Sony A68 Review

May 10, 2016 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The Sony A68 is a new interchangeable lens camera that uses Translucent Mirror Technology to offer high-speed shooting and a smaller body size. The 24.2 megapixel A68 features up to 8fps burst shooting, 1080p Full HD Movies in the XAVC Sv format, 79-point auto-focus system including 15 cross points and a dedicated F2.8 AF sensor point, in-body image stabilisation, a 2.7-inch tilting LCD, an XGA OLED electronic viewfinder with 2359k dot resolution, backlit top LCD display, Dynamic Range Optimizer and HDR, and an ISO range of 100-25600. Compared to a conventional DSLR camera, Translucent Mirror Technology has a fixed, translucent mirror that splits the optical pathway between the main image sensor and a separate phase-detection autofocus sensor, and offers a simplified mechanical design that enables the camera to be smaller. The Sony A68 costs $599 in the US and £480 in the UK for the body only.

Ease of Use

Outwardly the Sony A68 looks very similar to the range-topping A77 II model. The A68 dispenses with an optical viewfinder in favour of an electronic version, and uses a fixed semi-translucent mirror instead of the moving non-translucent mirror of a DSLR. The translucency of the A68's mirror means that enough light can pass through it to the sensor to allow it to remain fixed in place at all times, with the ability to reflect some of the light onto a phase-detection auto-focus array that sits in the top of the A68 body. This combination means that the A68 can offer full-time DSLR-like focusing speeds, even during video recording, plus an excellent Live View system with 100% scene coverage and a respectably fast continuous shooting rate of 8fps, whilst being physically smaller and lighter than a comparable DSLR.

Measuring 142.6 x 104.2 x 82.8mm and weighing 596grams, the Sony A68 is similar in size and weight to the A77 II. The plastic-bodied A68 is a solid enough bit of kit, although it lacks the weather-sealing of the more expensive A77 II.

The Sony A68 can shoot at up to 8fps, an impressively fast rate for such a relatively inexpensive camera. To achieve the full 8fps you need to set the exposure mode dial to the dedicated burst mode, which locks the exposure at the start of the sequence and crops into the centre of the frame to produce a 6 megapixel Fine JPEG image. If you want to shoot a sequence of full-size JPEG or RAW images, the standard Continuous Advance drive mode provides a burst rate of 5fps or a lower speed of 2.5fps with the ability to change the exposure as required between frames.

The A68 features a tilting rear 2.7-inch LCD with 406,800 dot resolution, which is rather behind the times in terms of its size and resolution. This is bracketed at the bottom and can be tilted up to 135 degrees upwards or 55 degrees downwards. The A68 also has a clever eye level sensor that switches off the rear screen's info display as you bring your eye close to the excellent optical viewfinder, plus a facility that automatically flips the same display through 90° should you turn the camera on its side to shoot in portrait fashion.

One advantage that the Sony range has over either Canon or Nikon is that the A68 features built-in sensor shift image stabilization, hence no need to spend extra on specialist lenses to help combat camera shake. On the Sony A68 light sensitivity stretches from ISO 100 all the way up to ISO 25,600. Sony's long-standing D-Range Optimizer and HDR functions help to even out tricky exposures, for example where a bright background would normally throw the foreground into deep shadow.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90
Front of the Sony A68

The A68 can record 1080p HD 1920 x 1280 pixel movies at either 50fps or 25fps (PAL), or 60fps and 24fps (NTSC) in the high bit-rate 50Mbps XAVC S format, and it also supports the AVCHD and MP4 formats. There's a limitation of up to 29 minutes, or 9 minutes if SteadyShot is turned on, for the AVCHD format, and a 2Gb file size for MP4 video. Stereo sound with 16 steps is recorded during video capture, and you can fit an optional external stereo microphone to further improve the quality. The HDMI port allows you to output uncompressed footage to an external device or to connect the A68 to a high-def TV set, but only if you purchase the optional HDMI mini-cable.

