The last weeks were extremely busy. As you have seen I posted many QX and NEX rumors. Now I wanted tow write a short note just to say that I am working on A-mount news too. Within the next 2-3 weeks I should be able to get more concrete (and hopefully SR5 rated) info about the upcoming products. In very short this is what I am working on:
1) A-mount lens roadmap: as I told you there are definitely a 70-200mm II and 400mm lens to come. But I heard about two more lenses…
2) Firmware update: There is a silence around it. probably because there are bigger rumors at the moment. But I will try to ask my sources to tell me something about it
3) SLT vs A-mount mirrorless: While it’s almost sure that A-mount mirrorless is the future I am still not 100% sure that there will be no other SLT camera.
So be patient, I am on it 🙂
72 Responses
How about new sensor..not the same old exmor cmos cmos that only shoots LOW RES CRAP
I want
Birds with feathers
Trees with leaves
Buildings with bricks
People with hair.
I can see both but my camera cant.
Please, give us f@©k¥ng break… PLEASE! 😀
lol. win.
I think you should learn how to make this Kind of shot. obvously you are only bashing Herr.
Have no fear Barry I have just the solution you need
http://www.phaseone.com/en/Camera-Systems/IQ2-Series.aspx
the 80mp back should be just the job for you. Price and size be damnned
Many of you are so used to picture with no detail that you think it is ok or even good
Others only see picgures on tv screens.
Ansel Adams took good pictures by carrying around an 8×10″ camrera.
Fred here thinks I should sell my house and hire a crew to walk around and carry a medium formst outfit that sould scare all the animals before I could set ip the massive flood lights I would need to get enough dof. Plus a tranquelizer to get them to stand still
It amazes me the rational that people come up with to avoid dealing with the fact that thier pictures are vrap.
Use your eyes. If your eyes can see what your camera cant your camera is not good enough.
Dude I think your eyes are so damn good!
Yea, I’m jealous! I can’t see even half of the stuff that sensor of my A77 registers in a good daylight conditions. 🙁
“If your eyes can see what your camera cant your camera is not good enough.”
Then maybe, you have to find another hobby. Even in the analog days, the films haven’t got the dynamic range of human eyes. And the digital cameras even have less.
Dude, I’m a pilot and I have 20/20: I think my sight’s good enough to see “birds with feathers, trees with leaves and building with bricks”.
I think that if you’re complaining about the lack of details (have you seen the results of the D800E or RX1R?) than I must agree with those, here, saying that you’re doing something wrong with your camera.
I use a MacBook Pro with a retina display and I don’t see any lack of details.
Ok, for my “poor art” 24MP is more than enough; you were talking in the previous post about “lenses able to resolve up to 300MP and plus”: good luck with a RAW coming from that and maybe with a TIFF coming from Nik output sharpener used with standard settings.
I mean, a RAW coming from the RX1 is, average, 20 to 24MB (depending on the scene you’re capturing) and the TIFF coming from Nik is around 135MB, just think about a 56, 80 or 100MP camera: are you using NASA’s computers to process them? 😀 (of course this wants to be a joke, maybe bad but still…).
I think you should stop bashing with this “high resolution” thing because you’re gonna turn, sooner or later, in a joke.
I bet you’re a really good guy with good intentions, but, please, stop.
If your retinal display is 1080p then it is only 2 megapixels.
If uou have a 4k display it is only 8mp.
No wonder you cant see the lack of detail.
If you actually believe you can see an entire bird and the structure of the feathers in a single 36mp picture or an entire large tree and identify the species based solely on its leaf structure you are hulucinating.
P.S. I am sure you CAN see those details with your eyes.
I capture plenty of detail with my camera. If you want to see someone’s hair from up close, get a macro lens. I’m all for more resolution, but your weird repetitive posts are getting tiresome. I wonder what do you do with your pictures, print them on a billboard you have at home?
stop talking sense. more len vs more MP 🙂 eveyone knows we need a prime 16mm 1.4 that you can then crop due to MP a 400mm and will have about 10mp left in the img
Like I said you can picture a person or a hair but not both.
