The NEX-5 can now go underwater! http://www.nauticam.com/news-detail.asp?id=25
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Via Imaging Resource we learned that the new NEX firmware will bring following improvements:
- Adds a user-selectable option to drop you back into whatever menu item you had last selected, vs. always taking you to the top of the menu system when you hit the Menu button. (A huge improvement in usability; one that frequently had us gnashing our teeth as we fiddled with the cameras many options while testing the prototypes.)
- Adds a user-selectable option to make the NEX menus wrap so scrolling off the bottom will take you back to the top entry again. (Not quite as important as the first change above, but this still removes an enormous annoyance.)
- Adds customizable buttons: A gigantic improvement for experienced users. The center button and lower-left button on the camera’s back (see illustration above) can now have a wide range of camera functions assigned to them. Sony reps at the press event didn’t have an exact number for how many functions could be assigned, but said it was “a whole passel” — potentially 20 or more. Configurable options include things like white balance, ISO, exposure mode, etc. The center button can have up to three functions assigned to it simultaneously, which can be selected by pressing multiple times or pressing and scrolling with the rear control dial. The lower left button supports just one function at once. Bottom line, you’ll be able to have up to four camera functions close at hand, rather than having to delve into the menu system.
- Aperture control in Movie mode: Probably the biggest single request from video shooters, the new firmware will let you control the aperture used during video shooting in two different ways. In Auto mode, whatever amount of “background defocus” you select in still-image mode will apply to video recording as well. Likewise, if you’ve selected Aperture Priority mode for still shooting, the same aperture setting will apply when you switch to movie recording.
- Support for A-mount Sony lenses with internal motors. Initially, the NEX cameras only supported the older A-mount lenses in manual focusing mode. The update will support autofocus operation with A-mount lenses that have internal focus motors. (We didn’t take time to do a full count, but we think that’s a total of about 12 lens models.) NOTE, though, that you actually have to upgrade the firmware in the lens adapter, as well as in the camera itself. (We were surprised to learn that the A-mount to E-mount adapter actually has a chip in it, to translate data between the lens and the camera body. As part of the update process, then, you’ll need to attach your Sony A-mount adapter to the camera, so the camera can update the adapter’s firmware.)
25 Responses
sounds like an improvement
Sony gives love to it’s NEX users
I wonder if the a-mount focus motor lenses includes Sigma HSM lenses. If so, then the number just went way up.
After the SLT debacle, this is at least a little bit of encouragement.
I love the camera, but those firmware changes sound like a game changer.
I hate the current interface in terms of usability, I basically just give up on changing the iso in normal shooting conditions cos it takes so freaking long. And seriously, actually using the buttons as soft buttons is a big deal, so hopefully i can get to the iso settings in 1 click, not 30.
I thought there will be update for a55 & a33 too.
Hate they only update for NEX …. hope it has the update for A33/A55 :/
There might be an update for these two 🙂 The cameras however aren’t available yet even in all of Sony official stores, so I wouldn’t expect anything so soon. Maybe closer to December, or January?
sometimes i wonder why sony is even in the dslr market.
i think they really just want the market for people who want an upgrade from their point and shoot. meaning an aps-c with 18-50 kit lens for under 500.
there IS a lot of money there, however it does the prosumer and pro not much good.
Munnymunnymunny: it’s the primary point of business.
I like their A55/A33 concept, but they need to release pro level a77 and above sooner if they wanted to get some share of the market, cause a lot people ain’t going to wait for sony.
Is there a way to know exactly which AF lenses the firmware will now support? Are there tell-tale signs, other than “SAM” or “SSM”? Is the Zeiss 16-80, for example, a lens with its own AF motor?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Should be SAM and SSM lenses. That means 16-80ZA would not be supported for AF. Then it is understandable to have an update for this lens for a in-lens motor…..
Thanks, Leo. If it’s only SAM and SSM, then I don’t think I have any lenses that would benefit. 🙁
Admin, what happened to the promised updates for A33/a55?
Where are the fishies?
Updates for the A55 & A33 too please!
What happened to EVF rumor?! I hoped that they would show it!
I just bought the Nex 3 this week and I love it although the interface its not as bad as reviewers tend to make it. I actually found some stuff that reviewers didn’t mentioned: you CAN change the brightness and contrast of jpgs.
Anyway this update will be awesome! This and an electronic evf and I’m happy !
