Sony SLT A57 Hands-on Preview: Digital Photography Review

Will this be a worthy upgrade from a55? If looking at a new camera, will saving $100 bucks and going for a55 for its compact size be a reasonable thing to do?

0 upvotes

My personal preference is smaller size of the A55 which I own, and wish A57 were smaller as well. As it is, I can easily fit A55, NEX-3 with lenses mounted on both, AND couple of additional lenses in my sling bag with room to spare. I'm considering A57 but the larger size may limit that flexibility.

0 upvotes

DPR. Could you please comment on noise level at high ISO vs. the A65/77. Especially 3200 and up. If the sensor is the same as the 65/77 the noise should be less since there is more chip per pixel(fewer pixels). Is this correct or are the sensors totally different in specs. I have a 65 but would get the 57 if it has better low light capabilities even if only marginally better. I do mostly wildlife photography at high f ratios and higher shutter speeds. Anyone else who has information please share. Thanks. Also is what is low light performance relative to the Nikon 5100 and 7000?

7 upvotes

I second this.

2 upvotes

yes please, this information will decide if i buy a55 or a57 new

1 upvote

Looking at the jpeg test shots through iso 800 which is as high that I would go, it would appear that the A57 is superior to other cameras in it's price class. After carrying a five pound Koni Omega Rapid M through the woods and over mountains, the size of the A57 is of no concern to me. One concern I do have, is in what country the A57 is made. Could someone please advise?

0 upvotes

I read in some reviews that the a55 have some problems of heating after some minutes of video. Someone knows if this a57 will have this solved?
It's an interesting camera, but i don't know if the SLR technology can gives the same quality photos like the micro4/3 (Olympus Ep3, EM5), SLRD cameras (Canon EOS 600D) or for example another sony like the nex-5n?

Normally the lenses of the pack are not very good and people recomend to buy the body and then a good lens. In this case you thing the A57 it's in the same situation?
Thanks.

0 upvotes

I have the same question. I have had a A55 for about 6 months now and can say that I am very happy with it other than the issue of overheating. Until they fix this problem I won't be buying another alpha.
As far as the a55 being too small, I can't relate. I'm 6'4" and can palm a basketball and still find the a55 reasonably sized for my hands. I appreciate the small size. And battery life really never is an issue. I have a second battery and can almost fill a 16GB SD card with both if I turn the camera off when not in use.

4 upvotes

The 2nd generation Alphas fixed the overheating so it should be fixed in the A57.

Comment edited 41 seconds after posting

1 upvote

I agree with Toolman78. I also have a an A55 and I like to take time lapse photography. Just switching off auto focus gets me just over 3,100 shots from a full battery. :) Admittedly, my area of photography maximises the possible number of shots from a full battery, but it goes to show that switching off some of the motor driven features greatly extends the battery life.

2 upvotes

I've seen overheating problem with my A55 only once over last 11 months and that was when dealing with very hot weather in India and while video recording.

0 upvotes

Great news. I LOVE my A55 right now, A57 will sure be good too.

1 upvote

Okay, so let us see now what Sony will give you for $700 come April 2012.

(A) 10fps and 12fps burst mode still shooting.

(B) 1080p video at 60fps and 24fps. Also, most likely 1080i60 as well.

(C) Peaking mode in manual focus, also available in video shooting mode.

(D) 800 x 600 pixel electronic viewfinder with selectable magnification level (dual mode magnification).

(E) Sensor sensitivity up to ISO 25600.

(F) In-camera image stabilization.

(G) Built-in flash with 10 meter range.

(H) Wireless EyeFi built-in.

(I) Direct DC input jack (no pricey fake battery adapters here, like with the Canon DSLRs and others).

With a Canikon or any other brand flipping-mirror style digital SLR, you would need to spend an additional $750 to $1,050 for a Zacuto, Small HD, or Cineroid external EVF. And that EVF that would actually have lower resolution that the Sony SLR a57's EVF's pixel resolution is.... and could not do any "selectable magnification," either.

0 upvotes

In comparision of raw images between Sony and Canon, Canon looked way much better. I was wondering why....