Continuous phase-detection AF is possible whilst shooting movies on the A68, a distinct advantage over most DSLR cameras and fast enough to rival compact system cameras. It allows you to track fast-moving subjects without having to resort to manual focusing, ideal for users who are used to compacts that can auto-focus for both still and moving images. There are a few caveats - the focusing can be heard on the soundtrack, although using an external microphone gets around this, it sometimes struggles to keep up with the subject, and more notably the shallow depth of field that's inherent to a large-sensor camera produces noticeable and often unwanted "jumps" as the AF system locks onto different subjects in the frame.

In addition to continuous AF and manual, the selected AF Area can be changed within the frame to easily create the professional "rack focus" effect, where the focus moves between the background and foreground subjects. Also pleasing is the ability to change the shutter speed or aperture during recording with Program, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, and fully Manual recording modes all on offer. Exposure compensation, creative styles, picture effects, white balance, AF area, tracking auto-focus and metering mode all apply equally to stills and moving images too.

As you'd expect, it's also possible to focus manually with the Sony SLT-A68. When focusing manually, Sony offers two Focus Magnifier zoom levels to aid in determining the precise point of focus, either 5.9x or 11.7x. Also included is the "focus peaking" display which provides a level of hand-holding for manual focus users. When turned on to one of the three levels (low, mid, high), this essentially draws a coloured line (red, white or yellow) around the areas of highest contrast in the image when you're manually focusing the camera. Used in conjunction with the magnified focus assist, this makes it a cinch to focus accurately on a specific part of the subject. It can also be used in the movie mode, again providing a real boon to your creativity.

From the front the Sony A68 looks unthreatening to the experienced DSLR user. Apart from a familiar ridge housing the pop-up flash above the Alpha lens mount, its most distinguishing feature is the traditional handgrip complete with leather-look rubberized covering that extends around the side of the camera. It's easy to fit three fingers around the handgrip and makes it straight-forward to hold the camera steady for shooting handheld. Built into the grip itself is a narrow sliver of a window for the remote sensor, should use of one be required as an optional extra. Note that the A68 does not have a dedicated autofocus assist / self-timer lamp, instead relying on the pop-up flash to provide a burst of assist flash.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90
Rear of the Sony A68

At the top of the handgrip, but still at the front, is the camera's first control/command dial, situated beneath the main shutter release button and on/off switch, where it falls readily under the forefinger. Users can twist this to rapidly scroll through screen menu options and folders, a task also achieved by tabbing through the same using the control ring at the rear, as well as adjust apertures and shutter speeds. A small Depth-of-field Preview button is located at the bottom-left of the lens mount.

Over at the other side of the lens mount we find a comfortably large button to release the lens, adjacent to which is a very useful switch for alternating between manual and the three types of auto-focus. Sony has subtly incorporated instances of its Alpha trademark 'cinnibar' (orange to the rest of us) colour on the camera, here only visible in the thin line encircling the lens surround. The Alpha mount also offers compatibility with A mount lenses from the legacy Minolta and Konica Minolta range.

The A68's top plate features the aforementioned shutter release button encircled by an on/off switch. The shutter-release has a definite half-way point, with the focus points rapidly illuminating green in the viewfinder and a confirmation bleep signaling that focus and exposure has been determined and the user is free to go on and take the shot. The A68 has a class-leading choice of 79 AF points covering 40% of the frame, with 15 cross sensors to maximize precision for both vertical and horizontal subjects and an F/2.8 centre point to support fast lenses.

With an imperceptible shutter delay, a full resolution JPEG is committed to memory in just over a second in single shot mode, a RAW file in two. The Exposure Compensation and ISO buttons are very handily positioned to provide quick access to two features that you will use all the time, although you can change their default settings to one of other key options if you so desire.

