Great sensor, easy handling, awesome results. This one was for my partner - i want it, swap you for my a350 - pretty please :).
So first, a few words about me. I've been using compact digitals and the iphone camera for years, but not a digital slr.
I use them all frequently, but i am no specialist or even enthusiast. I just like taking decent pictures. I had a pretty good slr up till last summer, but it was 20 years old and the pictures were getting worse. Last year i spent about £40 on getting a new battery, a few rolls of film, and getting the pictures developed, and the results were tarrible. The pictures were just bad, no doubt at least partly due to operator incompetence, but also i suspect the quality of films and processing has diminished over the years.
Pros
- Excellent camera and outstanding value
- Excellent value for money camera
- Bigger Isn't Always Better
- Brilliant for me! apart from the scan!
- The best camera I own
- Great little camera
Cons
- Disapointing, had high hopes .
- big disappointment
Negative Review of Sony SLTA37 16.1MP Translucent Mirror Technology Interchangeable Lens Camera with 18-55mm Lens - Black
Highly over-priced for a camera that is just as good as a compact. Only buy this if you are a complete amateur but if you want the look and price of something more. The a200 was better than this and thats nearly 4 years old.
Don't let technical terms like "translucent mirror technology" make you believe you are buying something great, because you are not. If you are serious about quality results then i suggest buying a proper dslr and not this disgrace of a camera.
Features of Sony SLTA37 16.1MP Translucent Mirror Technology Interchangeable Lens Camera with 18-55mm Lens - Black
- 16.1 megapixels Exmor APS HD CMOS, Full HD AVCHD video, 7fps, Auto Portrait, 6.7cm LCD. With SAL-1855 standard zoom lens
- Very high quality images, even in low-light
- Full HD video with quick, accurate autofocus
- Beautiful portraits made easy
16.1-megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor and BIONZ image processor. Click here for a larger image
At a Glance, Creative Shooting for Everyone, Time to get a bit more creative with your photography. Step up to higher quality shots with a digital SLR camera that's easy to use and carry around. Pro style photography with minimum effort and less to carry.
Translucent Mirror Technology, Looking for super fast auto focusing when shooting videos and photos? This very clever technology replaces the mirror box used in conventional SLR cameras with a newly designed one containing a fixed translucent mirror that doesn't need to be raised and lowered each time the shutter is released. Perfect for catching fun moments with your friends, spontaneous smiles and frenetic sports action.
Ready for Speed, Here comes your mate about to catch some fat air on his mountain bike. Just as he takes off, you shoot. Just as he reaches maximum height, you shoot. Just as he hits the dirt, you shoot. Did you catch it all? Certainly with this camera as it includes high speed burst shooting with full continuous auto focus at up to 7 frames per second.
High Resolution, Shoot D-SLR quality images with intense colour, rich tonal gradation and subtle background defocusing effects. Despite being light and compact, this camera sports a large, high resolution Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor with 16.1 megapixels. Just what you need for capturing detail-packed photos and brilliant Full 1080 HD movies in smooth 50i or cinematic 25p.
Natural Images in Low Light, Dawn or dusk, dark rooms or dark days, it doesn't matter. High ISO sensitivity of 100-16000 gives you the freedom to shoot at fast shutter speeds indoors or in dimly lit environments without the need for a flash.
Switch Lenses, Go on, push the boundaries. Interchangeable lenses give you the freedom to catch precisely the shot you want, whether a distant view or a stunning close-up. And with SteadyShot Inside, you can be sure that every shot will be judder free, no matter what lens you're using. Auto Portrait Framing: uses face detection and the compositional "rule of thirds' to enable the camera to trim the scene and create tightly-framed professional-looking pictures. Click here for a larger image
Pro shots with ease, You're looking to take your photography up a notch and really start exploring your creativity. You need a camera that will take high speed photos and finely detailed HD movies but you want it to be a doddle to use. This light and compact D-SLR camera puts pro shooting in your hands without the complication. Easy to carry, ready to capture anything at a touch, wherever you find yourself.
Simple sophistication, It's so easy to take professional-looking shots. There's Auto Portrait Framing so heads don't end up squashed against the side of the picture, 3D Sweep Panorama for taking breathtaking wide angle landscapes and Clear Image Zoom which virtually doubles your zoom range. Everything you need to maximize every opportunity.