Real people have both.
let me know how you plan on viewing both at the same time
never mind i found your printer
http://petapixel.com/2012/08/13/color-photo-printed-at-100000-dpi-the-highest-resolution-ever/
To ABarry
I have been an alpahrumours lurker fro years, but seeing your post for the Nth time prompted me to finally register and reply to you. First of all let me start off by saying that I GET YOU, and moreover, I AGREE WITH YOU 100 %. Yes, we could use higher res sensors. Yes we DO need them in certain situations (particularly in my case, for cropping purposes: if I use the 70300G at the long end to shot a bird in flught on my a99, I’d like it to have more detail than if did it on my a77). BUT, and here’s the cruz of my post, PLEASE, PLEASE FOR ALL THINGS HOLY before you post again the same thing over and over again please consider the next 2 points:
1- Besides resolution, there are other things to consider when thinking about the things that prevent our current sensors from seeing “the feathers of a bird”. No I’m talking about the lenses because I agree with you that certain high-end lens ( G, CZ) cna resolve waay much more than our current sensors. It’s rather something that YOU REALLY HAVE NO CONTROL ABOUT: atmosphere. I take it you are a wild life photographer. If so you must be using the 70400G and 500 f.8/f.4 yes? For sure nothing less than 300 2.8 or the 70-300G yes? Lets suppose you are using 400 and u zoom in so a hawk in flight is framed entirely. Think about how much heat shimmer, wind particles, smog, mist, atmosphere haze, etc the light that entered the lens passed through before reaching the sensor. Yes i know it all depends on the weather, but even on the fairest weather, have u ever used a high end binocular or telescope to look at wildflife? I’m talking about the top notch $$$$$ stuff. If you have, you’ll see that if you use your eyes as an anlogy for a camera sensor, even the highest end optical stuff SHOWS CLEARLY the atmosphere between you and the subject. A higher res count on a DSLR sensor would just exacerbate this effect. IMHO, more than wildlife photography, higher res count benefits macro photography more. Not that it wont do anything for wildlife photography, but me thinks it won’t necessarily help you see the feather of that hawk in flight you took at 500 focal length …
2- Andrea doesn’t work for sony. This site is not affiliated with sony. Although we hope (and pray) that sony’s Kaz Hirai andthe entire imaging department are indeed reading our comments here, sadly there is a BIG chance they aren’t. If any, they might just be reading just what rumours are being posted or not. Period. Could you PLEASE give us all a break and direct your posting to some other venue were your request might actually have some effect.
I just had to take it off my chest.
Excellent point about atmospheric distortions with long lenses.
Also an excellent point that macro shots will almost always be sharper than long shots.
Most of my work is done up close including the birds whenever possible.
I do indeed find that working close makes a big difference, in fact most of my lenses are macro or close focusing.
I think what he really meant was for you to stop sounding like a scratched disk.
Most of this Post is to ABarry
The 70-300 G is one of the worst Lenses in that Range i ever seen.
Please everyone stop complaining about higher-res sensors.
With a good Lense at 300mm cropped down to FullHD (2MP) you have an equivalent of 3600mm
The 36 MP of the Nikon D800 give 5200mm with the same lense, sounds like a much more but isnt. 5200mm isnt even near the double size of 3600. Its about 1,44x the Size of 3600mm. Its only a very slightly difference in the sharpenss in the end. You will need at least 48 Megapixels to double the Size and double the Size is still not _that_ much.
So even 36 Megapixels wouldnt be enough for sure and increase the noise by minimum another 0,5 EV (so with the SLT mirror we have 1 EV more noise than the 5D Mark III or Nikon D600 then)
But most Lenses on the market doesnt even outresolve the 24 Megapixels of the A99 without downstopping, why need more? Do you think your lense will be better with a better Sensor?
A very good replacement for the 70-300G will improve the Resolution much more than going to 36 Megapixels and going to 36 Megapixels without improving the 70-300G will give us nothing!
So as long you are not rich as fuck and buy the Sony G 500mm f/4 or the Sigma EX 500mm you wont outresolve the 24MP Sensor (without downstopping the lense) anyway.
As soon you downstop the lense, you need good noise performance.
To shot handhelt with 1/320s and f/11 you may outresolve an 36 Megapixel Sensor but the Noise will destroy the sharpness in the end so with 24 Megapixels you get better results and sharper than with 36 Megapixels!
If the SLT Mirror is removed we can go up to 36 Megapixels without increasing noise, but thats the Limit again then and it have more downsides than you may think.
Not everyone is willing to develop 36 Megapixel RAW. From my Nikon D800 experience i can tell you that even with a AMD FX 8150 (8×3,6 GHz) the Developing of 300 Images at 36 Megapixel takes nearly years.
So please Sony do _only_ increase the Megapixels if the Noise Perofrmance will stay the same and if it really worth it.
And Replace the really bad 70-300 G with a better one.
