Just published a NEW article on the NEW Sony a7r III

[Telecaster]

Is anyone aware of a technical paper describing Sony's implementation of pixel-shift technology?

I’m not. Seems to be a straightforward process, though. Given that Sony is creating separate files for each (sub-)exposure it could be interesting to see how (or if) 3rd-party developers handle ‘em.

-Dave-

[Jim Kasson]

Is anyone aware of a technical paper describing Sony's implementation of pixel-shift technology?

This is Sony. They are usually closed-mouthed about the details of their cameras. AFAIK, they never published a Craw spec, leaving it to the world to reverse-engineer it. They have published nothing about he star-eater algorithm. That's been reverse-engineered now, too. They've published no details about the IBIS implementation in a7x cameras, upon which the px-shift is probably based.

Jim

[Chris Kern]

They have published nothing about he star-eater algorithm.

I read the analysis on your website.  I don't do astrophotography, but in my opinion the star-eater problem is yet another of many recent examples where high-tech companies have metaphorically shot themselves in the proverbial foot by not involving a wide enough sample of Beta testers prior to launching a product, even when industrial secrets could not plausibly have been at stake.

They've published no details about the IBIS implementation in a7x cameras, upon which the px-shift is probably based.

Yup—at least, according the the reports in the trade press.  I'm curious about how they account for the interaction of motion by the person operating the camera and the shifting of the matrix of the light sensor between captures.

[Tony Jay]

In support of Kevin, and before that Michael, I would much rather read a camera review by someone who actually uses the camera.
Cameras are much more than the sum of their technological specifications and both Kevin and Michael were able to get down-and-dirty on the important aspects of real-world use.
This kind of data may be meh to a techno-geek but to those of use who actually shoot and have to invest in and use a camera we all know that cameras with very similar technical specs may differ vastly when it comes to real-world usability...

Kevin's first look was nothing much more than a recital of the technical specs but once he has had a good play with the camera there is no doubt that a much more in-depth review will follow and it will be a warts-and-all appraisal that deals with all the issues that are relevant to photographers as opposed to the techno-geek...

Neither Kevin nor Michael were scared of criticising cameras that they nonetheless liked and used and I don't expect anything to change going forward.

Nuff said

Tony Jay

[DougDolde]

Have they fixed the Star Eater ?  Caused small stars to be removed as noise

[Farmer]

Neither Kevin nor Michael were scared of criticising cameras that they nonetheless liked and used and I don't expect anything to change going forward.

Well said, Tony.

[Jim Kasson]

Yup—at least, according the the reports in the trade press.  I'm curious about how they account for the interaction of motion by the person operating the camera and the shifting of the matrix of the light sensor between captures.

If I were designing it, I'd

Compute the sensor motion required to steady the image on the sensor.
Add 0,1,1,1.414 pixel offsets for the four exposures
Tag the images with added shift in the metadata
Let the post software sort it out, including sub-pixel shifts are required to correct for camera sensor position errors.

Jim

[Jim Kasson]

Have they fixed the Star Eater ?  Caused small stars to be removed as noise

No, and it's gotten worse in recent FW releases.

[kers]

No, and it's gotten worse in recent FW releases.

ow!
I think that is a very bad thing.
The integrity of the image should always be intact and it is for the photographer to decide what to do with the data.
As far as i know Nikon has always been very strict about that, also because their cameras are being used for scientific and forensic research.

[davidgp]

Have they fixed the Star Eater ?  Caused small stars to be removed as noise

We will need to see the camera in the market to be sure, but TCSTV was saying that they asked to Sony people during the event in New York and nobody wanted to comment about Star Earter... so I’m not hopeful this is fixed



http://dgpfotografia.com

[Kevin Raber]

I'll be shooting some more with this camera over the coming weeks.  I'll be traveling out west and have my 14mm lens that I use for night photography with me.  I'll give it a try.  I will also try with the Phase One TriChromatic at night.  We'll see what we see. 

[bjanes]

I have only got a few posts but I have to agree-  In-fact if its not mirror-less or medium format Kevin isn't interested in publishing articles lets be honest here.
So  what do we expect? - probably the truth through rose tinted glasses.

I have quite a few posts myself, but I don't think a post should be judged solely by the author's number of posts. Sound reasoning and references to respected sources are also important criteria for judging the value of a post, as is the poster's track record. There is no doubt that the Sony mirror-less cameras are an important development in the photo industry and it is good that Kevin is reporting on them. I have been shooting Nikon for nearly 50 years and switching to a different system at this time and at my point in life does not make much sense. If I were younger or independently wealthy, I might well choose the Sony mirror-less route. Since LuLa is increasingly becoming mirror-less and MFDB oriented, it has less to offer me. Diglloyd and Thom Hogan are more to my taste, and I find myself increasingly going to DPReview.

Michael is sorely missed. The breadth of his career both in photography and industry seems to be much broader than Kevin's and his contacts in photography and industry allowed him to recruit authors to supplement his personal experience and preferences. Kevin may not be interested in Nikon (or Canon) but many of his readers are and he needs to broaden the scope of LuLa. A recent thread questioned whether LuLa was past his prime, and regretfully I have to concede that it probably has, at least for me.

Regards,

Bill

[Kevin Raber]

Sorry, you feel that way, Bill.  Times are changing.  I am not against Nikon or Canon.  I report on what I use and like.  Canon and Nikon have sort of blacklisted this site after a few run-ins Michael has with them.  Never the less I am trying to look at Nikon and Canon closer again and reestablish relationships.  If you are such a Nikon user maybe you'd like to volunteer to take on being the editor for Nikon related topics and reviews.  If you are interested then PM me. 

There is only so much that a small team like we have here at LuLa can do.  I have made it very clear where I stand gear wise.  I made my choices and have no regrets.  Doesn't mean I play favorites.  I may disagree with you about breadth and career.  I have been shooting and making a living in this industry since 1972.  I have had a large studio, a software company, worked at one of the largest color labs in the country and of Course 13 years at Phase One.  I know a lot of people. 

I am working on structuring LuLa to cover more hardware but that can only be done if someone wants to step up to the plate and handle a particular segment, just like Mark Segal has for printing and papers.  That offer stands for anyone interested. 

All of miss Michael.  Even he saw how things were changing and you may remember he didn't cover much on Nikon and Canon in the last few years.  He like myself concentrated on where we saw the industry and technology going. We both were proponents of image quality and that came at a particular time with MF.

Bill, and anyone else if you are interested in covering a particular hardware or software segment and want to share your knowledge on the site then let me know by PM.  I can get you the gear to work with if needed.  Like I said I do know people and have resources to reach out to.