Sony DSLR-A100K - alpha; Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera Brochure & Specs page 17

Shooting the digital way
CAMERA SYSTEMS
Clear Photo LCD Plus ™ monitor
Optimum contrast and color.
Our best camera LCD is the Clear Photo
LCD Plus monitor. This jewel-like monitor
delivers higher resolution, better contrast,
and 40% better color than previous Sony
LCDs. You'll find this outstanding quality
With its large Clear Photo LCD Plus
featured on the DSC-W200, T20, T100,
is not merely for taking pictures, it's also for showing
N2, H9 and the a100 Digital SLR.
them off. (Monitor picture simulated.)
Free-angle LCD monitor
Freedom in shooting angles.
The LCD monitor of the DSC-H9 offers the
remarkable flexibility of the Sony free-angle
design. You can twist the monitor up to
frame your shot looking down at the camera.
It's great for holding the camera low – down
With the free-angle LCD monitor, you can accurately
to the ground even – for shots of kids and
frame high and low-angle shots without bending,
pets. Or if you're stuck in a crowd at a parade
stooping or contorting with your face pressed up
or a concert, twist the monitor down, hold
against the viewfinder. (Monitor picture simulated.)
the camera over your head and frame your
shot that way.
Advanced shooters may prefer the classic,
35mm SLR style of shooting, with the
camera viewfinder held up to the eye,
True zoom optical viewfinder
the camera pressed against the face
and the elbows tucked in. This style
The clarity and immediacy of an
promotes greater stability and reduced
optical finder.
camera shake – a decided advantage in
long exposures and extreme telephoto
The DSC-W55, W80, W90 and W200 offer
shooting. That's why our DSC-H7 and
the option of framing your shots on our true
H9 offer true, through-the-lens (TTL)
zoom optical viewfinder. This incorporates
electronic eye-level viewfinders.
its own lens system that zooms along with
the lens that takes the picture, to maintain
accurate framing. The optical viewfinder is
TTL optical viewfinder
great option for photographers who prefer
the conventional shooting style, and it's a
The ultimate in creative control.
great alternative in bright sunlight.
If you want nothing less than the most
complete information on how the lens is
TTL eye-level
focusing, you may prefer the Sony a100
electronic viewfinder
Digital SLR. Here is a strictly optical
viewfinder that shows you what the lens
A second LCD monitor for classic
is seeing and a ground glass that reveals
shooting style.
exactly how the lens is focusing. A family
of optional diopter adjustment lenses can
30
customize the finder to your specific vision.
An optional magnifier and angle finder give
you creative flexibility.
Xross Media Bar ™
inspired interface
Easy navigation of every feature
™ monitor, the DSC-N2
and function.
When Sony camera engineers saw
the PlayStation ® Portable, they were
impressed with more than the games.
They loved the way the Xross Media Bar
(XMB ™ ) interface made it so easy to move
between functions, simply by moving left,
right, up and down. So they took the XMB
interface as the point of departure for the
next generation of Cyber-shot camera
control. You activate the new interface simply
by pressing the camera's Home button.
And as you navigate, clear Function Guide
messages help you make the right choices
for your shooting situation.
The new Cyber-shot user interface is inspired by the
Sony PlayStation Portable Xross Media Bar (XMB)
interface. (Simulated picture.)
CAMERA SYSTEMS
Storage
And in instead of automatic processing,
RAW images receive carefully considered
processing that you can evaluate and control
each step of the way.
In film cameras, the film both senses and
RAW file formats are specific to the
stores the image. In digital cameras, these
imager of each camera. In fact, RAW
two functions are divided. The image sensor files can vary from camera to camera
within one camera company's line. That's
detects the image, and then after processing,
why RAW files are intended to work
with camera-specific converter software
the camera's on-board storage media saves
or camera-specific plug-ins.
the picture.
JPEG file format
Sony storage
All Sony digital cameras use the industry-
features
standard Joint Photographic Experts Group
(JPEG) file format. Just about any computer
application that uses images will work with
JPEG format
JPEG files. JPEGs are so popular because
they maintain high picture quality in minimum
Broad compatibility, strong combination
file sizes. The secret is JPEG compression,
of picture quality and storage efficiency.
which enables you to fit more images onto
a camera's memory card. The compression
JPEG images are compatible with just about
works because one pixel of blue sky is almost
any computer application that accepts
exactly the same as the pixel next to it. JPEG
pictures. And JPEG images are space-
compression squeezes these redundancies
efficient, enabling you to save more pictures
out of the data while maintaining high
on a given memory card. Sony lets you
picture quality.
choose between JPEG Fine mode (for
picture quality) and JPEG Standard mode
(for storing about 80% more pictures).
RAW file formats
As good as JPEG images are, they do limit
RAW format
the amount of color correction and image
enhancement you can perform on your
The a100 Digital SLR can capture RAW
computer. Attempt too much enhancement
image data, free from the camera's
and JPEG picture quality suffers. That's why
digital processing.
serious photographers prefer uncompressed
RAW image files. These files capture the
Serious photo enthusiasts know that image
data straight out of the analog-to-digital
making is a two-step process: the moment
converter, prior to de-mosaicing and other
of capture and the magic of the darkroom.
camera processing operations.
In the "digital darkroom" of PC photo
enhancement, you can correct the color,
Instead of using the relatively limited resources
highlight exposure and shadow detail –
of the camera's own processing, RAW images
with the ability to change your mind and
can take advantage of the extensive resources
start over from scratch. Unfortunately,
of PC image processing applications, such
digital camera processing and JPEG
as Adobe ® Photoshop ® CS software.
compression impose irreversible effects
that inevitably limit your freedom to refine
the image later on!
That's why the a100 Digital SLR offers RAW
image capture, which bypasses the camera's
internal signal processing. Think of the
RAW image file as the digital equivalent
of unprocessed film, with all the latent
possibilities of the image left intact. When
you take a RAW mode picture, the camera
also saves a JPEG image that you can see
on the LCD monitor. Unlike JPEG files, Sony
RAW files are not directly compatible with
most image software. They must first be
converted with our supplied Image Data
Converter SR software or with the appropriate
plug-in for Adobe ® Photoshop ® CS software.
Internal memory
With our latest Cyber-shot ® cameras,
you'll never worry about leaving the media
at home. It's built into the camera!
All current Sony Cyber-shot ® cameras feature
internal memory, in addition to a slot for
optional Memory Stick PRO Duo ™ media.
Internal memory means you'll never be
caught short because you left the media
someplace else. It also enables you to
extend shot capacity with optional Memory
Stick PRO Duo media and copy pictures
between the internal memory and Memory
Stick PRO Duo media, for easy transfer to
and from other cameras, PCs, printers and
print kiosks.
Memory Stick PRO Duo ™
media
Ample storage in an ultra-slim form factor,
fast read/write speeds and compatibility
with millions of devices, worldwide.
Even if you never plan on taking the flash
media card out of the camera, Sony Memory
Stick media has important advantages.
Continued on page 32.
31