Sony Alpha SLT-A55V DSLR with Translucent Mirror Technology and 3D Sweep Panorama (Camera Body only) (Black)

The Sony A55 is rather unique camera. Although it looks and handles like a (small) Digital SLR camera, it does not have the traditional Reflective Mirror and consequently, no optical viewfinder. Instead the camera relies on a very good Live View (LCD Framing) system and a very good electronic viewfinder. The technology is called Translucent Mirror Technology and I believe it is propietary and only found in some SONY manufactured digital cameras. Although Live View is a feature found on most, if not all, recently released DSLR cameras, focusing and shooting performace is sluggish on all non-Sony cameras. The Sony A330 series was actually somewhat revolutionary as it featured a traditional single lens reflex (SLR) mirror system with an optical viewfinder and a very responsive Live LCD view system on the same camera by employing secondary-sensor Live View. Translucent Mirror Technology takes this technology to a new level. The optical viewfinder has been replaced with a fully electronic viewfinder. Although I personally prefer an optical viewfinder to frame photographs, I was very impressed with the A55. Both the LCD and the electronic viewfinder are very bright and sharp. The LCD fully articulates but inexplicably, pivots on the bottom (not on the side) making it less useful than it could be. The camera knows when to switch from the LCD to the viewfinder (and visa versa) based upon a sensor for that purpose. I learned that an electronic viewfinder has one convenient and practical advantage over its optical counterpart. With an electronic viewfinder it is no longer necessary to review the photo just shot on the LCD; the viewfinder may be used for both shooting and reviewing. This is especially helpful when shooting multiple photographs in rapid succession. The camera uses an excellent 16mp sensor found in other quality DSLRs including the Nikon D5100. Default settings generally renders natural color and fine details. ISO performance is fine through ISO 1600. ISO 3200 does show some grainy noise and loss of detail upon close inspection (but still very pleasing color and generally very usable photographs). There are no ISO settings between 1600 and 3200, an issue definitely not unique to the A55. Automatic white balance and metering are excellent indoors and outdoors except that there is some overexposure in bright sunshine (easily fixed by adjusting the exposure compensation a bit or by switching to spot metering). I highly recommend using a small external flash with bounce capabilities for indooor shooting(ie the HVLF20AM) for more accurate and more even exposure. The A55 is a bit smaller and lighter than almost all traditional DSLRs (but a bit larger and heavier than most compact series cameras). Image stabilization (steadyshot) is built in to the camera body; consequently all lenses are automatically stabilized and a bit lighter than the Canon & Nikon equivalents. A really versatile lens that is very inexpensive, very light and reasonably sharp is the Sigma 18-200mm (27-300mm equiv). This lens is branded under other names such as Quantaray and can be found for not much more than the price of a kit lens. I believe that all Sony Alpha & many Minolta Lenses are fully compatible with the A55 (some high quality/fast aperture Minolta lenses are available rather inexpensively). The Sony 18-55mm (27-84mm equiv) kit lens is pretty good as far as kit lenses go. The older 18-70mm kit lens is not very good and should be avoided. For those who like the shooting experience of a DSLR and prefer live view and/or an electronic viewfinder, the A55 is a great camera and a terrific value.

I have had two Sony A55V cameras. The first body lasted about a year and then I got an error message. I sent it for repair but needed to shoot that weekend so purchased another body. The first body came back fixed and I had two. The next body went bad about six months after I started using it and I sent it for repair. It came back. The first one is now dead again. I do not expect the second to last more than another few months. Basically, it has an electronic error that makes it just stop shooting. This isn't because of the way I handle the cameras and it isn't a lemon problem; other photographers have reported the same issues. Sony will fix it for a year and then you're out $250 if you want it fixed again. I will switch to Canon. I loved the color profile and loved the camera but it's just too expensive to replace every year.