I've noticed Canon was taken with 50mm/f1.4 lens whereas Sony was shot with 50mm/f1.8 lens.

Can anyone objectively compare two images taken with $10,000 Zeiss lens and $20 crappy Chinese lens, taken with same camera?

Is it possible to add vertical grip on Sony A57 model?

Comment edited 5 minutes after posting

1 upvote

DPR, please consider to upgrade you studio scene comparison tool. The cameras are advancing real fast :-). It is now more difficult to distinguish them. It would be nice to add magnification ratio option, 150% and 200%. Also, it would be nice if the images have option to be downsampled to some values, i.e. 12, 16, 24 MP for easier comparison.
This is great site, my favorite. I hope I`m not asking too much.
Regards

1 upvote

As always your reviews are extremely helpful. Thanks to your practical review of features, I know that for now at least, I'll keep lovin' my A55 and won't salivate over the newcomer here... but I appreciate knowing what's out there!

0 upvotes

No doubt it will be a good camera in it's many varied ways..I have the A55 and bought the A77 since it was not as crippled in it's feature set..happy with the 77.peculiar company in their approach to how and what they release..only a huge electronics company could even seek to pull it off!!Their next full frame will no doubt generate a lot of debate!

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Still a great camera even without built in GPS.

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Hmmm this seems like an odd decision for Sony to make - I really felt like the a55 fit a very specific niche, with the a65 available for those wanting a bigger camera. The a55 feature set with the GPS & small size were perfect for the beginner or traveler. This camera doesn't seem to appeal to either. And the a35 with its non-articulated screen and lack of GPS doesn't seem to really fit the niche either.

While I love that the battery life is now better (my biggest complaint about the a33 is that I'll typically go through 4 batteries in a day, and that's with minimal reviewing & deleting of photos, use of flash, video etc) and the changes to the EVF sound fantastic (yay for being able to adjust the viewing distance!) I'm just not really sure that having them come at the expense of the GPS and size is right.

Oh well. I have my old a33 & new a77 and am really happy with them. I can't see myself dropping those in favour of something else for a while yet. Except maybe for a NEX :P

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

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Alpha 33 is a nifty toy compared to this new one. And the Alpha 77 is an overkill for many. Re. the EVF, I compared Alpha 55 LCD EVF to the Alpha 65's OLED EVF side by side, and swiftly decided that the OLED is not a must-have feature for me. Both types looked pretty decent, and as we are reading now, the Alpha 57's EVF will be superior to previous LCD-based EVFs from Sony.

I am glad this cameras does not have a built-in GPS. That way, it can actually be taken into those countries where GPS importation and usage is prohibited without running the risk of camera confiscation and a hefty fine, or worse.

Sony had sealed the deal for me with this amazing one.

0 upvotes

Very sad that they did not retain the compact size of the A55 in the 57. It was quite compact, wonderful value for the size and price. So for the "replacement" Sony makes it bigger, takes away GPS, no sensor improvement, and adds some Bionz chip features?
I won't be "upgrading" my A55 anytime soon. I can only hope that the future leads to a more compact SLT design that, again, sets the trend.

1 upvote

"No sensor improvement"? In the samples you can see it's improved over the A55.

Bigger = thank god!!!!

2 upvotes

I noticed that too. The images are MUCH crisper from the 57 than from the 55. How is that possible? Does the 57 in fact have a different sensor?

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@ Bo Begole: no, it's just improvements to the sensor itself and the AA filter

1 upvote

Is the AA filter upgradable so that I could hope for a firmware upgrade to improve the a55?

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The chip is different in the a57. Same resolution as a55 but upgraded to handle heat transfer better for long video shoots.

1 upvote

With this Alpha 57 announcement, I would be pretty much ticked-off, too, if I had bought an Alpha 55 or Alpha 65 recently. Fortunately, I did not. For video shooting especially, this will be THE camera model in the amazing Sony SLT range to get.

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appreciate the info. Improved heat transfer wouldn't affect the AA filter capabilities, right? i.e., that could be upgraded in the a55 firmware, no? Just asking.

