Hey Frank,

I always appreciate your comments and kind words as well Yes it will work for studio work, but you will need a hot shoe flash adapter to attach most flash trigger units. Unless of course you buy sony specific stuff, but their is not that much out their. The adapters are like $20. Check a few out over here in the flash and adapters guide >> I’ll order one up from BH as I should just have one at all times. I sent the last one I had back.

Their is an option in the camera under the “Gear Icon” page 2 called: Live View Display > Setting turned Off It’s set to on by default and that is where you want it, but for studio you will want it off as your using the Flash units for exposure control, not the camera!! With that feature off you can use manual mode and change the settings, but it looks like your looking through an optical viewfinder as far as exposure goes. The feature works really good in low light when I tested it, so it should work equally as good in a dim lit studio environment.

As far as the flash goes, it works pretty good, but I did not test the recycle time or “lag” per say. I you referring to the flash 1st charge, or repeat firing? just to clarify?? I’ll test it for you asap!

Frank,

Flash recycle update. Ok, I tested the flash and here is what I got.

Depending on how much power the flash needs depends on the recycle time first of all.

In a reasonable lit room I can get about 5 or 6 shots off about one per second with the flash. They look pretty evenly exposed from the few test runs I did.

After that it takes about 3-5 seconds for the flash to charge in between shots once it is fully depleted. I was kind of surprised by this to be honest, but I never really use on camera flash so.. One advantage to using a hot shoe flash is the much improved recycle time!!

Best,
Jay

Marinus,

Sorry the review is not up to your standards. Are you looking for something in particular about the A57? I would be happy to help

Jay

Hi Jean,

Thanks for the comments and question! The A580 focus check is awesome, and the A57 has basically the same thing and Focus Peaking. The Focus magnifier however is hidden, because the New clear image Zoom feature takes over the zoom buttons even in manual mode. However, I simple programed the ISO button to the Focus Magnifier as I use the function button to change the ISO anyway. You can also program the DOF preview, or the exp/comp button to the focus magnifier or many other features for that matter.

The focus magnifier goes 1st to a clear screen at normal size, then with a second press goes to 4.8x zoom then 9.5x zoom, and then finally back to normal again.

Focus peaking is amazing and I’ve covered it in a few tutorials on using manual focus and lens adapters on the Nex cameras etc… This tutorial, using the Sony Nex-7, will show you all about focus peaking in detail!! You may want to fast forward through the lens adapter part if that is of no interest as the Focus peaking info starts after a few minutes.

http://sonyalphalab.com/2012/01/how-to-setting-up-and-using-lens-adapters-on-the-sony-nex-7/

In summary, Focus Peaking a feature that has been around in Broadcast Video for years and Sony decided to bring it over to the Camera market!! Basically what it does is overlay colors (red,yellow,or white) on the screen letting you know where the sharp areas are. I usually use red, but occasionally have to change the color depending on the subject. It works incredible well for using manual focus at normal viewing distance in particular. For Macro work it also works well, but I find using just the magnifier sometimes easier as the focus peaking does overlay info and can make it hard to see precise details at times.

I hope that answers your questions Jean!

Best,
Jay

Hey Phil,

Is it worth upgrading from the A230?? Absolutely! The a230 was an introductory DSLR Model aimed for the beginner mostly. The A35 or New A37 would be the current replacement for the A230 and is mostly geared towards beginners. The Menu’s are all geared towards beginners and picture based. Depending on your skill level, that may be a better model for you.

The A57 is a significant step up from the A35 in both build quality and features. The Menus are more designed for the Enthusiast/ Semi-Pro as is the build quality in my opinion. You get more power with the A57 over the A35/ A37, but the question is, do you need the extra power and beefed up build quality?

In addition to that the A230 has a optical viewfinder and the new Alphas are SLT’s with the Translucent Mirror. You may not like the electronic viewfinder at first, but once you get used to the advantages of it, it’s hard to go back!!

I hope that helps Phil and good luck!!

Best,
Jay

Hi Claus,

Thanks for the comments and kind words I really appreciate it!

As far as your question is concerned about upgrading to the A57 from a Compact Point an Shoot style camera? The is honestly a tuff Call for me Claus as I really don’t know your skill level. The A57 is a Semi Professional camera that can be used for Pro Photography work if needed. Do you plan on moving in that direction with your photography? or is image quality your only concern??