Be creative, Perk up your pictures easily using Picture Effects. Enhance mood and style by choosing from a full range of effects including Toy Camera, Partial Colour for stunning monochrome shots, Soft High-Key, trendy Pop Colour, watercolour and Illustration. This last effect is really cool, turning your pictures into great-looking cartoons. Full 1080 High Definition movies in 50i for the smooth video quality as well as 25p for cinematic feel. Click here for a larger image
Rapid Response with Translucent Mirror Technology,
Never miss a moment, How many times have you seen the perfect shot, fumbled around with your camera and only captured the back end of it? You've got to be ready when that all important moment appears because it never announces itself. Translucent Mirror Technology puts you in charge, providing high precision, SLR quality performance for both photos and Full 1080 HD movies. How? By replacing the mirror box used in conventional SLR cameras with a newly designed one containing a fixed translucent mirror that doesn't need to be raised and lowered each time the shutter is released. The result? Ultra high-speed continuous shooting and auto focusing, which is just what you need to catch once in a blue moon moments like your mate wiping out while showing off on his skis.
Shoot your way, What's it to be? Live view shooting or through the viewfinder? With Advanced Quick AF Live View, high-resolution image data from the sensor can be displayed in the viewfinder as well as on the large tiltable LCD. You choose which you want to monitor while shooting. Switching is automatic for ease of use and you can activate Quick AF Live View in the viewfinder simply by putting your eye to the eyepiece. Class leading high-speed 7 fps continuous shooting with Full-time Continuous AF thanks to Sony unique Translucent Mirror Technology. Click here for a larger image
You've got to be quick, Swooping birds, Moto GP bikes, hundred metre hurdlers. If you want to capture them, you'll need a camera with high speed continuous shooting that can take multiple frames per second. This camera shoots up to 7 frames per second so everything stays clear and blur free.
Get closer, Maybe you want to get closer to the action? Tele-Zoom Continuous Advance Priority AE zooms in with around 1.4x magnification to keep your subject in precise focus in every frame – ideal for capturing fast sports and fleeting facial expressions. SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilization: Effective enough at shutter speeds approximately 2.5 to 4.5 steps slower than would otherwise be possible while supporting all alpha lenses. Click here for a larger image
Big sensor, big pictures, Top notch performance in a lightweight camera? Absolutely. A large, high resolution Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor with 16.1 megapixels works alongside a sophisticated BIONZ processor to capture images with intense colour, rich tonal gradation and subtle background defocusing effects. Even better, at around 16 million pixels, you can make impressive large prints up to A3 size - great if you want some framed shots on the wall.
Captures Full 1080 HD movies, Time for some action? Press the MOVIE button to shoot Full 1080 HD video in super smooth 50i or cinematic 25p. High speed full-time auto focus precisely tracks moving subjects and with SteadyShot Inside keeps everything stable and judder-free. Your video looks perfectly stable, even when zooming in for a close-up. ISO 16000 maximum sensitivity with BIONZ processor noise reduction for natural-looking images, even in low light conditions. Click here for a larger image
It's the prince of darkness, How many times have you shot at dawn or dusk, only to get back home and be royally disappointed with the dark, grainy results? Some of the most dramatic shots come at the beginning and end of the day but you need a pretty decent sensor to capture detail in that twilight zone. This camera includes a super-sensitive, high resolution Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor and high ISO sensitivity of 100-16000 to perfectly preserve fine details, no matter how dark the scene.
You choose which one you want, Lions stalking antelopes. Killer whales off shore. Eagles atop a distant peak. How many times have you wanted to zoom in and catch the action without moving an inch? With interchangeable lenses, you can capture precisely the shot you want, whether a distant view or a stunning close-up. There's a full range of lenses to choose from including high zooms, wide angles, macros, primes and telephotos.
