OnePlus 12 Will Feature Sony's New LYTIA Camera Sensor
The OnePlus 12 will include Sony's new LYTIA camera sensor, it has been confirmed. The two companies partnered up for this announcement. OnePlus shared the news via Weibo, a Chinese social media network.
The OnePlus 12 will feature Sony's powerful new LYTIA camera sensorThe company said the following: "The new generation of Sony's LYTIA light embodies beauty with light and opens up a new future for mobile imaging". OnePlus is actually the third company under the BBK Electronics umbrella to partner up with Sony.
The OnePlus Open comes with Sony's dual-stacked LYTIA camera sensor. Vivo and Sony also announced that the Vivo X100 series will use a custom version of the LYT800 sensor. The sensor that will be used in the OnePlus 12, however, could top both of those.
We still don't know what sensor will this be exactly, but we're probably looking at the Sony IMX966. That is a 50-megapixel sensor. It is expected to be a 1/1.4-inch sensor with Sony's 2-ayer transistor pixel technology. It could be somewhat similar to the sensor Sony used in the Sony Xperia 1 V.
This camera will be able to capture more light than the one on the OnePlus 11It will allow the phone to capture more light than the OnePlus 11 was able to, amongst other things. The OnePlus 11 also had great camera performance, and this sensor will likely be a major improvement. So… that's kind of exciting.
The OnePlus 12 is expected to arrive either in December or in January. We don't know if OnePlus will launch it globally from the get-go, or will the China event take place first, as was the case last year.
Either way, the OnePlus 12 will be an immensely powerful smartphone. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will be backed by LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage. A 5,400mAh battery is also tipped, along with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging.
Hands On: Sony's Speedy A9 III Has A Global Shutter, 120fps Burst Rate
The Sony a9 III is fast. Really fast. It rightfully takes its place among the other speed demons in the full-frame Alpha lineup—the a9 and the slightly upgraded a9 II—snapping photos at a blistering 120fps with subject tracking. That's an impressive feat by itself, but Sony also introduces a new type of sensor for the a9 III, one with a global electronic shutter. It reads out its pixels all at once rather than in sequence, thus eliminating some of the pain points with previous models and enabling new possibilities for creative flash photography.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)
I had a chance to use pre-production versions of both the a9 III and the simultaneously announced FE 300mm F2.8 GM at a media event in New York and walked away impressed with the performance of both. I share my first thoughts on them below and break down some of the more interesting sensor tech details and lens features.
Note that Sony expects to ship both products starting in late February 2024. The a9 III will retail for $5,999 with no kit option available, and the FE 300mm F2.8 GM will cost the same.
What's a Global Shutter?The a9 III's global shutter is a long-anticipated innovation. It's based on the same Stacked BSI CMOS tech that drives fast cameras like the a9 II and Canon EOS R3. I consider those cameras to have fast-reading electronic shutters—DPReview measures the a9 II at 1/160-second and the R3 at a brisker 1/200-second. The readout speed is different than the shutter speed you use to expose an image; the former measures how long it takes the electronic shutter to scan the chip pixel-by-pixel, whereas the latter measures how long each of the pixels in the image is exposed to light.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)
The a9 III reads each of its pixels at the same time, so there's no chance of skewing when you photograph scenes with lateral subject motion. I've had good luck with tough e-shutter subjects like hummingbirds in flight using the current slate of Stacked CMOS cameras, but they can still show distortion for really fast action. Golf swings are the obvious example; with too slow a readout speed, the club shows a bit of a curve.
Electronic signage and lighting are another issue for current-generation Stacked cameras with electronic shutters, including the a9 II and the Nikon Z 9. Artificial light pulses are imperceptible to the human eye, but they still might cause a light-and-dark striping effect in photos. A global shutter takes care of this problem, and the a9 III also has an anti-flicker feature to time its shots with artificial lights. The latter feature is standard on mid-priced enthusiast models.