Of particular interest is also the very last paragraph:
“Sony representatives said they will proactively support the development of third-party lenses and adaptors for the E-mount. Because the E-mount has the shortest flange-sensor distance in the industry, there’s more room to fit in an adapter and still have foreign lenses focus properly. Mr. Katsumoto made a point of saying that ==Sony was very much in favor of this, and was interested in proactively working with various companies to make more adapters==.
In a private conversation with Imaging-Resource.com Publisher Dave Etchells after the formal presentation, Mr. Katsumoto underscored that ==Sony would release full engineering specifications for the E-mount to third party adapter makers==; a pretty unusual stance in an industry where manufacturers tend to jealously guard such information.”
Sony seems to have understood that part of the mirrorless race will be won or lost depending on third-party adapters and the width of the corresponding offer: the more (existing) lenses your system can use, the more attractive it will be.
Exactly why I’ll buy one. The ability to put Zeiss and Leitz lenses on a digital body without spending Leica M9 money. I’d rather spend my money on glass.
Why do you need A55/A33 update? Nex added apeture control in video mode. A55/A33 already has that. Nex added AF with SAM/SSM lenses. A55/A33 already has that. Nex changed the user interface. A55/A33 already has a different interface.
Why on earth do you need the same update for A55/A33?
Try to reply to the comment instead of creating a new one. I got confused by what are you referring to.
NEX has the ability to change aperture during movie record while A33/A55 does not!
I’m still waiting to see the A33/A55 “in the flesh” but having read all the reviews, studied all the pictures and compared dimensions to my current camera I think the following is fair.
If you want an SLR type camera that shoots autofocus video then get yourself a Sony A33/A55. It looks like a decent camera, will give you good quality stills and is competitively priced. If DPreview is to be believed the quality is up there with the Canon 550D/Rebel T2i which is a pretty good benchmark.
I am interested in stills only and as an amateur I am not abusing my camera 6 days a week and I can choose not to use it in bad weather. I want an APS-C SLR weighing about 600g which is light enough to carry but heavy enough for stability.
The A55 looks like a half decent camera but as a stills camera it has been compromised for the benefit of the video function. Why would I invest in 2 lenses at f2.8 and another at f1.7 and then use a camera which is going to give me only 70% of the available light?
Having said that the A55 looks decent I still think it is a flawed camera. It is too big to be considered a compact and too small be an SLR. In practical terms it is too big to fit in my pocket but too small to fit all the digits of my hand onto or to optimise the ergonomics of the buttons. A major selling point of the pellicle mirror is the ability to maintain live view whilst shooting but this is not implemented in either the 10 or 6fps burst modes. This lack of processing power is like replacing a sniper rifle with a gatling gun and a blindfold.
It is also a bit of an own goal to produce a camera which requires more power than it’s conventional sibling (A580) but provide it with a smaller battery, apparently for a reduction in size which seems to be more hindrance than help.
The pellicle mirror troubles me. Sony are very quiet about how serviceable this mirror is. Are we to believe that a rocket blower is all we need? It also occurs to me that the A55 would be a much better camera if the pellicle mirror had a reflex action in single shot mode and was only fixed for video and burst modes but perhaps the mirror isn’t robust enough. That’s a pity because that would necessitate giving the camera hand sized dimensions.
Whatever quality the A55 can achieve as a stills camera then surely the A580 can do better with 100% of light and the absence of a piece of glass between then lens and sensor. In fact I’m looking forward to getting a bit of “hands on” time with the A580 as I am hopeful that it is my next camera. I would like to say that the A750 would be my next camera but I no longer have faith in Sony to come up with the goods so long half promised.
Yes a can live with the smallish OVF as a trade off for responsive live view and I have no need for more than the 5fps with autofocus. I wonder who does.
Don’t let me put you off the A33/A55 models though. They are right for a lot of people and I fancy they will be a commercial success. I am impressed with them as a starting point and hope that they may point the way to a truly functional hybrid.
I have a message for Sony. There are a lot of people like me and if you demonstrate that you ignore your existing users then new customers will be wary and shops will not give you shelf space. We who would like to stay on board with Sony would be more certain of where you were going if you took some time out to tell us. Reference to your development of an A750 has vanished from your website as have references to the A850 being a “previous model”. Are you still committed to high end APS-C and full frame? Of course you don’t disclose too much to the opposition but you must carry your customers with you. If we are to stay aboard this train we must be sure of a satisfactory journey and of reaching the destination.
Ok ok, some pls confirm that sigma HSM works with nex new frimware. I’m looking to get 10-20mm range. Thanks