One of the reasons for choosing the A68 instead of the cheaper A58 model is the display panel, an LCD status screen that shows most of the important camera settings. In conjunction with the information displayed on the LCD screen and through the viewfinder, this panel makes it very easy to quickly see exactly how the camera is setup. There's a small button alongside to illuminate the panel. Joining the display panel on top of the A68 are buttons for the self timer/bracketing and white balance options.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90
Top of the Sony A68

Next we come to the Finder/Monitor button alongside the pop-up flashgun and a curved grille for the built-in stereo microphone. If choosing 'Finder' with the camera set to auto-focus, bringing your eye level with the viewfinder and sensor below will neatly prompt the camera to automatically focus on whatever it's aiming at (you can turn this feature off by disabling the Eye-Start AF menu option). Pressing the same button again switches to the LCD, automatically blanking out the viewfinder with the rear screen bursting into life instead. The A68's top plate also features Sony's proprietary Multi-Interface shoe for an optional flash or accessory situated just above the electronic viewfinder, with a dedicated button to manually release the pop up flash situated just in front. The built-in flash can also trigger an optional wireless accessory flash.

Over at the far left of the A68's top plate is a shooting mode dial that's slightly sunk into the bodywork and has a lockable button, thus helping to prevent the dial accidentally slipping from one setting to another when placing into or retrieving the camera from a bag. Arranged around this are 12 selectable options, running from full Auto to the creative quartet of Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter priority and Manual, plus dedicated modes for the 8fps continuous shooting, Panorama and a Scene option which includes pre-optimised scene modes for common subjects such as portraits, landscapes, close ups (macro), sports, sunset, night, night portraits and handheld twilight. Three Custom modes make it easy to quickly switch between pre-configured camera setups, very useful for setting up the camera to suit different environments and uses.

At the rear of the A68 we find the tilting 2.7-inch LCD screen, which has a rather average resolution of 460,800-dots, 16:9 wideangle ratio and can be adjusted for brightness. While the ability to tilt the screen is very welcome, placing the bracket at the bottom does make it impossible to attain the video-friendly side-on position that some other rival models offer, a real shame considering the A68's video capabilities.

Instead of the bulky optical viewfinder of a conventional DSLR, the Sony A68 has a smaller electronic viewfinder. It has 0.88x magnification, 100% field of view, and a 1,440,000 dot equivalent resolution. As the EVF is reading the same signal from the image sensor as the rear LCD screen, it can also display similar information, with a choice of five display modes. For example, you can view and operate the A68's Function Menu, giving a true preview of the scene in front of you and quick access to all the key camera settings while it's held up to your eye. The various icons used to represent the camera settings are clear and legible. The icing on the viewing cake is the clever built-in eye sensor, which automatically switches on the viewfinder when you look into it, then switches it off and turns on the LCD monitor when you look away.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90
Tilting LCD Screen

To the left of the viewfinder is a button marked Menu. Press this and a number of shooting and set up folders appear on screen, with white text on a black background aiding visibility. To the right of the viewfinder is a small wheel for dioptric adjustment that isn't too stiff and rigid. Just below and to the right of this is a welcome dedicated button for one-touch movie recording. A second marked AEL locks the exposure, while the C1 button toggles between manual focus and the current auto-focus mode and also doubles up as a means of zooming into images and magnifying detail when in playback mode. Underneath this button is the A68's circular control wheel, which in combination with the fore-finger operated one makes it easy to operate the camera in full manual mode.

The next control on the rear of the A68 is a Function ('Fn') button. In this view, you can check all of the camera's important shooting settings at a glance via the Quick Navi Pro menu, and modify 12 custoimisable settings by moving about the screen using the navigation pad. By using this screen you can mostly save yourself from having to delve into the main menu.

Creative Styles are pre-optimised user selectable settings which run from the default of 'standard' through the self-explanatory vivid, portrait, landscape, sunset and black and white. For each of these creative options, contrast, saturation and sharpness can be individually adjusted. Picture Effects are a range of 13 creative effects that can be previewed on the LCD screen or electronic viewfinder and applied to both JPEG stills and movies.

Completing the rear controls are the Playback button and the trash can button for deleting images on the fly, which also doubles up as the new customisable C2 button.