The pros: * Very impressed with the speed, noise level and resolution. It's also very easy to use (works exactly like a point and shoot in AUTO mode). * It's SMALL! * The AUTO+ mode is really awesome when you want to take good pictures without worrying about manually setting the camera, or when you're in a hurry, or even when someone not experienced in your family wants to take a portrait of you or shoot landscapes. * The "Handheld twilight" scene mode is pure gold. It takes several exposures in sequence and combines them. * The camera is more than worth the money. Now for some cons because nothing is perfect: * Full-HD video mode is in practice limited to about 3 minutes because of overheating, with is frustating. Per Sony's website, you can get up to 29 minutes if you turn Super Steady Shot off, but image stabilization is very welcome for handheld video. * Bracketed exposures appears to be limited to +- 0.7 EV. I wish there was no such limit. * The EVF can be a nuisanse in rare occasions, but I think it's worth the beneffits. * When review is turned on, both the EVF and live-view blacks out in between shots, adding some delay between focus + exposures (single drive). I think this could be corrected by a firmware upgrade (hear me, Sony?), where the EVF continually shows the live subject, where the live view displays the review *if* my eye is out of the viewfinder range. This would allow the SLT to work in a more similar way to other reflex/optical viewfinder cameras. * Not many shortcuts to turn on and off features like metering mode, focus mode, drive mode etc, but again, it's a camera that won't intimidate much the not-initiated * You have to leave Power saving in an agressive setting, or else battery will be an issue. * In practice, GPS won't lock indoors, and will take 1-2 mins to lock even with clear sky. * I didn't find Auto-HDR to be much useful since it shoots only on JPEG, and also couldn't quite get appealing pictures with it (yet), but I definitely need more practice with it. * Sony software (like PMB) is not the most flexible and open around. The RAW format (ARW) is not the most popular, but Adobe supports it fine. All those things are minimal in the light of

I have had several cameras over the past few years, including Nikon (D90), Canon (D40 and currently 7D), and Panasonic (GH1 and GF1). I actually bought this camera while waiting for the new GH2. The GH1 was one of my favorite cameras, but because of the low fps speed, I upgraded to the 7D. I missed the ease of the autofocus for some shooting, so I was waiting for the GH2 when I saw this, and decided to try it. So far, I am VERY impressed. One of the major features that I was pleasantly surprised with was the 10fps shooting. I didn't have high hopes for this, but it is actually very good. If you have good light, almost all of the action shots are crystal clear. I initially bought the body only, with a Tamron lens, but noticed that the AF was pretty slow in video compared to Sony lens examples I have seen online, so I have exchanged the Tamron for a Sony 16-105mm lens, which is in the mail as we speak (a great advantage of buying here). I am still waiting so I will update this review later. I also hope to try a f1.8 lens soon and will test the 10fps in lower light. The video mode seems to be very clear and crisp, reminds me more of the Panasonic. There is only one HD mode, which is 1080 60i, nothing available at 720, but as good as the video is at this rate, that is ok with me. The AF seems to be very good, and I hope it will be a little faster with the Sony lens. Low light video seems to be pretty good too, still pretty clear. Editing on a Mac is easy, no problems. Low light shooting is a little different too. I saw one review where the reviewer talked about comparing it to a Nikon 2.8 lens, which I found hard to believe. But, this seems to take a couple or more shots when in low light, then puts together a great photo. Almost like the HDR option. So, if you have a tripod in low light, you should get some pretty amazing photos, even on a f3.5. Speaking of the HDR option, it works very well. This weekend while in Phoenix, I took some sample shots and it seemed to really remove some of the dark shadow spots on some of the pics, making them much better photos. Haven't been able to test it fully, but happy with what I saw. Other nice features are built in GPS, mic and remote input, rotating screen, and panoramic sweep mode (which works very well also). A couple downers were the proprietary hotshoe, and the screen rotates from the bottom, rather than the side, which I can see being not being as strong as the Panasonic. I will try to update this review when I get the Sony lens and try a f1.8 with the 10 fps on inside sports, but very happy with this selection so far!