By the way, i dont know what your eyes are about to, but my eye can not see feathers on small bird which is 15 Meters away, and my vision is ~120%. With the A99 and the Tamron SP 70-300 cropped to 2 Megapixel i can see feathers.
So as you are the only human beeing able to see sharper than a 24 Megapixel Camera with 300mm Lense i doubt that Sony will develop a new Sensor just for you
Barry,
No one on this forum is holding you back, it is the format that you do not like. If everyone on here agreed that we all need gigapixel 35mm sensors, it would not make them a reality any sooner.
Eventually digital 35mm may kill off medium format, but for now it still exists for a reason. 16bit 80mp sensors still require tradeoffs in design that 35mm slr manufacturers are not willing to make or are waiting for the other necessary technology to catch up to (such as processing power, efficiency, storage capacity / speed, sensor sensitivity, sensor speed, camera size, economy of scale, et al.).
Rather than bemoaning every day on here (ad nauseum) about the lack of resolution, why not appreciate the advances that already are here. Were you capturing photos for your paintings in the days of film? dSLR sensors are vastly superior to 35mm film in every way.
Whereas 35mm film improved slowly over the course of nearly a century, digital sensors continue to rapidly improve. The Canon 1dx and Nikon d4 can shoot at ISO 204800. ISO 3200 film is the fastest available – 3 stops slower. The dynamic range of digital is better and even though film technically does not have resolution 24 & 36mp images are more detailed than 35mm equivalents. If Ansel Adams were alive today, I think he would be pretty satisfied with a Nikon d800.
In moderation limbo
I’d love to know how you know so much about our photography, pixel peep and have time to take photographs, did you invent time travel?
Si
I dont need yo know much about your photography if I know about your camera.
Unless you find a clever way to bypass the limitations of your camera (and there are ways to do that each with its own limitations)
Your pictures have no more detail than your camera can see.
No time travel necessary.
Well, Barry, take this NOT as an offence.
I took a look at your work on internet and, while I congrat you on the BA in “biology and art for medical illustration” from Hartwick College (you must have done something really good there), I must say that your work doesn’t seem to be so full of details as you keep claiming to be in need of.
I might be wrong and I could change my idea looking at them live; I mean: they look like good paintings BUT you can find on internet a lot of pictures with the same details you have there.
There are shots of birds taken with the new 70/400 GII (shown during the launch of the lens) that are really excellent, when you look at the details.
Look at the macros taken with reversed lenses and extension tubes: a lot more details than your dragonfly (I know, your dragonfly is a surreal thing).
Look at 500px: there are shots of tigers that are simply awesome for details.
Painting gives you the chance to add anything you like (real or surreal) and if you can’t add anymore details to your paintings it’s not because cameras lack MP: it looks like you have a certain style and I don’t think your paintings will get more detailed if you get a 100MP camera.
As someone said here, before me, you have to think about other factors that come in play when taking pictures.
It’s like when people are spending hundreds of thousands of $ in order to reach the perfect sound: they buy the best amplifier, the best loudspeaker and they keep complaining because the sound it’s not the best, it’s not so perfect as they like, it’s not like they like it.
Then talking to them you find out that they’re still using crappy and cheap cables.
Maybe better or the best lenses in the market will help you, but remember: as in sound there are limitations (our hearing being the first) in imaging the limitation is imposed by physics and chemistry: atmosphere and materials.
And when you have in mind that we can’t get rid of dust, humidity and all the other crap you have to deal with the peculiarity of every single lens: each and every one has its best and more resolving aperture.
Keep this in mind and maybe using them properly will help in getting sharper and more detailed pictures.
Misfocusing could be another issue: micro adjusting might help if that’s an issue.
And please, don’t come out with something like “I dont need to know much about your photography if I know about your camera.”
First is annoying and it makes you sound like one of those “Hulk knows best” kinda guy, then cameras are just merely tools: people make the difference when using them.
Maybe I wrote a lot of bullshits but that’s my 5 cents worth of… nothing.
Take care.
Animalsbybarry. Please take the advice to stop taking pictures till 2024. That year we will have 700mp cameras. And u’ll be able to count darkspots in a teenager face shooting from 2 miles away just using a wide angle lens!! you ll be able to casual shoot the sky at f60 and then just crop, if there are some birds in your pictures it will be your lucky day! from sony i just would like to see a camera with slt speed performances, just mirrorless. A-55 size. 5axis ibis. Higher video bitrate. Better colours and WB in jpeg mode. Obviously in A-Mount. I have simply no needs for more crap. Price it at 599$-699$ body only. And i’ll buy it.