FE 35mm F1.4 GM, f/1.4, 1/4,000-second, ISO 250 (Credit: Jim Fisher)
Sony is confident enough in the a9 III's motion-stopping power to leave out a mechanical shutter, something the a9 II had for situations in which banding or skewing could be an issue. I don't mind the change, as it's one less moving part that can break. I spoke to another photographer who told me they'd miss it, as the physical feedback is an important part of the photo-making experience. You can configure the a9 III to emit a shutter sound if you want, however, and a border flashes in the viewfinder when you take a photo.
The global readout tech comes at a cost, however. The sensor's sensitivity starts higher than most, with an ISO 250-25600 native range and an ISO 125-51200 expanded range. The higher starting point is a drawback for long-exposure photos that demand a lower base ISO, though this shouldn't be too much of a concern given the camera's target audience. Other aspects like image noise and the dynamic range of Raw photos are question marks at this time. Based on what I've seen with other cameras, a faster readout speed generally results in a little more noise and slightly less dynamic range, but I'll reserve judgment until I get a chance to fully evaluate test photos (I was restricted to JPG capture at the event).
FE 135mm F1.8 GM, f/1.8, 1/1,250-second, ISO 250 (Credit: Jim Fisher)
Flash Sync at Any SpeedThe global shutter readout means that you can sync faster with flashes, a long-standing problem for cameras with electronic shutters. With most cameras, you must use the mechanical shutter with a strobe, and even then you're limited to a meager 1/250-second sync speed at full power. High Speed Sync (HSS) tech is useful for shorter exposures but comes at the cost of output power and recycle time. The a9 III syncs at any shutter speed (up to a previously unfathomable 1/80,000-second), so it's more versatile than a leaf-shutter system like on the Hasselblad X.
FE 135mm F1.8 GM, f/1.8, 1/1,250-second, ISO 250 (Credit: Jim Fisher)
I tried the flash sync out for some photos of martial artists in a boxing ring. The ring was already well lit, both by natural light from skylights and some large continuous lights, but a pop of a Profoto strobe made for much more dynamic, cinematic images. The difference is apparent in the two shots above from the same sequence; the left image is with flash, while the one on the right is without.
There are a few caveats worth noting. For one, the fastest flash sync speeds are limited to apertures of f/1.8 or dimmer. The fastest sync speed at f/1.2-1.4 is 1/16,000-second, though that's nothing to sneeze at. Keep in mind that some flashes might need firmware updates to work at faster speeds; I tried my Godox V1 on the a9 III and the flash defaulted to its HSS mode past 1/250-second, for instance.
FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS, f/2.8, 1/2,500-second, ISO 2500, Godox V1 HSS (Credit: Jim Fisher)
You're also stuck at 1/16,000-second or longer speeds for all photos in continuous drive mode, as shorter shutter speeds will be available only for the single-release mode at launch. A rep from Sony told me that all shutter speeds will be made available for continuous drive via a later firmware update.
Card-Filling Burst RatesThe Sony a9 series is custom-made to meet the needs of sports and wildlife photographers, photojournalists, wedding pros, and others whose creative work requires high-speed capture and bulletproof autofocus accuracy. Even so, the a9 II lost some of its luster when the a1 debuted with a faster 30fps burst rate and higher-pixel 50MP sensor.
FE 135mm F1.8 GM, f/1.8, 1/1,250-second, ISO 250 (Credit: Jim Fisher)
The a9 III maintains the same 24MP sensor size as its predecessors but pushes its maximum speed to 120fps—four times as fast as the a1. It's not the first camera to hit that mark (the Nikon Z 9 does 120fps in an 11MP JPG mode) but the a9 III supports full-resolution 14-bit Raw capture at its top speed.
