinner and lighter than the Note 2 is of 168 grams against 180 grams. Under the hood, both the models have the chips the Exynos 5 Octa eightfold heart or Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quadruple heart. In both cases, the device features 3 GB of RAM, again a record. AT the image side it is full of pixels with a 13 megapixel sensor with image stabilization which can record video Ultra HD at 30 frames / second. At the front is a 2-megapixel sensor that shoots in full HD. Software side, there is Android 4.3 topped the TouchWiz interface and a variety of applications leveraging the capabilities of the S-Pen stylus. The Galaxy Note 3 will be available in 32 or 64 GB (expandable via microSD card). It will be launched on September 25, along with the watch Galaxy Gear. Samsung has not yet finalized the price, hence we have to wait till September 25th.