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I already told you in previous posts that the A57 is almost equal with the [shoplink 8459]Sony A65[/shoplink] in terms of features and design. The main difference is that it uses the same superb 16 Megapixels [shoplink 8452]Sony NEX-5n[/shoplink] sensor. But there are also other differences. I have been told that one of them is that the A57 will uses a 1,44 million dot viewfinder instead of the 2,4 million dot OLED EVF of the A65. My sources said you don’t really notice a major difference. On paper the A55 had a 1,44m dot viewfinder too but only 1m were actually used. The A57 will “use” them all.
The biggest plus of the camera is the lower resolution sensor that in theory should give you less noisier images at High ISO. But we will see if that hope becomes true when the camera gets announced on March 13th.
One more reminder: The NEX-F3 and the new Sony camcorders will be announced in April. And I have been told that there will e an announcement in May too!
173 Responses
As long as no NEX-7 successor is announced any time soon, I’m happy… JUST got my NEX-7 :/
Anything on whether the A57 will have full manual video controls?
Me too 🙂 but what we really need are new NEX LENSES !!! A nice and fast 30/35mm and a zoom (16-85/ 24-70) … asap please !
Just put Alpha lenses on your NEX.
What we really need is FF Alpha.
I would love a 24-70mm lens!
24-70mm f/2.8? I doubt it. More likely to get a 16-50mm f/2.8.
finally an usable body size for A5 series again 🙂
And what about the A38, will it come or not ?
PS: I will still miss an A600, so continue to use my (not so) old A550 instead and try to find a cheap A580 on ebay 😉
I just made the count: Sony gave us 25 different DSLR, SLT and NEX models in just ~5 years… and still people are waiting for more. Waiting for the perfect body with good ergonomics, high resolution and fast AF tracking, burst rate and buffer and last but not least good and fast lenses. Is it really that difficult to build just one such body rather than x different models ?
Most of those 25 are low to intermediate end models. Canon and Nikon don’t appear to offer all what you want at that price point either.
Yet no final specs of A57, instead found starting price: €755 here in Europe ! ( http://www.redcoon.at/B368004-Sony-SLT-A57V_High-End )
Too much for an entry model and too close to the A65, remember the quite good Canon 600D body is here for €555 (that makes €200 difference for what you can add an 70-300mm Sigma or equivalent 😉 Sorry Sony but you are cutting the entry-branch on with you are sitting you-self 🙁
The 600D doesn’t do what you said in your comment.
“the perfect body with good ergonomics, high resolution and fast AF tracking, burst rate and buffer and last”.
The reason manufacturers release different bodies is to differentiate them on specification and price. I don’t quite understand where you are going with your comments, the A57 is merely replacing the A55.
Well, for me a cam is not so important that I would spend a lot of money for, that’s the main reason I was satisfied with Sony (many interesting but not too expensive products in the past years). Now even the big players (Canon/Nikon) offer better entry DSLR for less money than SONY, even if A57/A65/A77 are excellent cams for some, they are now too expensive in my eyes to justify the alpha system for a newbie. It is a fact that the EOS system is there since 1987 with over 60 compatible lenses, and so I guess that is is more intelligent to choose this system instead of an overpriced margin system. ( I have no EOS yet, neither Nikon! I am just a Sony user being unsatisfied with what Sony offers the last 2 years and that is a shame for such a good origin the alpha comes from )
I think you are expecting too much for too little money.
BlaBLa the irony of you going with a Canon rebel because of the superior selection of EF lenses is that someone as prudent as yourself wouldn’t buy 80% of them… Your effective lens selection is equivalent to Sony’s because you’d end up cheaping out for the sigmas anyways.
As you mentioned, if you happy with the IQ of a rebel and a sigma super shitty 75-300 then clearly you don’t have a good enough handle on photography to realize that YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
well, in 25 years videocams (for starters) dropped in price from €2000 (SuperVHS and Video8) to €200 (Hi8 and DV) (with increasing IQ) and DSLR should follow this way too. Selling more and more cams in the last years, it is evident that prices should drop and any DSLR for several €$1000 is just overpriced today by a very short hype! You will realize this in a few years when your expensive cams from today have absolutely no more value. I still have a few of these 80′ and 90′ videocams on the shelve, and please don’t even think that your equipment will escape from this evolution. So please think before you buy more than you need 😉
“Canon and Nikon don’t appear to offer all what you want”
Nope they only own 80% of the DSLR marketshare. They don’t appear to know what they are doing or offer the right products.
You are an empty vacuous vessel with NOTHING to say but make other brands look bad in a desperate attempt to make Sony look better than they really are.
I bet you can pick any ONE DSLR under 1K that Canon or Nikon made and the total amount of cameras sold would be higher than ALL of Sony’s combined.
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You haven’t read nor understood blabla’s comments about what he wants from a camera and the lack of Canon and Nikon models that will do it AT THE PRICE OF A 5 SERIES SONY.
