The Sony SLT-A58: This camera was a great help when we needed to get super-fast footage or long-range optics in the wild

Sony has been introducing camera models with electronic viewfinder and translucent mirror, designed for interchangeable optics at an enviable rate. Last summer we got acquainted with the camera Sony SLT-A57, but this spring the developers have introduced a new model – Sony SLT-A58. Devices from this reputable manufacturer have found their customer. The unique combination of technological innovation, excellent image quality and relatively low cost of the camera bodies make them popular with amateurs of different levels and even professionals. At the same time it is clear that the engineers and marketing experts are looking for new solutions to create a versatile camera of tomorrow, trying to find a combination of features and capabilities that could please quite a number of users. Let’s try to understand how it was possible in the new model and how it differs from its predecessor, because today they stand side by side on store shelves at a very similar price.

Test: Andrian KOLOTILIN.

Features and peculiarities of the camera

If you put two cameras next to each other and don’t look at the name, you won’t be able to tell them apart at once. The body of new items is smaller by a couple of millimeters, the location of controls is exactly the same. Those who are interested in the peculiarities of systems with a half-transparent mirror should be reminded that the main feature of big Sony cameras is the absence of a moving mirror, which is replaced by the thinnest semi-transparent fixed mirror. This changed and simplified the design, getting rid of a very fast-moving element in the camera, and as a consequence, allowing the focusing system to work continuously, even during photo and video shooting, as well as reducing acoustic noise and vibration.

Use of electronic viewfinder provided 100% coverage of the frame, ie immediately see what actually turns out in the picture, and therefore visually alert the photographer of the wrong settings, such as incorrect white balance or errors in exposure. The electronic viewfinder also let you see any additional information, flexibly dosing it as needed.

The electronic amplification capability lets the photographer see the scene in twilight or darkness, when the eye is no longer able to see details. But there are some limitations of single-lens translucent technology, which impose on the actions of the user. First of all, the camera can not start shooting instantly: from turning it on until you can press the shutter button takes about a second. The power consumption increased significantly, so when you take pictures actively, it is necessary to have a spare battery. These are practically all the key differences from traditional SLR cameras.

the image is captured with a new sensor with 20 million pixels, which I believe is enough not only for amateur photographers but also for many commercial applications. Matrix size 15×23 millimeters. The sensitivity range extends from 100 to 16,000 ISO, which is not a record, but corresponds to the current level of practical requirements for photography at high sensitivities.

The technical test showed that in the range from 100 to 800 ISO on frames in JPG-format image quality is very high, the detail is excellent, noise is practically absent. At 1600 ISO the noise reduction algorithms at the “low impact” setting will interfere very delicately with the processing of the frame and remove the noise completely, almost without affecting the fine details of the frame.

The result is quite competitive, even compared to much more expensive models of other brands, and among Sony products, the best to date for SLT cameras of the same sensor size. With further increase in sensitivity, the degree of effect of noise reduction increases, and by 16,000 ISO in JPG files, it leads to the removal of small details from the image. An amateur photographer who usually prints small pictures up to 20×30 cm or views them on a computer or mobile device will not notice this feature.

But many professional photographers in America, such as wedding photographers, use Sony cameras for quick shooting and quick results to the customer. Naturally, in that case you should limit the upper bar of sensitivity used to 1600 or at most 3200 ISO, or refine the picture after shooting in specialized programs.

In the older Sony SLT-A57, I personally had my doubts about the design of the viewfinder, which made it difficult to visually assess the accuracy of the focus pointing when shooting. In Sony SLT-A58 the situation has changed dramatically. The viewfinder has higher quality OLED technology, allowing accurate and comfortable judgement of both the scene itself and the accuracy of the focus. It will be much more convenient for specimen shooters. There is one “but” though: the manufacturer has probably decided not to use a high-resolution TFT-display like on the previous model and on more expensive cameras of the company in order to make the camera cheaper.

The display resolution is halved, making it a little difficult to accurately judge sharpness in some cases and making precise manual focusing more difficult. However, you can use the proprietary assist mode, where sharp outlines of the subject are highlighted in yellow, white, or red. I’ve tried it out for some really tough cases and found it to be completely trustworthy. The fact that the angle of inclination of the display has been retained makes this technical simplification a forgivable thing.

A special feature of Sony SLT cameras has always been their high continuous shooting speeds of around 10 fps in RAW format or up to 12 fps in JPG format. It always appealed to me because you could capture fast-moving moments, like a butterfly or bird flying, a baby jumping, examine the phases of movement in detail and choose the best. The new version of the camera has lost such a wonderful professional bonus: the speed of continuous shooting has decreased to 5 frames per second in RAW and to 8 frames per second in JPG with the special speed shooting mode. Typical parameters for the amateur segment.

But the concept of engineers-creators brings in the development of Sony cameras with important bonuses that are not available in other manufacturers’ equipment, and even in super-expensive professional cameras. Here are what I think are the most important benefits for me personally:

1. The ability to create panoramas without a lot of post-processing. In just a few seconds you can get a panorama of a city at night, a natural monument, a large room. It is done without using expensive special optics, panoramic tripod heads – in fact, in reportage style, and is very much in demand by viewers readers of blogs, websites or even magazines . The resolution of the output file and the quality of stitching allows you to print a 70×27 centimeter photograph without complicated picking in a graphic editor, or a high-quality print of almost 50×20 centimeters.

2. I think the camera software makes it possible to capture more dynamic range photos than other competitors. Because it also eliminates a lot of post-processing, the pictures are not only suitable for uploading to the Web, but also for serious printing.

