While the A57 will not bring any kind of new revolutionary feature there are still some minor new tidbits coming along the camera:
1) Clear Image Zoom
That is the biggest new innovation. It’s a new proprietary “By Pixel Super Resolution Technology“. It is a 2x digital zoom that can almost match the quality of a normal optical zoom! That means you can instantly 2x zoom with any lens you have without having any major loss of quality. I have to see this to believe it! 😉
2) Auto Portrait framing
With the help of the face detection feature the A57 can create well balanced horizontal or vertical portrait cuts.
The camera will be announced on Tuesday March 13th at 4am London time and as usual I will follow the announcement live here on SonyAlphaRumors. This means I will keep updating you with links to news, reviews, videos image samples and more.
While the on paper the A57 doesn’t sound like a spectacular camera it certainly can do a lot for the price ($699). And many SAR readers complained about the too high Megapixel count on the [shoplink 8461]A65/A77[/shoplink]. So this might be the right camera for you!
P.S.: If you are not from London than your announcement time is:
9pm San Francisco time (Monday March 12th)
12pm New York time (Monday-Tuesday night)
5am in Berlin (Tuesday)
1pm in Tokyo (Tuesday)
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For US readers: The A77 kit is back in Stock at BHphoto (Click here). And first $2 price drop at Amazon (Click here) … 🙂
60 Responses
Wow. Seems like they incorporated the clear image zoom from the Cybershots to a DSLT! Interesting innovation.
“By Pixel Super Resolution Technology“
How efficient it is?
There are already tests and examples?
I would imagine that it is…awesome…
…and yes that was sarcasm. 😀
oh u reply wrongly ?
You can have a look at the cyber shot samples. Looks good to me! I wonder if this zoom can be used in RAW and at full resolution.
Clear image zoom better be in a77 firmware update 😉
video digital zoom also!
It already is, it’s called “cropping”. 😉
i know i know..
i just want something like the 10X zoom in the canon XXXD
🙂 b$@#*hit innovation …. Looks like very good camera for begginers widouth this “innovation”
It would be more useful if there is a digital zoom for 0.7x magnification.
Heh.
That would be Sweep Panorama, I guess?
But I’ve not understand if it’s a lcd evf or oled with less resolution….
Auto portrait one should put into Cybershot, nice idea, but a bit humiliating for DSLR user
Well, I don’t know. It is added value for the entry-level Alpha user, and this is the entry-level Alpha.
Digital zoom in video mode would be very welcome.
E.g when using a fast prime you could turn on 1.5x, 2.0x and maybe 3.0x
zoom factor. Very usefull.
This clear zoom might be awesome. But it might also not work with RAW formats like the smart teleconverter 🙂
At least we now know that the firmware guys aren’t working on silly little things, like tethering and improved image output…
Clear Image Zoom and Auto Portrait Framing must be at the top of every SLT users list of requirements.
Well done Sony for getting developers priorities in order. 😀
+1 😉
tethered shooting is a neat feature and a Must Have for Medium format shooters – their Screens suck! I won’t mind having the feature, but can easily live without it.
The A700 had it. It’s one of the reasons people are asking for it.
It always cracks me up that most posters here think THEY are the only ones using a (Sony) camera and EVERY new model should be made just for THEIR use.
99% of users does not need tethering so it makes NO sense for Sony to spend time and money to implement it. Remaining 1% does not buy a ENTRY level camera like A57.
It was sarcasm, calm down.
Tethering was and is a great addition to my studio workflow , my argument is if it was already on the a700 why remove it from the “upgrade”.
Yup, my A700 does it. Hell, even a entry level Canon 1100D does it! The lack of tethering lost Sony a sale. I use a Canon at work…sigh…
Tethering with the A700 (without live view) was rather useless for the average user (like me) but with the live view of the A77/67 it would make much more sense – and should not be that difficult to implement. It was a feature of many cameras in the past (e.g. an Ixus had it) but it disappeared.
In particular when shooting in a studio (I don’t have one) it could make the work easier – adjustment and immediate judgement of the result on the screen and recording directly to the hard disk.
For me personally it is a very much missing feature for my work – documentation of tests in a laboratory. The A77 would be an ideal choice – high resolution, high frame rate and good video capability … but this is just a marginal field of application.
@ Archer66 I agree completely, I find it very disrespectful that many people that post here can’t respect the people’s opinion and view point, instead they like to bash people or new cameras because it doesn’t fit their personal needs or personal preferences. As long as you have one that fits your needs you should be happy and if you can’t find one that comes close to fitting your needs, move on to the next brand that fits you better. Can’t we just get along without putting each down?
@Tom L. – Wow, you must be new to reading comments on photography related blogs. People are never going to be civil because they think the more they bitch and complain about features they want the more likely the camera company will put it in the next model. The CanonRumors admin eventually gave up on begging people to be civil and made it a membership based forum. This cleaned it up a little bit. Yes, it’s frustrating, but it’s not going to stop.
even on an entry cam tethering is useful if you are shooting hundreds of pics for later stitching a gigapanorama. you don’t need a pro gear for that job, just a sharp lens! and so you see immediately on the notebook if one image is out of focus and you can retake just that, unless later you just drop all the work because 1 image is bad
As an entry level system that is aimed at the “Ma and Pa” crowd, these features will most likely be welcomed——I know my son-in-law would welcome such features.
