Thank you for an excellent and very thorough review. Going to make my 1st DSLR purchase soon. Everyone tells me I’m investing in a system & not just a camera. For a hobbyist like me, this camera is going to be my system. To me, buying a DSLR is like buying a car. It’s a pricey investment that wont happen often, so might as well have all the options like a/c, power windows & power locks.
Hi. I hav bought this SLT last last month. It’s my first ever DSLR experience. Very happy with it so far. Iam using Sony 35mm F1.8 on it. I hav got excellent results. Now I want to buy a zoom lens. Iam thinking to go for Sony 16-105mm. Need professional advice. Thanx
I bought it a week ago. Missing possibility to choose SPOT-AF in automatic modes. It should also be possible to select ISO or at least locking high ISO in automatic modes. Has good picture quality also with standard zoom and is very fast.
The 16-50 f/2.8 (made in China) is excellent in IQ and build. IMO it is the key to Sony’s future for construction of high quality optics.
IQ competes and exceeds that of Canon EF-S 17-55mm.
The 16-105mm (made in Japan) is very good to excellent. I think it as good as the Canon EF-S 15-85 in IQ. The range is really nice.
Some prefer the super zoom 18-250mm as a convenient all-in-one travel lens.
There is also a new 18-135mm coming out this summer that will have AF motor and direct manual focus, so it would be nice see a review of this lens. It’s about $500 so not a bad price if it delivers.
They say it shoots 12fps full resolution 16.1 mp photos but then say to achieve 12 fps it crops the image with the 1.4x telezoom resulting in an 8.4 mp photo. They also says it maintains continuous auto exposure but then say it locks exposure on the first shot. Which is it? Double talk like that makes me doubt the validity of the whole review or am I missing something.
He also claims the jpgs are a little soft but in the samples he shows the jpgs are great as is but his sharpened images are over sharpened showing halos, effectively ruining the photo. AFAIC this “review” is pretty bad and should be ignored.
I got it with a 18-50mm kit lens. Thanks to the sales dude, I also bought a Sony 50mm 1.8 prime lens. Using my car analogy, it’s a car from the future. Couldn’t even figure out how to use the features. But I think it’ll be the same with all 1st time DSLR users. This thing is like a super advance transformer. It’ll be a while before I figure out how to transform it into “Optical Prime 1.8” ;) The blurred background combined with the “auto crop” made my pictures amazing! I was like, I didn’t take that photo, but it looks great. Good lenses cost more than the cameras!! I ain’t buying anymore lens, except for a zoom (whenever a good one goes on sale). Glad I decided on the Sony.
It’s been 2 weeks now & I brought my A57 to an ice-skating lesson, dance recital and a wedding. Still alot to learn on this baby, but pictures are amazing. Loving the 12 frames/sec. Should have seen the envious looks of other dslr owners at the wedding, as my 12 frame/sec roared its shutter speed. After the wedding they all came other to check out my camera. I didn’t know there was a 3D option. It looked great on my 3D tv. Only issues so far are problems uploading videos to my MAC. Researched the issue on the net and am not worried about it. There are fixes available.
Bought this as my first DSLR. After spending many hours researching and comparing, the 12fps was teh main feature I needed, as I have begun shooting my children’s soccer games. I have a goalie and a midfielder… BEAUTIFUL shots and the HD video is a bonus(really wasn’t planning on using it much)
I was down to the A57, the Nikon d5100 and the Canon T3i. This one was hands down superior.
I will be getting some pictures of waterskiing and jet boat races this weekend.
I bought this with the 18-55mm kit. I also purchased the 70-300mm Telephoto lens.
Cannot wait to see what these pictures look like!
It’s been close to 2 months now. Sharpness is amazing. Starting to play with the exposure triangle. Wow, all the things u can do, once you know how.
BEST discovery ever!!! My uncle and his buddies ALL have Minolta systems, but switched to Canon a few years ago. I got some sweet Minolta lenses for free. Have to get a bigger camera bag for all my lenses now. Who would figure, eh?
