Leading consumer electronics and entertainment brand, Sony, has unveiled three of its latest cameras - Alpha SLT-A99, NEX-5R and NEX-6.

Benefitting from Sony’s deep heritage in the digital imaging segment, the new cameras feature extraordinary quality and creative flexibility and reaffirms the company's commitment to offering excellence in performance and design.

Hiroyasu Sugiyama, managing director, Sony Middle East and Africa, said: “The new Alpha A99 camera is the ultimate combination of Sony’s expertise and rich history of image sensor production coupled with our truly innovative approach to camera design. It redefines what can be accomplished with a full frame professional camera.”

“With the NEX-5R and NEX-6, we are revolutionising the world of compact system cameras by bringing a full DSLR experience – fast focus, enhanced control and an “eye-level” shooting style - to consumers in compact size. Add the convenience of Wi-Fi connectivity and it becomes a truly compelling product unlike anything else in the market today. It’s the perfect balance of size, performance and quality.”

“Digital imaging will be one of Sony’s core businesses and a very significant portion of our R&D investments have been allocated to developing unique Sony – only technologies in the fields of signal processing, image sensors and lenses. These new Sony technologies have brought about a paradigm shift in the world of consumer and professional imaging,” he added.

Renowned photographer David Nightingale unveiled the Alpha SLT-A99, while Lebanese singing sensation and Alpha NEX ambassador Maya Diab unveiled the NEX-5R.

During the unveiling ceremony, Nightingale shared his personal experience with the Alpha A99, the statement said. In addition to highlighting the handiest features of the camera, he also exhibited a selection of photographs that he captured using the camera.

The A99 allows serious photographers to explore the creative possibilities of full-frame imaging and the responsiveness of translucent mirror technology, the statement said. The successor to the flagship Sony Alpha A900 DSLR, the new A99 is the first camera with the technology from Sony to feature a full-frame 35mm image sensor.

Translucent mirror technology is an innovative optical system that opens up dramatic new shooting possibilities such as high-speed shooting and quick auto-focus. Ruggedly built to cope with tough assignments, the A99 sets new standards of imaging performance, creative options, user-focused ergonomics and reliability to satisfy demanding enthusiasts.  

The A99 also debuts an advanced new AF-D continuous autofocus mode that is supremely effective with moving subjects. The 19-point AF system provides reliable depth focusing information. It is complemented by the 102-point multi-point focal plane phase-detection AF sensor to seamlessly manage subjects traversing the focal plane.

Unique to the A99, a newly developed full-frame Exmor CMOS sensor with 24.3 effective megapixels is teamed with a highly advanced Bionz image processing engine. The powerful sensor/processor combination guarantees ultimate image quality which never goes out of focus, it said.

Packing the imaging quality and responses of a DSLR into compact mirror-less camera, the NEX-5R and NEX-6 models offer the benefits of DSLR-quality imaging with less to carry. Both feature a resolution of 16.1 megapixels, an APS-C image sensor in the ultra-compact body and a new, fast, hybrid autofocus system, enabling users to catch precious moments in DSLR quality.

In a first for compact interchangeable lens cameras by Sony, fast hybrid auto focus (AF) combines phase and contrast detection autofocus methods to suit the demands of any shooting situation.

Phase-detection AF quickly detects subject distance; then contrast-detection activates to confirm extremely fine, precise focus, enabling DSLR-like focusing responses when capturing fast moving action and high-speed burst shooting at up to 10 frames per second, the statement said. The NEX-5R and NEX-6 feature built-in Wi-Fi support for transferring photos directly to smartphones and tablet PCs.

Additionally, the NEX 6 sports a built in view finder, mode dial and a multi-interface shoe giving intuitive DSLR-like operability.

All three models are available across Ashrafs showrooms and other leading electronics retailers in Bahrain. – TradeArabia News Service