Sony Alpha SLT-A57, Featured-Filled Entry-Level DSLR Camera

Sony Alpha SLT-A57

(Image Credit: asia.cnet.com)

Sony introduced the Sony Alpha SLT-A57, the successor to the Sony Alpha A55V. The Sony Alpha SLT-A57 is the most recent translucent-mirror digital camera of Sony that offers users new features even as the integrated geo-tagging capability was removed.

The Sony Alpha SLT-A57 comes with a better body design and better image processor even though it has an identical resolution as its predecessor. The new camera offering from Sony will offer better image quality although it may not fully use its maximum ISO 16000 sensitivity.

Some of the features that come with the camera include the Auto Portrait Framing feature which facilitates the positioning of the subject within the frame using face detection. Cropping on the Sony Alpha SLT-A57 is also facilitated by the same feature using face detection, which has exasperated some observers since the technology used by Sony makes sure that the image is 16MP rather than using the size it was cropped in.

The Sony Alpha SLT-A57 also uses AVCHD 2, which supports 1080p videos, and comes with the new EVF. The camera also features the first-curtain shutter found on previously-released models along with the Picture Effects feature.

Instead of using an optical viewfinder, a phase-detection autofocus system on the Sony Alpha SLT-A57 features is run using its fixed internal reflex mirror since the Sony Alpha SLT series uses an LCD viewfinder together with a three-inch LCD screen.

The burst shooting mode of the Sony Alpha SLT-A57 is reportedly faster than DSLRS from Nikon and Canon that have the same price as the Sony camera. The Sony unit can shoot 12 fps using the 8MP resolution while the 16MP resolution allows the device to shoot 10 fps.

At full resolution the burst mode is at 8 fps using the manual aperture control.

Sony compared the Sony Alpha SLT-A57 with the D5100 of Nikon and the EOS Revel T3i of Canon which showed that its auto-focus system was more versatile with its fifteen discrete auto-focus points that are found on three cross-sensors.

Some industry watchers have indicated that the features offered by the Sony Alpha SLT-A57 is suitable for the price point it is offered in, which may be appealing to a number of videographers and sports photography enthusiasts who are conscious of cost.

The Sony Alpha SLT-A57 with the 18-55mm kit lens has a price tag of $800 while the body-only kit is priced at around $700.