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In January, when Sony announced their entry into the DSLR market by taking over the photography department of Konica Minolta, I started getting a rough idea as to how Sony want to enter this market that was entirely new to them. Sony’s first step was to buy the best available choice when it came to SLR bodies, which proved to be the right way to enter the DSLR market. After all, Sony has no own experience when it comes to SLR technology, such as autofocus, light metering, use of real shutters etc. They got all this by purchasing the Konica Minolta photo business. And that’s not all. The technology that Sony now possess is top quality and quite comparable to the competition. But Sony made another smart move. By buying Konica Minolta technology, they acquired a large user base of Minolta SLR cameras and lenses. The total number of Minolta lenses sold so far is 16 million, and they can all be used on Alpha cameras. It’s only logical for Minolta shooters to regard the Sony brand with some suspicion. However, Sony used all the good bits from Minolta 5D, and only changed the shape and the names and use of functions in order to make it more familiar to users of Sony’s compact digicams. (Dear CyberShot users, before entering the DSLR world, read the “Compact digicam vs. SLR” article.) By doing this, they achieved two goals. Konica Minolta users are reassured, since Sony kept the Minolta technology, whereas Sony users will have less trouble entering the DSLR world, as many functions and their names are already known to them. Most of all, Sony used an excellent slogan for the first, entry level Alpha camera. “We help you make better pictures!”
After seeing the presentation of their philosophy (see article on introduction of the Alpha), I’m sure that Sony thought out this move quite well and that they will be a strong competitor for Canon and Nikon. As for the other manufacturers of DSLR cameras, e.g. Olympus, Pentax, Samsung and Panasonic, I'm sure Sony will leave them behind.
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A month before the official beginning of retail availability, Sony have an adequate number of cameras ready. |
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Attaching a Sigma lens on the Sony Alpha 100 works flawlessly. This considerably extends lens choice. |
The body
After the first presentation of the camera, we were able to examine it more closely and test it in practice. When it comes to the body, Sony didn’t experiment too much. After buying the Konica Minolta photo business, they did not make the mistake of severing the ties with body experts. Several Konica Minolta engineers are still working on development of new cameras under the Sony Alpha name. In this way, the shape of the body was changed only minutely. It retains several well known features of the Dynax 5D (Dynax 5D DIWA test). The body (94.7 x 133.1 x 71.3 mm, 545g) is made of plastics, while the big, nicely formed grip is covered in rubber. On the back, there’s the 2.5 inch display with a resolution 230,000 pixels and function buttons that are very similar to those on the Dynax 5D. However, the top is changed drastically. The two dials, reminiscent of those on the Cybershot 828, are well built. Especially the right one, used to choose the capture program, clearly shows that it was taken from Sony cameras in an attempt to make the new camera more familiar to the established user base. The Alpha uses a 1600 mAh Li-ion Stamina battery, enabling it to achieve top-of-the-class 750 frames per charge. The testing also showed that this battery does indeed have a large capacity and does not run out of juice easily.
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Everything is OK. It’s just the Sony name that isn’t yet familiar on an SLR camera. But it won't be long before Sony cameras will get the respect they deserve. |
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The body itself hasn’t changed much from the Minolta 5D. Sony did the right thing. All that is typical of good DSLR cameras was incorporated into the new Alpha 100. |
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The back is very clean, with few buttons and a large 2.5 inch display with 230,000 pixels. |
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The left dial is used for several settings. Pick the desired function, push the middle “Fn” button and change the setting. It is obvious that this is not a professional camera. For fast work, changing the settings is a bit awkward and takes some additional time. However, it's still better to have these settings on the controls rather than having to look them up in the menu. |
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Control dials are well made. |
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The battery has an extremely high performance, while the memory card slot takes CF cards. The kit also contains an adapter for using MemoryStick Duo cards in the CF slot. |
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The basic kit lens has a plastic mount. |
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The Alpha 100 and both kit lenses. |
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The telephoto lens provided in the kit has a high quality metal mount. |
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Author :
Matjaz Intihar / translated by Joze Sveticic
Contact e-Photographia.com
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- Photographers in fear of the dust
My three years old DSLR camera was never cleaned and it is such a good test for display of problem, dust on sensor.
- Problems of the digital technology / Compact cameras vs. DSLRs
With the digital imaging came new findings. To make good photos, you have to know your camera and its functions, be familiar with photographic techniques and finally, know how post-processing works on computers.
- Konica Minolta Dynax 5D / DIWA Awards review
Konica Minolta introduced a new DSLR camera, the Dynax 5D. This is Konica-Minolta's second DSLR, following the mid-class Dynax 7D, which was introduced last October. The 5D's target audience are consumers, not professionals. Due to the relatively high price of the Dynax 7D, many photographers of Konica-Minolta's film SLR cameras were eagerly anticipating the 5D.
Why was it so eagerly anticipated and what does the Minolta brand mean in the SLR world?
- Sony Alpha / novi igralec v SLR svetu
Od naprednega sveta umaknjenem delu maroškega pogorja Atlas je v večernih urah zadonel močan pok in nato še naslednji. Velik ognjemet je osvetljeval veliko črko Alpha in uradno je Sony napovedal dolg in močan boj za velik tržni delež v fotografskem SLR svetu.
- Sony Alpha / A new player in the DSLR arena
Sony just made a new giant leap in the world of photography. In the past ten years, Sony sold over 50 million compact digicams under the CyberShot brand. Several facts make this decision perfectly rational: compact digicam demand is slowing and is expected to increase by only 3 to 5% in the year 2006, an increasing number of low cost manufacturers and the plummeting margins in this market segment.
- Sony Alpha 100 Test
Spodobi se, da ob rojstvu nove sistemske kamere zaželimo vse dobro in obilo uspeha. Bolj kot odličnost kamere, Sony potrebuje uspešen prodor med zahtevnejše foto uporabnike, ki niso vajeni Sony imena v zrcalno refleksnem razredu. Inženirji so opravili odlično delo. Sedaj je vse na tržnikih in oglaševalcih. Ti morajo fotografom dokazati, da je Sony tudi med SLR kamerami več kot vreden zaupanja. Glede na začeten pravilni pristop verjamem, da jim bo uspelo.
- Pentax K10D / DIWA Awards Review
As usual, image quality is difficult to quantify. Therefore, I can only give my personal opinion. All hobbyists want high-quality images. With the Pentax K10D, this is possible, except for pixel peepers who want every pixel to be perfect. I was able to make excellent 30 x 45 cm (12 x 18 inch) prints without noticing any major shortcomings.
Also, noise at ISO 1600 is very well controlled and only becomes noticeable at ISO 800. Because of this, I was able to shoot at ISO 400 with no qualms about image quality.
- Sony Alpha 200 - Hands-on Preview
Sony announced their new Alpha 200. And we got our hands on a preproduction model. Go on, read it.
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