Tried an A55 last night....

JohnBee · 12-10-2010, 03:52 AM

Dropped into the Sony Store in a nearby city to look at some flat screens and they had a live A55 on demo. Of course I just had to play with it and after a quick tour, I have to say... I was left damned impressed at the entire system!

It may not have the high ISO performance of the K-5, but damned that 10FPS and shutter sound really leaves an impression on you after handling it. I also want to commend Sony on the most beautiful(refined) menu and system UI I have ever seen on a camera bar none.

It also had other amazing features like a fully articulated screen and what seems to be some rather impressive AF performance! To which I can't say for sure without doing a toe to toe comparison, but... the point AF and tracking system felt every bit as positive as my D700 on a good day.

Anyways, there were other really cool things as well but I can't remember them all atm(still drinking my morning coffee).

Well that's it for now.
I'd like to hear what others might have to say about this camera if you had the opportunity to play with one too.

Cheers.

marcinski · 12-10-2010, 05:05 AM

Thanks for your impressions. I haven't had a chance to play with any of these yet but I'd like to know what do you think of the electric viewfinder. Do you think it's a good substitute for an OVF?

Thanks, Marcin

JohnBee · 12-10-2010, 05:45 AM

Originally posted by marcinski

Thanks for your impressions. I haven't had a chance to play with any of these yet but I'd like to know what do you think of the electric viewfinder. Do you think it's a good substitute for an OVF?

Thanks, Marcin

Good question and I totally forgot to add that.
For me I found it to lag in the store. Maybe it was because of the low light or just because I'm used to the RT optical VV performance.
But I could definitely tell the difference. Though I thought liveview was far more practical for what I would use it for.

The other thing that stood out for me was the RAW buffer size. Which was very short considering the FPS(around 2 seconds). I think this is something that Sony will definitely need to address if they plan to appeal to the working market.

Jasvox · 12-10-2010, 06:01 AM

Pop Photo awarded it their "camera of the year"...

2010 Camera of the Year: Sony A55 | Photography - PopPhoto.com Offers Camera Reviews and Exclusive Photo Tips

Jason

JohnBee · 12-10-2010, 06:39 AM

Originally posted by Jasvox

Pop Photo awarded it their "camera of the year"...

2010 Camera of the Year: Sony A55 | Photography - PopPhoto.com Offers Camera Reviews and Exclusive Photo Tips

Jason

From what I saw, if Sony could make a larger buffer(at least 6 seconds) and better low light performance they could bring something really amazing to the DSLR market.

Then again, I suspect this is but the start of a new technology aimed at breaking many of the DSLR challenges in the near future.

ie. How what would a translucent fullframe system look like?

Jasvox · 12-10-2010, 07:53 AM

Is the high iso really that bad on the A55? I have seen some samples of 3200 and 6400 that were pretty impressive.

Jason

JohnBee · 12-10-2010, 09:24 AM

Originally posted by Jasvox

Is the high iso really that bad on the A55? I have seen some samples of 3200 and 6400 that were pretty impressive.

Jason

From what I've seen on a single image, the A55 seems to have aprox. 1 stop more noise over the D7000. However... it appears that the A55 can stack images internally and do a number of neat tricks including amazing NR and DR multiplicity.

jogiba · 12-11-2010, 01:54 PM

"darwinfish105 29 days ago
GH2 is the best FullHD DSLR for me. My impression with some cameras.
video quality: GH2>GH1>5D2>>a55>K-5
ease of use: a55>GH2=GH1>K-5>>5D2
a55 loses the quality of the video. If you have GH2, GH1(hacked) is not necessary.
My blog is written in Japanese, but I think it's helpful captured image.
darwinfish105.blogspot.com/2010/11/gh15dmarkii55k-5gh2.html"

Boris · 12-12-2010, 06:41 AM

I also got a chance to handle A55 recently. A coworker of mine has it. Had most positive impressions from it. Especially the viewfinder and the system that allows to easily magnify x7.5 middle part of the screen for precision focusing. It is in fact strikes me as a more convenient one than split screen focusing screens and various magnifying eye pieces...

This camera is really a technology marvel produced by Sony. Kudos to them and salutations to the users of this camera system - they've got an excellent tool.