I am considering getting an entry level DSLR to record video for a myriad of creative projects, but principally I will be working on music videos. I want the video to look “good” (as in “produced”) in this context; would this camera be able to do that for me if I used it correctly? Also, how would the recording experience be? The bottom-located hinge I heard was disappointing; would it make shooting video that much more difficult?
Thank you.
Yes this camera has the ability to make a professional looking video, but it’s mostly dependent on your skills. (Like any camera) I just scratched the surface of its full potential, but here are my 2 cents. I had issues importing the AVCHD files into Final Cut X, but there was no issues with the MP4 format. The 24/30/60 1080p FPS option is (only?) available in AVCHD mode. Sharp image + shallow depth of field was easily achieved with the old Minolta Maxxim 70-200 F4 lens which I got for free, but I found a few on Craigslist going for $100-$150. You’ll probably also need a good tripod with 3 way FLUID pan, a rig to stabilize some shots (I bought a used shoulder rig), a decent external microphone & finally, a good lighting system. You’re going to need all this equipment on any camera system you’re going to buy, if you want to make a professional looking video.
88k3ys, as per the bottom hinged LCD, yeah it would have been more preferable on the side like the Canon t3i or t4i, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the usage of my Sony A57. I just learned how to hold it differently. After much experimentation with the possible angles of the LCD screen, I only found one angle where the location of the hinge caused an issue. When you have the camera higher than yourself. Works fine if you’re holding the camera in your hands, but if it’s on a tripod, the tripod mount obstructs your view. From a low angle, there’s no obstruction because the camera won’t be on a tripod. I’m using an LCD magnifying loupe, and its awesome, so I no longer worry about the bottom hinged and hopefully when I have enough money, I’ll add an external monitor. But that would be overkill.
I came from a Canon T3 which I like but there was something I did not like, like the small view finder or the slow bust rate to name a few. I sold it and pick up the A57, let me tell you the A57 beats the T3 on just about all accounts. Very fast bust rate, very nice view finder although it’s is of the EV type and many hard cores would not think of having it but it works fine for me, only down side to it is the fact it shortens the battery life. The A57 is a joy to use.
I find the A57 to be very much like a toy and can’t recommend the new Sony line of products. They are fine for the amateur photographer, but don’t offer the level of expansion that other manufacturers provide. Remember, once you are locked into a system, It’s extremely expensive to switch to another system. I dislike the lack of incremental ISO settings along with the dim viewfinder. I don’t get a clear reproduction that my eye can see. The ISO setting are not graduated well and make huge jumps from say ISO 800 to 1600. What happened to 1000 and 1200 settings and that is common throughout the range. I guess if you want to flip the ol’ switch to automatic, then it’s probably a decent camera, but lacks the fine creative adjustments.
I don’t find much of a need to 12 fps either. The buffer is only capable of holding so much and many of the frames are very similar. You only end up with a lot of shots of the same bit of action. I shoot a lot of bird strikes and such and it’s really rather pointless. I would rather have an older improved A580. Should have purchased a used one instead.
Image quality is decent, but wouldn’t call it exceptional. Just keep Canon and Nikon in mind when you make your decisions.
When Sony bought out Minolta, I thought that I would have to go with Nikon or Cannon, not so. Sony has and continues to put out cutting edge equipment the A57 is no exception. My Minolta lenses work perfectly and the Sony lenses are very good. Nikon and Cannon are good but, in my line of photography, Sony has proven itself to be the better camera. They are durable and dependable. I chose the a57 over the a77 because of a lot of bad reviews, and never considered the a65.
One of the biggest advantages of this camera is the EVF- to be able to view all of my settings while looking at the view finder while composing is a wonderful feature. Any adjustments I make with WB, shutter speed, ISO are immediately shown on the EVF - heck I even have the histogram on there so I can adjust my EV shift or other parameters without taking my eye off the viewfinder. Try that with DSLR- you’d have to take a photo first, review it, then adjust.
Another feature which is wonderful as well is the Focus peaking, to be able to focus with the aid of this is idispensible esp. if your eyesight isn’t too keen.