If your stickily a hobbyist you may want to look into the Sony Nex Cameras. Those cameras are still fairly compact and the image quality is incredible, because the sensor inside is the same as the sensor in this A57 DSLR.

The Nex would be the next logical step up from a Compact for better image quality in the smallest form factor possible. All of the Nex camera’s have excellent image quality, but it’s just a matter of features and build quality to figure out which model is best for you.

The A35 as apposed to the A57 has a much more simplified beginner friendly menu system. Basically you do not need to know as much about Photography per say, as it guides you through the process using picture based menus and stuff. The A57 Menu is much more Pro oriented, so it may take some time to learn all of it.

The Menu’s fairly deep!! I actually recorded a video last night, and I go through the whole menu system on the A57 and explain everything, so that would be helpful for those new to all the options etc..

All this being said Claus, the A57 has a Superior Intelligent Auto mode that is really good! You can basically just use the A57 like a point and shoot and the camera figures out everything for you! And, I mean everything!! HDR, Mutli-frame noise reduction, flash, landscapes, portraits, you name it!!

So in summary I absolutely recommend the A57, but if image quality is your only concern the Nex Camera line and the A35/A37 are more beginner oriented with pretty much the same exact image quality.

Here’s a few links you may want to check out

Nex-C3 – Hands on Review
Nex-5n – Hands on review
Alpha 35 – Hands on review

As far as lenses are concerned. You miles well get one of the kit lenses as you save a huge amount of money on it in the bundle. You can then save up for a fast prime or whatever your want, and once you get it you will see the amazing difference!! The 18-55mm kit lens is not the greatest lens, but it’s also not a bad lens!! I personally would not buy it, but I do Pro work and I want the best optics possible.

If money is not that big of a concern to you, then I would not get the kit lens, and just get a really good all in one instead like the 16-80mm or something.

Sony 16-80mm Carl Zeiss – Hands on Review

I hope this helps you out Claus,
Jay

Hey Claus

Sounds to me like you have done your homework and have the experience needed to know exactly what you want! I think the A57 or the A37 will treat you just fine! The A57 has the screen advantage, 12fps advantage if you need that, and 1080p vs 1080i HD video recording abilities, and a slight ISO High advantage. The A57 Camera body is also physically wider, taller, and thicker per the specs.

The A57 is $200 dollars more than the A37, but it’s worth it if those features are important to you. Image quality and “software features” wise, they are pretty much the same though. Same sensor and both have AutoHDR, Superior Intelligent mode, scene modes, etc..

As far as as saving custom settings, I don’t think so. I just re-read the manual and cannot find it anywhere. It’s a shame as that is a cool feature. My Canon 5D Mark II has 3 of them and depending on the event or day I would set them up. It is more of a Pro oriented feature though in my opinion as the A77 doesn’t even have the option. Hopefully the A99 Full frame model will as that will designed for the Pro Photographer, per the rumors The camera will remeber your settings when going from say manual mode to aperture priority mode though, so you can use that for certain situations.

I hope this helps and good luck with your shopping!

Best,
Jay

Lucian,

Thanks for the comments and sediments, I really appreciate it! I’m also happy to hear the A57 has provided you with what Sony had in mind! “A single Semi-Pro camera that can do both; Killer HD video and Photography!” The Sony’s really are amazing and it’s nice to hear confirmation on what I think about them. I think the fact that I still own and use all Canon Pro gear helps people understand that I’m serious and not lying when I say how good these cameras are. The A57 being a 5 Star camera review for example! It really is an awesome camera and best bang for the buck out their, period. You can argue one way or another about Sony not having enough lenses, but the fact is they have pretty much every lens focal length covered with Primes and Zooms. Not to mention Sigma, Tamron, and the other aftermarket lenses. A-Mount Lens Guides >>

Now, in reference to your lens situation I find that story absolutely hilarious as I was in the same exact boat the first time I purchased a super zoom. In my case it was the Tamron 28-300mm and I was using it on the Canon Rebel XTI at the time. A great lens for the Money as I only paid $300 for it and being able to zoom like that for the first time was incredible! I quickly found out though like you, that the focus was both loud and slow. Sounds like a Screw Drive focus motor similar to a Genie garage door opener. The hit rate wasn’t the best and wide open was also a tad soft. However, @ f/8 and a fast shutter speed, the lens worked really good.