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It's a shame they made it huge.

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I just bought a used A55 and I absolutely love it. But if the A57 had been available a few weeks back I probably had reconsidered my decision.

Anyway, the bottommost picture on the first page isn't linked to it's larger counterpart...

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They're now fixed. Sorry about that.

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Thank You for your job!
But please explain, what raw-converter was used for RAW - comparison?

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

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All the details are available by clicking the settings icon under each thumbnail in the comparison tool. We used a beta version of Adobe Camera Raw supplied to us by Adobe.

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I download Adobe Camera PAB v6.7 beta, but RAW file from Sony A57 is not open.RAW from D800 are opened.

You can upload your version of ACR?

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I hope that the persons testing the camera's read this comment.
I ran comparison using the SLT57, the NEX5n, the Nikon D300s and
the LeicaM9 as the standard for highest resolution and
lowest noise at ISO 400 and 1600 in RAW.

Results: M9 and NEX5n tracked side by side with no visible difference. The D300s equal at 400 but was noisiest at 1600. However, the SLT 57, presumably using the same sensor as the NEX5n showed less resolution and more noise at both ISO settings than either the D300s (old technology) the NEX5n or the M9.

Assuming that the 57, a preproduction model may not be up to snuff,
I substituted the SLT65 which has the same sensor as the NEX5n (?). I got the same results for your samples. The NEX5n, the D300s and the M9 are all better than the SLT65 with the D300s dropping behind at ISO1600; not much worse than either SLT65 or 57.

SO WHAT IS THE REASON? Exceptional samples or is the NEX5n simply a better camera, image wise, than either of its more expensive big brothers?

0 upvotes

It might also depend on how you're running the test, and what you're comparing. Per DXO ratings, for example, NEX-5N and NEX-7 are at the top when ISO performance, Color Depth and Dynamic Range are compared. I would expect A57 to trail slightly behind Nex-5N (being mirror-less helps, I guess), assuming it is using the same sensor, just as A77 does behind NEX-7.

Here's a comparison between NEX-5N, SLT-A55 (SLT-A57 not tested yet) and Nikon D300s: http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/%28appareil1%29/737|0/%28brand%29/Sony/%28appareil2%29/675|0/%28brand2%29/Sony/%28appareil3%29/614|0/%28brand3%29/Nikon

I would expect A57 to be better than A55 but not 5N. It should be better than D300s (as both A55 and 5N are in those measures).

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

It`s not the sensor to blame. It`s the semitransparent mirror in front of SLT cameras sensor. NEX cameras do not have it. And, by the way, SLT65 do not use same sensor as NEX5n.
Regards

Comment edited 34 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

You have explained all. Thanks

0 upvotes

So strange...
When compared the JPEG file at high ISO between this new A57 with the NEX-5N, the quality of NEX-5N is apparently much better than A57.
How come the image quality of a new product likes that?
Sony should make some improvements to A57... At least in par with NEX-5N.

0 upvotes

Not strange at all. The SLT mirror (not present in the NEX 5N) reduces resolution and leads to 0.5EV light loss, resulting in more noise at high ISO.

1 upvote

I don't think so.
Look at the RAW files shot at high ISO, the differences are just minimal.
I think the problem is the JPEG engine.

0 upvotes

@mick232 - none of those statements are true. The SLT does not reduce resolution and does not cause .5ev light loss. This is the same sensor in both cameras as well as the a35. You can take an a35 and shoot with the mirror up to test directly. I feel there is an issue with these particular JPEG files, but I trust it will be all worked out by final production.

0 upvotes

I was lucky enough to have my hands on a pre-production unit. I did a hands-on review on my blog (in Romanian), but at least you can see more images captured with the A57, if you wish so. The link below

http://www.alinpopescu.eu/blog/sony-alpha-57-debut-triumfator/

1 upvote

Impressive high ISO JPEG output, I believe best of the four cameras. Raw not so impressive, IMHO. Not a small camera.