OMG Andrea, I can’t believe you’re drooling over these P&S features. Do you really expect the digital zoom to ever work like a lens? 😀
Can’t speak for others but I do. It is Sony’s confident statement about how “good” their kit lens is. 😉
I am sure photozone will give the final word on this. LOL!
Andrea, they call midnight 12am in the US, not 12pm. 🙂
It’s why the 24 hour clock should be used and 00:01 leaves no room for doubt on which day it is either!
I like the smart teleconverter on my A77. Except for the fact that I lose resolution. At 2x my resolution goes from 24MP to 6MP. That’s OK but it would be nice if it didn’t!!!… Wonder if that can be fixed in a software update!
I don’t use it, I crop.
Loseless TC feature would be nice for video. Imagine same 1080p resolution in central part of sensor.
+1
This I can see being a benefit.
There will be those (I can think of one in particular) that will seize upon this as yet another opportunity to have a pop at Sony and their alleged departure from making high-end cameras. Personally, I’ve always prided myself in being able to detect a human face without the need of technology to help me. But anyone, regardless of standard, has just as much right to buy and use a DSLR as the next person. If Sony can introduce new features – whether tested on so-called lesser cameras or not – to encourage folks to put their hands into their pockets then all power to them.
To those that decry such features as ‘humiliating’ – have a word with yourselves. Just don’t bother using them – it really is that simple. Such features may of course encourage laziness – eg the newcomer may never learn how to to compose a portrait properly, choosing instead to rely on technology to do it for him. But so long as he enjoys using the camera, and its results, who gives a monkey? Really.
Great points, well made.
There are too many photography snobs around who think that what they need is the be all and end all. If these features encourage more people to buy into the Sony Alpha system that’s good news for all of us. Entry level features for an entry level camera. These extras might make the difference between a potential buyer choosing Sony over Canikon and more Alpha users benefits us all, right?
+1
I just think it is astonishing that a camera can possess such computing-intensive and image-analyzing funtions as Auto Portrait Framing and Auto HDR and still only is capable of the same limited bracketing as our Sony a100, i.e. 3 photos with 0.3 or 0.7 EV steps.
Ok, ok, we do not know that for sure yet. But I do not have any realistic hope that a57 will be better than a65 in this regard.
In a 5 series camera I had hoped for more useful tools than this. I am still eagerly waiting for a DOF-priority mode in a camera…
And the worst thing is that it isn’t hardware limited. It’s totally software limited.
And that means that at some point, somebody at Sony decided how many stops variation to allow and how many shots to allow. And they decided that 3 shots with 0.7 stops difference was all you can have.
In reality they should have allowed up to +/-5 stops and any number of shots that you want. There is ZERO reason not to include that. None at all.
Same with an intervalometer. Same with most things.
That really pisses me off about firmware limitations. It was an ACTIVE decision NOT to give you more options.
+1000
+10000
Me thinks that the Clear Image Zoom is simply the equivalent to building a bicubic up-sizing into the camera. I have often doubled up the size of an image using bicubic in Photoshop without any discernible loss of pixel sharpness.
Very important features, indeed…
I’m really glad I switched to Nex-5n. Just hope that A99 will not be a toy camera like these EL ones.
One thing that I am really hoping for is that a57 will have a tilting screen similar to the recently presented Sony DSC-HX200:
http://pixinfo.com/img/Sony/DSC-HX200V/DSC-HX200V_side_800m.jpg
Since there will be a vertical grip available for a57 I would be surprised if it has the same tilting as a65 with that bottom hinge. And I do not think that it will feature the spectacular a77 mechanism.
This, together with an improved jpeg-engine, really would make me consider buying an a57 instead of saving up for an a77 or FF.
Well… I have one more night I can keep dreaming of such hopes…
the future..
http://www.photoclubalpha.com/2012/03/12/the-evf-future/
This is more the Sony we expected when they took over Minolta. Every electronic wizardry you would think of. or didn’t think of. Probably will be ignored by the photography crowd (as it should). But nice sales arguments for the intended public.
We shouldn’t frown over features which other less .. picky .. want to use. As long as they are not in the way.
…..and it’s ends the year with the A99, hope this cover the range for every needs then…..or not 🙂
Wow, what a shame. Pity that Sony won’t release 3.0fw update for a33/55 with these innovations though.
Auto Portrait framing LMAO
Doesn’t seem to be too much excitement for this camera. I know it’s going to be better than a T2i but what do you think the average consumer will think when they walk into a shop and the Canon T2i is $499 and the A57 is $200 more? Sony desperately needs a decent entry level DSLR type camera in that $500 range.
The A55 was the first Sony camera to be a hit here, so I guess Sony knows a little bit what they are doing. I’ve used the entry level Canon, and it’s not nearly as exciting as the 55/57, which is what people are looking for in a technological product.
Starting out again, not knowing much, would you go for the Canon 600D or spend 200 more on the A57? 200 is a BIG difference for a beginner and you also get the Canon badge.
Same as the A35, would you buy the A35 or save a bucket full of cash and get the 1100D? Again, you get the Canon badge.
Sony need to sort this out.
It depends. People still buy things because they are cool, otherwise Apple would be out of business instead of the company with the highest market value in the world.
I already have this feature on my A900. It’s called Photoshop.
The A57 will only be an improvement or a success if the JPEG performance is improved dramatically and the video duration is longer. Otherwise this camera is still short of what I’m looking for.