You only read what you want to see.
end of line.
You nailed it on the head. Sony needs to focus on a few great products, not just spray out 25 different ones.
Get a Canon – your wait will be over
At the price of a 5 series Sony, no it won’t.
“You are an empty vacuous vessel with NOTHING to say but make other brands look bad in a desperate attempt to make Sony look better than they really are.”
I can use that on almost every post you make.
You are being called out. Who do you work for or represent that works for Sony?
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MCP how many times do I have to give you a smack down here? I use the A77, 450D and D7000. I have ZERO brand loyalty.
end of line.
My count is zero on smack downs thus far. You say you own other cameras but you preach Sony like you were born into the family. I think you are a liar, and only say you own other cameras to justify your stupid commentary on Sony cameras.
How you could own a D7000 and A77 and say all the things about the A77 like you do (and Sony in general) is impossible. D7000 is a MUCH better camera than the A77 in nearly every regard.
If you aren’t lying and do own those cameras, it just tells me how much of a lunatic you really are. Just because you own those cameras doesn’t mean you aren’t brand loyal to Sony either- your comments give you away every time you write another stupid thing.
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@MCP Really? D7000 is the better camera? Obviously you haven’t used both cameras. I don’t know about you but I look at photos on Flickr taken by both camera and they both yield excellent photos.
If you have tested both cameras, I am starting to wonder if it’s user error or lack of knowledge of. Don’t give me that bullshit from the tech spec sheets, both camera are equally good at producing pro-like photos.
Saying that the D7000 is MUCH better than the A77 shows your ignorance of the strengths and weaknesses of both. I didn’t say I owned them either.
end of line.
Although I don’t care about SLT crap, but I believe sony MUST use their current top EVF in any product.
-1 for sony, grasping asian monkeys.
Totally agree!
I just don’t get it, why they keep on using that light-degrading mirror crap, when they have the best EVF at their disposal…
If you want top of the line parts in your product, then it will get more expensive. So where will be the difference between A57, A65 and A77 ?
This is simple economics. If you want the best, pay for the best.
Flawed argument. They didn’t use a penta-prism in the 5 series, only the A700 up got it.
I don’t care about sony marketing, I just point out even the best sony evf still lag behind ovf in many areas. Cheaper evf will be even worse.
I’ll correct that for you, “the best sony evf still lags behind THE BEST ovf in VERY FEW areas”. 😉
If you want to better the A77 EVF then you’ll have to be using a very expensive A900 OVF or similar.
The A77 EVF is far superior to a penta-mirror OVF found in the majority of dSLRs out there. I believe it to be superior to my A700 penta-prism too.
No. DR and lag is still better with OVF, even penta mirrored. And with OVF you won’t sacrifice IQ ;).
The only advantage of EVF is manual focusing — but you better get NEX for this purpose instead.
So, when shooting with AF glasses the OVF is better choice.
Sony must not divide market into segments until this issues will be resolved. Now I hope some company will produce FF EVIL with that superior french oled viewfinder and better sensor (sony exmor seems have been surpassed already, by fuji xpro-1 sensor and recent FF canon). Sony must be punished for this: it’s not good to suppose your buyers either idiots or (even worse) brainless fanboys.
Yes, the FF EVIL will eliminate sony alpha market: SLT’s are crap and it’s sold worse than NEX. But NEXes would look like a useless junk compared to FF offering.
So people who disagree with your rather narrow minded view are either “idiots” or “fanboys”. You lost credibility right there and there is no point debating with you.
Nope he made better points than you quitter. That’s why you are bowing out. Has nothing to do with what he called you dingdong.
Although everyone who reads your posts here know Denis is right. You do realize that your zipper is down in a crowd of people who’ve known about it all day but didn’t tell you, right?
Pssst, your fly is open dingdong. We all know what you are.
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Only MCP can’t see the irony in his posts….
end of line.
The other use of the translucent mirror is for fast continuous AF during video. The CDAF in mirrorless is dog slow compared to the application of the translucent mirror. So until someone finds a way to make CDAF super fast or put PDAF in mirrorless, the translucent mirror has to stay.
I like what A77 EVF has to offer so far but I do think there are room for improvements like D-range, frame-rate and better through-rate of the mirror. But I am happy to take the intermediate step with A77, as it is more than good enough to create my art work.
So does EVF lag behind OVF? Maybe 10% of your photo scenarios. I must emphasize it’s PHOTO. If you are buying A77 strictly for photo then under low-light you need to find work-arounds but not impossible. Just annoyance. However, the video features more than make up for the 10% of photo annoyance experience.
Seriously Denis! Please explain to me how photo IQ is compromised when shooting through an a77 EVF as apposed a580. Both are used to compose your subject and provide feedback. Again please explain how the IQ suffers with the a77 VF?
Denis is clearly a novice. I would take any of his comments with a miniscule grain of salt.