When I paint the anatomy needs to be correct.
Threfore I need to see in my reference materiel things like.
What is the structure of each feather an how does each hair attach to the body.
How many scales are there and howare they attached.
How do these structures change on each part of the animal.
I do not copy every detail but rather duplicate the pattern annd structure to creat those details.
To do that accurately I need to be able to see the structural details..
To paint a tree accurately I need to know how the leaf is put together.
I have neen lax at updating my site.
If you want to see newer stuff drop me an email and i will send some jpgs.
I keep my jpgs low res to discourage piracy.
Lastly for yhose of you that read every post mine would seem redundant howevr I believe most read only occasional posts and for them they would not be.
P.S. the paintings are usually a lot more detailed than can seen in the 2mpcamera or less jpgs I put in the website.
Note the section with details..they are typical of the entire painting.
Clearly you don’t see the point of the people talking to you.
You’re a broken record, really, broken and stuck in the very same old groove.
People are talking to you saying “A” and you answer “B”; how is possible that you can’t paint a tree accurately because you don’t know how the leaf is put together?
Are you painting 1:1 scale trees or animals?
If so then I’ll shut up!
When you shoot a bird with a 400 or 500 lens and you’re already close enough so as to fill up the viewfinder with the subject, you’re gonna see everything you need to produce the type of art you’re doing.
If you do the same with an eye or a part of the animal (like the head for example) you’ll see everything you need to see to paint that.
Leonardo da Vinci, my favorite GENIUS (because he was one) filled up books about human anatomy and birds anatomy (he wanted to fly already back then) without the use of a camera.
He was using real human parts for his studies: you don’t have to do that, of course, but maybe you’re using the wrong approach to the type of art you’re doing.
Having said that, I’m not gonna post anything no more: it has become a nonsense.
Take care and have a good sunday.
P.S.
I have the feeling that, unluckily for all of us, you’ve also read that stupid article: “Sony management is crazy”.
Chek the sizes. Many of the are larger than life. Some are 72″ or larger.
I hear ya Barry. The world doesn’t need another 24mp Sony camera. I’m gonna puke if I see another one.
Had to rent a D800 recently for client job. The Medium Format cameras were out. Needed the resolution for a trade show table banner showing details on small medical equipment group shot. The D800 is very similar to Sony a900. It feels like a big a900. It’s closer to Minolta DNA than the a99 is. Would have been nice to use the superior Minolta glass on the D800 though.
I fear our waiting for new Sony cameras will only result in another 24mp camera without a flash system. I’ve just about given up on either improving.
In fact, the only thing I’m holding out to see is the rumored improved viewfinder of the NEX FF. SAR posted recently that it would be over 1X in magnification. That sounds really really nice. Hope it has greater nose relief too. But may end up getting a Nikon just for the lighting and resolution when needed.
Why was medium format out? If resolution is what you desire then there are many good MF cameras out there. I too think it would be cool if Sony produced a MF camera, but believe Sony think there’s more money in consumer/pro stills and video lines.
Also there are technical limitations related too pixel fill-factor that limit the current resolution of fullframe sensors. I doubt they will go past the 36Mp of the D800 until backside illumination is more developed.
Medium format was “out” because the rental house had them on loan to other togs. My assignment could not wait.
Rare that I need to rent beyond a900 resolution. But this was a group shot of small medical parts for a 45″ table banner. People could walk up to it. Close up detail was important.
I’d have shot it on a900 if it were a rear raised banner that no one could get close to.
sounds like a gigapan type shot would have been better to join up a supre high res shot (better then the 36mp but not better then the MF body that was sold out)
I think you either forgot to take your meds this morning, or your doctor did not prescribe a high enough dosage.
In the meantime, try hyper-resolution software such as photoacute. It combines a batch of raw files for extra detail by looking at minute shifts between the images. It works reasonably well but of course no good for moving subjects
Everything is a compromise….
I’m looking to buy a 70-200mm but with the 70-200mm II I do not know if I wait or take this price drops
Some a77 update, hope it’s not only lens update 🙂
Thank you Andrea for giving this update.
Although we are all looking forward to new A mount stuff, we are also looking forward to the promised A65/77 firmware.
I think we all feel that Sony could do quite a lot, firmware wise, to really bring out the best in these cameras and show us at the same time that they are prepared to support their existing users.
