Sony Alpha a500 & a550 preview - new Alpha DSLR cameras from Sony

[luiscarag]

Great Cam I own one beats the hell out of it's competitors in the same level

[everfresh59]

Still waiting for Sony to include video recording at 24fps. Hurry up Sony, my money is in your wallet.

[parabellumantonio]

Do you need a optical viewfinder in this camera? buy a P&S.

[parabellumantonio]

DSC A550 wow! =)

[feelgoodaboutit]

Don't waste your money on this heavy mess. I own it with the Carl Z. lens. In auto mode, it can't adjust to different lighting as well as my Kodak. I really don't think Sony knows how to make full frame since it's new to them. Also, this camera does not take video, which I've found I like on my camera. I have made a pricey mistake and now I'm trying to sell it on E-Bay.

[sasktank]

what about the auto hdr feature ???

[RobinMoviesOffical]

Im gonna buying the a230. I,am new in dslr camera´s so that one is cheap because of Xmas. ;)

[CharlieCorrupted]

Video title says a500 & a500

[WhatDigitalCamera]

@CharlieCorrupted - Thanks. Corrected now.

[CharlieCorrupted]

No prob :]

[barryfitzgerald29]

Sdfrien the D90 is a bit more expensive than these models, but the point remains. For current A mount users, esp A100 and Km5d ones, these new models lack many features present on past ones. No reason why Sony could not have made one "D90" non LV model, with a better VF and real photographer features. Smile detection isn't going to cut it v MLU and having a sensor LV system, with no way to stop the lens down is odd.

Lack of video will also cost them sales.

[Sdfrien]

I agree. They could have made the "d90" of the alphas. I don't think video is all that important on a DSLR though. Not that it wouldn't be handy, but the whole point of the camera to me is to take stills, I use the sony fx series to take care of my motion needs. Although, the video feature is definitely "eye-"catching" so Sony is definitely going to have to add that to keep up with competitors.

[MatthewBuick]

I think I've gone off Sony personally. These don't look like very good photographers cameras. Roll on a Pentax KX/K7.

[lexam55]

what is different a500 and a500?

[RedroomStudios]

he says in the video.

14.2Mp vs 21.2 Mp

7 fps vs 5 fps

921k LED screen vs 230k

[cannihole]

its 14.2 vs. 12.2!!! not 21.2MP! greetz

[RedroomStudios]

yes, a bad typing mistake on my part! wish there was an edit feature for comments.

[barryfitzgerald29]

Shame it's missing some important stuff

Like: No MLU, or DOF preview, or P shift, sensor looks good, but it's poorly featured compared to a D90 (in all but FPS)

[Sdfrien]

you have to keep in mind that the D90 isn't classified as a sub1000 camera. The a500 and 550 are designed to be the "in-between" from amateur to pro. the D90 is a bit heavy on the Pro side as with a pro price. I'm purchasing the a500 in about 3 weeks. the d90 is an excellent camera for the price but it's a bit much for what I need.

[dvamateur]

Nice camera, but in this price range, I can almost get Olympus E-3 or Pentax K7, so I'd rather get one of these. So far I have Olympus E-500 and Sony A900. I have to admit that I am kind of drooling over the Pentax K7. I especially like the K7's HDR (high dynamic range) feature and lens distortion correction, and the weather sealing of course. I don't care much for live view or video mode. I have my Sony camcorder for this with XLR mic inputs. Although shallow depth of field of SLR is good

[takemedowntown0]

I really hope Sony DSLRs become more popular. In many ways, they have superior features when compared to Nikon and Canon. I just wish they were better looking (the buttons are messily placed).

[conory]

Not on the a700 + a850/900

[StingRayINC]

hmm there is a point that maybe Sony would like to improve on, the Manual LIVE VIEW CHECK. I read from an article and they said that the Manual live view check cannot be performed while snapping RAW format.

[SamsVlogsandVideos]

The A550 seems like the best DSLR (from a features standpoint) for under a grand. Let's hope the final image quality measures up.

As far as the people whining about no video, who cares! Buy a good camcorder.

[evilskin]

I... agree.

having video on a Photo camera doesn't make much sense..

as much as I want an HD video capturing device, i wouldn't want my $1000 dslr to attempt the gimmick.

[ddnn3]

My view on video features in SLR's is that you can attach any lens for different affects such as shallow DOF. With a camcorder, you need to invest in a rail system and DOF adapter to use other lenses. Video is a great feature and because other manufacturers are including it, Sony has to in order to match their feature set. I shoot sony and I'm waiting for an slr with video capabilities.

[GALB722]

WDC give me a A230 review please !!!!!!

[WhatDigitalCamera]

It's coming. Keep checking our website

[lexam55]

no video yet?

[rhddrifter86]

Why? its a DSLR not a camcorder.

[fwjensen]

the headline is written wrong

[mahamza86]

I m happy that sony didn't followed the designs of a380 and a230.

These are serious cameras.

Any news of Backlit CMOS sensor??????

[masticina]

Does this one has the ExMor sensor?

[WhatDigitalCamera]

Yes, both models have a 12.3/14.2 effective megapixel (α500/ α550) Exmor™ CMOS sensor, new enhanced BIONZ processor and high sensitivity up to ISO 12800.

[WhatDigitalCamera]

Full news story on our site.

[masticina]

Wooohooo now that I call great news ;)

I shall definitely deepen my research into this wonderful camera.

[MandeepGadgetBoy]

lol

[miike111]

lol at what ???

[MandeepGadgetBoy]

errr I don't know...