Incredible for a fair price

Incredible for a fair price

Sony SLT-A65VK SLR digital camera (24.3 megapixels, Live View, Full HD Video) incl. 18-55mm lens (Electronics)

Customer Review

Incredible for a fair price

After now have two weeks of intensive photographing even under difficult conditions (concert of Birth Control in the audience standing) now my experience as a committed photographer who tries his luck for years with Sony's full Forma Tern and a series of lenses.

To understand the following review some definitions in advance:

DRO: Dynamic Range Optimisation. Here, the brightness range of the photo is enhanced by the dark areas are brightened and thus not black 'drown'.

HDR: High Dynamic Range: 3 images with an adjustable exposure difference are consecutively shot each other and offset to an image. This ensures that the light parts of the darkest image and the darkness of the brightest image are still visible. Effect similar DRO only much stronger.

Mult Frame Noise Reduction: The camera shoots while 6 pictures in quick succession and then charged them to an image. The noise, which is different in each image, thereby largely disappears, the image content remains. Small camera shake are compensated for by the camera.

MP: MP

RAW: RAW data format. The images have remained largely unaffected by the camera's internal image processing. No lossy compression.

JPEG: Verlustbehaftetetes, compressed, edited from the camera data format.

And now for the review

24 MP must be the ?.
Not really. A good photo can be (even for poster-sized prints sufficient) shoot with 6 MP. At normal viewing distance to the image, the minimum is usually the screen size and normal visual acuity ranging from 5-6 MP. Sharper we just do not see. In this respect, the pixel gain comes in the private sector mainly benefited the possibility of Bildbeschnitts. However, many print media require much higher resolutions when printing. Obviously, feared the printing houses that readers look at the pictures with the nose on the paper and with Lupe. To that extent one needs then the resolution if necessary. But.

Or they used the possibility of Bildbeschnittes.
A 100mm high-quality macro example. One can ever use loosely to 200mm.

24 MP and noise.
As a die-hard supporter of large sensors and the Raw format mainly because of the noise, I was extremely skeptical about producing such a high pixel density. However, I am baffled. I would like to mention the effect of times 'noise reduction by more pixels'. On the pixel level with eg 100% magnification on screens in RAW format (1 pixel in the photo to one pixel on the screen corresponds to) occurs as expected relatively strong, but unlike my A850 very fine and homogenous noise. FYI: In order to show the whole picture so, but would then have the screen have a diagonal of about 2 meters, then no one is sitting in front of 70 cm as an image).
However, because the pixels are small relative to the entire image is the noise in relation to the whole image of small and fine structure. And small means less to not visible. In addition the very balanced and uniform noise performance of the sensor, which makes use of the especially when luminance noise noticeable, very little enters the much more disturbing color noise on ..
,
The noise increased with very fine structures (hair, grass etc) even the impression of sharpness. At scale structures it falls on the screen in normal magnification and sensible viewing distance because of the delicacy not to hardly.

This effect uses Sony obviously sent out at his Jpeg engine. Due to the extremely high resolution of the sensor, the very fine noise can be brutal weggebügelt in the finest structures, there remains the important details such as hair, eyelashes etc) get anyway. However, I do have the impression that, while, however, low-noise photos in JPEG mode receives no 24 MP Special more likely 18 or so. The rest is as it were in the noise.

To grasp the full sensor resolution even at high ISO speeds make full use of, for example, for large enlargements, so will the Raw format. In Photoshop CS latest version I have so far been very pleased with tend following setting in RAW Converter. Strong sharpening the 50% must be masked with the masking controller. Moderate (30% denoising contrast, stronger denoising of color noise). I once sample images of Keyborders of Birth Control set below the product photos of the SLT 65 without a lens, showing the profit under RAW significantly. But you have to let the cow in the village here. Even the jpegs are very low noise and have an exceptionally high resolution, but with RAW you can generate significantly more discreate resolution. Incidentally, these photos show the effectiveness of the image stabilizer. The image data: From the hand focused on tiptoe with an outstretched arm over the heads with folded screen and AF, Ur-Alt-tip lens Minolta 2.8, 200mm prime lens, 1/60 sec, ISO 3200 and zero shake.

The viewfinder:
Again, I was very skeptical as a fan of the Alpha 850 with a gigantic optical viewfinder. Generally, however, provides the electronic viewfinder admittedly many advantages: The viewfinder displays all settings, thus you need for parameter adjustment, the camera no longer settle. For many wearers 'like me' a huge advantage. The discontinuation of the camera and setting up the glasses and then the settings to read deleted. The same applies to the subsequent image control through the viewfinder. Even in bright sunlight, this is excellent possible through the viewfinder. The quality and size of the OLED viewfinder is otherwise excellent and so much better than the already good finder of Alpha 33/55.

