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Sony Alpha Images:
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| Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Digital SLR
by Photo-John
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The Camera
After much waiting and speculation among the photographic press and Konica Minolta equipment owners, Sony finally released comprehensive details about their first digital SLR, named "α" - or Alpha, after the first letter in the Greek alphabet. The camera uses a 10MP APS-sized sensor and carries over much, if not all, of the Konica Minolta SLR technology - the Maxxum lens mount, Eye-Start, honeycomb metering, and a sensor-level anti-blur system. To those features, Sony adds their new "Bionz" processor, an anti-dust system, a 2.5-inch LCD, and battery life for up to 750 photos. The Bionz processor provides a high-speed 3 frames-per-second capture rate, intelligent power management, and supports Sony's new Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO), which extends the dynamic range of processed images captured with the Alpha.
The Alpha is aimed at entry-level and enthusiast digital photographers. The body alone will sell for about $900 and a kit with an 18-70mm Sony zoom lens will be available for about $1000.
The System
Sony isn't just introducing a new digital SLR. The Alpha DSLR-A100 is the centerpiece of a complete digital SLR system with 19 Sony lenses, 3 Carl Zeiss lenses, and a range of accessories. The new Sony and Zeiss lenses will be backwards compatible with the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D and Maxxum 5D digital SLRs. Konica Minolta Maxxum-mount lenses should also work with the new Alpha digital SLR, although Sony makes no guarantees about compatibility.
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There are 5 Sony zoom lenses, including the 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, an 11-18mm (35mm equiv. 16-22mm) super-wide zoom, and the pro-level 70-200 f/2.8G. There are also 12 Sony prime lenses, including two macro lenses, a 300mm f/2.8G telephoto, a 135mm f/2.8 "Smooth Transition Focus" portrait lens, and a 500mm f/8.0 mirror lens. One of the most exciting elements of the system are the three Carl Zeiss lenses, which include a 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom (24-120mm equiv.) and two prime lenses.
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Other accessories that Sony is introducing with the camera are flashes, macro flash equipment, off camera flash connectors, cases, remote cords, and an angle finder and magnifier.
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Conclusion
The introduction of the α DSLR-A100 is a major step for Sony's digital photography business. Digital SLRs are the fastest growing segment of the digital camera market and Sony wants a piece of the action. Judging by the camera specs and breadth and number of new accessories, they aren't messing around. The Alpha looks to be a solid alternative to entry level digital SLRs from Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Olympus. The specs and price also suggest that it may be a more capable camera than competitors' entry-level digital SLR bodies. And it should make most Konica Minolta owners happy - especially die-hards with big Maxxum lens collections who haven't yet invested in digital SLRs. We still have to wait and see how the Alpha performs. But Sony certainly is making a big statement with this camera.
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Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Digital SLR Specs
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| Camera Type |
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Digital SLR with built-in flash and interchangeable lenses |
| Lens |
| Lens Mount |
Konica-Minolta Maxxum mount |
| Compatibility |
Sony α lenses and most Konica Minolta Maxxum mount lenses |
| Price |
| Body Only (approx) |
$900 |
| Kit (approx) |
$1000 |
| Image Capture |
| Sensor |
23.6 x 15.8mm APS-C size CCD with RGB filter |
| Resolution |
10.8-Megapixel |
| Aspect Ratio |
3:2 |
| Sensitivity |
Auto and ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 |
| Dust reduction |
Static-resistant anti-dust coating |
| Recording |
| Storage Media |
CompactFlash Type I and II, Microdrive, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo |
| A/D Conversion |
12-bit |
| File Format |
JPEG, RAW. RAW+JPEG (DCF 2.0 compliant, DPOF 1.1 print function support, Exif 2.21 support) |
| Color Modes |
sRGB and Adobe RGB |
| Noise Reduction |
Available for shutter speeds longer than one second |
| D-Range Optimizer (DRO) |
