Sony Alpha SLT-A57K 16.1 MP Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor DSLR with Translucent Mirror Technology, 3D Sweep Panorama and 18-55mm Zoom Lens

I have a pretty long history with Sony cameras. In addition to the "litter" of point and shoot models I've purchased from Sony and used in both Europe and the US, I've also long experience with the venerable DSC-R1, the SLT-a33, and the F707/F717/F828 series (which may or may not be described as "point and shoots," depending on your perspective). I would have to say that I very much enjoyed the a33, and under the right conditions, that camera (the a33) can knock out some truly terrific images. The a33/a55 had a few deficiencies, as all cameras do, but if you learned to work around them, it wasn't much of an issue. Now, if you are an owner of either an a33 or an a55, you are probably reading this review to help determine if the upgrade to the a57 is "worth" it. If you are new to the Sony line, you are probably comparing this model to some of the Nikons or Canons (I've some experience with these, as well, having owned the Nikon D7000 and the Nikon D5100). I can tell you that I would be able to recommend the Sony SLT-a57 for either category of users, and although what I write here has probably already been commented on by everyone else already, it still is helpful to hear another person's impressions of the camera. What is it that makes this SLT-a57 so nice? Here's some of my reasons: 1. Highly responsive - nearly instantaneous autofocus, quick power on, and no delays in the menu system 2. Lightweight - it's a tad heavier than the a33, but not much; this is still one of the lightest DSLR's you'll run across 3. Gorgeous flippable screen - high resolution, and can rotate through two axes of motion 4. Good image quality - it can hold its own against the other brands (there are some caveats, as always, and your lens model has a large impact on this) 5. Very comfortable grip - improved from the a33/a55 (which is on the small size) in both shape and the tactile surface 6. Loads of advanced features - multi-shot layering, HDR, special effects, and, of course, aperture mode, shutter mode, manual mode, etc., etc. 7. Extremely reasonable price - even when not on sale, it's a great price, particularly when you pick it up with the highly reviewed 18-135 lens as part of the bundle 8. Long battery life - the battery type, though still in the "M" series, has more charge capability than the older "M" batteries used in the a33/a55 9. Excellent video capability - can take video in high resolution in both "i" and "p" modes, as well as either AVCHD or MP4 formats 10. Built-in help system if you are new to DSLRs, and want some advice for shooting with certain modes/conditions 11. Generally good physical layout of buttons 12. Super high burst rate of 12 frames per second (faster than most any camera in this class, and perhaps equalled only by some extremely expensive models 13. Electronic "spirit" level can be displayed on screen to verify horizon (every DSLR should have this!) 14. A number of Zeiss lenses are available for the alpha mount (including Sony SAL-85F14Z 85mm f1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar T Coated Telephoto Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera , Sony 24 -70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Cameras , and Sony SAL-1680Z 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T DT Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera ) I have paired this camera with the very nice 16-80mm lens, but I have also been using the very inexpensive Sony 35mm F1.8 lens, and the images have been exceptionally good. Based on the reviews I've read, you should get very good results if you purchase this with the 18-135 lens, which is apparently made in Japan, and is being offered at a fantastic price when you purchase it with the a57. Overall image quality from the camera is therefore seen as very good (with the exception that the jpg rendering engine for the a57 is not as good as some other brands, sometimes resulting in minor image artifacts under some conditions), and images are generally sharp and contrasty (you'll need to post-process to maximize sharpness, but this is true of nearly every camera). The camera is exceptionally responsive. Due to the speed of the unit, you can focus on your photography, and not wait for the camera to catch up with you. If you prefer to use the viewfinder, the electronic viewfinder on this unit is improved from the a33/a55, and most people say that it is very adequate for a camera in this price range. I usually compose and shoot using the LCD display, and because there is no mirror to flip down and back, you get instantaneous focus and shooting. They say this is an entry-level DSLR, and I suppose it is, but that doesn't mean you can't take images like a pro with this camera. You just have to take time to learn how to use the various functions, and you can really knock off some terrific shots with this. Are there any shortcomings with the camera? Well, yes, but none of them seem to generally be deal breakers. Some of these might include: - Sony alpha lens lineup does not have the same range as, say, Nikon or Canon (however, there really are plenty of alpha lenses available from Sony, Sigma, and Tamron, and more to come from Sony in 2013, if the latest rumor is to believed) - Batteries are expensive (but they are for all cameras when you buy brand (which I recommend for this