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Sony α
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- Note: This article contains special characters.
| Sony α 100
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| Type
| Digital single-lens reflex camera
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| Sensor
| 23.6 × 15.8 mm 10.2 effective megapixels CCD
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| Maximum resolution
| 3872 × 2592 pixels
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| Lens type
| interchangeable, Sony α / Konica Minolta A mount
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| Shutter
| electronically-controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane Shutter
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| Shutter speed range
| 30 ~ 1/4000 sec, with Bulb, 1/160 sec X-sync
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| Exposure Metering
| 40-segment honeycomb sensing system provides multi-pattern measuring
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| Exposure Modes
| full manual, Program Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, ±2.0 EV, 1/3 EV Steps Exposure Compensation, 3 frames brcketting
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| Metering modes
| Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot
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| Focus areas
| 9-points, 8 lines with center cross-hair sensor, TTL CCD line sensors
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| Focus modes
| manual focus point selection, Spot AF, Continuous AF and AF Lock
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| Continuous Shooting
| 3 Frames Per Second, unlimited JPEG, up to 6 RAW
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| Viewfinder
| optical, spherical Acute Matte screen, 20mm eye relief, 0.83x magnification, dioptre adjustment, 95% frame coverage, pentamirror
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| ASA/ISO range
| Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, Lo 80, Hi 200
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| Flash
| Manual Pop-up: Auto, Fill-flash, Rear flash sync, Wireless off camera flash (with Flash HVL-F56AM, F36AM), GN12 at ISO 100 (39 feet/ 12 meters)
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| Custom WB
| Auto, daylight, shade, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, flash, color temperature, custom
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| WB bracketing
| 3 frames
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| Rear LCD monitor
| 230k pixel, 2.5-inch TFT LCD
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| Storage
| CompactFlash I/II, Memory Stick PRO (with adapter), Memory Stick PRO Duo (with included adapter)
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| Battery
| 7.2V, 1600 mAh
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| Weight
| 545 g
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Sony α (Greek letter alpha) is a digital SLR camera system introduced on June 5, 2006[1]. It utilizes and expands upon Konica Minolta camera technologies, including the Minolta AF SLR lens mount, whose assets were acquired by Sony after the end of Minolta's camera operations in early 2006. Sony also has an 11.08% ownership stake in Japanese lens manufacturer Tamron,[2] which seems to produce the new DT lenses.
Prior to the acquisition by Sony, the α branding had already been used on the Japanese market by Minolta for their AF camera system (marketed as "Dynax" in Europe, and "Maxxum" in North America.)[3] Sony adopted the name "α mount system" for the Minolta AF lens mount which has been retained in their new SLR range.[4]
Sony's entry into the DSLR market dates back to July 2005 where a joint venture with Konica Minolta would have resulted in both companies marketing an updated line of DSLRs to the masses.
[5]
Sony α 100
The first model marketed by Sony is the A100. It is influenced by previous Konica Minolta models (primarily the Maxxum/Dynax 5D), retaining a similar body design and claimed improvements on Konica Minolta's Anti-Shake sensor shifting image stabilization feature, renamed Super SteadyShot. It uses a 10.2 megapixels APS-C size CCD sensor. Another notable feature inherited from Konica Minolta is Eyestart, which provides for automatic autofocus activation by detecting the presence of the photographer's eye on the viewfinder, thus quickening camera response.
Another notable feature is an automatically vibrating CCD to remove dust each time the camera is shut off. The A100 shipped from Sony and resellers by the end of July 2006 with MSRP prices of US$1000 with the 18-70mm/3.5-5.6 kit lens and US$900 body only.
Sony α 700
| Sony α 700
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| Type
| Digital single-lens reflex camera
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| Sensor
| 12.4 effective megapixels CMOS
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| Maximum resolution
| 4288 × 2856 pixels
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| Lens type
| interchangeable, Sony α / Konica Minolta A mount
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| Shutter speed range
| 30s to 1/8000s including BuLb setting
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| Focus areas
| 11-points, center double cross-hair
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| Continuous Shooting
| 5 frames per second (JPEG, JPEG+RAW, cRAW), 25 fps (RAW only)
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| Viewfinder
| 95% coverage
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| ASA/ISO range
| Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
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| Flash
| Built in
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| Rear LCD monitor
| 921K-point (307k pixel) , 3-inch TFT LCD
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| Storage
| CompactFlash I/II, Memory Stick PRO (with adapter), Memory Stick PRO Duo (with included adapter)
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| Battery
| lithium ion battery pack
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| Weight
| 690 g (without battery)
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On March 8, 2007, at the PMA Trade Show, Sony announced two new α cameras, both positioned to be "above" the α100 in the Alpha line-up. One model was referred to as a "high amateur" model, with a release date of late 2007.