Advanced/Standard/Off (automatically off in M-Mode) |
| White Balance |
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Automatic, Preset (Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Flourescent, Flash), color temperature (2500-9900k with 19-step Magenta/Green compensation), Custom |
| Super SteadyShot |
| System |
CCD-shift mechanism |
| Compensation |
Approx. 2 to 3.5 stop decrease in shutter speed (varies according to conditions and lens used) |
| Display |
| LCD Monitor |
2.5-inch TFT display (Clear Photo LCD Plus), 230k pixels |
| Image Display Modes |
Single image (image only, image + information, image + information + histogram), Index (4/9/16 Images), tabbed browsing |
| Other Display Functions |
Enlarged view (12x maximum zoom), overexposure/underexposure warning, slideshow, image orientation (automatic rotation mode on/off) |
| Auto Focus System |
| Focus Modes |
Auto focus/manual focus selectable (auto focus modes: AF automatic selection, one-shot AF, continuous AF, direct manual focus) |
| Main Functions |
Focus area selection (wide area/9 point-local frame selection/ficed center spot focus), predictive focus, auto-tracking focus point, focus lock |
| Eye-Start AF |
Selectable via main menu |
| AF Illuminator |
Activated via built-in flash in low-light/low-contrast conditions, range 1 to 5m |
| Type |
TTL phase-detection system |
| Sensor |
CCD line sensors (9 points, 8 lines with center cross-hair sensor) |
| Auto Exposure System |
| Exposure Modes |
Program AE (Auto mode/P-Mode, with program shift), aperture-priority, shutter-priority, manual |
| Scene Modes |
Portrait, landscape, macro, sports, evening, night, night portrait |
| Metering Type |
Direct TTL metering (40-segment honeycomb-pattern metering, center-weighted metering, spot-metering) |
| Metering Sensor |
40-segment honeycomb-pattern SPC |
| Metering Range |
EV1 - EV20 (EV4 - EV20 with spot metering), ISO 100 equivalent with f/1.4 lens |
| Exposure Compensation |
+/-2EV (1/3 EV increments) |
| AE Lock |
Automatically activated with AF lock, available with AE lock button |
| Built-In Flash |
| Flash Metering and Control |
ADI/Pre-flash TTL flash metering, manually activated |
| Flash Coverage |
18mm lens equivalent |
| Flash Modes |
Auto, Fill flash, Red-eye reduction pre-flash, Rear Sync Flash, Wireless*, High-speed sync*, Slow sync (with AE lock on)
*Requires compatible external flash |
| Guide Number |
GN 12 (in meters at ISO 100) |
| Flash Exposure Compensation |
+/-2EV (1/3 EV increments) |
| Recycle Time |
Approx. 3 seconds |
| Shutter |
| Type |
Electronically-controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane shutter |
| Speed Range |
1/4000th sec. to 30 sec., bulb |
| Flash Sync Speed |
1/160th sec. (1/120th sec. with Super SteadyShot on) |
| Viewfinder |
| Type |
Fixed eye-level |
| Pentaprism |
Roof mirror type |
| Focusing Screen |
Spherical Acute Matte (not changeable) |
| Field of View |
95% |
| Magnification |
0.83x (with 50mm lens at infinity) |
| Eye Relief |
Approx. 20mm from the eyepiece, 16mm from the eyepiece frame |
| Diopter Control |
-2.5 to 1.0m-1 |
| Shooting |
| Continuous Shooting Rate |
Up to 3 frames per second |
| Continuous Shooting Rate |
Up to 3 frames per second (JPEG: unlimited, RAW: 6 frames, RAW + JPEG: 3 frames) |
| Exposure Bracketing |
Single or continuous shot (3 frames), 0.3EV/0.7EV increments |
| White Balance Bracketing |
3 frames in 2-step increments |
| White Balance Bracketing |
3 frames in 2-step increments |
| Self-Timer |
10 sec., 2 sec. (with mirror up), LED and buzzer signals |
| Digital Effect Control Modes |
Adjustment functions: 8 modes (Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Evening/Night Portrait, Monochrome, Adobe RGB), contrast, saturation, and sharpness settings (+/-2 steps) |
| Other Functions |
After-view, depth-of-field-preview, zone-matching |
| Print Control |
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Exif Print, Print Image Matching III, PictBridge |
| Power |
| Battery |
NP-FM55H |
| Battery Performance |
Approx. 750 frames recorded (CIPA measurement) |
| External Power Source |
AC adaptor - AC-VQ900AM |
| Connectivity |
| PC Interface |
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed |
| Compatible OS |
Microsoft Windows ME/2000 Professional/XP Home Edition/XP Professional, Macintosh Mac OS X (v.10.1.3 and later) |
| Size |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) |
Approx. 133.1 x 94.7 x 71.3mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") |
| Weight |
Approx. 545g (not including battery or accessories) |
| Operating Temperature |
| Range |
Oº to 40º C (32º to 104º F) |
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