Sony has a wide range of digital SLRs, more so than other camera manufacturers. We look at how to choose the right camera for casual users, beginners, advanced amateurs, professionals and movie-makers.
Sony DSLR Basics
Sony's DSLRs use A-mount lenses, which are compatible with the old Minolta A-type lenses. A new E-mount lens system is used on the Sony NEX mirrorless cameras.
Sony A-mount cameras have built-in image sensor stabilization (unlike Canon and Nikon, who have the stabilization in the lens). This means that image stabilization (camera-shake reduction) is available with all lenses, including old Minolta lenses. However E-mount cameras (NEX) have the stabilization built into the lens.
The DSLRs are either 1.5x cropped (smaller) image sensor or 1x full frame cameras. Full frame lenses can be used on cropped cameras. DT lenses are built specially for cropped cameras. For example, the 50mm f1.8 is a DT lens, while the 50mm f1.4 is a full frame lens.
Sony 1.5x Crop Alpha DSLRs: Entry-level Beginner
These are conventional DSLRs, comparable to the cameras from Canon, Nikon, Pentax and others. They can use Sony's many A-mount full-frame lenses, as well as the smaller and cheaper A-mount DT cropped lenses.
The various models have similar specifications:
- 1/160 seconds flash sync.
- 1/4000 seconds maximum shutter speed.
- 95% view pentamirror viewfinder.
- No rear control dial.
- No depth-of-field preview button.
Models vary slightly in:
- Image resolution (megapixels).
- Frames per second (fps).
- Viewfinder magnification (for example 0.83x, the higher the better).
- Inclusion of liveview display (displays what the lens sees, on the LCD, so that the optical viewfinder need not be used).
The current models are:
- Alpha A200 (2008, 10 mp, 3 fps, 0.83x viewfinder)
- Alpha A300 (2008, 10 mp, 3 fps, 0.74x viewfinder, liveview)
- Alpha A350 (2008, 14 mp, 2 fps, 0.74x viewfinder, liveview)
- Alpha A230 (2009, 10 mp, 2.5 fps, 0.83x viewfinder)
- Alpha A330 (2009, 10 mp, 2.5 fps, 0.74x viewfinder, liveview)
- Alpha A380 (2009, 14 mp, 2.5 fps, 0.74x viewfinder, liveview)
- Alpha A290 (2010, 14 mp, 2.5 fps, 0.83x viewfinder)
- Alpha A390 (2010, 14 mp, 2.5 fps, 0.74x viewfinder, liveview)
Sony 1.5x Crop Alpha DSLRs: Advanced Consumer
Sony has higher performance models for advanced amateur photographers. These cameras have:
- An auto-exposure lock button.
- More control buttons for quick access to camera settings.
- Higher fps.
However the other specifications are still limited:
- 1/160 seconds flash sync.
- 1/4000 seconds maximum shutter speed.
- 95% view pentamirror viewfinder.
- No rear control dial.
- No depth-of-field preview button.
The models are:
- Alpha A500 (2009, 12 megapixels, 5 fps)
- Alpha A550 (2009, 14 megapixels, 7 fps)
Sony 1.5x Crop Alpha DSLRs: Professional
Similar to the equivalent Canon and Nikon professional DSLRs, these Sony's have:
- 1/8000 seconds maximum shutter speed.
- 1/250 seconds flash synch.
- Pentaprism (not pentamirror) viewfinder with 95% coverage.
- Two control dials (second one in the rear) for fast changing of settings.
- Optional battery (vertical) grip.
- Depth-of-field preview button.
There is currently only one model:
- Alpha A700 (2007, 12 megapixels, 5 fps)
Sony 1x Crop Full Frame DSLRs
These are high resolution cameras aimed at professionals:
- Alpha A900 (2008, 24 megapixels, 5 fps)
- Alpha A850 (2009, 24 megapixels, 3 fps)
They have professional specifications similar to the A700:
- 1/8000 seconds maximum shutter speed.
- 1/250 seconds flash synch.
- Glass pentaprism providing 98% (A850) to 100% (A900) view coverage.
- Two control dials (second one in the rear) for fast changing of settings.
- Optional battery (vertical) grip.
- Depth-of-field preview button.