The A57 has it’s pros and cons, the only question is are you willing to live with it. It is not the best in low-light or high-ISO but I don’t shoot in that evironment to be an issue. I must say I don’t venture beyond 1600 much but I have yet to shoot RAW (waiting on software). Noise reduction is fairly aggressive but it is adjustable to a degree- when in doubt, shoot in RAW for more flexibility(this applies to almost all cameras)
Battery life is lower than most, I average 600 shots on mine, but if you shoot more than this on one outing, get a spare!
My pictures are awesome using this camera, I love the overall handling, speed and quality of the photos I take. It definitely works for me. Not considering this camera or atleast trying it out would be a big dis-service to anyone- it really is greta piece of gear, matched with good glass( I have plenty of Minolta primes and zooms) it takes phenomenal photos.
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#1 JS
IQ is really great especially at low ISO.
6:56 pm - Thursday, June 7, 2012
#2 medic
Thank you for an excellent and very thorough review. Going to make my 1st DSLR purchase soon. Everyone tells me I’m investing in a system & not just a camera. For a hobbyist like me, this camera is going to be my system. To me, buying a DSLR is like buying a car. It’s a pricey investment that wont happen often, so might as well have all the options like a/c, power windows & power locks.
8:42 pm - Thursday, June 7, 2012
#3 Wakaas
Hi. I hav bought this SLT last last month. It’s my first ever DSLR experience. Very happy with it so far. Iam using Sony 35mm F1.8 on it. I hav got excellent results. Now I want to buy a zoom lens. Iam thinking to go for Sony 16-105mm. Need professional advice. Thanx
3:01 pm - Friday, June 8, 2012
#4 JB
I bought it a week ago. Missing possibility to choose SPOT-AF in automatic modes. It should also be possible to select ISO or at least locking high ISO in automatic modes. Has good picture quality also with standard zoom and is very fast.
7:51 pm - Friday, June 8, 2012
#5 AG
The 16-50 f/2.8 (made in China) is excellent in IQ and build. IMO it is the key to Sony’s future for construction of high quality optics.
IQ competes and exceeds that of Canon EF-S 17-55mm.
The 16-105mm (made in Japan) is very good to excellent. I think it as good as the Canon EF-S 15-85 in IQ. The range is really nice.
Some prefer the super zoom 18-250mm as a convenient all-in-one travel lens.
There is also a new 18-135mm coming out this summer that will have AF motor and direct manual focus, so it would be nice see a review of this lens. It’s about $500 so not a bad price if it delivers.
11:16 pm - Friday, June 8, 2012
#6 Tom
The review isn’t very good.
They say it shoots 12fps full resolution 16.1 mp photos but then say to achieve 12 fps it crops the image with the 1.4x telezoom resulting in an 8.4 mp photo. They also says it maintains continuous auto exposure but then say it locks exposure on the first shot. Which is it? Double talk like that makes me doubt the validity of the whole review or am I missing something.
He also claims the jpgs are a little soft but in the samples he shows the jpgs are great as is but his sharpened images are over sharpened showing halos, effectively ruining the photo. AFAIC this “review” is pretty bad and should be ignored.
12:38 pm - Saturday, June 9, 2012
#7 Wakaas
Hi, I hav got my 16-105mm today :) SLT-A57 + 16-105mm : BLASTTTTT :))
4:30 pm - Saturday, June 9, 2012
#8 Ace
For those in the UK.
This has already come down in price.
http://amzn.to/MAF6AR
Making it a very tempting option :)
11:58 am - Monday, June 18, 2012
#9 Murat
A very successful camera for landscape photography.