I wanted those killer shots though, and I needed something more quite to work in Churches and stuff if I ever planned to do wedding work. I also needed fast glass so I was not using ISO 3200 for inside shots. Back then ISO 3200 still sucked. After reading like a mad man and looking at tons of sample photos etc.. I realized that the wise investment is not in the camera body, but in the Glass!! The Glass doesn’t get out dated in 2 years like the cameras do. If your serious about photography, lenses have to be thought of as investments! Once you get your mind around that fact, it becomes easier to justify spending the huge cash for Pro grade equipment like you did with your 70-300 G Purchase!!

As it turns out I decided to go the “credit and forget it” route, and I purchased the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS Lens for my Canon Rebel XTI. After all, it takes money to make money right??
Basically, I purchased a lens that cost more than 2x the amount of the camera! Suddenly the Rebel XTI’s focus was good and my hit rate went up like 200%. I still have that “Investment” today and it’s just as good as the day I purchased it.

Again, It was great reading your experience and thanks for sharing it here so everybody can enjoy and learn from it!

Best,
Jay

Canon Rebel XTI and the 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS lens:

I did not review the A65, but the A77 was a fun camera to use no question, and very similar to the A65. I was honestly a little disappointed by the out of box performance of the A77 though. The AF was pretty weak in low light and it was a bit laggy in my opinion. Mind you, all of these issues have been fixed with firmware updates!! The camera and AF now performs flawlessly from what I’ve read!! Low light focus issues totally resolved etc…

The A57 however, worked awesome right out of the box!! I felt Sony just got the camera right and delivered it at a solid price point. It is directly competing with the A65 though. The A77 has a more advanced AF system than the A57 and A65 so it’s in a class of it’s own really for that reason alone. Image quality is the same as the A65 though.

It really is a tuff call when you break the specs down, but the A57 seems a little more refined to me then the A65 and A77 were out of the box. The OLED viewfinder, tilting/ articulating screen on the back, and a 24mp sensor are the advantages the A65 has over the A57. The A57 has better battery life, in my opinion a better sensor (High ISO), and some software features that the A65 does not have such as the smart tele zoom. Other than that it is about a wash. $200 gets you $500 worth of features pretty much on the A65. The A57 blows away the a37 for $100 dollars more.

It really depends on your photography needs Glen, as I personally don’t need 24mp on a APS-C sized sensor. I have a 5d Mark II already, and it has 24mp on a Full Frame sensor. If I did not have that it would be much more tempting for me to jump on the a65 or a77

I hope this helps you out a bit, but please feel free to ask more questions if you have them!!

Jay

Hi Scott,

First off, all three cameras your looking at are very good options and you really can’t go wrong with any of them!! They will all take great pictures, no question.

With that being said, the Sony A57 Blows these two cameras out of the water in my opinion in pretty much every category. Build quality is much better on the A57 compared the Canon T3i specifically, and it’s much larger and more comfortable to hold. The d5100 feels more like plastic then the the Canon and Sony imo.

The A57 has much more powerful video options than both cameras, but specifically the Canon. The AF focusing system is also more advanced on the Sony A57. The Nikon says it records video with full autofocus, but I believe it’s using contrast AF detection which is not that good compared to Phase Detection AF the Sony uses with the Translucent mirror.

Image quality wise they are all really close to be honest, but again, the Sony A57 in my opinion is the best all around. The Nikon D5100 is using pretty much the same sensor, but Nikon’s processing engine.

Glass wise, you have a gigantic assortment with Nikon and Canon, and Sony has fewer, but all the lenses needed. If you include Tamron and Sigma, your covered no matter what you get for sure. The lens war is over in my opinion, but Nikon and Canon still do have more native lenses to their credit. Does it matter? Not in my opinion anymore.

Again,

Owning a 5d Mark II and Nex-7, you cannot go wrong with any of these cameras, but if it was out of the three, I personally would go with the A57 in a heartbeat!! Especially if you have no lenses!