On the left of the A68 is a HDMI output in order to hook the camera up to an HD TV (the cable is once again an additional purchase) alongside the Multi Interface port and the Mic port, all protected by the same rubber flap, and a seperate DC In port. On the right is a dedicated memory card slot with a choice of either SD or Memory Stick to save images to. Two metal eyelets on either side of the body allow the supplied camera strap to be attached. On the bottom of the camera is a compartment for the lithium-ion battery that supplies a life-span of up to 580 images, plus a metal tripod socket that's in-line with the centre of the lens mount.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 24 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 6Mb.

The Sony A68 produced images of very good quality during the review period. The Sony A68's has an extensive ISO range of 100-25600. ISO 100-800 is noise-free, whilst ISO 1600 and 3200 produce more than acceptable results, with ISO 12800 and 25600 OK for emergency use. The RAW samples illustrate just how much processing the camera does by default, though, as they're much noisier at all ISO values than their JPEG counterparts. The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds and the Bulb mode offering lots of scope for creative night photography. The built-in SteadyShot anti-shake system works well when hand-holding the camera at slower shutter speeds.

The effective Dynamic Range Optimizer function extracts more detail from the shadow and highlight areas in an image, without introducing any unwanted noise or other artifacts. The High Dynamic Range mode combines two shots taken at different exposures to produce one image with greater dynamic range than a single image would produce. It only works for JPEGs and for still subjects, but does produce some very effective results. Sony's now tried-and-trusted Sweep Panorama is still a joy to use. The Creative Styles quickly produce special looks that would otherwise require you to spend a lot of time in the digital darkroom, while the Picture Effects provide a quick and easy way to tweak the camera's JPEG images.

Noise

There are 9 ISO settings available on the Sony A68. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting:

JPEG RAW  

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

 
iso100.jpg iso100raw.jpg  
     

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

 
iso200.jpg iso200raw.jpg  
     

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

 
iso400.jpg iso400raw.jpg  
     

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

 
iso800.jpg iso800raw.jpg  
     

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

 
iso1600.jpg iso1600raw.jpg  
     

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

 
iso3200.jpg iso3200raw.jpg  
     

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

 
iso6400.jpg iso6400raw.jpg  
     

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

 
iso12800.jpg iso12800raw.jpg  
     

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

 
iso25600.jpg iso25600raw.jpg  

File Quality

The Sony A68 has 3 different image quality settings available, with Extra Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

24.2M Fine (13.9Mb) (100% Crop) 24.2M Fine (6.15Mb) (100% Crop)
quality_extra_fine.jpg quality_fine.jpg
   
24.2M Standard (4.00Mb) (100% Crop) 24.2M RAW (23.9Mb) (100% Crop)
quality_standard.jpg quality_raw.jpg

Flash

The flash settings on the Sony A68 are Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow sync, Rear flash sync. and High Speed sync., with Red-eye reduction available in the Main Menu. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (27mm)

Flash On - Wide Angle (27mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Flash Off - Telephoto (82.5mm)

Flash On - Telephoto (82.5mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are a couple of portrait shots. Neither the Auto setting or the Red-eye reduction mode caused any amount of red-eye.

Flash On

Flash On (100% Crop)
flash_on.jpg flash_on1.jpg
   

Red-eye reduction

Red-eye reduction (100% Crop)

flash_redeye.jpg flash_redeye1.jpg

Night

The Sony A68's maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds and there's also a Bulb mode for even longer exposures, which is excellent news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 20 seconds at ISO 100.

Night

Night (100% Crop)

night1.jpg night1a.jpg

Steadyshot

The Sony A68 has an antishake mechanism built into the camera body, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, I took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with Shake Reduction turned off, the second with it turned on. Here is a 100% crop of the image to show the results. As you can see, with Shake Reduction turned on, the images are sharper than when it's turned off.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length

Shake Reduction Off (100% Crop)

Shake Reduction On (100% Crop)

1/5sec / 27mm antishake1.jpg antishake1a.jpg
     
1/5sec / 82.5mm antishake2.jpg antishake2a.jpg

Dynamic Range Optimizer

D-Range Optimiser (DRO) is Sony's solution to improve shadow detail in photos taken in contrasty light. There are 5 different levels and an Auto option.

