Sony A850 Review

4.5

November 19, 2010 | Mark Goldstein |

Lowest Price: N/A

Lowest Price: $2,219.00

Specifications

Lens Mount

Sony α mount	YES
Compatibility with A-Mount bayonet lenses from Minolta and Konica Minolta	YES

Lens Compatibility

All types of Sony α lenses	YES (DT lens compatibility is not guaranteed)
Minolta & Konica Minolta α/MAXXUM/DYNAX lenses	YES (DT lens compatibility is not guaranteed)

Image Sensory

Camera

Total sensor Pixels (megapixels)	Approx. 25.7
Effective Pixels (megapixels)	Approx. 24.6
Automatic White Balance	YES
White balance: preset selection	Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash
White balance: custom setting	YES
White balance: types of color temperature	2500 - 9900 k with 19-step Magenta / Green compensation
White balance bracketing	3 frames, Selectable 2 steps
ISO Sensitivity Setting	ISO200 - 3200 equivalent, ISO numbers up from ISO100 to ISO6400 can be set as expanded ISO range

SteadyShot INSIDE

System: Sensor-shift mechanism	YES
SteadyShot INSIDE scale (in viewfinder)	YES
Camera-Shake warning (in viewfinder)	YES
SteadyShot INSIDE capability	Approx. 2.5 EV - 4 EV decrease in shutter speed (varies according to shooting conditions and lens used)
SteadyShot INSIDE compatibility	All Sony DSLR lenses and A-Mount bayonet lenses from Minolta and Konica Minolta
*SteadyShot INSIDE was previously known as Super SteadyShot

Anti-Dust

Double anti dust system (anti-static coating and sensor shift mechanism)

YES

Auto Focus System

TTL phase-detection system	YES
Sensor	9 points with centre dual-cross sensor + 10 assist focus points
Sensitivity Range (at ISO 100 equivalent); EV	0 - 18
Eye Start AF System (on off selectable)	NO
AF Area: Wide focus area	YES (auto with 9 areas)
AF Area: Spot	YES (center dual-cross sensor)
AF Area: Local focus area selection	YES (9 local areas)
AF Modes	Continuous, Single Shot, Automatic, Manual Focus, Direct Manual Focus
Predictive Focus Control	YES (with moving subjects in AF-A and AF-C)
Focus Lock	YES
AF Illuminator	YES (with built-in LED)
AF Illuminator range (meters)	Approx. 1 - 7

Auto Exposure System

Light metering type	TTL
Light metering cell	40-segment honeycomb-pattern SPC
Light metering: Multi segment	YES
Light metering: Spot	YES
Light metering: Center weighted	YES
Exposure: Automatic	YES
Exposure: Program Auto	YES (with Program Shift)
Exposure: Shutter priority	YES
Exposure: Aperture priority	YES
Exposure: Manual	YES
Exposure: Scene selection	NO
AE Lock	YES
Exposure compensation	YES (+/-3.0 EV, 0.3 EV, 0.5 EV steps selectable)
AE Bracketing	0.3 EV / 0.5 EV / 0.7 EV / 2.0 EV increments, 3/5 frames selectable (2.0 EV only 3 frames)

Shutter

Type	Electronically-controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane type
Shutter Speed Range (seconds)	1/8000 - 30 and bulb
Flash Sync Speed (With Steady Shoot Off); second	1/250
Flash Sync Speed (With Steady Shoot On); second	1/200

Flash

Built-in-Flash Guide Number (in meters at ISO 100)	NO
Flash Metering System	ADI / Pre-flash TTL flash metering
Flash Compensation	+/-3.0 EV (0.3 EV, 0.5 EV steps selectable)
Built-in-Flash Recycling Time (approx. time in seconds)	NO
Flash Mode	Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear flash sync. High Speed sync. with optional compatible accessory flash
Wireless flash mode	YES (only with optional accessory)
Slow Synchronization	YES
Red-Eye Reduction	NO
Flash Popup	NO
Automatic Flash	YES (with AUTO mode)

Viewfinder

Type	Fixed eye-level system with optical glass type pentaprism
Focusing Screen	Spherical acute matte screen
Field of View (%)	Approx. 98
Magnification (with 50mm lens at infinity)	0.74x
Eye Relief	Approx. 20mm from the eyepiece lens
Diopter Adjustment	-3.0 to +1.0 diopter

Live View

Type	NO
Other	NO

LCD screen

Recording

Drive Mode	Single, Continuous, 10sec. / 2sec. Self-timer, Single AE bracketing, Continuous AE bracketing, White Balance Bracketing, DRO Advanced Bracketing, Mirror lock up, Remote commander
Continuous-Advance Rate (approx. frames per second at maximum)	Max. 3 fps
Number of Continuous Advance	JPEG (L size, Fine): 384 images, RAW: 16 images, RAW+JPEG: 12 images
Recording Media	Compact Flash Type I / II / MicroDrive slot. Memory Stick™ Duo / MS Pro Duo and MS-PRO HG Duo
Recording Format	JPEG, RAW, RAW+JPEG, 16:9 selectable
RAW (pixels)	6048 x 4032
Image Size L - JPEG (pixels)	6048 x 4032 (24M)
Image Size M (pixels)	4400 x 2936 (13M)
Image Size S (pixels)	3024 x 2016 (6.1M)
Still Image quality	RAW, cRAW, RAW+JPEG, cRAW+JPEG, Extra fine(JPEG), Fine(JPEG), Standard(JPEG)
Noise Reduction (Long exp.NR)	On/Off, available at shutter speeds longer than 1 second
Noise Reduction (High ISO NR)	High/Normal/Low/Off, available at the ISO set to 1600 or above
Delete Function	Single, multiple, or all frames in a folder
Color Space (sRGB)	YES
Color Space (Adobe RGB)	YES
Color mode/DEC/Creative styles	Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Clear, Deep, Light, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night view, Autumn leaves, B/W, Sepia
Dynamic Range Optimizer	Off, Standard / Advanced: Auto / Advanced: Level
Date/Time Print	With PictBridge™

Playback/Edit

Information Display	YES
White/Black Out Alert	YES
Index Playback	YES (25, 9, 4 or 5 last frames filmstrip)
Enlarge (Maximum magnification)	L size: 19x, M size: 14x, S size: 9.4x
Image Rotation	YES
Auto Image Rotation	YES

General

Battery Remaining Indicator	YES
InfoLITHIUM Battery Indicator	YES (in %)
Histogram Indicator	YES
Exif	2.21
Exif Print	YES
PictBridge	YES
Menu Language	English / French / German / Spanish / Italian / Portuguese / Dutch / Russian / Swedish / Danish / Norwegian / Finnish / Polish / Czech / Hungarian
Zone Matching	YES
Depth-of-Field Preview	YES
PRINT Image Matching III	YES
Remote Release Terminal	YES
IR Remote Control	YES (with RMT-DSLR1)
DPOF(Digital Print Order Format)	YES
Indicator of remaining memory space (CF)	YES
Beep Sound	On/Off selectable
File Number Memory	On/Off selectable
Folder Name Mode	Standard and Date
Operating Temperature (degrees C)	0 - 40

Jacks

Video Out	YES (PAL or NTSC)
HD/HDMI™ Out	HDMI™ mini connector, 1080i/720p/SD selectable (optional HDMI™ cable necessary)
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed	YES
USB Mode	Mass Storage (Multi LUN compliant) / PTP / PC Remote Control