I've been following this camera here since it was only a rumor. At the time it looked like Sony was also going to include their Nightshot feature, which, as many of you know is a very capable tool for daytime IR shooting. I contacted Sony thru their Sony Style web site, and attempted to ask for some details about this implementation of Nightshot. I got a real nice form letter response, basically saying they knew nothing, and pointing me to someone in the organization who might know. An email to that addy, and the result was the usual "Sony Ignore". Oh well, I pretty much got what I expected. So we waited.
The rumors turned out to be true, and now Sony is shipping the H9. People are starting to receive their cameras, and the Sony forums are "buzzing". Not a lot of talk yet about Nightshot, as most new owners don't really know what it is. I was able to ask a few questions of a new owner on one of the forums. She was kind enough to flip the switch to Nightshot and tell me what she sees. I'm sad to report, that our hopes that Sony would open up Shutter Speed and Aperture in Nightshot on this camera are apparently not going to be fuffilled.
It looks like 1/30 sec. and a wide open Aperture are the settings for the H9, just as they are on the DSC-F828, DSC-V1, and DCS-V3 models. While, these crippled settings are still very useful for Daylight IR, our hopes for better exposures with some better settings are just not going to happen.
I don't want this report to be "down" on the New H9. This camera has many nice features that will make it a very capable IR choice. Owners of the 828, V1, and V3 have been super successful with IR, and there is no reason that this won't be the case with the H9.
It sure would have been nice to shoot handheld IR at faster shutter speeds.
As soon as the H9 hits the retail stores I will get my hands on one and confirm what I'm being told in the Forums.
Here's a link to my earlier writings about the H9.
-=- Jerry -=-
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4 comments:
In Russia they sat "dratski." I had hoped the H9 would be the all-in-one, take anywhere, fixed lens camera: one camera, one small bag, one set of accessories, covering any photographic opportunity -- macro to long tele, visible or infrared. Doesn't seem like this is quite the one so far.
Of course, if one does not shoot a lot of IR, then it's clearly a great, all-around camera.
I managed to get it to shoot in 1/250", thread and sample picture -
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1009&thread=23119318
New Panasonic Sensor!
This could be great for IR, though it would make it less exclusive. Here is a quote from an article about it:
"Furthermore, photonic color filters made of inorganic materials have been implemented for the first time by the photonic crystal technology, which allows the photonic color filters to select any colors from UV to infrared spectral regions."
The way I read it, I see it saying that you can select the sensitvity range you want the sensor to have, so an on-lens filter would NOT be needed any more. If that is truly a user selectable option, that would be very cool.
Of course, there is no indication of the quality or sensitivity of this new sensor yet, we'll have to wait and see if it has real application for the photographer.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0705/07051401panasonicrobustsensor.asp
~Kort
Kort,
This could indeed get very interesting! We need to keep and eye on this one.
-=- Jerry -=-
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