Sony Announces 4 New Interchangeable Lens Cameras

By Mike Zawadzki, Technical Specialist
About 2 weeks ago I made a post announcing that Unique Photo would be carrying Sony products.  This was exciting news for sure, but one thing was missing, the Alpha series Digital SLR cameras.  At the time, the Alpha DSLR lineup looked a bit dated and we just didn't feel confident stocking products that would have a hard time competing with our other lines.  


However today changed everything.  At around 1AM this morning, Sony announced four new interchangeable lens camera.  The a560/a580 are their newest SLR cameras while the a33/a55 are revolutionary products that have translucent mirrors.  All four camera offer full AVCHD 1080HD video recording along with many other features.  So to cut to the chase, Unique Photo will have all four of these cameras and a wide selection of Sony Alpha lenses.

More after the break.

I was lucky enough to visit Sony Headquarters in Manhattan this morning and got to play with the a33, a55, and a560 cameras.  There was not an a580 on display as I don't think it has been "officially" announced yet.  I was really impressed with how fast the a33/55 focused during video recording.  These cameras are the ONLY cameras on the market with this capability because of their translucent mirrors.  Sony calls these cameras SLT cameras, not SLRs.  Here are the basic specs.

Sony SLT a33
Sensor: 14MP EXMORHD (CMOS)
ISO range: 100-12800
Video: 1080i video with continuous phase detection AF
AF: 15 AF points, 3 cross-type
Burst: 5/7fps (5 with tracking, 7 with AE/AF lock on first shot)
Additional: Sweep Panorama (3D), Auto HDR, Multi-Shot Noise Reduction
LCD:  Fully articulating 3" 921K (Wide 16:9 aspect ratio)
Viewfinder: electronic 1.15M dot 100% coverage
Price: $750 with 18-55mm lens 






















Sony SLT a55
Sensor: 16MP EXMORHD (CMOS)

ISO range: 100-12800

Video: 1080i video with continuous phase detection AF
AF: 15 AF points, 3 cross-type
Burst: 10fps
Additional: Built in GPS tagging for stills and video, Sweep Panorama (3D), Auto HDR, Multi-Shot Noise Reduction

LCD:  Fully articulating 3" 921K (Wide 16:9 aspect ratio)

Viewfinder: electronic 1.15M dot 100% coverage

Price: $850 with 18-55mm lens 


In the past it was thought to be unlikely that anyone would make a digital SLR with a pellix mirror because of how difficult it would be to clean dust off of the sensor.  The other biggest issue was the loss of light transmission through the translucent mirror.  According to the Sony rep I met today, there will be a loss of about 1/16th of light, which is negligible.  


It was hard to impress me after briefly getting my hands on the a33 and a55, so I don't mean to make the a560 sound boring.  It is a completely new niche for Sony.  It took them a while to get into the HDSLR market, but they finally delivered.  After handling the SLT a33/55, the SLR a560 felt massive, but sturdy to hold.  It focuses fast in Liveview and also records video in AVCHD 1080 format.  Here are the specs.




















Sony SLR a560

Sensor: 14MP EXMORHD (CMOS)

ISO range: 100-12800

Video: 1080i video with quick AF

AF: 15 AF points, 3 cross-type

Burst: 6fps

Additional: Sweep Panorama (3D), Auto HDR, Multi-Shot Noise Reduction

LCD:   3" 921K Tilt-Screen

Viewfinder: Optical with matte focusing screen and 95% coverage

Price: $750 with 18-55mm lens 

I do not have anymore information on the a580 besides that it will feature the same 16MP EXMOR HD (CMOS) sensor that is in the new SLT-a55.  I expect that it will have a slightly faster burst rate and perhaps built in GPS or some other feature that the a560 does not have.

Sony also announced three new lenses for their alpha SLR/SLT cameras. Here are the names and pictures of all three.  I expect these lenses to be in stock within a few weeks, maybe sooner.

Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 24mm F2 ZA SSM

85mm F2.8 SAM

DT 35mm F1.8 SAM

The 35mm f/1.8 seems like a no-brainer and based on past cooperation, I wouldn't be surprised if Nikon gave them the design for the lens.  The 85mm f/2.8 seems a bit slow for a fixed lens at that focal length, but at an affordable price of $249, it's hard to beat.  Stay tuned for more news and reviews on Sony products.