I’m assuming that Denis is referring to the minor reduction in light pass-through caused by the translucent mirror remaining in place rather than the mirror being completely out of the way. This shouldn’t really be a criticism leveled at the the view-finder though, but…
Noobs always confuse the two.
enter the stone cold stunner…hahaha
The 16MP Sensor does not produce less noise!!!
It produces less noise per pixel but in the same factor he has less pixels.
Look at the dxomark noise comparison 5n vs 7 (go to SNR 18%), you’ll see that on same outputsize the noise is identical (click on print) and that the nex-5n per pixel (click on screen) has less noise, about 2/3 of a stop, thats 50%, surprised?. Thats the difference because of pixelcount. BUT:
When you process the RAWs you have more freedom to decide if you go for the details or for minimal noise with 24MP and the very high resolution in good lighting conditions.
It’s a false statement, that lower resolution sensors produce less noise.
“http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/%28appareil1%29/736|0/%28brand%29/Sony/%28appareil2%29/737|0/%28brand2%29/Sony”
edit: you have to copy the link, it’s splitted somehow
@Maximus – It depends how you measure noise, and resolution for that matter.
But the physical construction of the sensor means that for any give area (an APC-C sized area in this case) the more pixels you have the less of that area is used to gather light. This is because every pixel has an area around it, it’s little slot in the sensor if you like, that isnt photo sensitive.
So even if you ‘pixel bin’ 4 in to 1, you will probably have a worse SNR than if you just had 1 big pixel.
Sony is getting really good at reducing the ‘border’ around pixels, so this is less and less of an issue. But it’s still an issue.
All that said, I think the Sony 24MP sensor is pretty awesome. I’m happy to accept some harsh chroma noise at high ISO (its easy to process without impacting detail), because the detail it retains is awesome and the luminance noise is perfectly acceptable.
The Borders are nearly neglectable, the differences are too small. Look at the Graphs from dxomark, it’s exactly like i said: same sensor technology and size means same noise at same outputsize.
Some people will never get this. Idiots.
Why discriminating Asians?
I think Admin meant that it’s less noise than the previous 16mp sensor in the a55. Think before you type. Admin isn’t stupid.
+1
“The biggest plus of the camera is the lower resolution sensor that in theory should give you less noisier images at High ISO.”!
In this part it seems like you think it has less noise, because it has less pixels, if you don’t mean it, you should change this part.
Also the sensor of the 5n isn’t that much better than that of the a55, look here:
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/%28appareil1%29/736|0/%28brand%29/Sony/%28appareil2%29/737|0/%28brand2%29/Sony/%28appareil3%29/675|0/%28brand3%29/Sony
The graphs aare the same, just half a stop difference and that’s exactly the lightloss of the translucent mirror.
i highly appreciate your work here Andrea, you do a great job but 😀
the but ist too much, there is no but after this statement 😉 😀
SJP, that isn’t what admin said at all.
He specifically said, “the *lower resolution sensor* that in theory should give you less noisier images at High ISO”.
Lower resolution meaning lower than the 24mp in the A65.
Not knowing something is not stupidity. What has IQ got to do with this?
Our understanding of noise has been “bigger-pixels = less-noise” for quite a while. And at pixel level view it is true. Only recently more and more people are becoming aware that more relevant than the per-pixel noise is the overall noise level of the whole image.
If you are using a RAW flow, a higher resolution sensor gives you the option of choosing a trade off between noise level and resolution. Which is better than not having that option at all with a lower resolution sensor.
If you discount the overhead (the waste space on sensor surface that surround the photo-sensitive regions) the noise level of a sensor is only a matter of the technology used and nothing else.
Over time more people will become aware of this and there will be less discussions.
sony really2 need to announce another cheap entry level camera to compete with Canikon D/1000/D series…right now the cheapest sony is the a33 and a35 which sells around the same price as past sony alpha 300series..
Totally agree that Sony need a really cheap entry level release. I don’t know what it’s like in the rest of the world, but in the UK at the moment the A65 is the lowest level that many retailers stock. I’m guessing/hoping that this will probably only be for the short term. The A65 at around £700 (body only) is hardly entry level money.
Agreed. The A200 was a great price, it was significantly cheaper than the 1000D and D40/D60.
The 1100D is very cheap at the moment and it has a Canon badge, I’d probably get that if I was starting out again as a new user.
Liar. You’re just saying that because you think that by saying that people here won’t think you are such a mindless Sony stooge. Guess what sweetheart- nobody is fooled. Now you are on record making a lie within lies.
You should run for office, I hear there is big money in being a big liar, plenty of positions open worldwide for that too.
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Stalking me again MCP?
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@MCP You are such a tool. I owned an A200 and as I recall it was the cheapest DSLR I could’ve found. The re-collectively remember Rebel XT was $150+taxes more expensive than the A200. The Nikon D40 was also $150-$200 more. It was the first DSLR that touched the sub-$500 mark ( $499.99). I was reluctant at first but I am glad I went with Sony. Back in 2008, the used price for Alpha lenses were dirt cheap and Canon equivalents were at least 30 to 40% more in price.
