Sony A100 Review
Review Date: September 18th 2006
Author: Gavin Stoker
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Image Quality
All of the sample images in this review were taken using
the 10M Fine mode, which gives an average image size of around
2.5Mb - 3Mb.
Noise
There are 7 ISO settings available on the Sony A100 which
you can select at any time if the camera is in the one of
the creative shootings mode. Here are some 100% crops which
show the noise levels for each ISO setting:
There is virtually no discernible noise at the slowest settings
of ISO 80, 100 and 200. There's some noise at ISO 400, but
it's still a usable speed. At ISO 800 image quality has deterioated
a lot, and ISO 1600 is very nosiy indeed.
Sharpening
Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality
50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening
applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are slightly
soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some
further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop, or you
can change the in-camera sharpening level.
Chromatic Aberrations
The Sony A100 dealt extremely well with chromatic aberrations
during the review, with only very limited purple fringing
present around the edges of objects in certain high-contrast
situations.
Macro
The Sony A100 offers a Macro scene mode, but as the A100
is a digital SLR it is the lens that determines how close
you can get to the subject, not the camera body. The first
image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this
case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.
Flash
The flash settings on the Sony A100 are Auto, Fill-flash,
Red-Eye Reduction, Rear flash sync and Off. These shots of
a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.
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Auto Flash - Telephoto (105mm) |
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And here are some self-portraits.
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Flash Off (100% Crop) |
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Flash - Red-Eye Reduction (100%
Crop) |
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Night Shot
The Sony A100's maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds, plus
there's a Bulb mode for even longer exposure times, which
is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography.
The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 1/6th second
at f/5.6 at ISO 400. I've included a 100% crop of the image
to show what the quality is like.
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Night Shot (100% Crop) |
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Overall Image Quality
In auto mode the Sony A100 delivers an impressively consistent
performance, with the combination of nine point AF and 40-segment
pattern metering ensuring that focus and exposure are, in
the main, right on target. Having tried the camera with some
older Minolta lenses, both tele and macro, alongside the ‘catch
all' of the supplied 17-80mm kit lens, I can vouch that, although
the latter delivers images which are detailed but ever so
slightly soft, with the right lens combination it's capable
of some stunning results. Switching to manual focus proved
useful when attempting to determine a specific area of focus
when taking close-ups of busy flora and other similar subjects.
Like high-end Sony Cyber-shots before it, the Sony A100 delivers
a vivid handling of colours, which lends a healthy but not
unnatural hue to skin tones. One area in which the Sony A100
did disappoint was in its handling of image noise, which becomes
fairly pronounced at settings above ISO 400, to the extent
that it's immediately visible on the LCD. It's noticeable
in shadow areas when shooting under natural daylight indoors,
though in fairness it doesn't render an otherwise sharply
focused and exposed image unusable.
 PhotographyBLOG
is a member of the DIWA
organisation. Our test results for the Sony A100 have been
submitted to DIWA
for comparison with test results for different samples of
the same camera model supplied by other DIWA
member sites.
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