Box Contains CD-ROMEyepiece cupUSB cableShoulder strapBattery chargerPower cableBody capLens capSAL-1855Rechargeable battery
Compact Dslr. An entry dslr from a company going from strength to strength in the digital camera market. The slta37 packs a feature set similar to its slta57 brother in a smaller body like the slta33 it replaces. I found image quality to be good, especially in raw mode, but when compared to ones i had taken with my canon powershot also in raw i felt the canon ones were better. Whcih surprised me as the canon is a high end compact. It features a number of creative effects, the ones i most like so far being hdr mode and the sweep panoramic mode. It has two different quality settings and i tend to stick with 'fine' for the sharpest quality images. The camera itself could be used a a point and shoot in full auto or in full manual for those wanting to learn more and get stuck in. Lenses were easy to switch in and out and shooting hd video was a doodle, with fantastic results. The screen is not as nice as other camera's i have used and although it tilts i would have liked it to have been hinged too. Though i think i may be asking too much of an entry level camera. I'm really unsure if i were looking for an entry level dslr if i would choose this camera. I think if i were again right now i would probably look at a nikon d3100 as there are bargains to be had now the d3200 is out, or for a point and shoot maybe a sony rx100 or canon powershot s110. That said for an unthreatening easy introduction to a dslr this camera is good. .
Bigger Isn't Always Better. The slt-a37 is sony's new entry-level dslr camera for beginners. Technically it isn't a dslr, it's an slt (single-lens translucent); sony's award-winning innovation that uses a translucent mirror. But, for the purposes of this review, i'll refer to it as a dslr. Also, because i don't have another dslr to compare it to, i'll be comparing it to my sony dsc-rx100 (the world's best compact camera). My slt-a37 arrived with the battery almost empty. A lot of sony cameras these days can actually be charged via usb, but the slt-a37 isn't one of them. So to charge the 1080 mah np-fw50 battery pack, you'll need to take it out of the camera and put it in the supplied bc-vw1 battery charger. Charging time is approximately 4 hours. If you're 'stepping up' from a compact camera to a dslr, you'll immediately notice how solid and professional the slt-a37 feels in your hand. This is a serious piece of equipment. The ergonomic rubber grip is a pleasure to hold and makes the camera relatively difficult to drop. On the back of the slt-a37 there's an angle-adjustable lcd, which can be tilted through 135˚, enabling you to take photos from otherwise challenging positions. This is an incredibly useful feature. Sony call the 2. 7' lcd 'high quality' but it isn't. It's a qvga display with a resolution of just 320 x 240 pixels; a quarter of what the dsc-rx100 has! plus it flickers slightly and solarises easily. Fortunately there's an electronic viewfinder (aka tru-finder) which, with its svga resolution of 800 x 600 pixels, is much higher quality than the rear lcd. There's a diopter-adjustment dial, which changes the focus of the viewfinder to better suit your eyesight. There's also a viewfinder magnification setting, which shrinks the image down so that it's easier to see in its entirety. But even with these settings, if you wear glasses you'll find that you can't get your eye close enough to the viewfinder to see the whole thing. It's just too small. My slt-a37 came with the standard zoom lens (a sony dt 18-55mm f3. 5-5. 6 sam). With the lens attached to the camera body, the whole thing weighs 725g (3x the weight of the dsc-rx100) and measures 15. 3 cm from front to back (4. 4x the thickness of the dsc-rx100). If you're new to dslrs, you might look at the slt-a37 with its big lens and assume it has a big optical zoom. Unfortunately that's a common misconception. The 18-55mm lens only gives you a 3. 1x optical zoom, which is actually less than the dsc-rx100's 3. 6x. The good news is, because this is an interchangeable-lens camera, you can take the lens off and replace it with an even bigger one! the slt-a37 is compatible with all sony a-mount (aka α mount) lenses, such as the 55-200mm lens which extends the camera's telephoto range. Steadyshot technology is built into the camera body meaning you don't have to worry about your lenses having it. So what's the slt-a37 like to shoot with? fast. Very fast. Assuming the lens cap is off, you can turn it on and take a photo in about 1. 