You can see sony A330-L photos at
http://www.photosofturkey.tk/NatureLandscapeWallpaper190.html
12:01 pm - Friday, June 22, 2012
#10 Medic
I got it with a 18-50mm kit lens. Thanks to the sales dude, I also bought a Sony 50mm 1.8 prime lens. Using my car analogy, it’s a car from the future. Couldn’t even figure out how to use the features. But I think it’ll be the same with all 1st time DSLR users. This thing is like a super advance transformer. It’ll be a while before I figure out how to transform it into “Optical Prime 1.8” ;) The blurred background combined with the “auto crop” made my pictures amazing! I was like, I didn’t take that photo, but it looks great. Good lenses cost more than the cameras!! I ain’t buying anymore lens, except for a zoom (whenever a good one goes on sale). Glad I decided on the Sony.
4:42 pm - Friday, June 22, 2012
#11 Medic
It’s been 2 weeks now & I brought my A57 to an ice-skating lesson, dance recital and a wedding. Still alot to learn on this baby, but pictures are amazing. Loving the 12 frames/sec. Should have seen the envious looks of other dslr owners at the wedding, as my 12 frame/sec roared its shutter speed. After the wedding they all came other to check out my camera. I didn’t know there was a 3D option. It looked great on my 3D tv. Only issues so far are problems uploading videos to my MAC. Researched the issue on the net and am not worried about it. There are fixes available.
7:52 pm - Tuesday, July 3, 2012
#12 Manta
Bought this as my first DSLR. After spending many hours researching and comparing, the 12fps was teh main feature I needed, as I have begun shooting my children’s soccer games. I have a goalie and a midfielder… BEAUTIFUL shots and the HD video is a bonus(really wasn’t planning on using it much)
I was down to the A57, the Nikon d5100 and the Canon T3i. This one was hands down superior.
I will be getting some pictures of waterskiing and jet boat races this weekend.
I bought this with the 18-55mm kit. I also purchased the 70-300mm Telephoto lens.
Cannot wait to see what these pictures look like!
5:29 pm - Tuesday, July 31, 2012
#13 Medic
It’s been close to 2 months now. Sharpness is amazing. Starting to play with the exposure triangle. Wow, all the things u can do, once you know how.
BEST discovery ever!!! My uncle and his buddies ALL have Minolta systems, but switched to Canon a few years ago. I got some sweet Minolta lenses for free. Have to get a bigger camera bag for all my lenses now. Who would figure, eh?
11:45 pm - Tuesday, July 31, 2012
#14 88k3ys
I am considering getting an entry level DSLR to record video for a myriad of creative projects, but principally I will be working on music videos. I want the video to look “good” (as in “produced”) in this context; would this camera be able to do that for me if I used it correctly? Also, how would the recording experience be? The bottom-located hinge I heard was disappointing; would it make shooting video that much more difficult?
Thank you.
9:01 am - Wednesday, August 22, 2012
#15 Medic
Hi 88k3ys,
Yes this camera has the ability to make a professional looking video, but it’s mostly dependent on your skills. (Like any camera) I just scratched the surface of its full potential, but here are my 2 cents. I had issues importing the AVCHD files into Final Cut X, but there was no issues with the MP4 format. The 24/30/60 1080p FPS option is (only?) available in AVCHD mode. Sharp image + shallow depth of field was easily achieved with the old Minolta Maxxim 70-200 F4 lens which I got for free, but I found a few on Craigslist going for $100-$150. You’ll probably also need a good tripod with 3 way FLUID pan, a rig to stabilize some shots (I bought a used shoulder rig), a decent external microphone & finally, a good lighting system. You’re going to need all this equipment on any camera system you’re going to buy, if you want to make a professional looking video.
5:49 pm - Wednesday, August 22, 2012
#16 Medic
88k3ys, as per the bottom hinged LCD, yeah it would have been more preferable on the side like the Canon t3i or t4i, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the usage of my Sony A57. I just learned how to hold it differently. After much experimentation with the possible angles of the LCD screen, I only found one angle where the location of the hinge caused an issue. When you have the camera higher than yourself. Works fine if you’re holding the camera in your hands, but if it’s on a tripod, the tripod mount obstructs your view. From a low angle, there’s no obstruction because the camera won’t be on a tripod. I’m using an LCD magnifying loupe, and its awesome, so I no longer worry about the bottom hinged and hopefully when I have enough money, I’ll add an external monitor. But that would be overkill.
