16.2 megapixels with Sony's Exmor HD APS sensor
1080/60i Full HD movies2-the same as many networks
Image layering: Multi-Frame NR & Hand-held Twilight
Auto HDR captures more contrast than one exposure can
This review is from: Sony DSLRA580L ?580 DSLR Camera and DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 Lens (Black)Short version: this is easily the most sophisticated pro-sumer dslr on the planet. (*Amendment: If the A77 lives up to the rumors it will assume that title.) It has a set of features that make it easier to take great pictures in the most challenging circumstances. This review is for the camera with the kit lens. The lens is a compromise: the body and moving parts are essentially all lightweight plastic. I even noticed some plastic-on-plastic chatter when zooming in and out. But Sony knew that their flagship pro-sumer camera (the A700 is getting long in the tooth) had better perform well, so they put the money in the optics. I tested this lens against five others using eye-charts at 20 feet, and guess what? It was in the upper third of the heap in center sharpness in its zoom range, and it was in company that costs roughly 5X the extra money you pay for it over the camera body price. It is exactly what Sony intended it to be: a great place to start, and a good-enough place to stay. Now for the longer version of the review.When Sony bought the Mind of Minolta, melded it with the minds of one of the world's leading multi-media companies, and backed it with Sony financial muscle, good things started happening for digital photography. Sony corporate revenue is 10 times that of Nikon and Canon put together, and when Sony shows up, they come to play. I have had an A550 for over a year, but on careful reading of specs and the A580 owner's manual, I decided to upgrade. The DSLR innovations from Sony are beginning to snowball. This review is based on several weeks of testing and use of the A580, with particular attention to the new features. This camera is ahead of every other camera on the planet in three areas that are critical to non-professionals: 1. low light performance - it is excellent out to ISO 6400 (Pros care about this too.) *Amendment: The word on the street is that Sony is now selling this camera's sensor to Nikon for use in the D5100. 2. fast-focusing live view with tilt screen, which is slightly better than several other Sony offerings and beats all other brands like a drum 3. high dynamic range (HDR) feature, which, for stationary subjects, will bring images out of the shadows with full detail, grain-free, like you won't believe The A580/560 has added the video capability that the A550/500 lacked. It shoots 1080/60i, which deinterlaces in a 1080p TV to become 1080/30p and is technically better than what you get from the high-def movie standard of 1080/24p, but is not up to the 1080p/60p of the most recent video cams. It can be very, very sharp according to your optics and your success at focusing. Much has been made of the A55/35's capability for continuous autofocus while shooting. The A580/560 does not focus during video shooting, but it does something that the A55/35 does not: it allows you to choose the lens aperture f-number. (Higher f-number means a more closed down aperture, means more of your scene in focus, and means you may need more light when you take advantage of it.) The A580 allows manual focus while shooting, but that's awkward without a tripod. The A55/35 shoots only wide open (with minimum depth of focus), which is necessary to support the dynamic autofocus function. On the A580/560, you can zoom while you shoot, but you can't change the aperture while shooting. (The manual is extremely confusing on that point.) With the A580/560, you set up your focus and your f-number before you start shooting. (Use aperture priority and press your still-photography shutter halfway to set the focus.) Then you press the video button, and focus stays fixed until you stop shooting video and change it (unless you adjust manually). Given that this is an APS-C sensor, you should be able to get enough depth of focus to cover most - but not all - circumstances. If you need a lot of your scene in focus at once, the A580/560 is preferable; if you need to follow a objects as they move a lot closer or a lot further away, the A55/35 is your best bet. Both designs will have a heating problem if you shoot video continuously for more than a few minutes, which most of us rarely do. So far what I've done with video has looked very sharp. When shooting video, you can't use the optical viewfinder. The A580/560 has done away with two of the three most-significant negatives that I had identified for the A550/500. The only one left is lack of program shift, although there is a very useful manual-mode shift, which is often overlooked by professional reviewers. The rest of this review will explain the still-camera features and their associated benefits and l...
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