Off

Auto
drange_01.jpg drange_02.jpg
   
Level 1 Level 2
drange_03.jpg drange_04.jpg
   
Level 3 Level 4
drange_05.jpg drange_06.jpg
   
Level 5  
drange_07.jpg  

High Dynamic Range

High Dynamic Range Optimiser (HDR) is Sony's solution for capturing more contrast than a single exposure can handle by combining two exposures into one image. There are 6 different EV settings and an Auto option.

Off

Auto
hdr_01.jpg hdr_02.jpg
   
1EV 2EV
hdr_03.jpg hdr_04.jpg
   
3EV 4EV
hdr_05.jpg hdr_06.jpg
   
5EV 6EV
hdr_07.jpg hdr_08.jpg

Creative Styles

There are 13 Creative Style preset effects that you can use to change the look of your images.

Standard

Vivid

creative_style_01.jpg creative_style_02.jpg
   

Neutral

Clear

creative_style_03.jpg creative_style_04.jpg
   

Deep

Light

creative_style_05.jpg creative_style_06.jpg
   

Portrait

Landscape

creative_style_07.jpg creative_style_08.jpg
   

Sunset

Night Scene

creative_style_09.jpg creative_style_10.jpg
   

Autumn

Black and White

creative_style_11.jpg creative_style_12.jpg
   

Sepia

 
creative_style_13.jpg  

Picture Effects

Just like Olympus and Panasonic, the Sony A68 offers a range of 13 creative Picture Effects (JPEG only).

Off

Toy Camera

picture_effect_01.jpg picture_effect_02.jpg
   

Pop Color

Posterization

picture_effect_03.jpg picture_effect_04.jpg
   

Retro Photo

Soft High-key

picture_effect_05.jpg picture_effect_06.jpg
   

Partial Color (Red)

High Contrast Mono

picture_effect_07.jpg picture_effect_08.jpg
   

Soft Focus

HDR Painting

picture_effect_09.jpg picture_effect_10.jpg
   

Rich-tone Mono

Miniature

picture_effect_11.jpg picture_effect_12.jpg
   

Watercolor

Illustration

picture_effect_13.jpg picture_effect_14.jpg

Sweep Panorama Mode

The Sony A68 allows you to take panoramic images very easily, by 'sweeping' with the camera while keeping the shutter release depressed. The camera does all the processing and stitching and even successfully compensates for moving subjects. The main catch is that the resulting image is of fairly low resolution.

Standard
panorama1.jpg
 
Wide
panorama2.jpg

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Sony A68 camera, which were all taken using the 24 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Sony A68 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Sony RAW (ARW) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 50 frames per second. Please note that this 20 second movie is 84.9Mb in size.

Product Images

Sony A68

Front of the Sony A68

 
Sony A68

Front of the Sony A68

 
Sony A68

Side of the Sony A68

 
Sony A68

Side of the Sony A68

 
Sony A68

Side of the Sony A68

 
Sony A68

Side of the Sony A68

 
Sony A68

Front of the Sony A68 / Flash Raised

 
Sony A68

Rear of the Sony A68

 

Sony A68

Rear of the Sony A68 / Image Displayed

 
Sony A68
Rear of the Sony A68 / Turned On
 
Sony A68
Rear of the Sony A68 / Main Menu
 
Sony A68
Rear of the Sony A68 / Function Menu
 
Sony A68
Rear of the Sony A68 / Tilting LCD Screen
 
Sony A68
Rear of the Sony A68 / Tilting LCD Screen
 
Sony A68
Rear of the Sony A68 / Tilting LCD Screen
 
Sony A68
Top of the Sony A68
 
Sony A68
Bottom of the Sony A68
 
Sony A68
Side of the Sony A68
 
Sony A68
Side of the Sony A68
 
Sony A68
Front of the Sony A68
 
Sony A68
Front of the Sony A68
 
Sony A68
Memory Card Slot
 
Sony A68
Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Sony A68 is an excellent alternative to a mid-range DSLR, offering the same excellent auto-focusing performance as the top-of-the-range A77 II camera.

