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On the Equipment Horizon

06th December 2010

At the PhotoPlus Expo this past September I stopped by the Sony booth. Having received pre-show information, I wanted to try their pair of new cameras – the Alpha A33 and A55. While both look and function like DSLRs, a more appropriate term might be DVF – Digital ViewFinder – since neither uses a reflex mirror. Instead, they sport a fixed translucent “mirror” that sends a small portion of the incoming image to the viewfinder and the remainder to the “film” light sensor.

This technology isn’t new. In the early 1960’s Canon made a model called the Pellix using a similar scheme with a pellicle mirror. My uncle bought this camera back then, one of the first to have Through The Lens metering (TTL) and it served him well for many years.

Sony believes that their updated translucent mirror has life in the 21st century. There are several advantages to such an arrangement. First, a static mirror eliminates the reflex mechanism providing a space, weight and cost savings. Removing this mechanical assembly also allows for a higher frame rate. Next, the electronics measuring the auto exposure remain uninterrupted from frame to frame giving instant responses to varying changes in lighting. Similarly, the auto focus system stays 100% available – a very important consideration for high speed continuous shooting.


The result is that the A55 has an impressive set of features for intermediate and advanced photographers: lightweight (17.5 ounces), high speed continuous shooting (10 frames per second), 100% frame coverage in viewfinder and on the LCD, full-time auto focusing with 1080 High Definition video, built-in GPS for automatic phototagging, a large high-res tilt-swivel LCD, built-in panorama mode, built-in High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode and Sony’s new 16.2 megapixel sensor.

While I had only a short ten minutes with the A55, I found it to be a good performer. I was shooting a group of BMX cyclers at Sony’s booth at 6 to 7 frames per second in fairly dim light with decent results. The viewfinder was slightly dim but the camera felt solid.

The less expensive Alpha A33 is a 14.2 megapixel version with slightly lower continuous shooting (7fps) rate and without the built-in GPS.

Having used Sony’s very capable Alpha A300 DSLR for some time now, I’m anxious to use their new models. So the Alpha A55 is on the horizon of equipment purchases and hopefully I’ll be able to do a review shortly. Apparently the A55 is starting out as a popular camera; it’s sold out at several suppliers so I have backordered one and hope that the delivery man shows up soon.

If you’d like more information about the Alpha A55, visit the Sony website.

 


2 Comments »

  1. I wonder how much power the GPS uses and if you can leave it off except at times of your choosing.

    Comment by Dan — December 10, 2010 @ 8:44 am

  2. We’ll have to see on the GPS

    Comment by admin — December 10, 2010 @ 9:04 am

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