Best,
Jay

Hello Kar,

Thanks for the question and comments! The A580 is a phenomenal camera in opinion, although a little weak in the video department. The A33 is better in the video department due to the translucent mirror technology, but the build quality is not as good and the sensor is a 14mp older generation model.

The A57 has better build quality and overall specs than the a580 and a33, but image quality wise I would put the A57 and A580 really close, with the A33 trailing behind a bit. The A57 has a ton of advanced features that neither the a33 nor a580 have as well. I’m not sure if that stuff matters to you though. The Superior Auto Intelligent mode for example is incredible if shooting auto is your thing.

Best,
Jay

Hi Austin,

The video on the A57 destroyes the video on the Canon T3i for a number of reasons. First and foremost is the fact that Sony uses the translucent mirror technology (SLT) which allows for the fast phase detection autofocus while recording video. Know body else can compete with this. Beyond that the Sony A57 does 60p and has a ton of resolution options etc. The Sony also has a much better sensor than the Canon T3i which will result in crisper better images as well as video.

I hope that helps, and sorry for the delayed reply Austin!! Sony A57 >>

Best,
Jay

Hi Jack,

Great questions as usual, and I will try my best to answer them.

1. The Raw vs Jpeg questions is as old as the format itself!! Bottom line, Raw is the way to go if you have the space and a little time to develop the photos yourself. Lightroom, for example, will process your raw files into a pretty decent looking images on import. The Sony JPEG images are also known for being a bit over sharpened and over saturated.

I used to shoot 100% raw! Even for Weddings as the quality and recovery power is far greater. Pulling out shadow and highlight detail in particular is where the raw file excels.

Here’s what I suggest as a starting point, then once you get in a workflow you can adapt accordingly. I would customize the standard creative style by backing off the the sharpness a tad and perhaps saturation. It’s in the functions menu. I would then shoot jpeg fine for standard photos and everyday stuff. If a scene comes up that has a lot dynamic range, or is something that you know your going to want to edit, switch to RAW!! The switch back to JPEG.

It will hinder performance a bit because the camera has to do more work, write more data to the memory card, and the buffer will fill up faster. You do not want to use this option when shooting sports if you want the fastest performance possible!! A really fast memory card is Key as well in order to clear the camera buffer as fast as possible.

2.iMovie seems to be the way to go for the Mac believe it or not!! It supports pretty much everything and is the easiest to use by far. It doesn’t have all the power that final cut Pro has, but for our purposes it’s perfect, and works. High quality Home movie type stuff and reviews is what I’m doing You need to have the camera plugged in to import the AVCHD movies to iMovie.

My copy of final cut is kinda old and doesn’t seem to support the Sony AVCHD format, but .mp4 works mint. Perhaps Adobe Premier might be worth trying? It’s expensive, but really powerful!!

AVCHD is the best quality and the largest file size as well. I would use the 24p option as the 60/50 is going to be much larger file sizes. If you want to slow the video down, these formates are better though. MP4 is pre-compressed and easier upload to youtube etc.. The quality is pretty good, but not as good as the AVCHD and the resolution is much lower as well. MP4 is great if you have limited space on the memory card, hard drive, or are planning on uploading directly to the web without editing.

I don’t have a blue ray burner, but the best quality AVCHD option says for blueray only when you select it on the Camera!!

The warning is because of the 60i/50i frame rate. That cannot be burned and needs to be converted to the standard frame rates, unless the device is AVCHD compatible. The 24p 24M(FX)/25p 24M(FX) format looks like the best quality for what you want to do. The file size is gigantic though, just so you know

I hope this helps Jack!! I’m not a Cinematographer, so I apologize for the lack of video knowledge. I’m slowly learning it though!!

Jay

Hi Eddie,

What kind of shots are you taking? moving subjects? If so, try continuous AF. If your taking landscapes you would want single shot AF set. Once the focus locks you can then re-frame the shot and fire away.

Jay

Hi UC,

Thank you so much for the comments and kind words You sound like your on the right track if you ask me!! The A57 is an awesome camera with a lot more “Juice”. High ISO performance is really good in my opinion. The Translucent mirror does cost it about 1/3 stop of light supposedly, which does make sense. That is not much at all though as ISO 6400 is pretty darn good compared to a few years ago. The A57 also has the Hand-held Twilight feature, and Multi Frame Noise Reduction mode for high ISO shooting. It really does work by combining multiple frames and reducing the noise.

