First impressions of A550

[bfitzgerald]

Long time since I read a decent magazine camera review, compact or DSLR. Most seem reluctant to be too critical. Let's be honest, Nikon's bottom entry line has barely changed for years, very weak upgrades..and most of the time of little consequence. Things get more interesting in "the next level up"

IMO Canon will be making some waves in their next entry model.

Back to Sony, no way they missed MLU, it was done to death, and many folks also posted it directly to the Sony blog. They cannot have missed it. IMO there are no excuses for such an omission from the new A5xx models. That's before we add the other missing stuff, of which at least 50% should be there.

Note I didn't mention video, but you could add that one too..if you care about it. (I don't, but it should have it for sales reasons)
This is gonna be a long hard fight, because I have no intentions of letting Sony off the hook on this one, I invite other A mount users to join the crusade. Sony are going to have to listen a lot more, not because of me moaning, but something called "competition".

[KevinBarrett]

I have no intentions of letting Sony off the hook on this one... not because of me moaning, but something called "competition".

Does this mean you're going to buy a different camera?

[David Kilpatrick]

I have decided that I am no longer going to support a Canon system for testing. Both Sigma and Tamron issue test lenses now in Nikon mount by default, not officially for any negative reason but the accuracy of the Nikon focus system is so far ahead of Canon on any subjects likely to be used for testing this decision must benefit their results. Having now used the 7D for enough time to suss out its benefits, I don't want it - or a 500D or a 50D. If I am going to spend any money at all on non-Sony systems, it would have to be a Nikon D300S as an upgrade (mainly for sound recording quality) to the D5000 I have now. But it might be a Panasonic or Olympus system instead of the Canon. The 75-300mm IS USM lens I have is pretty old, it's not really fair to test new camera bodies with it, and Canon seem readily able to send out bodies and lenses (unlike Sony) on request.

Testing the 7D has helped me reach this decision. It's the wrong direction even though it will have some firm appeal to birders.

The Alpha 550 is a definite purchase though and I am now waiting until sometime next week when it finally becomes available.

David

[alphaomega]

Having looked at BF's list of "missing items" from the A550 I must admit that I would miss:

No DOF preview
No Spot metering circle in VF (but strangely they show one for the LCD live view, so the manual says)
No ISO in VF (that is extra strange)
No button on body for WB
No switch on body for SSS on/off

On the other hand I welcome the inclusion of the on body switch between SD and MS cards like on my old R1. I note that the R1 on/off switch has also been re-introduced. Never caused me a problem.
I do look forward to reading DK's A550 review when he manages to lay his hands on one. I guess that the items I have listed could have been added for a few Yen. I do agree that some of the omissions are strange on a camera slotted in between the 2/3XX below and A700/A850 and A900 above.

[RubberDials]

Having looked at BF's list of "missing items" from the A550 I must admit that I would miss:

...
No switch on body for SSS on/off
...

I hate the SSS switch. To me this was always a menu item. On my A100 I accidentally switched it off twice on shooting trips with the result: almost no critically sharp pictures. I haven't managed to switch it off on my A350, but only because the switch is horizontal rather than vertical, so doesn't catch pulling the camera out of a bag.

If you're going to have a physical switch for something critical put a lock on it!

[RubberDials]

...
The Alpha 550 is a definite purchase though and I am now waiting until sometime next week when it finally becomes available.

David

Thank god! I'm dying here...

[KevinBarrett]

Both Sigma and Tamron issue test lenses now in Nikon mount by default

I'll bet that Nikon's larger APS-C sensor has something to do with it. I know I hate comparing two lenses where one was reviewed on a Sony/Nikon/Pentax, and the other on a Canon. The lens tested on a Canon will always show an advantage in vignetting, lateral aberrations, and distortion, and the review becomes useless to the rest of us.

[Birma]

... I invite other A mount users to join the crusade. Sony are going to have to listen a lot more, not because of me moaning, but something called "competition".

I agree that I don't think us folk on internet forums moaning will make any difference. Sales is what will make the difference to Sony. I do not think the vast majority of A5xx purchasers will know what ISO means let alone MLU. How ever much it matters to us, Joe Public will make their decision based on less detailed examination and criteria. I expect Sony will still be #3 at the end of the year, pats on the back all round, and how about getting rid of the OVF next year?

[pakodominguez]

I expect Sony will still be #3 at the end of the year, pats on the back all round, and how about getting rid of the OVF next year?

In the USA, and probably worldwide, there is no risk for Sony not to keeping their third place in the Market. Canon and Nikon monopolize 80% of the dSRL market, Sony have more than 12% and the last 8% goes for Pentax, Olympus, Sigma, etc...
I hope too a Sony srl EVIL camera/system will show up soon. I had a nice talk with one of the Sony Marketing managers at the Photo PLus Expo and, when I asked him about a E-P1 like camera from Sony, he asked me if I saw it as a Point and Shoot replacement or a dSRL owner's second camera: It will be a second camera, not a P&S replacement -for that we have the A3xx series!

