Confused between Sony alpha a 55 and 580

dlkeller said:

I just have never found the "mirror slap" to be an issue in landscape photography. The only place I've really found it to be an issue is sometimes in extreme macro photography where MLU systems work fine. Obviously the great majority of professional photographers who are using OVF SLR camers don't consider it to be that much of a problem either judging by the volume of very sharp work done with OVF cameras over the past 75 years.

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Sure you can get a sharp image with a dSLR with a tripod and MLU in the 1/20 second shutter speed range. But I photograph handheld whenever possible. There is no doubt at all that mirror slap softens images taken at that shutter speed, especially with focal lengths over 50mm.

I take images at that SS and focal length all the time, sometimes boosting ISO to 800 or higher to get a shutter speed closer to 1/50 or 1/60.

With an Alpha 55 or 77 I could get sharper images at 1/15 second than with my Alpha 550 at 1/60 sec. I know because I got consistently perfectly sharp images with my Sony R1 at 1/20 second at 50mm focal length, something I can't get with my previous Alpha 350 or current Alpha 550. And the R1 lacked SSS!

odmanca said:

This topic has been discussed numerous times before so I will try to be brief. Vibrations due to mirror slap are most obvious when the shutter speeds are approaching 1/20th or 1/15th of a second. If you always shoot in good light with shutter speeds in the hundredths of a second then likely you will not observe the effect from mirror slap, it also depends on your camera (some models have more profound vibrations than others) and the stability of your tripod/head combo. But in my experience it's definitely present, sometimes even at shutter speeds of 1/40th to 1/50th of a second.

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The camera shake from mirror slap is very obvious with (say) an 200mm lens at 1/15 second. But it's definitely present even with a 50mm focal length at 1/60 second. You won't see any motion blur, but the image just won't be totally crisp like it would be at 1/250.

dSLT is absolutely the best thing Sony could have done to help photographers really take advantage of their 14, 16 and upcoming 24MP sensors using Alpha mount lenses.

Get the A55 if you want the best shooting response or the A580 if you want the best image quality.

--
Regards,
Juan

My online portfolio
http://www.endosphoto.com

Endos said:

Get the A55 if you want the best shooting response or the A580 if you want the best image quality.

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To me, having a sharp image under all shooting conditions is FAR more important for image quality than 1/2 ISO stop difference at ISO 6400.

I have just added the OWNUSER battery/vertical grip to my kit for the A55, it arrived today. For the price and usability I find it a terrific purchase. The benefits to me are that it takes 2 batteries ; more user friendly in taking vertical shots and with my Sigma 18-250 Hsm lens it is far more balanced and comfortable to grip.

MCromer said:

Endos said:

Get the A55 if you want the best shooting response or the A580 if you want the best image quality.

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To me, having a sharp image under all shooting conditions is FAR more important for image quality than 1/2 ISO stop difference at ISO 6400.

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It's not only 1/2 ISO stop in high ISOs, is less dynamic range, less color deep, and more noise in all ISO. There are the same gap between the 4 years old A700 and the A55 that with the A55 and the A580: http://bit.ly/gz9qs5

And you must read what Sony says in his webpage: "From Translucent Mirror (SLT) cameras with incredible shooting responses to DSLR cameras that deliver unsurpassed image quality,...": http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/dslr

--
Regards,
Juan

My online portfolio
http://www.endosphoto.com

@Ralf,

thx for posting the links. another new online resource for me
--
Roderick Kar
http://www.rodkar.com
Hong Kong SAR, Hong Kong
Bought first DSLR, Canon 20D, on 22nd February, 2005.

Can't comment on the two cameras, but I would use the Carl Zeiss 16-80 which is a real cracker, however as a pure Landscape Lens-the Sony 20mm has produced stunning results for me. Very pleased with both lenses

Endos said:

It's not only 1/2 ISO stop in high ISOs, is less dynamic range, less color deep, and more noise in all ISO.

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The "more noise" is invisible at lower ISOs below 1600 where I do essentially all my landscape photography.

I dispute the DR and color depth differences from DxO -- Looks to me like they are just duplicating their noise differences over to those categories. There is no fundamental reason that the dSLT mirror would have any measurable effect on these (or noise either if you can just give it more light).

Endos said:

There are the same gap between the 4 years old A700 and the A55 that with the A55 and the A580: http://bit.ly/gz9qs5

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Resolution is significantly better with the 55 though versus the 700.

Endos said:

And you must read what Sony says in his webpage: "From Translucent Mirror (SLT) cameras with incredible shooting responses to DSLR cameras that deliver unsurpassed image quality,...": http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/dslr

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Marketing speak.