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" Making practical use of this ability, the A57 also has a mode that will re-process your people pictures with what it thinks is a better composition." -DPReview

Seriously? A camera that overrides your own thinking for you. How nice is that! Leave it to Sony to make a camera that is idiot-proof! No doubt it will become a "must have" camera feature for the Sony crowd!

-Jonikon

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

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Eh? Isn't that what Nikon 1 does?

2 upvotes

Do Nikons not have an Auto option on the mode dial?

Comment edited 10 seconds after posting

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The Nikons don't present you with a second version of your image, re-cropped to the composition they think are better. I don't think we've seen anything like this before.

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Yeah, if I'm not wrong I think they just allow you to take lots of shots and they pick one of them for you automatically.

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And once Nikon or Canon copy it, it will be the "must have" feature for you too! ;)

1 upvote

I think you overlooked your self tard. :D

0 upvotes

I have a 22 years old Chinon Genesis III SLR. It does practically the same thing as the Sony SLT Alpha 57 does, but via a different method. It automatically zooms in using the camera's servo zoom lens and composes the image the camera's little brain thinks you would like to capture. It works pretty good 19 out of 20 times, actually. And you can easily disengage it if you like. "INTELLIGENT ZOOM" is what it is called, BTW.

So no, Jonikon. Sony did not invent this in 2012. It was invented by Chinon around 1990, and probably even before that.

Too bad the "Canikon Group" is only now becoming aware of it. :-))

0 upvotes

Why are you posting on Sony's blog? are you still looking for better features so you can enjoy your fishing??? do not bash a crow because they like a particular product, Sony, Canons and Nikons and the rest have great features. I've been taking pictures for about 25 years I believe me many people know how to use full manual creative mode but as I get older I do not want to bother and sometimes we just want a camera that does it for us. Cheers!!!

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

I will pick up an used A55. This thing this is more of an variety instead of upgrade. Bigger size is a no no and I don't understand why GPS was removed. I welcome the improvements but they should just refind the A55 deisgn.

Comment edited 7 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

They did. It's called the SLT Alpha 57, actually.

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Why no lcd on the top of the camera?

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This is a moderately priced camera - they can display all the info on the back LCD and save the cost of an additional top LCD.

2 upvotes

Do the Nikon D3100 / D5000, Canon 1100D / 600D have that feature? No, they don't. Extra LCD on the top of the camera is exclusively to higher models, such as 60D, D7000, A77.

1 upvote

One reason I dismissed the SLT Alpha 77 from my pending camera purchase candidates is because it does have the old-school type backlit LCD data panel on its topside. Not needed, not wanted. You have the EVF and the LCD screen for all that, why add a 3rd way of seeing the same exact data?

Fortunately, only that one model of the Sony SLTs have the topside screen, none of the others do.

0 upvotes

I wonder what about movie mode..

- full PASM with AF ?
- full ISO range ?

0 upvotes

AF only available in P (aperture needs to be kept fairly wide-open to allow light to all the AF sensor). MF only in ASM modes.

ISO 100-3200

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Manual focus with focus peaking will be superior, especially when one can set his/her own sensitivity, shutter speed, and aperture setting for all video shots. Will take more time, of course, but the results should be superb.

The part about the sensitivity being "ISO 100-3200" I am not getting, however. The specs state this:

Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800, 16000 (25600 with boost)

Okay, so how did we suddenly "lose" ISO 6400, 12800, 16000, and the 25600 boost sensitivity settings with the Alpha 57? Anyone knows?

0 upvotes

The camera will choose from ISO 100-3200 in auto exposure modes. You can manually set it higher (6400 - 16000). The 25,600 is not set directly but is the effective max-ISO in the multi-exposure noise-reduction mode.

0 upvotes

Never really like the entry level and mid-range Sony DSLR because of lack of controls, badly placed buttons and a LOT of WASTED space on the top of DSLR (where they keep painting that useless AVCHD and other craps), wouldnt be more usefull an aditional mode dial (AF/Metering/Drive Mode) or a few more buttons like the ones menttiond before.To me the controles layout is the most disapointing of Sony's DSLR.

0 upvotes

Normal for DSLRs at this price point. If you want more controls, buttons, etc, buy a more expensive model.