Image quality from the 24.2 APS-C sensor is also very good. Noise doesn't rear its ugly head until ISO 1600 for JPEGs and even the faster settings prove eminently usable, although the A68 does apply some pretty aggressive noise reduction to keep the files clean, as shown by the much noisier RAW images. The myriad of creative effects such as HDR, Dynamic Range Optimisation, creative styles, picture effects and the proven sweep panorama mode help to get the most out of the A68.

Compared to the more expensive A77 II model, the plastic-bodied A68 is clearly built to a more aggressive price-point, with the low-res LCD screen one of the main concessions. It also doesn't have a magnesium body, 12fps burst mode, 3-way swiveling LCD screen, flash sync socket, or a vertical grip. But if you can live without those features and want to pocket the rather substantial cash saving instead, the A68 is a great SLT camera at a very competitive price.

In summary, the Sony A68 proves that there's still life left in the Sony A-mount camera range. It's both a worthy alternative to the DSLR competition and Sony's smaller-bodied E-mount system.

4 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4
Features 4.5
Ease-of-use 4
Image quality 4
Value for money 4.5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Sony A68.

Canon EOS 760D

The Canon EOS 760D (called the Canon EOS Rebel T6s in North America) is a new DSLR camera that boasts 24 megapixels, top panel LCD and rear panel control wheel, a 19-point autofocus system, Wi-Fi connectivity with NFC pairing and a touch-screen interface. Other key features of the 760D / T6s include burst shooting at 5fps, a vari-angle 3-inch LCD screen with 1,040k dot resolution, ISO range of 100-25,600, 14-bit image processing and Canon's latest Digic 6 processor. Is the Canon EOS 760D / T6i the best mid-range digital SLR camera on the market? Read our expert review to find out...

Fujifilm X-T10

The Fujifilm X-T10 is a new mid-range compact system camera that inherits most of the key features of the flagship X-T1 model. Does the X-T10 cut too many corners to hit its aggressive £499 / $799 price-tag, or does it offer a compelling blend of features, performance and price? Read our in-depth Fujifilm X-T10 review to find out...

Nikon 1 V3

The Nikon 1 V3 is the latest flagship compact system camera from Nikon, boasting an amazingly fast 20fps burst shooting rate with continuous focusing (60fps without), a new tilting touchscreen LCD, built-in wi-fi, new 18.4-megapixel "CX" format sensor and a more compact design . Read our in-depth Nikon 1 V3 review to find out if this is the best Nikon compact system camera yet...

Nikon D5500

The Nikon D5500 is a new 24 megapixel mid-range DSLR camera with a touchscreen interface. The smaller, lighter D5500 also offers 1080/60/50p video recording, ISO range of 100-25,600, 5fps continuous shooting, a range of creative effects, 3.2 inch tilting LCD screen, and a 39-point autofocus system. Read our in-depth Nikon D5500 review now...

Olympus OM-D E-M10 II

The new Olympus OM-D E-M10 II is a new entry-level mirrorless camera with some pro-level features - 5-axis image stabilisation, 8.5fps burst shooting, 4K time-lapse movies, electronic shutter - housed in a small, lightweight and stylish body. Is this the best compact system camera under £550 / $650? Read our in-depth Olympus OM-D E-M10 II review to find out...

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX80

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX80 is a new mid-range compact system camera. With a 16 megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor with no optical low pass filter, new dual 5-axis image stabilization, built-in electronic viewfinder, 3 inch tilting LCD touchscreen, 4K video and photo modes, and integrated wi-fi connectivity, can the Panasonic GX80 live up to its early promise? Read our in-depth Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX80 review complete with sample images, test shots, videos and more to find out...