Find something creative to say next time? Your tactics are getting old.
you’re fucking impossible. it doesn’t matter what anyone says, you have to be a cunt about it.
FUCK OFF
Nope, just to stupidA77. But with your reply I presume you are a saint aren’t cha? Pot calling the kettle black I think.
FlashX, my reply had zero to do about the A200. So who’s the tool sweetheart? All rustled up and can’t focus your anger can ya?
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@MCP Is there something your gerbil brain can’t understand or comprehend? I am sorry …. oh… i’ve nothing to say… let’s put some random gerbil garbage in there and then end it with “end of line.” Real smart sherlock.
I agree. As it sounds like with so many others here, I bought in on the A200 (I now have an A550). I had always been a Canon buyer before that, but at the time the feature-set on the equivalent Canon at the time didn’t come close, the Nikon sort of did, but they were both a couple of hundred more. Sony NEED to be competitive in that market space because they don’t have the reputation of Nikon of Canon. If I was starting over again now, I’d probably have gone Nikon, or maybe even a NEX or 4/3rds…
Yeah as a new starter on price I’d be getting the 1100D. I do prefer Nikon bodies though, so if I wasn’t too bothered about price when starting out, it’d be a D5100 or D7000.
It bundles with 70400G II only?
This is great news. Taking the ergonomics of the A65, a few minor cost savings (EVF) and adding a ‘lower end’ sensor that many people in-the-know would actually prefer to the 24MP sensor.
It has been my hope that Sony will similarly release a NEX-6 – Same body and ergonomics as the NEX-7, but with a 16 or 18MP sensor. That would save me a few £100s, have better high ISO, and most likely would perfrom better with third part lenses (re: that colour shift issue from using small pixel sites).
The only downer is that I think the A65 body is a bit bigger than the A55, right? I always thought the A55 would be a nice relatively small alternative to a NEX7+Alpha Adapter. Probably not now.
a65 is not a bit bigger that a55..the a55 is far smaller than the a65. 65 is at similar size as a580. I like the size of a55 actually, but that size need to be for the 3series, as it fit for beginner/secondary camera
People really, really need to stop peddling this lower resolution = better high ISO nonsense.
The NEX-7’s sensor is superior overall to that of the NEX-5N, and the ISO differences are negligable in the real world.
http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/en../Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/(appareil1)/736%7C0/(brand)/Sony/(appareil2)/737%7C0/(brand2)/Sony
I Agree
focus numerique has the same shot (similar to dpreview) with the 5n and nex 7 (for non slt comparison) and you can see that the noise signature is quite similar so less is not necessarily better.
go and check it out.
Hey flower eater, eat some flowers and quit trying to speak for others or silence them. True mark of an insecure “south end”. People will say what they wish, and they are entitled to their opinions just as much as you are, unfortunatley.
Telling people that they ” need to stop peddling lower resolution” is not an opinion- it’s an order btw, so there’s no irony in my post sweetheart.
People don’t need to do anything but what they wish to do here. Get off your soapbox like you own the joint.
And FTR- the 16mp sensor stomps the 24mp in noise no matter how much you 24mp fans try and say otherwise.
end of line.
You must remember to take your medication.
Having one of your down days?
Nope, just a normal day for MCP. 😉
Guess he/she’s having his/her period…
@ woop, every week of the month is rag week for MCP…
now you’re just being mean 😀 you don’t know what he’s going through…
MCP you are a hypocritical piece of shit. Nobody does more silencing and unnecessary flaming here than yourself.
Given that you are on your period, I do apologize if my words are harsh but honestly please eat shit and fucking die.
Considering such request: Nope.
You talk like a sailor though, kiss your mother with that mouth? Oh wait, you probably talk to her like that too- likely a spoiled little kid with an overdeveloped sense of entitlement.
All the digdong brigade (about 5 of you) can do is try to insult me instead of debate me. Don’t you get tired of that not working one bit? Is that all you got? Try firing off more cuss words, think of some real juicy ones too because the ones you’ve used aren’t good enough yet. Maybe you’ll actually make me feel bad if you try harder.
Good luck sweethearts. Keep ignoring the facts like a bunch of sissies.
end of line.
@MCP It isn’t possible to take anybody frothing at the mouth seriously though.
We all have disagreements here, but then may agree on a different bit of news, you however have NOTHING to add.
For those unaware.
Boo, that LCD EVF is fail, bring on the OLED EVF!
Buy the A77 ?
Sounds interesting. But the ovf of the a65 is really good. So i’m happy i got it. If it saves people that switch from p&s reasonable amount of money if they go for the a57 that’s great but i wouldn’t want any other viewfinder because it is really amazing compared to traditional ovf’s
Admin, any news on Manual video controls? If it does then I’ll sell my a55 tomorrow.