3. Sony cameras have amateur-friendly features of multiple exposure and image processing, allowing a tripod to remove noise very accurately without loss of detail, as well as a variety of popular photo effects.

Practical shooting and processing results

Researching on the Internet reviews of the company’s products and specifically about the new camera I came across an interesting and categorical statement of one amateur photographer: “A professional would never use Sony products for work”. I think this is completely wrong: professionals choose a tool that is convenient to work with, optimal and sufficient to get a quality result.

Over the last four years, working in the style of reportage, landscape, portrait and macro photography, during the trips to the wilderness and in inaccessible areas, I use Sony equipment – when it has a clear advantage over other tools. When choosing your favorite or first camera, the photographer may be guided by the opinion of an expert, honed to get results in any situation.

For example, the Sony SLT-A58 helped me on a long expedition with other cameras, because it gave me the best results. When super speed or very long range lenses are required, I have used other products. When versatility, panoramic shooting, shooting from awkward positions and low weight of portable equipment were required Sony products were preferred. This approach has paid off in every situation, from unhurried macro or landscape photography to reportage.

Bottom-point macro photography is a strength of all Sony cameras, as they feature a flip-down screen. The repeatedly praised high quality of the Sony 100/2.8 macro lens makes the camera a great tool for taking pictures of plants in combination with this lens.

If you had to choose which camera to use for this kind of photography, without long deliberation the decision would be in favor of the A58. All the more, the saturation of the frame is very beautiful, you can accurately build up a composition in Live View mode. Easy and fast focusing is ensured by the manual focus assist mode. The large dynamic range of the sensor allows you to shoot with light or dark backgrounds for beautiful, smooth pictures from a tripod at a low sensitivity with even a fully open aperture photo 1 .

Telephoto lenses pick out the event and emotions of people from afar, allowing them to be separated from the surrounding scenery. The excellent focus quality of the camera and lens make it quite easy to take this shot: the characters don’t pay attention to the photographer and are busy doing their own thing. The high resolution of the sensor allows to frame the image strongly in order to obtain a correct composition of the frame, the system of matrix stabilization allows to shoot at the utmost speed for such a focal length photo 2 .

Wide differences in contrast, such as when shooting the sky and the crowns of mast pines, create problems and require sophisticated image editing. You can get rid of these problems by using HDR’s proprietary medium-effects mode. The details of the clouds are beautifully preserved, and the tree trunks have not become dark. The main task of the photographer when using this option is to keep the camera still photo 3 .

Evening nature panorama with the sun and a big difference in contrast requires from the camera complex calculations “on the fly”. The first section of the panorama is a bit over-lit and not balanced with the rest of the scene. I assume that this result was caused by the pre-production version of the camera’s firmware since I got the camera before the official sales started.

The trouble occurred only in very complex lighting conditions, and could be avoided. When shooting panoramas the camera selects the desired usually the minimum possible sensitivity and the most open aperture. I recommend to turn off the auto focus system beforehand by focusing the camera on the middle objects photo 4 .

During long journeys, every gram of luggage counts, as you often have to carry it on you and overcome water obstacles. In critical situations, still photography is out of place. The face of Natalia, a researcher of the reserve, reflects all the emotions of crossing a dangerous place, and the camera captures it. It’s dark under the flooded forest canopy and we should have set the sensitivity to high, but we have no time for that. Sensor stabilization system helps to take a good picture in true reportage style photo 5 .

Mist forms over river valley at dawn, before sunrise, and immediately dissipates. During so-called security time it’s a matter of seconds, and the camera’s responsiveness makes all the difference. Great sensitivity that makes it possible to shoot handheld without a tripod. The stabilization system helps me make a sharp shot with little noise, and the image sensor retains details in the light photo 6 .

When shooting a reportage in a country town I chose 800 ISO as the basic sensitivity for my camera. This allowed you to shoot on location without having to worry about camera shake. High enough speed of continuous shooting allows you to choose the best phase of movement photo 7 .

The interchangeable long-focus optics, combined with a wide open aperture, allows you to select from a number of characters who seem to be the most interesting. Very precise focusing eliminates the need for multiple takes, as the new electronic viewfinder shows the details of the focused image accurately photo 8 .

Conclusions

Amateur camera Sony SLT-A58 is compact and convenient, produces images of excellent quality and low cost. I could not find it on sale without optics – only complete with one or two interchangeable lenses. So, this model pretends to be the first D-SLR for an amateur photographer.

And more advanced users of Sony photo equipment, I hope, in some time will be able to enjoy the upgrades of the older models of the line of cameras, which will retain all the charms of fine control, high-speed continuous shooting and high-resolution display.

Tests in pictures

Sony SAL-100M28, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/100sec, tripod shooting, 2sec delayed drag mode to prevent vibration from pressing the shutter release button.

Sony SAL-70400G lens, ISO 800, f/14, 1/80 s, 5 fps continuous shooting mode.

Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T*16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM, ISO 400, f/10, 1/800s, HDR Dynamic Range Expansion Mode.

A lens uncharacteristic for shooting panoramas – Sony 70-200mm f/2.8G, ISO 100, f/6, 1/250 s, large manual correction -1.7 EV to compensate for the effect of the sun in the frame.

Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T*16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM, ISO 400, f/6.3, 1/40 sec. The SteadyShot Inside sensor stabilization system saved the shot.

Sony 70-200mm f/2 Lens.8G, ISO 800, f/7.1, 1/320s, SteadyShot Inside sensor stabilization system.

Sony 70-200mm f/2.8G, ISO 800, f/5, 1/2000 s.

Sony 70-200mm f/2 lens.8G, ISO 800, f/5, 1/4000 s.