Full picture quality at top speed isn't the only improvement over the Z 9's 120fps setting. Sony's mode is also easier to access. The Z 9's drive dial lets you switch between its modes fairly quickly, but the camera puts the self-timer in between the standard high-speed and the assignable drive settings, so it's a little cumbersome to make changes during a sequence. Meanwhile, Sony sets its Hi+ setting at 60fps by default (you can ratchet it up or down to preference), and assigns an instant-120fps mode to the new C5 button, which sits between the lens mount and grip. I used that button quite a bit during the event—I overshot some of the sports scenes as I was out of practice and also wanted to stress the battery.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)
More seasoned sports photogs should appreciate the instant-on 120fps mode. It makes sense to use a more reasonable burst rate for most sequences and to swap to the fastest mode for a highlight moment. Of course, it takes experience and knowledge of a sport to anticipate those moments, but getting them at 120fps is enticing. In addition to the 60fps Hi+ option, the drive dial has slots for Hi, Medium, and Low continuous bursts, each with a configurable speed (from 5 to 120fps). Single-release and self-timer modes are there, too.
The a9 III also has a pre-shot buffer, a new feature for a Sony camera, but old news elsewhere. Olympus pioneered the concept in the E-M1 Mark II, and many others have copied it. When it is enabled, the a9 III keeps up to a second of action buffered in memory for as long as you half-press the shutter while tracking a subject. Pressing the shutter in all the way starts a burst of pictures as usual and saves the buffered images too. In other words, you can be a little late and still get your shot.
FE 135mm F1.8 GM, f/1.8, 1/500-second, ISO 250 (Credit: Jim Fisher)
I found it far too easy to fill up CFe memory cards with JPG files; I managed to get around 8,000 photos with liberal use of 60fps and 120fps capture without too much effort. Photos got to the card quicker than the buffer filled in many cases. The a9 III's buffer holds up for 1.6 seconds of 120fps photography at 14-bit Raw quality, while JPGs are less demanding. It's worthwhile to get CFe (Type A) memory cards for this camera as they are much faster than even the fastest UHS-II SDXC cards. Both of the a9 III's two card slots support either format.
Autofocus is as good as I've seen in recent Sony cameras. The a9 III intelligently recognizes a wide variety of subjects, including people, pets, wildlife, insects, and motorsports vehicles. The camera dedicates a processor to handle this—Sony markets it as AI, but it's really just machine-trained subject recognition with extra processing power behind it. I had only a few hours to try it out but found the system to be just as reliable as the a7R V for locking onto people.
Recommended by Our EditorsFE 35mm F1.4 GM, f/1.4, 1/200-second, ISO 250 (Credit: Jim Fisher)
The a9 III continues to restrict drive speed with third-party lenses, so you can enjoy 20fps and up only with Sony glass. I tried a Sigma zoom with the camera and the pair is restricted to 15fps capture, just as with the a9 and a1. I was hoping to see that number tick up, as there's now a huge disparity between the drive speed of Sony's lenses and third-party alternatives. Both Sigma and Tamron have moved to fast linear focus motors too, so it's a shame to see the limit continue.
A Better Body Than the a9 IIThe a9 III makes a few thoughtful changes to the body style from earlier versions, both in terms of the display tech and the ergonomics. Both the viewfinder and rear display are huge upgrades; the EVF shows a full-quality image at 120fps with a large 0.90x picture and a crisp 9.44 million dots and can push to 240fps with reduced resolution. The 3.2-inch rear display is also clear (2.1 million dots), supports the DCI-P3 color gamut, and features a clever dual-axis mount that supports upward and downward tilt and forward rotation for self-recording. It's the same hinge design I lauded in the a7R V, and I hope it becomes the standard across the Sony lineup.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)
The handgrip is a marked improvement over earlier models and even recent entries like the a7R V. It features a gentler contour and leaves more room between it and the lens mount. I also like that the shutter release sits at a steeper angle. If it weren't for the power switch around the shutter release, you might even mistake the camera for a Canon body. The changes are subtle overall, though, and the a9 III still feels like a Sony in hand.