I don’t see why they would skimp on the EVF. They should be trying to promote the technology by using the best available all the time. This is a step backwards.
No, it isn’t a step backwards since it will be an improvement over the A55. Of course I want it to have the best EVF, but this is the result of common market segmentation.
You are forgetting history:
5 series = penta-mirror
7 series = penta-prism
If you wanted a penta-prism you had to pay more for the A700 like I did. If you want a better EVF, you have to pay more for the A65/77.
That is true about the 5 and 7 series, BUT the difference this time is that EVF is still unproven. A lot of people are sceptical about it. A lot of people flat-out don’t want it.
For instance, I’m open to the idea of EVF but I haven’t seen a good one yet. I tried an a55 and thought it was crap, but every review said the a77 was so much better. So I tried an a77, and I was still massively disappointed by it. So next time someone tells me that THIS evf is a good one, I’m still going to be sceptical.
That’s why they shouldn’t compromise with EVFs in any camera imo. Sony should be putting the best quality EVF into every camera that they can in order to prove the technology. They should be showing more and more people that EVF is a suitable replacement for the OVF, and they should be showing the quick improvements in EVF technology.
Not to mention that TINY, pitch black viewfinders were one of the main criticisms of the 5 series alphas. My a500 and a580 viewfinders were just awful. I don’t think using that same argument is appropriate here.
EVF has been around a while now and there will always be people who don’t like them. What matters is that there will be many more that do. This is why the A77 has an EVF, Sony said that the A55 had strong sales and this convinced them to release the A77.
There will be a lot of people out there who have never used a view finder at all. They don’t have any hang-ups about EVF vs. OVF when buying a low-mid range camera, in fact the EVF is probably very appealing to a compact user moving up.
YOU: “What matters is that there will be many more that do. ”
ME: “You are an empty vacuous vessel with NOTHING to say but make other brands look bad in a desperate attempt to make Sony look better than they really are.”
The only reason the A55 sold well was because the camera grabbed headlines and had a good sensor. Otherwise it was a POS camera in many respects with horrid battery life and cheap build quality.
Sony are desperate to grab the market- that’s why you see so many shifts in products they make. Razzle dazzle them into buying them with hopes something will stick.
Photographers don’t invest into a system long term from companies that “hope and pray” something will stick. Thats why Sony cant get the claws into the market.
end of line.
MCP, the reason ANY camera sells well is because it “grabbed headlines”. It’s a little thing we like to call MARKETING, Sony are crap at it and Nikon do it very well and all credit to them.
Christ-on-a-bike you really are living on your own little planet.
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Ah so you admit then that the A580 didn’t sell well because of lack of marketing!!! AH HAH! Now we are getting somehere. I knew you’d trip over your words dingdong, great job there!
So the camera that gets the most marketing sells better does that mean it’s the best camera?
NOPE.
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Christ-on-a-bike…Where did I say that there was any link between marketing and being the best model?
Do you actually read and UNDERSTAND peoples comments before dragging your knuckles across the keyboard?
I think that the A580 didn’t sell well because:
a) The Sony badge, if it had a Nikon badge it would have flew off the shelves. It’s one of the best Sony made.
b) It was not marketed, just like the rest of Sony bodies.
c) It wasn’t widely available.
end of line.
Some people will never like EVF- people like yourself, will probably not like it until it is EXACTLY like OVF- you do not value the advantages provided the EVF- and that is fine. It’s personal preference.
However not everyone is like this- you are stating “facts” that the EVF is inferior to the OVF, when the truth is that its a preference-based comparison. When it comes down to it, I love my A850/900 VF – it has many strengths as opposed to an A77 EVF, likewise I can see the A77 EVF (and especially an improved version in the A99) being incredibly useful in a professional setting (I shoot events, weddings, studio portraiture, and auto in addition to nature and fine-art) – thus I welcome Sony trying to advance it.
How about getting a job?
It doesnt makes any sense to fight on other peoples forum to prove them that their cameras are shit and yours is much better (at least not if you dont get paid for it).
So just a friendly hint go and do something more useful with your time.
The evf is still is not good enough, even the best sony one is still worse than best APS-C evf viewfinders (Pentax K-7/K-5, Nikon D7000, etc). They should not divide market into segments until they will actually surpass OVF in most significant areas: brightness, DR, lag still should be less.
Not good enough in your opinion. I believe the EVF in the A77 is better than the D7000 OVF and so does my D7000 using friend when he tried it!
I don’t know why this debate goes on though, Sony have dropped it, move on.
I found sony evf is actually better choice for some situations, like indoor shooting, where the demand for DR is not so high. But it suck outdoors.
In russia we said like “Don’t divide the skin of unkilled bear”, that’s the excellent advice for sony today. First surpass ovf in these areas, then divide the segment. Otherwise your A57 will be treated as A55, which is known to be a sucker that no one takes seriously.