We all know that the Jpeg engine was bad from the start and surely they could make the ISO a little better and even allow Jpeg Fine to be used when shooting RAW/Jpeg, we all have a little list of things which we would like but I think that those would be in the top 5.
They better not just give us just a lens update, that would really p*$$ off so many people and send them strait to Canikon.
Any word on if the new nex 7 will have a remote wired shutter? Time lapse damn it time lapse!
+1 and be able to disable preflash. And tethering.
I wonder if Sony will do a recall on F60 over heating problem. I dout it will be fix by firmware.
Good stuff Andrea 🙂 looking forward for any info 🙂
Looking forward for A-Mount FF news, thanks, Andrea.
Andrea, take your time (TILL MONDAY!!! :D) we love you
Holding out on 35mm ZA
I too am waiting for the new firmware, “as rain in May”, as we say in Spain … I prefer the actualization be late, to arrive soon and badly. What most desire in this update is that the NEX 7 and 5N have a live-view as crisp and free of grain as the initial 3 and 5, that the viewfinder in NEX 7 does not display a menu shrunk, and that the JPGs are so sharp at least as Canon are. GO SONY GO! 😀
A Good Start Would Be Firmware
A99:
1) Dual Raid Card Support, write alternating shots to each card, doubling the bandwidth of clearing the buffer! don’t say it can’t be done, you have the option to record simultaneous, 1 image to both cards, I don’t see the issue of writing 2 images in the buffer to each card!
2) Give the users the option to select uncompressed RAW!
3) Open source the remote software!
4) Bring out a new format between RAW and Jpg, call it Medium Rare, allow supersampling and correction but store the file in a uncompressed 16bit format, use your honami thinggy, but don’t store it as a jpg…
5) Allow update on the display when long exposures are taken… Why do you black it out for?
6) EVF with no flappy mirror… Why does the display BLACK OUT when I take a shot? Can’t you hold the last frame in the display buffer, I rather a small pause than a black flicker!
7) Why is there a screen telling me that the device is recording to the memory card when I preview an image right after taking a shot? you have the buffer of the image already available for that option of automatic preview! why must I select that option to preview all images immediately after taking a shot? can’t the user preview certain images right after taking a shot? Why do you enforce users to either preview all the images taken immediately or wait until the image the user wants to preview gets written to the card!
8) Previewing Movies and Pictures is still as bad as it was in the A77!
9) Live View to Remote Software
10) Thanks for allowing us to disable the Movie button… Now its a useless button… thanks… WHY NOT ALLOW US TO CONFIGURE IT TO SOMETHING USEFUL? Like that Auto Portrait Framing to assist all the professional photographers in the event they forget know how to compose a portrait properly!
I’d love the chance to select uncompressed RAW like in the A900: I got laugh at when I said so months ago. 😀
I’d like to see a time lapse option in “shooting menu”: single, continuos, bracket etc etc etc… time lapse.
Nikon has it and my old Minolta 7D has it!
Why not the NEXs, RX1, RX100, A series… etc etc etc… Oh yeah: Sony’s to sell the time lapse app from the store. 😐
I really do hope the firmware update’s gonna bring some nice surprise.
Admin: keep up with the good work!
Thanks
Or at least continuous timer mode. I bought an $800 Sony tripod with a connected remove that can lock down the shutter button so it shoots continuously – but I cannot do damn time lapse shooting with it because the timer mode isn’t continuous (so the shutter button has to be released and pressed again…sigh).
Dear C,
If you have the A99, you can remote link it to a notebook and setup the continuous timer function.
Useful functions like these are not included in Sonys Flagship Professional Cameras… Instead you’ll get the automatic portrait framing function…
Does any Sony Employees within the camera division even look at SAR?
Hi WTH,
I do have an a99, how are you remote linking with your notebook (without wi-fi & bluetooth)?
Thanks!
The sad thing is that most of those items can be ported to the A5X, A7X and Nex series
Keep the great work up, Andrea. I’m looking forward to seeing all this A-mount news. 🙂
That should be, “Keep up the great work, Andrea.” LOL Haven’t had my coffee yet.
+1. Thanks for your efforts Andrea. Waiting to see more about the mirrorless A-mount cameras/lenses.
Looking forward to A-mount rumors. Thanks for all your efforts Andrea!