A vertical grip is available, too. Its design matches the a9 III, with the same angles and contours, as well as a C5 button. It holds an additional Z battery, so you can expect double the runtime. My experience is anecdotal at this point, but I managed those 8,000 exposures on a single Z battery with nearly 50% left in the tank when I turned in the camera. I don't recommend taking that many photos in the span of a few hours if you can help it, but the battery will hold up if you do.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)
300mm F2.8 GM OSS: Strikingly LightweightI grabbed a few lenses to try with the a9 III—the FE 35mm F1.4 GM for some wider-angle views, an FE 135mm F1.8 GM for closer action, and of course the just-announced FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS. For whatever reason, this particular lens design has not made its way to mirrorless systems until now, despite being a standard option for SLR systems.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)
Older SLR lenses like the Canon EF 300mm F2.8 L IS II USM (5.3 pounds) and Nikkor 300mm F2.8G ED VR II (6.4 pounds) require some upper body strength to handhold for any duration, but Sony has managed to get its 300mm mirrorless optic down to a meager 3.2 pounds. The weight is centered directly above the tripod foot too, so it's quite comfortable to balance without a tripod. The lens foot makes for a useful grip point for carrying the lens, too.
Focus is fast enough to keep up with subjects moving toward the camera and the angle of view offers plenty of compression to blur backgrounds. Add a full set of on-barrel controls (including a customizable ring) and optical stabilization, and you've got a lens that feels right at home next to the FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS and FE 600mm F4 G OSS.
FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS, f/2.8, 1/320-second, ISO 500 (Credit: Jim Fisher)
Like the others, the FE 300mm F2.8 GM OSS is more of a specialty lens, but photographers who find a 70-200mm F2.8 a little too short and a 400mm prime to be too long will see the appeal. The FE 300mm F2.8 also costs half as much as the FE 400mm and far less than the Canon RF 100-300mm F2.8 ($9,499).
We expect to publish full reviews of the Sony a9 III and FE 300mm F2.8 close to their late February 2024 retail date. Until then, you can read about the best Sony cameras and best Sony lenses.
Get Our Best Stories!Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Vivo X100 Is The First Smartphone With A Dimensity 9300 Processor
MediaTek's Dimensity 9300 processor is the company's most powerful smartphone chip to date, with eight high-performance CPU cores, no efficiency cores, Imortalis G720-MC12 graphics, WiFi 7, and other advanced technologies.
Of course, a chip's only good if you can actually get your hands on it. And customers in China will be able to do that soon, since Vivo is taking pre-orders for the first smartphones Vivo X100 Pro
The Vivo X100 and Vivo X100 Pro smartphones pair MediaTek's new flagship processor with 6.78 inch, 2880 x 1260 pixel, 120 Hz LTPO AMOLED displays that support up to 3,000 nits peak brightness, LPDDR5x memory, and UFS 4.0 storage.
The Vivo X100 has at least 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, dual batteries with a total capacity of 5,000 mAh, support for 120W fast charging, and a triple rear cameras system with a 50MP Sony IMX920 primary camera, 50MP ultra-wide, and 64MP periscopic telephoto camera.
Vivo's X100 Pro model, meanwhile, has at least 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, 5,400 Wh battery capacity, 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, and a similar camera system, except the periscopic telephoto camera features a 50MP image sensor and a Zeiss APO certified lens and the primary cameras has a 1 inch Sony IMX989 sensor.
Both phones support WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, and 5G. And they'll both be available in China starting November 21. They should be available in other markets in the future, but Vivo doesn't tend to have much presence in the US market, so I suspect customers in the United States may have to wait a little longer to find smartphones
via 9to5Google, ITHome, and GSM Arena
Liliputing's primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the "Shop" button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we'll get a small commission).
But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you're using an ad blocker* and hate online shopping.
Contribute to our Patreon campaignor...
Contribute via PayPal * If you are using an ad blocker like uBlock Origin and seeing a pop-up message at the bottom of the screen, we have a guide that may help you disable it. Join 9,504 other subscribers