1 upvote

Reviews a little slow coming through .A few sites have reviews up and all is very positive.
The noise or should I say lack of noise suprised me against more expensive cameras.
definately more controlled than the A77 the Nikon d7000 and the Canon 7D.
As for GPS never use it and it chews up toooo much battery power.
My G3 at 6400 could not stand up.....not that I use anything over 1600 so its all academic.
A57 with 18-250 arrives this week xxx.
Where's the review ???

0 upvotes

At high ISO settings (6400 12800) the d5100 still offers the best balance between resolution and low noise. The a57 is too taxed by agressive NR as most Sony Alphas. Shooting in RAW seems a must for this camera when working with low light.

0 upvotes

Funny because that's not what I see in studio shots. D5100 images are softer and look worse than A57.

1 upvote

Quite the opposite, Deeso. The A57 looks to be the best option for shooting in JPEG. It has less noise AND more detail at higher ISOs.

1 upvote

You made me look again and I still stand on my initial assertion. :|

0 upvotes

Totally disagree Deeso - I'm seeng the A57 even beat the D7000 at high ISO (3200) and the 5100 is not even close.

1 upvote

Are you kidding? It is not even close. Obviously you own a 5100 and want to convince yourself that it is better. I don't think you are going to find an unbiased person to drink that kool-aid.

0 upvotes

Deeso, you may still stand by your assertion, but I'm afraid it is simply wrong.

1 upvote

Apple releases one iPad, a new phone, and a few Macs per year.

Sony releases the a77, a65, a57, NEX 5n, NEX c3, NEX7, and four or five different compact zoom cameras, plus numerous models of notebooks, TVs, and videocams, plus a whole lot else. Management can't keep track. It introduces a 2-core tablet later than anyone else.

Guess which company makes money and which one does not?

0 upvotes

Apple can release a portable toilet and call it the iPood and people will buy it. What's your point?

3 upvotes

Point: Sony is losing money and its business strategy seems to condemn it to lose more. The "make everthing and people will buy" approach died 30 years ago, a victim of increased competition and the rising yen.

Sony makes too many sub-variations on too many undistinctive products. That simply raises costs without attracting any clients who might otherwise buy another firm's products.

If Apple did make an iPood, it would make only one and distinguish from precedents. Sony, on the other hand, would come to the market two years later and offer either last year's version or six versions of nearly the same tool.

Sony should have offered one NEX, at most two zoomers, and two alphas: one APS-C, the other FF. Instead of four or five lines of notebooks, two would be enough.

0 upvotes

And how many software products does Apple release per year and how many Sony?

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FCPX (one), versus Sony's sundry versions of Vegas and related wares, which are priced as loss-leaders intended to help camera sales, but really don't, and can be used with output from any camera. Apple, on the other hand, is able to get others (like Avid) to author apps or tools that complement its products.

Anyway, Sony (and evidently many people) haven't a clue what ails Sony's bottom line.

0 upvotes

I suppose Toyota should make 2 cars... A big one and a small one. Samsung should make 1 phone... In rainbow colors. We should all wear the same shirt and pants. Get the point yet? Consumers like choices and sometimes companies actually offer them because the resources are already available. Don't want a 24 megapixel camera? We have a 16 to sell you because we already make the sensor. Apple has done a great job building their brand loyalty to the point where almost anything they make will sell but they still make 4 different iPods in 10 different colors and 3 different capacities. They make 3 different laptop ranges in 4 different sizes. 3 different desktop lines. They will probably add a smaller sized iPad by the end of the year and currently sell 2 different ones in 2 different capacities. I agree that sometimes too many competing products can confuse consumers but lets not pretend you know more than Sony about the business.

4 upvotes

I give up, Cy Cheze. Which one makes more money? And why should we care which one makes more money, anyhow? You must be counting beans day in and year out for a living or something... :-))

Anyhow, Apple makes some great looking cell phones that take photos and even video, so have you looked into getting one of those instead of the clearly inferior Sony products, like the one we are previewing and discussing here?

0 upvotes

I agree, too big, too heavy; what a pitty, no longer interesting.