camera) - JPG rendering engine really could use some improvement (but if you are really concerned about this, you can shoot in RAW mode) - No "flash off" setting for P/A/S/M modes (flash will pop up, but if you push it down, it will stay down from this point...) - No custom leather case (yet) from Sony (but I suspect this may only be a matter of time) This really is a great deal all around, and as I write this in late 2012, there is a sale going on that has brought the price down quite substantially, making it even a better bargain. This is an easy five star recommendation, even when at retail price. Recommended Accessories: I very much like the Sony STP-GB1AM Genuine Leather Grip Belt -Black , and use it all the time A fantastic filter is the Sony Alpha VF67CPAM Circular Polarizing Filter (Black) , which is coated with the Zeiss T* coating A second (and possibly third) battery is always important. I recommend the authentic Sony battery Sony NPFM500H Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery Pack for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Cameras - Retail Packaging Lens 1: Sony SAL-1680Z 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T DT Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera - a great zoom lens that opens very wide Lens 2: Sony Alpha SAL35F18 A-mount Wide Angle Lens (Black) - amazing clarity for its price, and very lightweight, too Lens 3: Sony SAL30M28 30mm f/2.8 Lens for Alpha Digital SLR Cameras - a great starter lens if you want to experiment with macro photography

I have used a Sony SLT-a55 for the past year and a half and purchased a number of the Sony and Zeiss professional lens. This combination has produced very good output. Some of the finest pictures I have ever taken were with the a55. However I was annoyed that the camera was not as responsive as my a700 and the overheating problem during video recording. So I preordered the SLT-a57 March 18th and it arrived yesterday. I have only had the camera one day and I am very impressed and think the upgrade from the a55 is very good. I think the Sony SLT cameras offer an excellent feature set. I am a fan of the EVF technology. Much of my photography is done shooting stage events where the lights vary greatly across the stage. I love being able to see the adjustments of the camera setting in the EVF and shoot without needing to refer to the output on the LCD screen. What you see is what you get. I can concentrate on the subjects and wait for just the right moment in the action. I prefer to compose the scene through a VF anyway. I no longer take an OVF camera to stage events. Getting the right exposure is so easy with an SLT camera. The exposure on stage can easily vary from 1/30 to 1/640 sec at F4 depending upon the subject position relative to the lighting, especially spotlights. I no longer do any exposure bracketing. I also enjoyed the continuous focus during video recording (DLSR AF during zooming while video recording is poor), and in camera HDR feature that works very well. I do prefer an OVF camera for studio work with strobes. I have been very impressed with two other features of the SLT-a57 already. The first one is focus peaking during manually focusing. I have poor eyesight and could no longer manually focus a scene. But with the focus peaking feature my manual focusing that been restored. It is like a part of my vision has been restored. I now would buy a Sony SLT or NEX camera just for this feature alone. The other feature that appears very impressive is the clear zoom feature where the picture quality is processed and improved over what one usually gets from a digital zoom which degrades the IQ. You can zoom up to 2.8x on any lens attached to the camera. I have uploaded two pictures for you to see the magnification of my CZ 16-80 zoom lens at 80mm while lighting the subject with bounce flash (These are jpg pictures right out of the camera. Notice the knots on the beaded jug as a reference). I now will have a very nice combination with my a77 for event photography with some SSM lens. I want to thank the engineers at Sony for this feature set. In the past I felt that Sony offered some excellent lens but that each of their camera models was lacking an important feature. Now I feel that Sony has produced two excellent cameras in the SLT a77 (I bought it for its AF system (which is great) and the ability to micro adjust lens focus) and the SLT-57 model. They are very fun to use with a super feature set. They are fast, feel good in the the hand and produce very nice pictures indeed. I tested the clear zoom feature further tonight and I think that it works as advertised which is amazing. You can digitally magnify the image up to 2.8x more while still retaining very good image quality through Sony's image enhancement feature. I included some pictures taken with my telephoto lens on the Sony a57 product page here on Amazon shot at an 8 Mp resolution. Look for yourself. I made my 200mm telephoto lens a 400mm with the push a button. There is a picture taken with my 400mm lens for comparison. It doesn't look like a gimmick to me. 4-29-12 I uploaded more pictures to the Sony SLT-a57 product page after a trip out "birding" with an 400mm lens. I think people interested in photographing wildlife should consider this camera. Update: 5-23-12. Recently, I shot 3 stage events and I am satisfied that this camera's clear zoom feature works just as well indoors as outdoors. I was very impressed with the reach