Dear Andrea
Thanks for posting this.. Im waiting for this lens for ages!!!
do you think the 70-200 would be available until the end of year?
and will the optics be changed? or just again rebadged the ancient beercan design? (hopefully not)
this is currently main rumor for me…I am VERY happy with my A99, dont care about new camera related stuff for now. This lens will make my kit complete and make me happy for a while 🙂
“While it’s almost sure that A-mount mirrorless is the future I am still not 100% sure that there will be no other SLT camera.”
is that a sad hint that the on-sensor phase detection isn’t going to be as good as the SLT? 🙁
While it’s almost sure that A-mount mirrorless is the future I am still not 100% sure that there will be no other SLT camera.”
is that a sad hint that the on-sensor phase detection isn’t going to be as good as the SLT?
No it’s not a sad hint. all it saying is sony may not be finished making slt cameras.
maybe you could think on the positive side, sony is keeping the Slt for its first time buyer (read inexpensive cameras)we know they are not going back to a prism so it makes sense to keep slt around
Can’t wait to see the A-mount lens road map.
Thanks for all the hard work.
Firmware comes first on this Sony are dragging behind on fixing issues for many bodies
I am only Interested in Nex-7 Successor and Nex Full-Frame. Other craps comes and go unnoticed …
A good Phase AF is more important than the 0,5 EV Light the SLT takes away.
As long sony doesnt have an Phase-AF on the Sensor which can match a real Phase-AF i hope they stay with the SLT Mirror.
Also i wonder with that ever will be really possible, an real good Phase-AF Sensor have its own sharpening lenses and its really own way of sensors. I still wonder if that ever can be replaced by an CMOS Image Sensor with the Same Speed + Accuracy + Performance but who knows.
I dont think that we’ll see Mirrorless A-Mount with the same performance than an SLT in the near future. If i think about how long it tooked to replace the A700 with the a77 and the A900 with the a99 i dont think we’ll see a soon replacement here.
Also i wonder why everyone is whining about an NEX-7 Successor? Whats wrong with the NEX-7?
For current owners/users of Sony cameras, particularly the A99, A77 & A65, there is not a bigger rumor or news than that of a major firmware update. Whatever happened to the one that was supposed to be released this summer? Sony owes this big time to their existing consumers.
Ok Mr Animals guy – I’m sitting here looking at my cat about 2m away. I can see that she’s a cat, and she’s covered in hairs. I can’t really see individual hairs. If I get closer, or lure her over with a clean rug to be sick on, I can see the individual hairs but not necessarily the whole cat.
The same happens with a camera…
Aw
I repeated your cat experiment and i can assure you that no animal was in any way harmed or put at risk during the process.
At 6′ I could see individusl hairs but not razor sharp.
At 4′ I could see each hair razor sharp.
I could still see the entire cat.
I continued to move in until at about 6″ to 12″ the individual hairs became gradually more blurry.
At 3″ my field of vision still included the entire cat although at this point the image was little more than a blur.
I then tested my field of view by holding my arms straight out and seperating them until I could no longer see my fingers while looking straight ahead.
In medical terms this test is used to determine peripheral vision, in cameta terms we call it field of view.
I determined that my peripheral vision covers approximately 180%.
To translate human vision to camera terms and assuming each hair became crystal clear at 5′ that would be like s fisheye lens with a sensor exceeding 600 megapixels.
Based on the test that you just developed and I carried out with myself and a trusted feline assistent human eyesight exceeds 600megapixels.
This is not a true scientific survey which would require aditional human and cat subjects however I would expect such a test to produce results similar to my own.
If as you claim at some distance you could no longer see the entire cat but could see individual hairs I would ask what is your field of view (peripheral vision) ?
“To translate human vision to camera terms and assuming each hair became crystal clear at 5′ that would be like s fisheye lens with a sensor exceeding 600 megapixels.”
You are really able to see each detail of your arms or do you just see that there’s something? As far as I know, resolution of the eye decreases as you move away from the center, just like many lenses at open aperture.
True and my guestimate of 600mp reflects that fact.
If I were to assume equal sharpness for 180 degree angle would probablly translate to a few terapixels.
I repeated your experiment.
I industrial taped the cat to the floor, one on each legs, tail, body and head to keep the cat from moving.
Next I placed the cats head into a tube to limit its peripheral vision as I was using a telephoto zoom lens and I wanted the cat to psychologically feel like zooming.
An unexpected result from this experiment was encountered when I stepped on the cats tail by accident. It made the same noise as my SAM lenses while focusing.
Since Sony crippled most of the functionality of the camera by firmware, I wanted to cripple the cat as well and see how well it would perform its every day duty.
Alas, the camera ran out of battery within the first 2 hours as Sonys flagship camera can only take 400 shots before it runs out of juice…