Best,
Jay

Hello Anita,

The A65 is a killer deal right now!! What you losing out on is that new Smart Zoom technology and the Superior Intelligent Auto feature. A few other movie modes, and that is about it.

If you plan on printing large or selling your prints large, I would go with the 24mp A65 as the current deal and OLED is worth it!!

Best,
Jay

I’m not 100% sure if there is an indicator for that, I will check it out and report back. I thought something blinked when in full auto mode. Stand by

Jay

Here Ya go: It looks the same as the RX100 and Nex-F3 pretty much.

Jay

Hi Ryan,

It’s a tuff call between the two depending on your intentions. If video is a priority, the A57 is a know brainier. If your looking for strictly photography the D5100 is a great deal no question. Lenses are what really matters when it comes to killer image quality, so consider them investments when you buy them!!

I personally would still go with the A57, but again, the D5100 is a great deal at the moment and you cannot go wrong for a great camera!

Jay

Hello Gopi,

Unfortunately I have not, but it is on the list of lenses to review!! The Customer Reviews on BHPhoto are pretty good though!! Sigma 150-500mm for Sony >>

Jay

Cornell,

Thanks you very much, and I’m doing pretty good!! I really enjoyed using the camera and would totally buy one if I needed it!! Still waiting for the A99 however, then I will sell all my Canon Pro gear and replace it with Sony Pro Gear and Nex equipment. Sony has some amazing technology that is so far ahead of the competition in a lot of ways. Nikon and Canon clearly make great cameras for photography, but are limited in their video abilities. The Sony’s are able to do both incredible well, plus has software that blows away the comp. Honestly, the jpeg engine on the Sony’s needs to be tweaked if you want to use it for print, but raw is excellent across the board. If you shoot raw you can pull out so much detail from the shadows and highlights you would be amazed. I wish Adobe would speed up their raw support for Sony!!

Now, for you question: A57 or A65?? It’s really hard to answer!! For $100 you get the 24mp, awesome OLED viewfinder, and a better swivel screen. If you have the extra $100 it’s hard to argue not to get the A65. It is a bit older though, so it has the previous processor. If I were planing on doing pro work, I would get the A65 for the higher MP. Personal use I would go with the A57, just because it’s newer and I don’t need the 24mp for personal use. Pro use is another story as I said above.

I hope that helps!!

Jay

Yeah, tuff call PG. I haven’t heard to many complaints about the A65,, but the A57 is definitely awesome from my personal experience. Perhaps the firmware update addressed those issues you mention? it was re-leased on 3/2012.

Sony Firmware >>

Best,
Jay

Thanks!!

The CZ 24-70 f/2.8 is a very high quality Constant Aperture lens. Meaning it’s f/2.8 the whole time at any focal length. The 16-80mm lens is not. It changes from f/3.5-f4.5 as you zoom to 80mm. So, the 24-70mm lens is going to need much larger glass elements inside in order to pull off the constant f/2.8 aperture. More glass equals more money and weight!! The heavier optics require a more rugged housing and lens assembly etc.. The 24-70mm lens also has the SSM focus motor which is crazy fast!! So yeah, the price is justified based on the physical aspects. Pro’s want the fastest glass possible and will pay for this type of lens for low light wedding work in particular. A Pro would usually have the 16-35mm lens, a 70-200mm f/2.8 Lens, and few Fast primes. The 70-300G looks like a nice lens that I would love to try someday!! You like it??

Personally I would go for the 16-80mm CZ lens. It’s much lighter, it has much larger focal range, and costs about half the price as you said. If you plan on doing Weddings, or any kind of low light Pro Photography, I would probably go with the 24-70mm instead. Then save and eventually get the 16-35mm f/2.8 CZ, and 70-200mm.

I hope that helps you out somewhat!!

Jay

Ho Parth,

Thanks for the comments and question!

The A57 only has the partial color feature for (R,G,B,Y). The Nikon’s D5100 partial color feature appears to be much more powerful!!

Best,
Jay

Frans,

Thanks for the comments and kind words To answer your question, the Nex-5n is slightly better due to the translucent mirror on the A57.

