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Sony 12.3 Megapixels Alpha DSLR-A500 Review by CNET With Rating 3.5/5

2010-07-21 01:18 | Tag:  CNET  Rating  Alpha  Sony  Megapixels  | Source
Average Camera Review Rating [4 reviews]
On August 27 2009, Sony announces two mid-range APS-C-sensor DSLRs, the DSLR-A550 and DSLR-A500. Both cameras features the unique ability to create two-shot high-dynamic-range images automatically, producing images of high-contrast subjects with balanced shadow and highlight areas by combining two images taken a fraction of a second apart. Using a system calls 'positional interpolation' to compensate for slight changes in position between shots, these are the first cameras that provide in-camera HDR without a tripod.

The camera's metering system can determine how wide an exposure adjustment should be made between the two shots, or the user can specify bracketing values. In either case, the composite is created by the camera rather than using external software. Speedy shooting plays a role in making the HDR feature practical - minimal movement between exposures helps with precise alignment. The A500 and A550 also speed through continuous shooting assignments, with default burst rates of 5 frames per second shooting with the viewfinder and 4 fps in Live View mode.

The main difference between the two cameras are the sensor resolution with the A550 at 14.2 Megapixels, while the A500 comes with 12.3 Megapixels. The more expensive A550 comes with a high-res 3-inch display with 920,000-dot resolution, while the A500 screen is a 230,000-dot screen. The rest of the features are similar between the two new DSLRs. Both cameras offer articulated LCDs that tilt 90 degrees up and down. Both cameras use a 9-point autofocus system and use phase-detect sensor for focusing in Live View mode as well as viewfinder shooting. These new models add Manual Focus Check Live View, providing 7x and 14x views for precise manual focusing operations, including macro photography. Both cameras include pop-up flash, HDMI output and face and smile detection. Smile Shutter and Face Detection that is popular in the Sony's Cyber-Shot point and shoot are also included in these new DSLR models. The cameras can accommodate both Sony's Memory Stick PRO and standard SD/SDHC cards. The two bodies are essentially identical at 5.39 x 4.09 x 3.31 inches  (137 x 104 x 84mm). Here is the recent review of the DSLR-A500 camera by CNET, giving the camera a rating of 3.5 out of 5:

"While the A550 and A500 have very similar noise profiles, the A500's photos have much better color accuracy, and in fact, its JPEG color accuracy is a lot better than that of most of Sony's other consumer dSLRs. Its image colors are nicely saturated and pleasing, though it has a bit of trouble with the deep pinks. It still doesn't offer a natural/accurate color mode or a way to strip out all the color 'enhancement' for JPEGs. Overall, the A500's noise reduction fares pretty well at midrange ISOs, though it still can't top the class-leading Pentax K-x. You can start seeing a little bit of detail degradation at ISO 800, but it's not bad through ISO 1,600. After that ISO, color noise in its images gets bad and detail starts to smear.

It doesn't burst with novel features, but the A500 has a couple of interesting capabilities. It has an Auto HDR mode that snaps two sequential shots at different exposures and combines them into a single shot with "optimal" highlight and shadow detail. It doesn't have quite as much control as I'd like--you can manually select the amount of the bracket at up to 3 stops in 1.5-stop increments or leave it in auto, but it's limited to two shots and it doesn't save the individual frames, just the combined result and only as a JPEG. But it does seem to work better for extended the dynamic range over Sony's DRO, and the fully automatic setting doesn't override your ISO sensitivity setting as I'd expected. There's a couple seconds performance overhead on shot-to-shot time as it processes and saves the image.

The camera stands out from its line mates as the best overall value, but the Sony DSLR-A500's quirky design and interface leave the otherwise nice mid-to-entry-level dSLR lagging just a little behind the rest of the pack."

Photo Album: Sony 12.3 Megapixels Alpha DSLR-A500 and 14.2 Megapixels DSLR-A550



Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Sample Photos on Flickr



Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 Camera Reviews Roundup

ePhotoZine: "By keeping the pixel count fairly modest (although I believe 12 megapixels is plenty enough for most applications) Sony have been able to keep the noise levels produced at high ISOs well within acceptable levels. As I've come to expect from the current crop of digital SLRs available today, noise is barely noticeable below ISO800. By ISO1600 a little colour and luminance noise has started to creep into the shadows, b..." - Jun 03 2010 More »
PhotographyBLOG: "The Sony A500 marks a return to form for Sony in the mid-range DSLR market after the backwards step of the A330 / A380 models, which although cheaper and lighter suffer from an un-intuitive control layout and poor handgrip. Live View mode is an area where we didn't expect too many improvements, but Sony have made several advances that puts their system even further ahead of their main rivals. Face Detection and Smil..." - Feb 22 2010 More »
TrustedReviews: "The A500 features Sony's very effective Dynamic Range Optimiser system which we've seen before on other models, but takes it one step further, adding in-camera HDR imaging. Pentax introduced this technology in the superb K-7, and the results that it can produce were obviously enough for Sony to sit up and take notice. The A500 takes three shots in rapid succession then combines them into one image, adding at least a..." - Feb 20 2010 More »
AlphaMountWorld: "For A300 owners who are itching to upgrade I think the A500 might just be the camera you are looking for, and it's not a bad body for backpacker landscapers to carry either. It is a pretty lightweight DSLR that doesn't take up much room, takes excellent raw images, and hand held HDR's unlike any DSLR I've used to date (all other makes and other Alphas less the A550 require a tripod- as of the date of this article).&..." - Dec 17 2009 More »
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Photocrati: "The in-camera Steady Shot stabilizer was very effective. In low light, I consistently got sharp photos at 50mm (75mm equivalent) using a shutter speed of 1/15 sec. At a longer 1/8 sec., at least half my photos of New York night scenes were sharp. When bracing the camera against some solid object, I was able to make some technically good images even at 1/4 sec. In the conventional live view mode, the A500 and A5..." - Oct 13 2009 More »
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