6:02 pm - Wednesday, August 22, 2012
#17 Paul
I came from a Canon T3 which I like but there was something I did not like, like the small view finder or the slow bust rate to name a few. I sold it and pick up the A57, let me tell you the A57 beats the T3 on just about all accounts. Very fast bust rate, very nice view finder although it’s is of the EV type and many hard cores would not think of having it but it works fine for me, only down side to it is the fact it shortens the battery life. The A57 is a joy to use.
2:49 pm - Sunday, September 16, 2012
#18 WanaM3
I find the A57 to be very much like a toy and can’t recommend the new Sony line of products. They are fine for the amateur photographer, but don’t offer the level of expansion that other manufacturers provide. Remember, once you are locked into a system, It’s extremely expensive to switch to another system. I dislike the lack of incremental ISO settings along with the dim viewfinder. I don’t get a clear reproduction that my eye can see. The ISO setting are not graduated well and make huge jumps from say ISO 800 to 1600. What happened to 1000 and 1200 settings and that is common throughout the range. I guess if you want to flip the ol’ switch to automatic, then it’s probably a decent camera, but lacks the fine creative adjustments.
I don’t find much of a need to 12 fps either. The buffer is only capable of holding so much and many of the frames are very similar. You only end up with a lot of shots of the same bit of action. I shoot a lot of bird strikes and such and it’s really rather pointless. I would rather have an older improved A580. Should have purchased a used one instead.
Image quality is decent, but wouldn’t call it exceptional. Just keep Canon and Nikon in mind when you make your decisions.
3:05 am - Thursday, January 3, 2013
#19 DJ Pace
When Sony bought out Minolta, I thought that I would have to go with Nikon or Cannon, not so. Sony has and continues to put out cutting edge equipment the A57 is no exception. My Minolta lenses work perfectly and the Sony lenses are very good. Nikon and Cannon are good but, in my line of photography, Sony has proven itself to be the better camera. They are durable and dependable. I chose the a57 over the a77 because of a lot of bad reviews, and never considered the a65.
5:07 am - Saturday, February 16, 2013
#20 Rey
One of the biggest advantages of this camera is the EVF- to be able to view all of my settings while looking at the view finder while composing is a wonderful feature. Any adjustments I make with WB, shutter speed, ISO are immediately shown on the EVF - heck I even have the histogram on there so I can adjust my EV shift or other parameters without taking my eye off the viewfinder. Try that with DSLR- you’d have to take a photo first, review it, then adjust.
Another feature which is wonderful as well is the Focus peaking, to be able to focus with the aid of this is idispensible esp. if your eyesight isn’t too keen.
The A57 has it’s pros and cons, the only question is are you willing to live with it. It is not the best in low-light or high-ISO but I don’t shoot in that evironment to be an issue. I must say I don’t venture beyond 1600 much but I have yet to shoot RAW (waiting on software). Noise reduction is fairly aggressive but it is adjustable to a degree- when in doubt, shoot in RAW for more flexibility(this applies to almost all cameras)
Battery life is lower than most, I average 600 shots on mine, but if you shoot more than this on one outing, get a spare!
My pictures are awesome using this camera, I love the overall handling, speed and quality of the photos I take. It definitely works for me. Not considering this camera or atleast trying it out would be a big dis-service to anyone- it really is greta piece of gear, matched with good glass( I have plenty of Minolta primes and zooms) it takes phenomenal photos.
6:43 pm - Monday, March 11, 2013
#21 Alan
Question: how do you get this thing into the “bulb” mode so I can use extended shutter time?
Tanks in advance
1:15 am - Wednesday, March 20, 2013
#22 Alan
Thx, found it on my own. It is in the manual mode with the shutter speed all the way out.
2:35 am - Wednesday, March 20, 2013
#23 Ankit
This is my first DSLR/DSLT camera and i am totally happy with it.
I dont know why sony is discontinuing this model.
4:23 pm - Monday, April 1, 2013