2 upvotes

You cannot make everyone happy. When the 55 came out the most numerous complaint from people was that it was too small and did not fit in the hand comfortably. Sony addresses this complaint and the public's response is that it is now too large. Pick up a new 7 that should fit in your hand nicely. I know too expensive.

1 upvote

The a35 is still there for those looking for that small option, this just opens the line up to TRY and please everyone.

1 upvote

I just love these weaklings complaining how a 618 gram camera is "too heavy." Tell you what: attach a helium balloon to it with a sting, and you can easily take off 50 grams from the camera's perceived weight!

0 upvotes

Oh no, they used the A65 body/casing? The A33/35/55 casing is the most comfortable to hold camera I've ever picked up. I was hoping the A55 replacement would get the 2nd Gen SLT improvements, with the same size and an articulated screen. This is going to be too big.

Who are these Shreks that need these monster sized handgrips?

2 upvotes

We will all have arthritis sooner or later. I like A55's size but I am not sure I can hold that camera in 40 years when I have arthritis.

2 upvotes

I know the Sony's are durable, but I don't think you plan on keeping it for 40 years? ;)

0 upvotes

I love the size of A55 and was really hoping for same size and fixed autofocus... but I will get bigger size fixed autofocus and no GPS (Which does not make photos better, but is nice to have along)!

1 upvote

For this price I'd expect more.

2 upvotes

You're not serious are you? You get a better body, better video, faster FPS, longer battery life, all for a price that is $50 less than the A55's introductory price. Yes there is no GPS inside, but I'm sorry there are more pros than cons, and the low price of the A57 is only an added bonus.

I just looked, the Rebel T3i is selling for $800 on bhphoto.com. Hmmm, same price as a Rebel but with more features... I expect I'll sell loads of these.

3 upvotes

Like what? A built-in PS Vita, microwave oven and coffee machine, and instant free photo printer?

2 upvotes

@ BeanyPic -- we are not all surprised upon hearing that, Friend. You mean to tell us you cannot even afford a 700 shekel camera any more???
:-))

0 upvotes

Auto Portrait Framing wow!
Why use the term DSLR purists? DPR are playing camera politics again.

Comment edited 9 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

Oh please do shut up. Get over it.

1 upvote

Nice to be nice isn't it? Die hard Sony fanboys unite eh?

0 upvotes

Nice to be a troll isn't it? Die hard? Hardly.

Where's your friend Carl today? I was expecting the newly announced A600 to be previewed on his site... oh, wait...

0 upvotes

It would be good if the studio comparison widget gave the option to up/down sample the other camera images to match the resolution of the reviewed camera. That would make it easier to compare the levels of fine detail without being distracted by different image scales and pixel level noise.

5 upvotes

This thing offers nothing new.
I don't need a machine to crop portraits for me.

And why the made it that big is beyond me as well ! The biggest advantage of the slt 55 sacrificed for nothing!

2 upvotes

For me, the "smallness" of the A55 was not the biggest advantage, it was it's biggest weakness.

4 upvotes

Same here (I owned and liked A55). It's biggest weaknesses were it's tiny size and it's small battery. Both solved here - great!

0 upvotes

Hire an assistant to carry around the heavy Alpha 57 for you then.

0 upvotes

On page 1: ...'Clear Image Zoom' digital zoom mode that uses an image database...
On page 2: Digital zoom: No

0 upvotes

There is a pretty clear difference I'd say.

1 upvote

that electronic viewfinder is a deal breaker...Good old prism where are you?

1 upvote

Get over it, it's not coming back.

5 upvotes

The comment I was replying to was removed by the moderators just as I was posting it: Here it is copy and pasted followed by my reply.

>By Henry M. Hertz (1 hour ago)

>yeah you must be blind or retarded to be happy with todays EVF.. they still suck compared to a good optical viewfinder.

>but all the noobs think it´s "neat".

That's a rude statement. Some experienced photographers like my self (been using SLR since the 60's) like the EVFs of these cameras, especially when compared to the small dim OVF of other APS-C cameras. I have yet to see an an APS-C OVF that can compare to a FF or 35mm OVF. Like it or not there are things an EVF can do that appeal to an experienced photographer that an OVF cannot. You might not like it but you aren't everybody.