6 seconds! try doing that with a compact camera. In single-shot af (af-s) mode, holding down the shutter button halfway causes the slt-a37 to lock focus almost instantly with amazing accuracy. In continuous af (af-c) mode, holding down the shutter button halfway causes the slt-a37 to continually adjust its focus as the camera and your subjects move. Changing the drive mode from single shooting to continuous shooting hi enables you to take seven photos per second; invaluable for shooting fast-moving subjects such as kids and pets. What about image quality? i put the slt-a37 head-to-head with the dsc-rx100 and shot 26 test photos with both cameras in intelligent auto mode. The results surprised me. Outdoors in daylight, photos taken with the slt-a37 exhibited shallower depth of field (dof) and slightly more accurate auto white balance (awb). However, photos taken with dsc-rx100 were dramatically clearer, showing razor-sharp detail and textures that the slt-a37 rendered as a blur. Obviously, with a better lens, the results would be different. But if you're buying the slt-a37 with the 18-55mm lens, don't expect any of your photos to be sharp. Indoors, things got worse. Despite having an aps-c image sensor, the slt-a37 struggled in low-light, repeatedly choosing f/4 iso 1250 and getting soft splotchy photos full of chroma noise. The dsc-rx100, on the other hand, was in its element, choosing f/1. 8 iso 320 and getting incredibly clean photos with very little noise. The slt-a37 has all of sony's current software tricks, such as clear image zoom, sweep panorama, auto hdr, face recognition, smile shutter, auto portrait framing and 11 picture effects. Switching the focus mode to manual (mf) activates peaking; a sophisticated feature that highlights what's in-focus with a colour of your choice. Pressing the dedicated movie button allows you to immediately start recording avchd video at 1920x1080 25fps; a format that imovie '11 actually understands and allows you to import! on top of the slt-a37 there's a built-in stereo microphone, but you can also connect an external one via the jack input if you'd prefer. Overall, i think the slt-a37 is a good camera. Its ultra-fast focusing, continuous shooting and shallow depth of field are perfect for shooting attractive portraits of kids and pets outdoors. However, its lcd screen is very poor quality, it struggles in low-light situations, and the 18-55mm lens is inherently soft. So, just because a camera is big and looks professional, don't expect it to automatically take better quality photos than a compact. I much prefer my dsc-rx100. .
Fast and Light. The sony alpha 37 is an easy to use and fun camera capable of taking great photos. Its speed of use - fast power up and fast focusing - combined with its sheer lightness make this a lovely camera to take with you for the day. I am impressed with the quality of photographs - especially outside in good light. Photos have a sharpness and warmth to them; portraits look lovely, and landscapes engaging and colourful. And all pictures taken are so sharp - the focusing is superb. The setup and usability of the alpha 37 have also been well thought through. The camera uses a standard sd (which is not provided); the battery has lasted very well so far. Composing photographs is done using either the rear screen - which is tiltable - great for overhead shots, or very low level shots, or through the viewfinder. The quality of the external screen though is disappointing for both composition and playback and is the reason i am rating this camera 4 stars. I have seen excellent screens on the backs of sony cameras. If you are looking for a fun sony camera capable of taking excellent photos and don't want to carry around a heavy pro-camera for the day then this is well worth a look. .
Product Info
- Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 12.4 x 9.2 cm ; 508 g
- Boxed-product Weight: 1.6 Kg
- Item model number: SLTA37K.CE
- ASIN: B0083RQAYM
Conclusion of Sony SLTA37 16
The camera's design is excellent, being light and excellently portable for a dslr. The a37 is an slt camera, and so has a translucent mirror rather than a moving mirror as typically found in dslr cameras. This has a number of implications for how the camera performs. Nevertheless, in most circumstances the viewfinder, is usable enough, and as one plus point displays current settings such as shooting mode, aperture, iso and shutter speed in far greater detail than on most dslrs with an optical viewfinder. Image quality is excellent through and through, the array of settings available being superb.
The camera has several additional features which are highly useful, such as the night portrait mode designed for shooting at night without a tripod, giving excellent results. Another very useful tool is the ability of the camera to take multiple images at high iso settings in low light conditions, to form a low iso image. The camera also has inbuilt optical image stabilisation, working brilliantly, and something you have to buy special lenses for with many competing dslrs. Battery life on the camera is also very good, the info-lithium battery technology (also a sony exclusive) giving you exactly the percentage battery life remaining. Whilst some may think that �300+ is a lot for a camera, it is well worth it if you want great results every time, and compared to rival cameras, is far better value.
