Sony 16.2 Megapixels Alpha SLT A55 Review by DCI With Rating 8.3/10

On August 23 2010, Sony announced the two new Alpha cameras - the 16.2 Megapixels α55 (model SLT-A55V) and 14.2 Megapixels α33 (model SLT-A33). These two cameras adopt Sony's newly-developed Translucent Mirror Technology, which achieves the highest-level of auto focus speed for both still image and movie shooting. 

Using the new technology, the α55 and α33 models can continuously and quickly focus (with TTL phase-detection) while shooting stills and recording Full HD AVCHD video. The α55 can shoot continuously at up to 10 fps (frames per second), while α33 can shoot 7 fps. Because of its structure, the Translucent Mirror Technology does away with the motion of raising and lowering the mirror. The absence of the moving mirror mechanism contributes to making the whole body size significantly compact compared to traditional DSLR cameras.

"The SLT-A55 is a new spin on the conventional SLR, with a translucent mirror that lets most light through, so the camera can shoot and focus at the same time. The result is a camera that has the advantages of an SLR (quick and flexible focusing and high quality images) but shoots much faster: 10 frames a second. At about $850 for the camera body and kit lens, the SLT-A55 is at the high end of the price range for low-end SLRs. It has the image quality to justify the cost, though: we found that the images it took had good color and excellent overall sharpness, and the video looked great. However, the SLT-A55 also has the downsides of an SLR: it is a large, bulky camera that has a somewhat confusing menu system and only has a limited range of lenses available. Sony does offer some cheaper alternatives: The SLT-A33 is pretty much the same camera as the A55, but with lower resolution (14 megapixels) and no GPS receiver for $100 less. We found that the SLT-A55 performed well in low light, which was a concern: the permanently placed mirror does reflect some light away from the sensor, but this does not seem to affect the low light performance significantly. We also found that this camera captured mostly accurate (if a little oversaturated) color, and had only moderate noise. The wide ISO range does come at a cost, though: the noise gets more prominent at the higher ISO settings. The multi-frame NR does help, but that only works effectively with still subjects. 

The Sony SLT-A55V did a very good job in all of our video tests and the camera handled surprisingly well as a video recording device. The big downside, however, is the fact that there are very few manual controls available--including no aperture or shutter speed adjustment--when recording video with the camera. This is troublesome for users looking to replace their pro or prosumer camcorder with the SLT-A55V. Hopefully, Sony will offer more manual video options on its future video-capable DSLRs. There are a lot of buttons and controls on the camera body, but these are well placed and laid out for frequent use, allowing most controls to be accessed without taking your eye away from the viewfinder. The menu system is somewhat more awkward, though: both the function menu and main menu require a lot of scrolling to get to the features you need. But once you figure out the layout, the SLT-A55 is an easy camera to use. "