Eruditass · 12-12-2010, 09:36 PM

Sounds pretty awesome.

I had tried the lower end Sony SLRs and hated their menus and ergonomics. Is the A55 different in both those areas?

Jasvox · 12-15-2010, 10:55 AM

Presuming the Sony A55 has in body stabilization, does it make a "clunk" when you turn it over or lightly shake it?

Jason

Jasvox · 12-15-2010, 10:59 AM

Originally posted by jogiba

"darwinfish105 29 days ago
GH2 is the best FullHD DSLR for me. My impression with some cameras.
video quality: GH2>GH1>5D2>>a55>K-5
ease of use: a55>GH2=GH1>K-5>>5D2
a55 loses the quality of the video. If you have GH2, GH1(hacked) is not necessary.
My blog is written in Japanese, but I think it's helpful captured image.
darwinfish105.blogspot.com/2010/11/gh15dmarkii55k-5gh2.html"

This video loses my interest after the first 30 seconds with the never-ending double exposure. It could have been more interesting with that affect in a subtle "every now and then" kind of way. The effect makes it hard to get areal sense of the night time video quality of the GH2...

How is the A55 video, since that was the OP topic?

Jason

jogiba · 12-15-2010, 03:48 PM

]A55 day and night:
[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQRpyMoJih0[/YT]

GH2 night:
[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAcoK4ECrbo[/YT]

GH2 day :

[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hGB25jJoNs[/YT]

Eruditass · 12-15-2010, 11:56 PM

I saw one frame from a movie clip of a GH2 versus 7D... amazing difference. GH2 almost looked like a stills photo.

Nesster · 12-17-2010, 01:34 PM

Am I the only one who sometimes sees those 55's as SS's?

12-10-2010, 03:52 AM	#1
JohnBee Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Newrfoundland Photos: Albums Posts: 4,667	Tried an A55 last night.... Dropped into the Sony Store in a nearby city to look at some flat screens and they had a live A55 on demo. Of course I just had to play with it and after a quick tour, I have to say... I was left damned impressed at the entire system! It may not have the high ISO performance of the K-5, but damned that 10FPS and shutter sound really leaves an impression on you after handling it. I also want to commend Sony on the most beautiful(refined) menu and system UI I have ever seen on a camera bar none. It also had other amazing features like a fully articulated screen and what seems to be some rather impressive AF performance! To which I can't say for sure without doing a toe to toe comparison, but... the point AF and tracking system felt every bit as positive as my D700 on a good day. Anyways, there were other really cool things as well but I can't remember them all atm(still drinking my morning coffee). Well that's it for now. I'd like to hear what others might have to say about this camera if you had the opportunity to play with one too. Cheers.

12-10-2010, 05:45 AM	#3
JohnBee Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Newrfoundland Photos: Albums Posts: 4,667 Original Poster	Originally posted by marcinski Thanks for your impressions. I haven't had a chance to play with any of these yet but I'd like to know what do you think of the electric viewfinder. Do you think it's a good substitute for an OVF? Thanks, Marcin Good question and I totally forgot to add that. For me I found it to lag in the store. Maybe it was because of the low light or just because I'm used to the RT optical VV performance. But I could definitely tell the difference. Though I thought liveview was far more practical for what I would use it for. The other thing that stood out for me was the RAW buffer size. Which was very short considering the FPS(around 2 seconds). I think this is something that Sony will definitely need to address if they plan to appeal to the working market. Last edited by JohnBee; 12-10-2010 at 06:37 AM.

12-11-2010, 01:54 PM	#8
jogiba Banned Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Millstone,NJ Posts: 6,491	"darwinfish105 29 days ago GH2 is the best FullHD DSLR for me. My impression with some cameras. video quality: GH2>GH1>5D2>>a55>K-5 ease of use: a55>GH2=GH1>K-5>>5D2 a55 loses the quality of the video. If you have GH2, GH1(hacked) is not necessary. My blog is written in Japanese, but I think it's helpful captured image. darwinfish105.blogspot.com/2010/11/gh15dmarkii55k-5gh2.html" Vimeo

12-15-2010, 03:48 PM	#13
jogiba Banned Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Millstone,NJ Posts: 6,491	]A55 day and night: [YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQRpyMoJih0[/YT] GH2 night: [YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAcoK4ECrbo[/YT] GH2 day : [YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hGB25jJoNs[/YT] Last edited by jogiba; 12-15-2010 at 03:54 PM.