of this camera and the IQ of the images using it with a Tamron 70-200mm f 2.8 lens. I did not need to go above 1600 iso to get the shutter speeds I needed even with dancers and felt no need to do any noise removal in post proceeding. The feature set of this camera gives one so many options. Using the focus peaking feature with manual focusing more and more. Another problem that is resolved when using the SLT-a57 when shooting stage events (formal concerts like choir or orchestra) or weddings is how quiet the shutter is. It is almost silent. In the past using a OVF camera with a moving mirror I could not get the shots I wanted for fear of causing shutter noise at a time when everyone in the audience should be quiet like when a soft song was being played or sung or when the couple is exchanging vows during the wedding. I would have to wait until a rise in volume occurred so the shutter noise would not be noticed. Often during concerts I shoot video and take still pictures (with two different cameras) at the same time. Then when I played the video back I could hear every shutter click when using the OVF camera like my a700 or a580. What a pain. Now I record video and shoot with the SLT-a57 at the same time and I do not hear the shutter in the video at all. Now I shoot whenever I want during the event. I love the freedom a quiet shutter mechanism gives me. The a77 also has a very quiet shutter as well. I am very happy with this purchase. Update 10/27/12. I have shot with this camera for another 6 months and my satisfaction has only grown. I love the focus peaking feature for manual focusing. It is the best focus assist system for manual focusing in the world. I have shifted over to become a full manual mode shooter. I now have raised my photography to another level. Another feature have works excellent as well is sweep panorama. My sunset pictures are even better. I do agree with other people that Sony needs to improve the jpg engine of all their cameras especially with shooting in the shade. Anyway this is a class leading camera. An excellent choice for someone starting photography. Update 11/30/13. I wanted to add a short update. I am still shooting with this camera. I cycle and hike a lot and even though I also own an RX100 I take the a57 with me most of the time. It is my outdoor activity camera and I have use the in camera HDR and panorama feature all the time with the focus peaking. That allows me to put the focus right where I want it in the scene. My preferred lens with this camera is the Sony 16-50mm f2.8 SSM. It takes sharp landscape pictures. I am also fond of a light weight and "poor man's" telephoto lens. The Tamron 200-400m f5.6. My copy is sharp at 400mm. The a57 camera and those two lenses stay in a backpack where I can just grab them and go. Sometimes I will include the Sigma 70mm macro for closeups. Also I have really enjoyed using the a57 with the Sony 15-50mmf2.8 SSM for video. This setup is silent and the camera does a very good job metering the stage productions I video. I can keep the exposure compensation and the clear zoom adjustments on the live view LCD and make silent and easy adjustments to the image. I just shot a high school play for the drama department and was very happy with the results. The AF with phase detection was very accurate and quick. I was very pleased that the camera never hunted once as it reestablished focus as I changed scenes. Canon is trying to make a big deal about their AF with video with the 70D. Now not is news of a new feature to me I have already been using AF during video for a year and a half. I think the negative press that the Sony SLT cameras have received are such non issues (like the 1/2 stop loose of light from the fixed mirror). Now this camera is an old model and can be bought at very good prices. I just have enjoyed this camera so much.

Item was returned.

The A57 camera had some intriguing functions at a fairly low price. Unfortunately its build quality and longevity left a great deal to be desired. As an owner of several DSLR type cameras before, I was amazed to have had three major camera failures within the first six months of owning the camera. Sony did repair the camera each time under warrant but it was incredibly difficult to rely on the camera. Worse, every time the camera was repaired, it was fixed with used parts. Eventually they replaced the camera's shutter, its focus motor, and the kit lens. Even then it still had focusing problems. Finally enough became enough and the camera was replaced. Apparently the kit lens, which may have been upgraded by this time, was well known for having focusing and blurring issues. There is a manual focusing trick that helped focus the lens as a fix. Some owners were able to get brand new replacements after having similar issues but I had no such luck. Unfortunately other camera manufacturers are not much better with quality control and my experience might have really have been a bad model. (I had an NEX 3 camera years ago which worked fine). The camera itself had some great features such as a high speed shooting and fast auto focusing (when it worked). One issue was its low light photos. It had less than ideal quality when capturing low light images. Another issue was the jpeg engine which often blurred or over softened details to deal with noisy images. The camera also did not take standard TTL flashes, requiring more expensive Sony branded models. For these reasons, I finally gave up on the camera.