Pentax K-S2

The Pentax K-S2 is a new, very capable entry-level DSLR camera. The weather-proof K-S2 offers 20 megapixels, a variable-angle LCD monitor, an 11-point AF system, 3-inch LCD screen, an optical viewfinder with 100% frame coverage, wireless LAN and NFC functionality, and an ISO range of 100-51200, all for £550 / $700 body only. Read our in-depth Pentax K-S2 review now...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Sony A68 from around the web.

techradar.com »

Sony has produced a camera that offers real performance and value for money for enthusiasts and ambitious beginners, but the mediocre kit lens, build quality and rear display show that corners have been cut.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Size & Weight

Dimensions (W x H x D)
Approx. 142.6 x 104.2 x 82.8 mm
Weight
596 g (Body Only) / 675 g (With battery and media)

Lens

Lens Mount
Sony A-mount
Lens Compatibility
Sony A-mount lenses, operation with Minolta/Konica Minolta lenses confirmed

Sensor

Sensor Type
APS-C type (23.5 x 15.6mm) Exmor™ CMOS sensor
Sensor Type
APS-C type (23.5 x 15.6mm) Exmor™ CMOS sensor
Number Of Pixels (Effective)
Approx.24.2 MP
Number of Pixels (total)
Approx.24.8 MP
Image Sensor Aspect Ratio
3:2
Anti-Dust System
Yes

Zoom

Smart zoom (Still Image)
M: Approx. 1.4x, S: Approx. 2
Digital zoom (Still Image)
L: Approx. 4x, M: Approx. 5.7x, S: Approx. 8
Digital zoom (Movie)
Yes (4x)

Recording (still images)

Recording Format (Still images)
JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver. 2.3, MPF Baseline compliant), RAW (Sony ARW 2.3 format)
Image Size (pixels), 3:2
L: 6000 x 4000 (24M), M: 4240 x 2832 (12M), S: 3008 x 2000 (6.0M)
Image Size (pixels), 16:9
L: 6000 x 3376 (20M), M: 4240 x 2400 (10M), S:3008 x 1688 (5.1M)
Image Size (pixels), Sweep Panorama
Standart Horizontal 8,192 x 1,856 (15M), Vertical 3,872 x 2,160 (8.4M) Wide Horizontal 12,416 x 1,856 (23M), Vertical 5,536 x 2,160 (12M)
Image Quality Modes
RAW, RAW & JPEG, JPEG Extra fine, JPEG Fine, JPEG Standard
Creative Style
Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Clear, Deep, Light, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Autumn leaves, Black & White, Sepia, Style Box (1-6), (Contrast (-3 to +3 steps), Saturation
Dynamic Range Functions
Off, Dynamic Range Optimizer (Auto/Level(1-5)), Auto High Dynamic Range(Auto Exposure Difference, Exposure difference Level (1-6EV, 1.0EV step))

Recording (movie)

Recording Format
XAVC S / AVCHD 2.0 / MP4
Video Compression
XAVC S:MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 XAVC S, AVCHD:MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, MP4:MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
Audio Recording Format
XAVC S:LPCM 2ch AVCHD:Dolby Digital (AC-3) 2ch, Dolby Digital Stereo Creator
Movie Functions
AF Drive Speed, AF Tracking Duration, Audio Level Display, Audio Rec Level, Auto Slow Shutter, HDMI Info. Display

Other Features

Face Detection
On/ On (Regist. Faces) / Off
Auto Object Framing
Yes (Still Images)
Clear Image Zoom
Yes (approx.2x)
Lens Compensation
BIONZ X™

Storage Media

Compatible Recording Media
Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo™, Memory Stick PRO Duo™, Memory Stick XC-HG Duo, SD, SDHC, SDXC memory cards (UHS-I compliant)

Noise reduction

Noise Reduction
Long exposure NR: On/Off , available of shutter speeds longer than 1 sec., High ISO NR: Normal/Low/Off selectable
Multi Frame NR
Auto

White Balance

White Balance Modes
Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent (Warm White / Cool White / Day White / Daylight), Flash, Color temperature (2500 to 9900K), Color Filter (G7 to M7, A7 to B7), Custom (1 / 2 / 3), Custom Set
Bracketing
3 frames, H/L selectable