I purchased this camera half a year ago, and have made fairly frequent use of it at home and abroad. I chose it for several reasons. I had been using a Sony a300 for a couple of years (until it was broken in an accident), and had used several Sony cameras in succession before as well, so I was familiar with the way Sony cameras work, had lenses that would fit this body, and had good experiences with the quality of the manufacturing. Also, I was impressed with the range of innovative features the camera offers, which seems unmatched in this price range. After reading several very positive reviews, I had high expectations. Fortunately, those expectations have been met. I am very happy with the photos this camera takes. I often utilize the built-in HDR function, and although the resulting photos need a bit of post-production to satisfy me, they are a great starting point for striking photos. The special low-light handheld mode produces surprisingly good results, sometimes yielding usable photos even in very dark environments (not usable for professional purposes, perhaps, but good enough for personal use). Thanks to the HDR and low-light mode, I should have left my tripod at home during my recent trip to Ireland - I never needed to use it. I also really appreciate the on-screen digital level, which helps me keep the horizon truly horizontal when I want it to be (and the cool overlay makes me feel like I'm flying an expensive aircraft at the same time). I have not had big issues with the battery life (which is one of the most common complaints I'd seen when I bought it), but that is probably due in part to the fact that I usually shoot using the small EVF and not the large LCD screen on the back of the camera. I only use the big screen for changing settings or reviewing photos, or for very specific photo setups where it is inconvenient or uncomfortable to use the small EVF. However, the fact that the LCD screen swings out and turns around is priceless when you need it. My one complaint would be that I don't like the placement of some of the buttons and dials. I think the setup of the a300 was somewhat better in this regard. One of the dials is a little uncomfortable for me to reach while shooting without shifting my grip back and forth, and some of the buttons are easy to bump accidentally while shooting in the profile orientation. However, these are minor complaints. If I were purchasing again today, I'd still buy this camera.

This camera overheats. Sony knows about it, and suggests to turn the image stabilization off. This is outrageous by itself - I paid big money for this camera to be able to shoot handheld - but also does not help much. Worth even, I discovered this after 14 days return period, so now I have to put it on ebay. Not only does it overheat with the image stabilization on - that happens after 5 minutes - but also with it off, after 20 minutes or so. Imagine yourself in the middle of an important shoot, when this thing decides to shut itself off. The opportunity is gone. Moreover, it is nerve-wracking to operate because of that - instead of thinking about the shooting, you think about how much of the shoot you can skip so it won't overheat at the more important part. Without the ability to shoot the video with continuous autofocus, this camera becomes much worse value for money then SLRs from Canon, Nikon, and pretty much everyone else. Irritating, and absolutely useless for the purposes it is advertised. I will never buy anything made by Sony, ever again. Update: I finally managed to sell this piece of junk, with full disclosure, to some Sony fanboy, and bought Canon 60D. Didn't overheat even once, and I use it a lot for shooting both video and stills. Definitely Sony's fault.

Wow, what can I say about this camera. After reading all the possible reviews out there for Nikon, Canon, and Sony cameras, I ended up buying this camera. In a nutshell, SLR camera's are like LCD TVs (old technology) and SLT cameras are like LED TVs. :) This camera is little smaller when compared to Nikon 5000 camera. To compliment this camera, I bought Sony SAL18250 Alpha DT 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 High Magnification Zoom Lens w/Lens Hood , which produces accurate and ultra super photos. I also bought Sony Alpha Soft Carrying Case for DSLR , Tiffen 62mm UV Protection Filter and Sony 16 GB PRO-HG Duo HX Memory Stick MSHX16A (Black) along with this camera. Pros: 1) Fantastic Translucent Mirror Technology 2) 10fps shooting for this price (compare at $5000 cameras) 3) Phase Detection, SteadyShot optical image stabilization, and 3D Sweep Panorama 4) Electronic view finder for shooting and viewing the photos 5) Full-time autofocus, face detection, and smile detection 6) Continuous shooting as well as allowing full-time AF during live view and movie capture 7) Records AVCHD video at 1920 x 1080 (1080i, 60ps) with stereo microphone and also supports MPEG movies 8) New Auto+ mode makes multi-shot exposure modes possible automatically without owner intervention 9) Good body-based image stabilization system further extends low-light capabilities 10) Built-in flash can wirelessly control remote slave flashes 11) An integrated GPS allows for automatic geo-tagging of stills and videos. 12) Face Recognition Technology, can detect up to 8 faces 13) Li-ion power source (330 images with viewfinder, 380 images with LCD monitor) 14) Memory Stick PRO Duo, Pro-HG Duo, PRO-HG HX Duo media as well as SD, SDHC and SDXC memory card slots Cons: 1) Grip might be too small for some 2) Plan to go broke buying better lenses This will be THE one camera, that you won't upgrade for a long time for sure. Have Fun!

This camera died and will cost too much to replace. Will not power on at all. Only had 20,000 images on it. Other than that it was a good camera. Since replaced it with the Sony a77.