What evidence is there for the A55 being “known to be a sucker that no one takes seriously.” Or do you count a few vocal forum users that happen to agree with you as being some massive groundswell of opinion?
YOU think that. I’ll repeat again, Sony stated that due to stronger than expected A55 sales, they went ahead with the A77. YOU don’t like EVF and that’s fine, but plenty of people do and that is what matters, not what you think.
Denis, you are right. For SonyA77 (AKA astronaut):
“You are an empty vacuous vessel with NOTHING to say but make other brands look bad in a desperate attempt to make Sony look better than they really are.”
end of line.
For long time I’m looking for second smaller camera along with my a900.
a55 crappy EVF was dealbreaker for me and it remains for A57. For size and weight A77 is not an option.
However, other people do not cont EVF of a55 as crap, because a55 is one of best selling camera by Sony.
Denis, how you prefer those little shitty windows provided in aps-C entry level bodies is beyond me. Size alone has the A77 winning for me- again its personal preference
You sound like a novice.
The same reason why you don’t get V8 engine in a low end car.. pricing. Want better VF, get pricier model.
I’m really curious how that updated viewfinder works. I would hope its way better than the a55, cause that evf sucked compared to the oled. 16 mp is awesome and more than enough!
Any news on the AF specs?
Jay
Does it take in battery grip?
Yes. But not the same battery grip of the A77 🙁
I suppose the same battery grip that fitted before into A5x0 and A3x0 series !? As more people will upgrade than downgrade from A77, this is the better way round 🙂
Don’t realized A3xx have battery
380 and 390 did not have one, A 300 and A350 did
Even the A200 had a battery grip, I had one! (oddly the A100 didn’t).
Will it have 2 (front and back) dial? If not, hopefully it can use A550 vertical grip.
I doubt it will have 2 dials, we will see.
Ahhh. Good news. Thank goodness it will not fit the a77’s grip otherwise te price will more a77 grade too!
i hope it can take the a3xx battery grip. the a300/350 has one of the most amazing grips in this category of DSLR. add that vertical grip, looks like a pro. eff the a55 grip. i still have the VG-B30AM, a300/350 battery grip, might sell it since i have the a77 already. used it like 10% of its lifetime. still in the box. if it works with the a57, i might get one as backup to the a77.
Beyond the resolution….
Is it the same OLED technology as A65/A77?
Surprisingly nobody mentioned OLED. So I think its a classic LCD viewfinder.
Thanks!
Hope it is the same tech…
oh no, end of A65 and A77! 🙁
Pardon?
What? The A57 is not the A77…
haha you got them scared pancanikonpus!! look at them, what??? pardon?? how dare you have an opinion!!!!
A57 looks better than both cameras, indeed. Much better. Better price too I suspect! I guess the A65 didn’t sell good so time to recycle those bodies and old EVF’s into the A57 to get them out the door.
(Laughing at Sony’s stupidity)
They should have introduced the A65 with the 16mp sensor in the first place- but Sony knew that would have killed A77 sales, hmm why… yep the sensor that’s why.
end of line.
You don’t appear to know the meaning of incredulity.
end of line.
A77 is a waste of money. A57 much better camera for the price. A77 has weather sealing, and slightly better VF supposedly. That’s really it.
You dorks must love wasting your money on senseless shiskabobskeez you’ll never actually take advantage of. That or you are just insecure and pissed that you wasted that much money. Yep thats it, the latter.
Whoops. Dummies, suckered by Sony again.
A57- For the cheap seats: WAY BETTER THAN THE A77 for the PRICE. WAY BETTER. Hear me now Sony apologists?
end of line.
It’s ok MCP is just an novice P&S guy possibly loves to own some cheap low-end shit and comparing it to high end shit. The bracketing options and micro fine AF tuning is well worth the money for those pros who needs it. Can’t say MCP belongs to this group. He’s still trying to understand his P&S features
-start of my truthful line and end your retarded line.
lol wow you really think the a57 looks better than the 77? Hooooooooly shit
Nope, he’s just trying to get a rise…
Nope, I mean it. Better deal, big time. Doesn’t take a genius to do the math – so do the math.
end of line.
Hmmm…seems a bit strange IMO WHhy use the cheaper viewfinder when the best Tech is supposed to filter down each new release to entry level bodies! I gues it’s to not annoy the A77/A65 owners.
As for the sensor I don’t understand how this sensor is better than the one in the A55? http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/(appareil1)/737%7C0/(brand)/Sony/(appareil2)/675%7C0/(brand2)/Sony/(appareil3)/685%7C0/(brand3)/Sony
The A55 and the A580 share the same sensor right? If you remove the SLT mirror in the A55 you should get results similiar to the A580 which is ahead of the 5N, are there really two 16MP sensors. In ISO noise terms half a stop up (SLT loss of light) from 816ISO would give you about 1200ISO?? And it can’t be that the sensors are tuned very differently a the A580 also beats the 5N for dynamic range and color depth?! Can someone please enlighten me!
