Shoot Through the Mirror
Sony’s translucent mirror and Single Lens Translucent (SLT) cameras gained much popularity and was touted as a pathbreaking technology. Now the Company has released the new 20 megapixel Sony SLT A58, an entry-level model. The new camera is available in two kit forms – the A58K with the SAL1855 lens (18-55mm) and the A58M with SAL18135 lens (18135mm).
Design and Build Quality
The SLT A58 has a tough polycarbonate exterior. The LCD is tiltable, but is not capable of swivel action and hence it is not possible to fold the LCD to prevent it from scratches. The A58 features a standard accessory shoe instead of the earlier Minolta-type ‘reversed’ accessory shoe which could not accept standard flashguns and sync terminals. The camera has a thick and deep grip, which is rubberised for better stability. The command dial is at the front and the grooved thumb rest has a rubber lining.
Key Features
The 20.1-megpixel Sony SLT A58 uses an APS HD (23.2 x 15.4mm) CMOS sensor with primary colour filters fror imaging. The sensor unit features a sensor-shift mechanism along with a charge protection coating as dust reduction system. This uses ultrasonic vibrations to shake off dust particles from the sensor. The camera features SteadyShot sensor-shift image stabilisation. The camera accepts Sony A-mount and Minolta/Konica Minolta lenses. We received the A58K kit, which
has the 18-55mm lens bundled with it. Focus modes are Single Shot AF (AF-S), Continuous AF (AF-C), and Automatic AF (AF-A). Focus area options are Wide-area, 15-point local frame selection, Zone, Spot, Local, Predictive Focus, Focus Lock, and Eye-start AF. Focussing is done through TTL phase-detection system with CCD line sensors. The camera has electronicallycontrolled, vertical-traverse, focal plane shutter providing a shutter speed range of 30 to 1/4000 sec and Bulb. It can synchronise with flash at a shutter speed of 1/160 sec or less. White Balance options are Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, Custom Temperature, and Custom Filter. Exposure modes include iAUTO, Flash Off, Superior Auto, Scene Selection, Sweep Panorama, Picture Effect, Continuous Advance, Movie, Programmed AE ( P), Aperture priority (A), Shutter-speed priority (S), and Manual (M). Picture effects are Posterization (Colour, B/W), Pop colour, Retro Photo, Partial colour ( R, G, B, Y), High Contrast Monochrome, Toy Camera, Soft High-key, Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Rich-tone Mono, and Miniature. Scene Selector provides options of Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports action, Sunset, Night portrait, Night scene, and Hand-held Twilight. Creative Style options include Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, and Black and White. Equivalent sensitivity ranges from ISO 100 to 16,000. Exposure can be
compensated up to +/-3 EV in 0.3-EV steps. The camera uses 1200-zone Evaluative metering only. It can shoot continuous frames up to 7 images at full resolution ( Fine quality) at 5 frames per second. Still images are recorded in Raw and JPEG formats with a maximum size of 5456 x 3632 pixels. JPEGs can be recorded in Fine or Standard compression. There is an option to record Raw and JPEG simultaneously. Videos can be recorded in AVCHD or MP4 formats. The built-in flash has a Guide Number of 10m at ISO 100. Available flash modes are Off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync, Red-eye Reduction, Rear Curtain Sync, Wireless, and Hi-speed Sync. Flash exposure can be compensated up to +/-2.0 EV in 0.3EV steps. The A58 uses a 2.7-inch, 460,800-dot TFT LCD along with a 1.0 cm, Xtra Fine colour electronic viewfinder. The camera accepts a Memory Stick PRO Duo/PRO-HG Duo/XC-HG Duo, SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card for storage. The device is powered by a rechargeable Li-ion battery pack NP-FM500H. The camera body weighs approximately 492g and has dimensions of 128.6 x 95.5 x 77.7mm ( W x H x D).
Ergonomics
The Sony SLT A58 has a very deep, well-crafted and textured rubber-lined hand grip, which provides a secure feel. If you have small hands, you might find the depth a little uncomfortable, but the bottom line is that you cannot make a camera that fits every hand size. The body balances well with the lens. Both the LCD and the viewfinder showed disturbing pixel jitter, but this does not appear in the final images. The menu is easy to navigate through and the controls are easy to access.
Performance
The Sony SLT A58 was tested with its 18-55mm kit lens. Autofocus of the combination was fast and precise, and could lock on to the subject even under low light. The focussing process was audible. Also, the front barrel of the lens rotates, making it inconvenient to use graduated ND and Polarizing filters. The lens did not produce any distortion. Metering modes performed as intended. Auto White Balance performed well, especially under natural light. Any cast produced under other light sources could be easily removed in post-processing. Native image size was 12.11 x 18.19 inches at 300 ppi. At 25 percent of this image size, images up to ISO 6400 remained noise-free. ISO 12,800 and 16,000 were noisy, but usable. At 50 percent, ISO 6400 showed some noise, but this would not be a problem in ordinary situations. Viewed at 100 percent, we
observed slight noise at ISO 800. Noise control was reasonably good till ISO 1600. The lens produced prominent darkening at the corners at the wideangle end at the widest aperture. Flare was observed along with purple fringing, though not very glaring. Images were sharp at the centre, but the sharpness decreased towards the peripheries.
Value for Money
The Sony SLT A58K retails at an MRP of Rs.32,990, while the A58M, which includes the 18-135mm lens in the kit, retails at Rs.42,990. This seems good value for money.