Speed ​​10 frames / sec ?:
My Alpha 850 may 3 frames / sec. That's all I have, because not sports photographer, never needed. In conjunction with the functions Panorama, HDR and noise reduction Mutiframe the high speed is very probably an advantage. Since there are multiple images shot and will be charged is z..b: a multi-frame image with 25600 ISO / 6 images very low noise) in well half a second in the box. Phenomenal. The same goes for bracketing, which, however, only + -0.7 EV allow maximum. Here would be more beautiful. Attention, here the indication (eg Dpreview.com) is incorrect in many test reports. However, for the full-blown sports and action photographer, the maximum number of images in this fast-paced mode may be too low. More like 2-3 seconds photos volley Jpeg) and 1 second Raw holds the camera at high speed not, then must be saved and it is agonizingly slow.

Fascinating other features
Here I go not to those mentioned in any test reports higlights as Multi Frame Noise Reduction, Panorama received (also 3D) and DRO and HDR function. In general, these things work very well, but often not in RAW but only in Jpeg.

Me have impressed more the following things that you sometimes have to activate only via the menu. As absolute friend of the optical viewfinder I must admit defeat and say, these functions just go with an electronic viewfinder and a tremendous help me here.

'Emphasize edges' function: The best of all The edges of field flickering (eg white) is lifted in manual autofocus mode. A terrific help with manual focus and a great substitute for the usual in analog times split image .. As an avid user of the background soft focus special lens STF 135 an incredible help, but not just there. Must be activated in the menu, however. Who photographed manually with this function a day has so gewönnt on this feature so that even the most grandiose of the Alpha 850 viewfinder with special focusing screen for manual focusing against 'old' looks.

Zoom to focus. Some keys (eg Smart Tele) can also be assigned this function. A frame is displayed, which can be moved using the rocker switch on the screen. A repeated pressure then zooms ran this area and you can extremely accurate focusing. An even more precise Schrafstellen as described above is possible.

Simulation of all settings in the viewfinder incl. The DRO and exposure compensation. The preview button can be used as simulation of all settings' so as the image afterwards also appear - are occupied, and not only as a depth-control.

Switching display the viewfinder actual light or as the image is afterwards. This hidden Umschaltfuntion put under Display LiveView 'all settings on or off. As a result, the viewfinder display the brightness level, as the image will be (though without DRO effect, to see above). He then acts in dark scenes as Restlichverstärker or not and then comes an optical viewfinder in the representation very close.

Free verifiability of certain keys: A set of keys can be assigned with other functions.

Autofocus: This should be very good. But I always fokusiere only with the center AF - sensor or manually, so far should look at as a sports or action photographer, the experience of others also.
Because of the video capability, I refer to other experiences. I take pictures, make any videos.

Summary:
You SLT 65 and probably a bit more the SLT 77 is an incredible Meisterstük art. The very high image quality, even at high ISO speeds, coupled with the many useful features, which are often only possible with an electronic viewfinder and its outstanding quality features of this camera. The Jpeg engine in the camera produces very good and low-noise pictures, but sacrifices for a few megapixels, it's there but enough. In RAW mode still arise more detailed photos. The pixel-level comparatively high noise into perspective very strong due to the fine and smallness of the noise relative to the image size. It is in the image on the screen to ISO 3200 hardly or no longer visible, beyond creating a very pleasing noise that reminds analog hours. I am looking forward to the next allerdngs full frame camera with this range of services. Hopefully do not overdo it with the Sony pixels: 24 MP are enough.

Addendum due to a question of Felix:
When I wrote the review, I had inserted a simple blue San disk card from my compact in the absence of an alternative, my other Alphas eat so only CF cards. After about 15 images were shot in 1-2 seconds in JPEG we continued with what felt like 2-3 seconds per image. I mean agonizing. I never imagined then a SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS 1 with 45 MB / s gained. The improvement was dramatic. Instead of 2 seconds per image, there were just under 2 fps. And above all, the memory indicator are sources of much earlier. This shows the following: Fast card worthwhile, but to the speed of the internal memory, it is still a long way.

Addendum after one year use:
Now have the time even to tell a few words with long-term experience: really good and often used the Panorama function and the multi-frame noise reduction. Even if they - provide for me as RAW friendship only JPG images. The laborious assembling the panorama on the PC after the holiday is omitted. The multi-frame function is really good, if you do the night photo excursions through cities, the tripod can stay at home.
The camera worked reliably, makes great videos so far everything super.
But what really annoys me now: Circumcision of bracketing 0.7 EV. Although this is just a point of very many, but just when one would like to shoot in RAW and there eg HDRs manually will put together that's a knock-out criterion and made me very often disturbed. That should all be aware of when buying the camera. But maybe there are times a firmware update that this castration cancels.

Sufficient good quality Rank: 5/5
January 28
satisfied !!! 527 Rank: 4/5
May 24
Good ink cartridge Rank: 4/5
January 3
What should be has to be. Rank: 3/5
January 21

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