That’s what i said.
The differences at DXO are so small, that i would judge it under measurement tolerances, i do not now on how many cameras the measure and middle the results but if it’s just one camera it could also be production tolerances
Best tech is for the top. If current tech is expected to be fitted in the lower model for its next release then why entry level DSLR still using pentamirror?
“The biggest plus of the camera is the lower resolution sensor that in theory should give you less noisier images at High ISO.”
/facepalm
I’m seriously disappointed that it came from your own mouth, admin.
Because he’s right and you own the 24mp sensor? Shame on … YOU.
end of line.
MCP which has better high ISO and NR, the Nikon D3X or the Nikon D200?
Wait a minute… the D3X sensor has more megapixels so it should fail…
wait it doesn’t…
because there is such a thing as technological progress, you fucking half-wit.
Ok, the A55 spec sheet on the Sony page states 1.44 million pixels in the EVF.
Now we learn that only about 1 million of those are actually used. Of course, the A57 now really uses all pixels and thus is praised as a big improvement.
They must be kidding us…
Can’t Sony releas a firmware update to enable use of all 1.44M pixels in my A33 EVF? From what I’ve read about the EVF, it must be possible with a firmware update. However, they have to watch battery performance! At least make it an option when browsing through display options.
Edit: Wait, they will save this for the A57… 😉
How exactly does this work? What happens to the other 40% of pixels? Does the image only display in the middle or a larger display?
I was wondering the same thing David!
If Sony is “dumbing-down” the EVF for cost-reductions, then why not an entry-level A-mount version of the NEX? No viewfinder.
Offer a low-cost EFV and the current OLED version as after-market purchases.
NEX + adapter is just that.
I’d like to know if wouldn’t have the video crop problem (i.e. A33, 65 & 77 vs A55)?!
Does it support focus peaking?
I doesn’t make any sense if focus peaking is not supported.
Last night I tried to shoot a handful of images in my dimly lit kitchen with my A55, Canon 5D and the newly purchased Fuji X100 all 1600 ISO. Then i compared them on my 27 inch iMac screen I was surprised on 2 fronts. One, Fuji IQ was excellent with hardly any noise – wow! Looked identical to Canon with a 24-70 L. Two, Sony showed quite a bit a noise – more than I expected for the 16 mp sensor. I have never done this head to head comparison and it confirmed my reservations about the notion that the more mega pixels the better. The other two cameras have around 12 mp.
Oh….my…..god….You are comparing a FULL FRAME 12mp 5D to the APS-C 16mp A55….sigh….
“You are an empty vacuous vessel with NOTHING to say but make other brands look bad in a desperate attempt to make Sony look better than they really are.”
end of line.
I don’t shoot often, but when I do I don’t compare my brand names like a c*nt. Stay shooting my friends.
You miss the point. See #1 above – a Fuji 12 mp crop sensor did exceptionally well. A similarly sized Sony sensor – not so much.
The Fuji is 12mp, the A55 16mp. You think its news to anyone that a 16mp APS-C sensor produces slightly more noise than a 12mp APS-C sensor? Where have you been? 😀
Down-sample the A55 image to 12mp and then see what happens.
He’ll see the Fuji is better: take a look at dxomark
I am not into that kind of tech-y stuff. I own those things to take photos not waste time playing with the menus. When I got my A55 a year and a half ago, I was impressed with the sensor specs – on paper.
Now that I just got another camera with a similar size sensor, and compared them, I am hugely dissappointed in the Sony sensor technology. If spec sheet says it can go up to 6400 ISO, but it starts to suck at 1600 already – WTF? Sony A55 has unacceptable level of noise when using it in normal situations like a dinner party.
Fuji crop sensor really impressed me in low light. It’s a great camera overall and the IQ is on par with my Canon FF using primes. I was torn between Fuji and Nex-7 for some time but decided to get the Fuji after reading a ton or reviews and playing with both at B&H last week. Highly recommend it to ppl who are in this to take photos and not suck up to a certain electronics brand.
Fuji is impressive in the high iso photo performance. I must add if you use DeNoise and down-sample your photo to the same resolution (12.1MP) they will look very very similar. Do I agree with this, no. It is because it takes time to post process and time lost in pp is time lost going out to shoot. However, at the same pixel level, the IQ isn’t compromised. The right thing to bitch about here is, how long do I have to take to fix each photo up so it will match up. You guys are so amateur analyzing this shit.
I will throw another freebie at you trolls. If you are going to argue. Get the correct facts? and nail it right and we will agree with you. Many of you have no clue why noisy is bad or in which application it’s bad. Photos are mostly fixable for down-sampling. For video, you will have a way tougher time to even crop and take out noise to retain the same pixel count.
It’s starting to get really boring having arguments with kindergarten kids without real knowledge. Yawn….
@Denis, learn to use dxo with caution, they don’t down-sample to 12mp…
Jim if you don’t downsample the images to the same size then your comparisons are meaningless.
