FastrawViewer Monochrome2DNG 0.8 Released For Monochrome Converted Cameras

By Louis Ferreira | Published: March 28, 2018


FastrawViewer released Monochrome2DNG 0.8 for processing RAW files from monochrome converted cameras like the ones made by monochromeimaging.com they currently convert a variety of Sony full frame and APS-C cameras. This software creates a true monochrome RAW file from the color raw file.

  • It takes input files from cameras that have been converted to monochrome.
  • It then saves it as “truly” monochrome DNG files, suitable for using with popular converters that support the DNG format (that is to say, almost all of them).
  • With this:
  • One can turn on automatic “monochrome” recognition and convert only the files from converted cameras (so one can process a large archive that has both color and monochrome files in it quickly, in one pass).
  • Automatic mosaic pattern suppression is supported (output files will not have 1-pixel grid patterns)
  • Several formats for output DNG are supported, which allows one to use their RAW converter optimally.
  • Filter input files by Vendor/Model/Camera serial to process large archives faster.

You can download Monochrome2DNG 0.8 here.

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DPReview Tamron interview

By Louis Ferreira | Published: March 27, 2018


DPReview Interviewed Tameron at CP+ 2018 and I have summarized the key points below.

  • The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD is an all new design
  • It took around one year to develop
  • The market is moving towards mirrorless
  • Sony is the biggest mirrorless camera, maker
  • Tamron hopes to make small high-quality lenses since there aren’t many available right now.
  • Took a jab at Sigma using their old lens designs.
  • Tamron will use lens designs made for FE going forward.
  • Mirrorless is good for photos and video
  • The 28-75mm has a stepping motor that is good for video.
  • When Canon and Nikon go mirrorless in the near future it’s likely that Tamron will adapt their FE designs for their mount.
  • The 28-75mm is polycarbonate and will have SP performance.
  • The 28-75mm is weather resistant.
  • Tamron wants to be recognized as a high-quality brand
  • Tamron tries to balance size and optical quality
  • Tamron doesn’t emphasize automation and sometimes manual assembly is better.
  • The DSLR audience is already in decline while mirrorless is growing.

Tamron 28-75mm Di III RXD FE

via DPReview

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Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D Reviews and More Pre-Order Options

By Louis Ferreira | Published: March 27, 2018


The Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D can now be pre-ordered from VenusOptics / B&H Photo / Adorama and soon at Amazon.

opticallimits

Extreme ultra-wide lenses are never perfect. Keeping this in mind the Laowa is pretty good indeed. It’s super-sharp in the image center and if you avoid f/2.8, the borders/corners are decent. Lateral CAs are generally not an issue. Image distortions are extremely low for a lens of this focal length – and that’s without image auto-correction. The primary weakness is vignetting which is rather extreme at max aperture. However, at medium aperture settings, it’s a lesser issue outside of lab conditions. Flare in strong contra-light can produce quite a bit of glare – a generally weaker aspect in Laowa lenses it seems.

The Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D may have some shortcomings but that being said we really enjoyed using the lens out there. In real life, the fully manual character wasn’t really an issue. Given the depth-of-field of a 9mm lens you can pretty much guess the focus distance and if needed for close-ups, you can just use magnified focus view in your camera. For most of us, a 9mm lens is quite exotic already thus it shouldn’t be a burden when carrying it. The form and size factor is pretty perfect if these are your constraints as well. We heard that the Laowa 7.5mm f/2 MFT is pretty popular among the drone folks. The 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D has the potential to do the job (and more) on APS-C mirrorless cameras.

thephoblographer

Pros

  • Decent image quality
  • Sharp
  • Keeps the distortion down a whole lot
  • With a lens like this you’re either focusing up close and personal or far away. There is no in between.

Cons

  • The colors are just adequate. There’s no spark!
  • Distortion around the corners is a bit annoying.

 

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Photons to Photos: Sony a7III Final Results and They Are Somewhat Shocking

By Louis Ferreira | Published: March 26, 2018


I am not a big fan of some of the other sponsored sites out there because many of them get big money to promote cameras and even though I run sites with addict in the title I do not play with the numbers to make companies happy and I give my honest opinion on cameras. That being said I believe that Photons to Photos is the single best source for non-bias no bs sensor measurements on the web outside of maybe The Last Word run by Jim Kasson, but he doesn’t keep a comparative database.

Now that you know where Photons to Photos stands I am kind of shocked that the a7III seems to be slightly ahead of the a7RIII throughout much of the ISO range. Maybe Sony should have put a new sensor in the Sony a7RIII, because I am sure some owners will not be happy with the Sony a7III performing slightly above the a7RIII. The read noise win for the a7III isn’t surprising and it probably played a factor in the cameras great dynamic range performance throughout the ISO range, but still the Sony a7RIII seems to only have a resolution advantage now and a few better features like the higher resolution viewfinder. You can manipulate the dynamic range results here and the read noise results here.

Camera ModelMaximum
PDR		Low Light
ISO		Low Light
EV
Sony ILCE-7M311.60642011.00
Sony ILCE-7RM311.65578710.85
Sony ILCE-7RM211.16386310.27

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Sony a7III: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

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DXO Mark: Sony a7III

By Louis Ferreira | Published: March 26, 2018


Yet another benchmark site ranking the Sony a7III image quality performance highly. It almost makes me wonder if Sony will cut the Sony a7RIII product cycle short and release a Sony a7RIV if sales start to slump.

“Sitting between the Sony a S and R models, the sensor in the  A7 was always a balance between resolution and sensitivity, but that’s no longer the case. On sensor performance alone, particularly with regard to low light / high ISO sensitivity, the Sony A7 III is ahead of the A7S II and comes very close to the overall image quality potential of the A7 RIII. What was once a showcase model for some interesting camera tech, the A7 III can now add cutting-edge low-light sensor performance to the mix. That may change when Sony releases the A7S III, but in the meantime, priced at around $2,000, it’s not asking for the earth in return.”

You can read the full review at DXOmark, but Sony still needs to fix their menus to gain a broader audience. Every camera today can take a good picture and we are largely splitting hairs with the current generation coming out. I have been happy with mirrorless image quality since the Leica M9, Sony NEX-7, and Fujifilm X-T1. What else can companies like Sony and Fujifilm throw at us to keep us buying if they aren’t going to attack the smartphone industry?

Join our Sony a7 Owners Group and Sony a7 Page, also follow SonyAddict on Facebook and Twitter.

Sony a7III: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

via Photorumors

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Sony Patent For PDAF Usable up to The Array Edges

By Louis Ferreira | Published: March 25, 2018

Image Sensor World spotted a patent from Sony that affects sensor light collection for PDAF.

“Sony patent application US20180077372 “Solid-state imaging element and driving method therefor, and electronic apparatus” by Hiroaki Ishiwata proposes keeping the TG shape constant even though the PDAF diodes ratio changes across the array.”

“if lenses having different F-values are used, there is a possibility that the light-collecting spot S may be deviated from the center of the pixel. In this case, in order to set the light-collecting spot S in the boundary between the phase-difference pixel A and the phase-difference pixel B, it is necessary to set the light-receiving surfaces of the phase-difference pixel A and the phase-difference pixel B to have a different size. The light-collecting spot position is changed depending on an image height, and hence it is necessary to change, depending on the arrangement position of the pixels in the solid-state imaging element, the size ratio between the phase-difference pixels A and B in that pixel.“

via Image Sensor World

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