For these reasons, which far outweigh the rather dark viewfinder (which can easily be avoided by using the live view more often), this camera deserves 5 stars and more. The evf viewfinder technology is clearly sill at an early stage, and it takes a little getting used to having an electronic screen rather than a mirror to look into, but the advantages this brings far outweigh the initial reservations i had. Low-light also lets it show off its vastly improved handling of high iso settings (far less image noise than the earlier generation at iso 800+)it has a full range of features and shooting modes - most clearly aimed at those point-and-shoot users who usually shoot in auto-jpg mode, but by going into one of the manual or part-manual mode and shooting raw, you can really start to see some impressive results here. An entry dslr from a company going from strength to strength in the digital camera market. I found image quality to be good, especially in raw mode, but when compared to ones i had taken with my canon powershot also in raw i felt the canon ones were better.
It has two different quality settings and i tend to stick with 'fine' for the sharpest quality images. The camera itself could be used a a point and shoot in full auto or in full manual for those wanting to learn more and get stuck in. The screen is not as nice as other camera's i have used and although it tilts i would have liked it to have been hinged too. Though i think i may be asking too much of an entry level camera. I'm really unsure if i were looking for an entry level dslr if i would choose this camera.
That said for an unthreatening easy introduction to a dslr this camera is good. The slt-a37 is sony's new entry-level dslr camera for beginners. A lot of sony cameras these days can actually be charged via usb, but the slt-a37 isn't one of them. So to charge the 1080 mah np-fw50 battery pack, you'll need to take it out of the camera and put it in the supplied bc-vw1 battery charger. If you're 'stepping up' from a compact camera to a dslr, you'll immediately notice how solid and professional the slt-a37 feels in your hand.
The ergonomic rubber grip is a pleasure to hold and makes the camera relatively difficult to drop. On the back of the slt-a37 there's an angle-adjustable lcd, which can be tilted through 135˚, enabling you to take photos from otherwise challenging positions. My slt-a37 came with the standard zoom lens (a sony dt 18-55mm f3. With the lens attached to the camera body, the whole thing weighs 725g (3x the weight of the dsc-rx100) and measures 15. If you're new to dslrs, you might look at the slt-a37 with its big lens and assume it has a big optical zoom.
The good news is, because this is an interchangeable-lens camera, you can take the lens off and replace it with an even bigger one. The slt-a37 is compatible with all sony a-mount (aka α mount) lenses, such as the 55-200mm lens which extends the camera's telephoto range. Steadyshot technology is built into the camera body meaning you don't have to worry about your lenses having it. Try doing that with a compact camera. In continuous af (af-c) mode, holding down the shutter button halfway causes the slt-a37 to continually adjust its focus as the camera and your subjects move.
Changing the drive mode from single shooting to continuous shooting hi enables you to take seven photos per second; invaluable for shooting fast-moving subjects such as kids and pets. I put the slt-a37 head-to-head with the dsc-rx100 and shot 26 test photos with both cameras in intelligent auto mode. Despite having an aps-c image sensor, the slt-a37 struggled in low-light, repeatedly choosing f/4 iso 1250 and getting soft splotchy photos full of chroma noise. The slt-a37 has all of sony's current software tricks, such as clear image zoom, sweep panorama, auto hdr, face recognition, smile shutter, auto portrait framing and 11 picture effects. Overall, i think the slt-a37 is a good camera.
So, just because a camera is big and looks professional, don't expect it to automatically take better quality photos than a compact. The sony alpha 37 is an easy to use and fun camera capable of taking great photos. Its speed of use - fast power up and fast focusing - combined with its sheer lightness make this a lovely camera to take with you for the day. The camera uses a standard sd (which is not provided); the battery has lasted very well so far. The quality of the external screen though is disappointing for both composition and playback and is the reason i am rating this camera 4 stars.
I have seen excellent screens on the backs of sony cameras. If you are looking for a fun sony camera capable of taking excellent photos and don't want to carry around a heavy pro-camera for the day then this is well worth a look. The camera looks and feels solid, and fits well in the hand. But still, so far, great camera. Just got this camera recently and so far i have been blown away by the image quality.
The Best Camera I Own. I bought this camera and as long as you are used to all the different controls and settings the pictures you get are amazing. This camera can be very easy to use but on manual it is very technical and there are loads of controls that can be adjusted to give the perfect picture. .
Very Good Value. I wanted a camera with a viewer and looked at a few. I'm happy i chose this one it takes good pictures and is relatively easy to use. No doubt i'll get adventurous with the settings once i get used to it. It's been a few years since i used a camera like this, the last time it was 35mm and dark rooms. Like it a lot so far. .
B0083RQAYM#amazon.co.uk