I find it hard to believe you are “just taking pictures” when here you are, conducting extremely uneducated “lab” comparisons between these cameras’ sensors.
The point of having more megapixels is detail- the point is, if you made an 8×10 print from each of these images, suddenly- you have MORE information from the 16mp image to make that same size print- it will be SHARPER and have LESS NOISE than the 12mp counterpart.
likewise, make a 40×60 print- the 16mp will print better than the 12mp.
if you want to make comparisons, you have to use EQUIVALENT OUTPUT SIZES
can’t believe people don’t get this.
This head to head comparison was using similar focal lengths, apertures, etc? I wonder how the A55 would fare if you overexposed it a bit more.
Btw that Canon 5D comparison really is silly, an APS-C sensor with the same pixel density would be around 5 MP (divide by 2.3)
PSH – this was not meant to be a scientific comparison but rather casual comparo of 3 cameras I now have at 1600 set to 35mm f2.8 1/60 using similar lenses on the 2 DLSRs. 5 shots each of same stuff hand held. Exactly the real life conditions like when ppl are over for dinner.
The Sony was not ‘super’ noisy, still quite decent shots, but I could see noise artifacts and less details on the tile mosaic I have on the wall. The Canon 5D Mki is a 2005 sensor and is supposed to be much worse than modern ones at high ISO. 1600 is the highest native ISO this camera has. So my simplistic mind assumed that A55 would be better since it has 2 stops of higher ISO options beyond 1600.
I wonder how X100 would compare vs A33 (same sensor px count). I am also curious about how A55 would compare to Nikon 51000 since it’s the same sensor. I assume they are identical.
In case anyone is wondering about X100 – I am impressed by the IQ coming out w/out any PP and the feel of the thing. Pleasure to use. It’s $1,200 with a f2 lens. A simialr Nex7 set up is $2,200.
So the NEX-F3 is real? Any specs?
Not a brand question or anything, but does the A57 have:
1. Micro focus adjustment capability?
2. Defeatable EIS (and getting rid of the crop when it’s off)?
If sensibly priced, this could be a great camera for a lot of people.
1. Micro focus adjustment capability?
If the AF is as bad as the A580, it will need it.
Micro Focus Adjust should be in every camera. I understand why it’s reserved for higher end cameras (even in Nikon and Canon land, but that’s changing), but it’s a great feature to have.
Not even that A65 has it… remember: if you want sharp pictures with fast lenses and a Sony camera, you need to buy at least the A77.
I need this 16Mpix in a77 body NOT in a65 body.
Why? Do you intend to take photographs in the dark or something?
really? why?
actually, you need to learn what you are talking about.
Dream and wait, Sony knows how to make the consumer save money.
It’s basic economics…I.E. supply & demand. Sony in one form or another is creating a demand for a product that’s not currently available. [Remember the bread lines in the old USSR?] Group psychology takes hold because many people want what they can’t have…. all while Sony and the others are getting free advertising on Rumor sites.
“Save money” as in “save for the next model which will fix he current’s models shortcomings”?
LOL exactly!!!
end of line.
you mean PLANNED shortcomings don’t you? How else could they continue to generate $ssssssssssssssssss.
can someone pls explain to me what “Your comment is awaiting moderation” means?
Since Sony is promoting a transition to SLT, I wish they didn’t compromise on the EVF quality. Even if it is a cost concern, they just need to subsidize it.
They are trying to replace OVF and having a good EVF should be standard in all SLT’s.
I have the A55, and the EVF is just OK.
Like one poster said, Sony better not put an EVF at all rather than the inferior one. Then put the NEX port on the cam so that NEX EVF could be attached. Reduce the price of A57, reduce the price of EVF to $200 and you will sell more cams and more EVFs. I would buy one because I can use it with both a57 and Nex-5n.
I can see your point and it is a valid one. However the A55 EVF is already superior in many ways to the small dark view finders on an equivalent OVF penta-mirror dSLR.
The A65/77 EVF has to be better due to it competing with the equivalently priced OVF penta-prism dSLRs.
It should be remembered that the A3x/A5x series aren’t being aimed at the high-end enthusiast. They are aimed at the D3100/D5100 user. The A55 EVF is comfortably better (more info) bigger and brighter than the OVF on those Nikons.
People tend to concentrate on a few perceived issues with the EVF and choose to ignore the many advantages.
Sony really needs a small standard zoom like the Panasonic X to go with their F3…
“The biggest plus of the camera is the lower resolution sensor that in theory should give you less noisier images at High ISO”
This claim is a myth not supported by the evidence. The myth originates from the ease of looking at the images at very high and differing magnifications – ie. looking at a 8Mp image at 100% and 16Mp image at 100% are vastly different magnifications, like printing one image at A4 and the other at A3, instead of both at the same output size.
i just notice the a65 japan version ….made in thailand????its just bother me.what about in other part of the globe?