Focus

Focus Sensor
CCD line sensors
Focus Sensitivity Range
EV -2 to 18 (at ISO 100 equivalent)
AF Mode
Single-shot AF (AF-S), Continuous AF (AF-C), Automatic AF (AF-A)
Focus Area
Wide, Zone, Center, Flexible Spot, Expanded Flexible Spot, Lock-On AF (Wide, Zone, Center, Flexible Spot, Expanded Flexible Spot)
Other Features
Eye-start AF, Eye AF, Predictive control, Focus lock, AF On
AF Illuminator
Built-in, auto pop-up
AF Illuminator range
Approx. 1m - 5m / Approx. 3.3 to 16.4 feet

Exposure

Metering Type
1200-zone evaluative metering
Metering Sensor
Exmor™ CMOS Sensor
Metering Mode
Multi segment, Spot, Center weighted
Exposure Modes
AUTO (Intelligent Auto / Superior Auto), Scene Selection, Sweep Panorama, Continuous Advance Priority AE, Movie, Programmed AE, Aperture priority, Shutter-speed priority, Manual, Memory recall
Scene Selection
Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports Action, Sunset, Night Portrait, Night Scene, Hand-held Twilight
Exposure Compensation
+/-5.0 EV (1/3EV, 1/2EV steps selectable)
Auto (AE) Bracketing
Bracket: Cont./Bracket: Single, With 1/3EV, 1/2EV, 2/3EV, 1.0EV, 2.0EV, 3.0EV increments, 3 /5 frames
AE Lock
AE is also locked when focus is locked in multi-segment metering mode. ("AEL w/ shutter"(Auto/On/Off) is supported) Available with AE lock button
ISO Sensitivity
Movie: ISO100 - 12800 equivalent(1/3 EV step), AUTO ( ISO 100-12800 equivalent, selectable the lower limit and the upper limit), Still Image: ISO100 - 25600 (1/3 EV step), AUTO ( ISO 100-25600, selectable the lower limit and the upper limit)

Viewfinder

Viewfinder Type
0.39"-type electronic viewfinder
Number of Dots
1 440 000 dots
Magnification
Approx. 0.88x (35mm camera equivalent: Approx. 0.57x) with 50mm lens at infinity, -1m style name="sup" -1 /style
Dioptre Adjustment
-4.0 to +3.0m style name="sup" -1 /style
Eye Point
Approx. 26.5mm from the eyepiece lens, 23mm from the eyepiece frame at -1 style name="sup" -1 /style (CIPA standard)

LCD Screen

Screen Type
2.7" type TFT LCD
Total Number of Dots
460 800 dots
Brightness Control (LCD)
Manual (5 steps between -2 and +2)

Shutter

Shutter Type
Electronically-controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane type
Shutter Speed
Still images: 1/4000 to 30 sec/Bulb;Movies: 1/4000 to 1/4 (1/3 step), up to 1/60 in AUTO mode (up to 1/30 in Auto slow shutter mode)
Flash Sync. Speed
1 / 160 sec.

Flash

Flash Compensation
+/- 3.0 EV (switchable between 1/3 and 1/2 EV steps)
Flash Modes
Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow sync, Red-eye reduction (on/off selectable), Rear sync.,Wireless, High Speed sync.

Drive

Drive Modes
Single Shooting, Continuous shooting (Hi/Lo selectable), Self-timer (10/2 sec delay selectable), Self-timer (Cont.) (with 10 sec delay 3/5 exposures selectable), Bracket: Cont., Bracket: Single, White Balance bracket, DRO bracket
Continues Shooting
Continuous Advance Priority AE: Max. 8fps, Continuous shooting Hi: Max. 5fps, Continuous shooting Lo: Max. 2.5fps

Interface

Multi Interface Shoe
Microphone minijack; Multi/Micro USB Terminal; Multi Interface Shoe

Power

Supplied Battery
NP-FM500H M-series Rechargeable Battery Pack
Battery Life (Still Images)
Up to 580 shots

Others

Body Material
flag

Footnotes

*
Specifications and features are subject to change without notice.

What's In The Box

  • Accessory shoe cap
  • Battery charger BC-VM10A
  • Body cap
  • Eyepiece cup
  • Micro USB cable
  • Power cord
  • Rechargeable Battery NP-FM500H
  • Shoulder strap

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