Sony SLT DSLRs
Sony's "single lens translucent" or SLT cameras are A-mount 1.5x crop cameras. The difference is that the internal mirror does not move when taking photos. Strictly speaking, this means that an SLT is not a "reflex" camera, even if the mirror can still be flipped up to clean the image sensor. They can take still photos, and HD video.
They are electronic viewfinder cameras. They don't have an optical viewfinder. In other words, they always work in liveview mode. The electronic viewfinder is built into a standard DSLR peephole, allowing photographers to bring the camera up to their eye, and shoot like with an optical viewfinder.
The mirror is translucent, allowing 70% (about 2/3) of the light from the lens to reach the image sensor. The other 30% is reflected up into a phase-detect auto-focus module, and a second image sensor linked to the electronic viewfinder.
This unusual design means that the SLT is an EVIL (electronic viewfinder, interchangeable lens) camera, but not a MILC (mirrorless interchangeable lens camera).
Advantages are:
- Fast phase-detect autofocus at all times, even when recording video during movie mode. Other brands have to switch to the slower contrast-detect autofocus mode when recording video.
- No mirror noise or vibration (there is still a mechanical shutter).
- Fast photos per second (fps, frames per second) as the mirror doesn't need to move up and down between each photo.
Disadvantages are:
- Loss of 1/3 of light. This isn't noticeable under most situations (the same as the difference between f2 and f1.8, or f4 and f3.5), becoming significant only in low-light conditions.
- Ghosting or double images under some circumstances.
The main specifications for these models are similar to those for the conventional Sony 1.5x crop DSLRs:
- 1/4000 seconds maximum shutter speed.
- 1/160 seconds maximum flash sync speed.
The cameras are:
- SLT Alpha A33 (2010, 14 megapixels, 7 fps, 1080p HD video)
- SLT Alpha A55 (2010, 16 megapixels, 10 fps, 1080p HD video)
In summary, these unconventional cameras have performance similar to normal 1.5x crop DSLRs, but with better autofocus in movie mode. This makes them very attractive to the general public.
Sony NEX Mirrorless DSLRs
Unlike the SLT electronic viewfinder cameras, NEX cameras are mirrorless cameras. There is no electronic viewfinder, only a LCD screen at the back of the camera. This means that they are MILC but not EVIL. In terms of sensor size, these are 1.5x crop cameras. However they look like a compact camera.
Having no mirror means that the camera can be thinner. This brings the lens closer to the image sensor, requiring a new lens mount standard: the E-mount. A-mount lenses can be used on NEX cameras, if a mount adaptor is used. However E-mount lenses cannot be used on A-mount cameras.
Advantages are:
- Smaller camera body. However the lenses are as big as A-mount lenses, making some lenses look unbalanced when mounted on the slim NEX body.
- No mirror noise or vibration (there is still a mechanical shutter).
- Fast photos per second (fps, frames per second) as the mirror doesn't need to move up and down between each photo.
The NEX camera models are:
- Alpha NEX-3 (2010, 14 megapixels, 7 fps, 720p HD video)
- Alpha NEX-5 (2010, 14 megapixels, 7 fps, 1080p HD video)
Some performance specifications are similar to that of the conventional consumer 1.5x DSLRs:
- 1/160 seconds flash sync
- 1/4000 seconds maximum shutter speed
There are currently (2010) three E-mount lenses:
- 16mm f2.8 pancake (compact lens, not stabilized)
- 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 (standard zoom, stabilized)
- 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 (super zoom, stabilized)
While billed as smaller, the NEX cameras aren't significantly smaller when used with a large zoom lens. An NEX camera makes a good compact camera only when coupled with a pancake lens. Their limited controls mean that they should be seen more as high performance compacts, than DSLR replacements.
The Best Sony DSLR
Sony has an extremely wide range of cameras to suit different needs:
- 1.5x crop DSLRs for conventional photography.
- 1x crop full frame DSLRs for professionals.
- SLT cameras for video.
- NEX compact cameras for travel or every-day-carry (EDC).
The 1.5x crop DSLRs are the safe, conventional choice. However the SLT cameras are worth considering, for photographers who intend to shoot a lot of video. The Digital Photography Review website has detailed information on Sony and other cameras.
Canon, Nikon and Olympus DSLRs should also be considered.
Yuen Kit Mun - Kit Mun is a self-confessed information junkie, reading an average of a book a week over the past two decades. His growing Internet ...
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