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 4 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

It seems rather weird to complain about the camera having an EVF when this was a contious design decision. If you want an OVF - as I myself personally prefer BTW - then this camera is not for you. That does not make this camera a bad camera, just one which does not suit you. It would be like complaining that the Leica M series is not SLR. I applaud Sony for doing something different and obvously doing that pretty well. It may not be what I prefer, but that does not make it a bad camera.

Comment edited 54 seconds after posting

2 upvotes

...the prism? It's where all "good old" expensive stuff ends up: garbage can...

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

1 upvote

There are still plenty of ovf dslr's. Even ones made by sony. Stop burying stuf that ain't dead yet.

0 upvotes

Correcting strabismic people where it belongs.

0 upvotes

When I bought the a55 it was just the articulating screen with real life view that made me decide positively. Why do some of you think that, in the past, camera's had grounded glasses, like de Rolleicords, Hasselblads etc? I will tell you, in many cases this gives you a better preview of how the composition of the photo will be.

0 upvotes

It's really worth giving a shot. Outside of it being different and people fearing change, the EVF on the sony SLT models is truly amazing and gives tons of benefits over standard prisms (not to mention a camera in this price range would have a penta mirror not prism anyway). With EVF you can now: See in low light situations, use viewfinder during video, preview all camera settings WYSIWYG giving you the utmost control over your images, see as much or as little info in finder including live histogram and level, as well as image capture review (huge for us wedding photographers). Plus much much more, just give it a try and you will see how much better it is for the users.

0 upvotes

There is a lot of used camera junk up on eBay with OVFs, Friend.

0 upvotes

Although this is not a high-end model, Sony should also consider using the OLED viewfinder for this camera. The color tearing effect of the phase-sequential LCD viewfinder really makes the eyes very uncomfortable; compared that with their newly developed OLED viewfinder, the new one eliminates the uncomfortable to the eyes.
Since Sony is focusing on electronic viewfinder, they should use the one which is good for the human eyes; and prevents any potential harmful to the eyes.

1 upvote

This is a lower cost model. I suspect the OLED costs more to produce.

0 upvotes

"Sony should also consider using the OLED viewfinder for this camera."

Edmund, they did consider it. Then they apparently decided against it and just went with the LCD variant. That is what must have happened behind closed doors at Sony HQ, hmm?

0 upvotes

Can auto ISO be changed from 3200?

0 upvotes

Wow. The image quality vs the Nikon D7000 even at ISO 3200 and 6400 is noticeably better. Far more detail is resolved.

1 upvote

Well, apart from sharing the same sensor and recorded 0.5 EV loss on the mirror, Sony is well known for its strong default NR - as an proof for this look no further than in feathers (check the edge of the yellow one) and see it by yourself. I may just say yet another Sony model, not too far away from another Sony model with negligible differences. I still don't get that, pumping model numbers just to have all numbers covered or "new" model released every fortnight....

2 upvotes

It doesn't look like that to me. The A57 just has more default contrast and probably sharpening.

0 upvotes

The Image quality page is missing.

1 upvote

Choose review of any other camera to compare it with A57

0 upvotes

It should work - everything's present and it works on my 'phone even when I'm logged-out. May I suggest you try clearing your cache?

0 upvotes

The Image quality page won't load for me either. Nor will the Nikon D4 studio shot comparison. The studio shot comparison for the Samsung NX200 does load OK. I cleared my cache.

0 upvotes

Which one will be the best for low noise - a580 or a57? I have a55 and noise is the reason I need to upgrade.

0 upvotes

I'm currently using the A700 which fits my hands perfectly. The smaller models just don't handle like I'm used to. It looks like the A57 may just be the one to go to at this point. I'm interested in low noise performance with jpeg's in the 800-1600 range, so I'm really looking forward to a full review of this model. From the replies of others, it looks like Sony has to make quite a few different model styles to suit most people.

0 upvotes

Studio scene comparison (JPEG)

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