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Sony announces new external monitor for digital cameras and camcorder, updates NEX-5 with new colours

By on January 13, 2011 4:49 pm

Every DSLR and camcorder in the market today has a small LCD screen built-into the device which serves various purposes, such as composing a scene or viewing captured footage. Unfortunately, most of these screen happen to be fixed and non-movable, thus making it difficult to frame and compose certain shots an unusual angles. And leave it to Sony for a simple solution to a simple problem: an external hotshoe-mounted monitor.

Now that most recent DSLRs boast the capability to take high-quality video clips, it should come as no surprise that people are starting to use their DSLR’s for both professional still and video photography, and for good reason. After all, the fact that DSLRs typically feature much higher quality sensors and lenses as opposed to those found on consumer camcorders have resulted in the former being able to produce superior video clips at significantly lower price points.

However, the fact remains that DSLRs were primarily meant to be used for capturing still images, a quality which shows in the design of its body. As it stands, most DSLRs in the market today do not feature articulating or movable screens, a limitation which makes it difficult for videographers to frame a scene which needs to be taken from unusual angles. And this is the issue that Sony intends to solve with its new hotshoe-mounted monitor, the CLM-V55.

According to Sony, the CLM-V55 is intended to help users of DSLRs and cameras featuring changeable lenses make the most out of their camera’s video mode by offering various professional features typically found on camcorders. Examples include a control wheel for quick access to a variety of options such as tweaking the camera’s aspect ratio and various other audio-visual related features, and focus magnification that is touted to greatly assist videographers in setting a pixel-perfect focus manually. The fact that the CLM-V55′s monitor is mounted on a movable stand mean that videographers can easily pivot the screen to assist in the composition of scene which need to be shot at unusual angles.

Sony has not announced any pricing details for the CLM-V55 external
monitor, but the company has confirmed that the device is expected to be
available by March this year.

Last but definitely not least, Sony has also announced in a separate press release that it has updated its NEX-5 camera lineup with additional colour schemes for consumers to choose from. In addition to offering the black and silver variants of the NEX-5 for retail, the company has confirmed that a gold-coloured NEX-5 will be made available to consumers by February this year.

Reference: Akihabara News

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