It’s most noticeable in the ISO score results from DXOMark you will see below. In the real world this will cost you about 1/3-1/2 of a stop of light. So for example you would need to use ISO 500 instead of ISO 400 for a given shot. I’m just throwing #’s around mind you as the exact ISO values are a total estimate. A fast lens is really the best way to deal with low light situations!! The a57 will focus faster though in low light due to the phase detection AF. So actual getting the sharp shot is more likely regardless of the ISO on the A57. Low light the Nex-5n will have slightly less noise if all the other variables are the same.

I hope this helps,
Jay

Thanks for the info Marines and that is very unfortunate. I have not heard of such a thing as I never googled it, but no good for sure. I wonder what it is?? The one had was nice and smooth all the way.

Jay

Hello Merwyn,

Check out this article I wrote specifically for people in your shoes!!

Sony a57 vs Canon t4i vs Nikon D5100 >>

Please feel free to ask more questions if you have them after reading that article!

Jay

Hi Dave,

The Aperture is changed by the little wheel up by the shutter button when in Aperture Priority Mode (A).

I don’t have the camera in front of me currently, but that is pretty much it. Did that help??

Jay

Anoop,

Good to see your detailed replies to all queries, my biggest doubt about a57 is the performance of the EVF in low light situations as i am an traditional viewfinder and low light (no flash) shooter and have not
experienced EVF so far but i love the performance of this 16mp sensor and the Bionz processor. Are there significant artifacts in EVF during low light shooting?

Thanks for the comments and question,

Yes, there are artifacts during extreme low light shooting. It is totally usable however. Looking through an OVF (Optical Viewfinder), like the on one the Sony A580 for example, looks pretty much like what the human eyes sees. It’s all glass in and out. Definitely not the same as EVF, but again totally usable and excellent in most conditions. I was not the biggest fan of the first generation Gen EVF like the one found on the A55, but the current generation is really good and worth the benefits over the low light sacrifice of noise.

You really need to see it for yourself I’m afraid and use it for bit. I can’t really say you will definitely like one way or the other.. It’s not for everybody and if all you do is extremely low light shooting, then it’s probably

not the best option for you. For bright sunny conditions is it awesome in the opposite way as it will darken what you see allowing you to work without being blinded etc..

I hope this helps,

Jay

Anoop,

Anytime

Right now with this A57 at rock bottom 548 US$ body seems like the best mid range or upper entry slt featuring the 16mp high iso performance,debatable than A65 sometimes, full hd video with continuos AF, 10 fs, good buffer, bigger body size and all manual control buttons on it,effective focus peaking, apart from other features like the 3d photo,image zoom, hdr, pano, etc… Never seen any negatives so far and for this price now….Its worth so much i guess… ….as far i have seen the EVF is cutting edge…..though may not be so impressive as the Oled ones on A65 or A77 i guess right Jay?

Well, you pretty much nailed it in my opinion Anoop. Some points could be argued if you wanted to debate a Nikon or Canon, but overall the A57 is the best bang for the buck All Features Considered!!

Pure Photography the Nikon D5100 may be a better deal for some people depending on their particular needs.

Best,
Jay

Thanks Glen for the comments and question! I’m sorry, but I don’t have premier pro these days and can’t afford to buy it either. Adobe releases updates regularly, so if it’s not currently supported it will in the next release most likely. If I find anything out I will let you know!!

Jay

Hello,

I don’t have the sony A57 camera anymore, but it does work pretty good. It’s a smart zoom, so it doesn’t just enlarge it, but actually adds pixels like Photoshop does. So the results are much better than a standard digital zoom. The images are sharp, but do lose a little detail at the full double zoom. 50% does a great job though in my opinion. It’s not a replacement for a longer lens though, just a tool that sort of simulates longer reach

I hope that helps,
Jay

Hi Andrew,

It focus’s with the given light, unless you are using one of the Auto Modes. Then the flash will kick in and pre-fire ect.. The focus works really well in all conditions in my opinion. Extreme low light is hard for any camera, but the a57 did a really good job in my opinion. Obviously my Full Frame Canon 5d Mark II is a bit faster in low light for example, but the Full Frame camera is a totally different animal

I hope that helps Andrew,
Jay

That sucks!! I would return it

Jay