Regards

[stevecim]

well while waiting for David's review of the A550, I've had a few more plays in store.

I can add, that the manual focus live view does not time out after 15sec, but it does drop the mirror before taking the shot, I guess this is so it can take upto date meter readings, but it seems to also drop the mirror when expo. is set to full manual.

I tried using a CZ 16-80 on the A550 and on a A350 body, (they had one A350 body left in the store) the A550 seemed to have a more accurate AF at the wide end then the A350 and also felt faster, the OVF seemed brighter and larger. (just my impressions no technical tests preformed )

I really really liked the manual focus live view, I could see my self switching to manual focus for most static shots and using AF only for moving targets.

I would be more than happy replacing my A350 with a A550 it has enough improvements for me to call it a upgrade to the A350.

Then I played with the A850 and A900. If I had the funds I would not hesitate in jumping the A550 straight for a a850 or A900. they are in a class of their own.

then asked the salesmen about replacement body for the A700, and they said that Sony had told them that the A850 is the current replacement for the A700 and there will not be a more advanced APS-C body till it was time to replace the A5XX. I've gotten the same response from 5 different stores in Melbourne.

[alphaomega]

Stevecim wrote above:

then asked the salesmen about replacement body for the A700, and they said that Sony had told them that the A850 is the current replacement for the A700 and there will not be a more advanced APS-C body till it was time to replace the A5XX. I've gotten the same response from 5 different stores in Melbourne.

The more I read about this attitude of Sony being pronounced in various places the happier I get at having secured a brand new A700 for £500 after having "cascaded" my two year old A700 to my son. With my A350 also being slowly "cascaded" to my wife I shall be quite content to acquire a copy of the A550 when the price hovers around £500. I am sure that with having the A700 for more challenging tasks the A550 will be a more than worthwhile successor to my A350. The improved higher ISO, the enhanced LV etc will be just fine although the camera has omissions as clearly detailed by BFitzgerald. I just cannot see the majority of A700 owners being prepared to migrate to FF with the weight and cost implications following such a move. It would appear that Sony is now leaving this "enthusiast" territory to NIK/CAN and Pentax K7.

[Greg Beetham]

I guess what Sony is saying is, if you need more camera than an A700 think A850 or A900, (although here the A700 is listed at Sony Style at $1800 and the A850 is around $3500, and it probably would be an upgrade sideways in some respects...for me). I still believe that the APS-C format is made for birders and macro shooters, and easily knocks off any FF doing those, and also probably a superior format for sports and action.
Seeing as how I'm still using the A100 and it takes photos of good enough quality to please me (I'd still love an A700 to play with tho) I don't 'get' the need for an upgrade for the A700, I think it's a fine cam. (the only obvious thing I can think of that it's missing is the focus fine tune, but how come my A100 seems to get by without it just fine?).
Where I think FF wins is in the studio, portraiture/glamour, most kinds of scenic photography, commercial photography ie. automobiles, white gooods, buildings, interiors, decor etc. fashion, weddings, large groups of people, celebs...in fact just about everything except birding and macro, and borderline better or worse with some sports.
The drawback as I see it with FF is the cost, you have to think very carefully about what lenses you choose for the type of photography you do...if you want to cover all the bases then it's going to cost some serious 'cabbage' ...as someone we know once would have said.

But in the meantime Sony, when can we have an X900D...?
Greg

ps. Regarding the A550, dpr said it had a serious flaw, to do with the f-stop, shutter speed, 'scale' display...being confusing and not relevant to anything...that claim needs a more comprehensive examination, for verification one way or another...DK can check that one out....

[David Kilpatrick]

The scale directions are the same as in the A230-380 series, and they are not reciprocal but cumulative. If you remember old EV shutters - Rolleiflex etc - would set the shutter to an EV or LV (usually from 1 to 18) and that would lock a combination like 1/125 at f/8. Turning the entire locked unit a click would take you to 1/60th at f/11 or 1/250th at f/5.6. Then there were Program shutters which worked a different way - the aperture and the shutter were permanently locked together so that you moved from 1/30th at f/2.8 to 1/250th at f/16 in smaller clicks. The first click would be around 1/45 at f/3.2, the next one 1/60th at f/4 and so on.

Sometimes, you could change the overall relationship on a Program shutter by altering the ASA setting only. Turning the combination (or the single control) normally centered a meter needle.

The current Sony interface is like the Program shutter, but with the metering moving two indexes against shutter and aperture. The left hand end is low light level, the right hand end is bright light.

What dPreview wanted to see was an EV-type shutter - the scale going reciprocally and the actual figures moving (one scale moving against the other). But the display actually just uses an index mark moving along each scale, not a fully animated graphic.

David