This is a great day for Sony. The leading manufacturer of electronics, video, console products and more, has released several new cameras today. I’ll start by presenting the first two, the SLT-A55V and SLT-A33 cameras that include Sony’s newly developed Translucent Mirror Technology. The technology provides the highest level of auto focus speed both for still image and movie shooting. This kind of performance was impossible to achieve by traditional DSLR technology. With the help of the new Translucent Mirror Technology, the A55 and A33 can continuously and quickly focus while shooting still imagery as well as recording full-HD video. The A55 can shoot continuously at up to 10 frames per second while its smaller brother, the A33 can pull off 7 frames per second. These shooting speeds are, according to the manufacturer, the fastest in the industry for APS-C size sensor-equipped interchangeable lens cameras that cost less than $1000.
This is the most innovative Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera that Sony has ever created,” said Kristen Elder, director of the digital imaging business group. “Our Translucent Mirror Technology is one of the most significant SLR structural changes in more than a decade.”
Now let’s explain exactly what Translucent Mirror Technology does, since Sony seems quite fond of bragging with it. The camera using this type of technology is equipped with a translucent mirror which allows the light passing through the lens to be simultaneously received by the image sensor as well as the auto focus sensor. This allows continuous shooting as well as focusing at speeds that were previously thought impossible. The technology eliminates the need for a moving mirror that has to be raised or lowered. Because of this, the manufacturer was also able to keep the size of the camera down, compared to traditional DSLRs, producing one of the most compact products on the market.
Also part of the two cameras is the newly developed 15-point autofocus system. The A55 features a large 16.2 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor whereas the A33 comes with a 14.2 megapixel one. The APS-C sensor is nearly 20 times larger than the sensor of a traditional compact camcorder and it provides what the company calls more creative control.
Of course, to actually enjoy snapping photos and shooting video nowadays, you have to see what you’re doing on a preferably large and bright LCD screen, right? Both of Sony’s new cameras come with a fully-articulated 3 inch 921,600 Xtra Fine LCD with TruBlack technology with 100 percent coverage. The variable angle tilt LCD is also adjustable to allow shooting from high or low angles. The alternative, an electronic view-finder, has a high-resolution of 1.15 million dots conversion Xtra Fine LCD™ display, is bright and easy to see even in low light, has a selectable shooting parameter display and shows the effects of exposure and white balance adjustments.
Apart from all that the cameras also bring a series of advanced shooting features. AuTo HDR shoots and combines three frames into a single high dynamic photo with rich shadow and highlight detail while multi frame NR will shoot and combine six frames into a single photo. Multi frame NR enables smooth low-light imaging at half the noise level. The 3D Sweep
Panorama technology is able to create two images from a single frame and will enable panoramic photos to be viewed in 3D, on devices that support 3D technology. The more advanced A55 also has built-in GPS. With the help of GPS the camera can record global positioning coordinates along with the date and time. So no more wondering where you were when you shot that specific photo. HDMI connectivity allows the user to display photos on a large number of compatible TVs including the Sony Bravia TVS. Both cameras feature a memory card lot that supports Memory Stick Pro DUO and SD cards.
The two cameras from Sony will become available in September and October this year. The A33 will be the first to arrive on the market. People will be able to find them through Sony’s retail stores as well as at authorized dealers nationwide. The A55 will cost about $750 while the A33 will be somewhat cheaper at $650, for body only. With a 18-55 mm zoom lens included the cameras will cost $850 and $750 (respectively).