On September 6, 2007, Sony released a press release [6] about the upcoming Sony α700 (aka A700), to be launched on November 16, 2007. Featuring the Exmor CMOS sensor with 12.24 Mpixels capable of images at a maximum of 4288×2856 resolution, together with a BIONZ image processor for supporting RAW noise reduction and ISO 3200 sensitivity. Also featuring HDMI output and magnesium alloy body. The camera has the combo with the DT16-105 lens kit (DT 16-105mm F3.5-5.6) at ¥230,000, also the plain camera option at ¥180,000. Both in design, and through similarity in name, this camera body is regarded by many as the successor to the Minolta Maxxum/Dynax 7D.
Future Camera Bodies
The other model announced at PMA 2007 was referred to being the "flagship" model, with professional-level specifications. It estimated to have a release date of early 2008.[7]
Lenses and Tele-converters
The α lens mount, originally known as the A-type Bayonet mount was introduced by Minolta in 1985 as the world's first autofocus system. As a result, virtually all Minolta AF lenses are supported on Sony DSLRs, and many Sony lenses should work on Minolta's film and digital SLRs.
During the initial introduction of the α system in 2006, Sony announced 19 lenses and 2 tele-converters, of which the majority are rebranded Konica Minolta lenses. MSRP and month of introduction are included for these lenses, below.
At the 2007 PMA Trade Show, Sony unveiled several new lenses, but has referred to them only in qualitative terms, not providing specific specifications. As a result, these newly announced lenses are not included in this list.
Designations
| DT
| "Digital Technology", lenses for APS-C size sensors
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| G
| G Series, professional lenses
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| SSM
| "SuperSonic Motor", in-lens ultrasonic motor used on some long telephoto G Series lenses.
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| ZA
| "Zeiss Alpha", new lenses manufactured under license from Carl Zeiss
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Rebranded Konica Minolta Lenses
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| Lens
| RRP
| Release Date
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| Zoom Lenses
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| Article
| DT 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6
| US$650
| Aug 06
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| Article
| DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6
| US$200, Standard α100 Kit Lens
| Jul 06
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| Article
| DT 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3
| US$500
| Jul 06
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| Article
| 24-105mm f/3.5-4.5
| US$470
| Nov 06
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| Article
| 70-200mm f/2.8 G SSM
| US$1999
| Aug 06
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| Article
| 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6
| US$230
| Jul 06
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| Prime Lenses
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| Article
| 16mm f/2.8 Fisheye
| US$1000
| Oct 06
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| Article
| 20mm f/2.8
| US$680
| Oct 06
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| Article
| 28mm f/2.8
| US$250
| Oct 06
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| Article
| 35mm f/1.4 G
| US$1400
| Oct 06
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| Article
| 50mm f/1.4
| US$350
| Jul 06
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| Article
| 50mm f/2.8 Macro
| US$480
| Jul 06
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| Article
| 100mm f/2.8 Macro
| US$680
| Jul 06
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| Article
| 135mm f/2.8 Smooth Transition Focus (STF)
| US$1200
| Oct 06
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| Article
| 300mm f/2.8 G SSM
| US$6000
| Sep 06
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| Article
| 500mm f/8 Reflex
| US$700
| Oct 06
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Rebranded Tele-converters
| Model
| RRP
| Release Date
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| 1.4× Tele-converter
| US$600
| Sep 06
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| 2× Tele-converter
| US$650
| Sep 06
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New Carl Zeiss lenses
September 2007 Lens Lineup Expansion
Several new lenses were unveiled along with the announcement of the a700 body.
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| Lens
| RRP
| Release Date
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| Zoom Lenses
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| Article
| DT 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6
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| Article
| DT 18-250 f/3.5-6.3
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| Article
| DT 55-200 f/4-5.6
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| Article
| 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 G SSM
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| Spring 2008
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Other accessories
External flash units
The hot shoe on Sony DSLRs (carried over from Minolta's Maxxum/Dynax and its bridge digital DiMAGE A1/A2/A200 series) is not of the standard design used by other camera manufacturers. Adaptors, however, are available.
The two current flash models made by Sony are, like the first generation of lenses, rebadged models of Minolta design.
Both flashes are rebadged Minolta Program 3600HS and 5600HS.
References
External links
Previews
- DCRP First Look: Sony Alpha DSLR-A100, Jeff Keller, June 5, 2006, Digital Camera Resource Page
- Sony DSLR-A100 Overview, Shawn Barnett and Stephanie Boozer, 06/05/2006, The Imaging Resource
- Sony DSLR-A100 First Look, 6/5/2006, Steve's Digicam
- Sony Alpha A700 Preview, Sept 2007, Phil Askey, Digital Photography Review
Reviews
- Sony Alpha A700 Full-Review, November 2007, Neocamera, Cybernium
- Sony Alpha A100 Full-Review, March 2007, Neocamera, Cybernium
- Review: The Sony Alpha DSLR-A100, September 2006, SLR Today
- Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Review, July 2006, Phil Askey, Digital Photography Review
- Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 In-Depth Review, Phil Askey and Simon Joinson, Digital Photography Review
User Sites
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