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- Review: The Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
Review of the Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 - Performance (p3)
Sony Alpha Performance
When it comes to speed, the Alpha-A100 is fast, but not really fast. The camera switched on in about 1.2 seconds with the battery fully charged. This may seem fast, but it's significantly slower than some other cameras, such as the Canon Rebel XT, which is ready to go in under .3 seconds. Shutter response time was slightly better at 0.33 seconds with the standard 18-70mm kit lens. The camera took about .14 seconds to focus (pressing the shutter button to the first stop), and shutter lag was recorded at .35 seconds.
The Alpha-A100 did fairly well in continuous-mode as well. The camera shot 8 10-megapixel JPEGs in a row at 2.75 frames/second. The speed is very close when using RAW mode, though it begins to slow down after 2-3 shots. Expect the flash to slow down this speed considerably.
Overall photo quality was very good. Thanks to the new image processor and dynamic range optimizer, color saturation and contrast was generally well balanced. As we had hoped, detail was maintained relatively well, even in photos dominated by shadows. Though it's certainly no substitute for a trusty tripod, the image stabilization system did help keep photos sharper than they would have been otherwise.
ISO performance was fairly average for a dSLR in the sub-$1000 class. Photos were crystal clear through ISO 200, but began to pick up some noise from 400 on up. At ISO 1600, noise level was enough to reduce detail in most photos. However, we were still able to print reasonable quality 8x11 photos at this ISO.
When taking photos indoors, the automatic white balance tended to lean towards red and orange, producing a warmer than authentic image in some cases. Switching over to manual white balance largely took care of this problem. In natural sunlight, the automatic white balance performed quite well.
The Sony Alpha-A100 is one camera everyone one should consider if looking at dSLRs in the sub-$1000 category. It has nearly all the features expected on new dSLRs: 10-megapixel sensor, anti-dust system, image stabilization system, 2.5-inch display, and more. The camera has enough options to satisfy the serious photo enthusiast, while being easy enough to use for a dSLR newbie. With Konica-Minolta design and technology behind it, Sony's first dSLR is serious competition for Nikon, Canon, and the rest.
When it comes to speed, the Alpha-A100 is fast, but not really fast. The camera switched on in about 1.2 seconds with the battery fully charged. This may seem fast, but it's significantly slower than some other cameras, such as the Canon Rebel XT, which is ready to go in under .3 seconds. Shutter response time was slightly better at 0.33 seconds with the standard 18-70mm kit lens. The camera took about .14 seconds to focus (pressing the shutter button to the first stop), and shutter lag was recorded at .35 seconds.
The Alpha-A100 did fairly well in continuous-mode as well. The camera shot 8 10-megapixel JPEGs in a row at 2.75 frames/second. The speed is very close when using RAW mode, though it begins to slow down after 2-3 shots. Expect the flash to slow down this speed considerably.
Overall photo quality was very good. Thanks to the new image processor and dynamic range optimizer, color saturation and contrast was generally well balanced. As we had hoped, detail was maintained relatively well, even in photos dominated by shadows. Though it's certainly no substitute for a trusty tripod, the image stabilization system did help keep photos sharper than they would have been otherwise.
ISO performance was fairly average for a dSLR in the sub-$1000 class. Photos were crystal clear through ISO 200, but began to pick up some noise from 400 on up. At ISO 1600, noise level was enough to reduce detail in most photos. However, we were still able to print reasonable quality 8x11 photos at this ISO.
When taking photos indoors, the automatic white balance tended to lean towards red and orange, producing a warmer than authentic image in some cases. Switching over to manual white balance largely took care of this problem. In natural sunlight, the automatic white balance performed quite well.
The Sony Alpha-A100 is one camera everyone one should consider if looking at dSLRs in the sub-$1000 category. It has nearly all the features expected on new dSLRs: 10-megapixel sensor, anti-dust system, image stabilization system, 2.5-inch display, and more. The camera has enough options to satisfy the serious photo enthusiast, while being easy enough to use for a dSLR newbie. With Konica-Minolta design and technology behind it, Sony's first dSLR is serious competition for Nikon, Canon, and the rest.
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Comments
Comment #1 (Posted by an unknown user)
this camera runs circles around the XTi and D80
Comment #2 (Posted by an unknown user)
no, it doesn't.you overrate it.