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12-10-2010, 05:05 AM	#2
marcinski Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Dundee, Scotland Posts: 95	Thanks for your impressions. I haven't had a chance to play with any of these yet but I'd like to know what do you think of the electric viewfinder. Do you think it's a good substitute for an OVF? Thanks, Marcin

12-10-2010, 06:01 AM	#4
Jasvox Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 3,107	Pop Photo awarded it their "camera of the year"... 2010 Camera of the Year: Sony A55 \| Photography - PopPhoto.com Offers Camera Reviews and Exclusive Photo Tips Jason

12-10-2010, 06:39 AM	#5
JohnBee Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Newrfoundland Photos: Albums Posts: 4,667 Original Poster	Originally posted by Jasvox Pop Photo awarded it their "camera of the year"... 2010 Camera of the Year: Sony A55 \| Photography - PopPhoto.com Offers Camera Reviews and Exclusive Photo Tips Jason From what I saw, if Sony could make a larger buffer(at least 6 seconds) and better low light performance they could bring something really amazing to the DSLR market. Then again, I suspect this is but the start of a new technology aimed at breaking many of the DSLR challenges in the near future. ie. How what would a translucent fullframe system look like?

12-10-2010, 07:53 AM	#6
Jasvox Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 3,107	Is the high iso really that bad on the A55? I have seen some samples of 3200 and 6400 that were pretty impressive. Jason

12-10-2010, 09:24 AM	#7
JohnBee Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Newrfoundland Photos: Albums Posts: 4,667 Original Poster	Originally posted by Jasvox Is the high iso really that bad on the A55? I have seen some samples of 3200 and 6400 that were pretty impressive. Jason From what I've seen on a single image, the A55 seems to have aprox. 1 stop more noise over the D7000. However... it appears that the A55 can stack images internally and do a number of neat tricks including amazing NR and DR multiplicity.

12-12-2010, 06:41 AM	#9
Boris Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Israel Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 932	I also got a chance to handle A55 recently. A coworker of mine has it. Had most positive impressions from it. Especially the viewfinder and the system that allows to easily magnify x7.5 middle part of the screen for precision focusing. It is in fact strikes me as a more convenient one than split screen focusing screens and various magnifying eye pieces... This camera is really a technology marvel produced by Sony. Kudos to them and salutations to the users of this camera system - they've got an excellent tool.

12-12-2010, 09:36 PM	#10
Eruditass Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,207	Sounds pretty awesome. I had tried the lower end Sony SLRs and hated their menus and ergonomics. Is the A55 different in both those areas?

12-15-2010, 10:55 AM	#11
Jasvox Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 3,107	Presuming the Sony A55 has in body stabilization, does it make a "clunk" when you turn it over or lightly shake it? Jason

12-15-2010, 10:59 AM	#12
Jasvox Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 3,107	Originally posted by jogiba "darwinfish105 29 days ago GH2 is the best FullHD DSLR for me. My impression with some cameras. video quality: GH2>GH1>5D2>>a55>K-5 ease of use: a55>GH2=GH1>K-5>>5D2 a55 loses the quality of the video. If you have GH2, GH1(hacked) is not necessary. My blog is written in Japanese, but I think it's helpful captured image. darwinfish105.blogspot.com/2010/11/gh15dmarkii55k-5gh2.html" This video loses my interest after the first 30 seconds with the never-ending double exposure. It could have been more interesting with that affect in a subtle "every now and then" kind of way. The effect makes it hard to get areal sense of the night time video quality of the GH2... How is the A55 video, since that was the OP topic? Jason

12-15-2010, 11:56 PM	#14
Eruditass Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,207	I saw one frame from a movie clip of a GH2 versus 7D... amazing difference. GH2 almost looked like a stills photo.

12-17-2010, 01:34 PM	#15
Nesster Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: NJ USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 13,072	Am I the only one who sometimes sees those 55's as SS's?