Sony A55: 16 MP, HD Video and 10 FPS w/AF, Built in IS, GPS, Swivel Screen

bjyoder wrote in post #10769637
Wouldn't the point of a pellicle mirror be to show a TTL view through the viewfinder? Why would they go through the trouble just for the AF? As mentioned earlier, there will be a delay in the display to the EVF, which sort of defeats the point of a high speed camera; you can't shoot the catch that you can't see. And - something I just thought of - you'd still have blackout while the shutter is moving across the sensor to make the exposure, hence defeating the pellicle mirror again.

Modern EVF tech can still give a faster visual readout than your brain can process to react, so there's really little to know real-world delay for good EVFs nowadays. Most of what's been put in still cameras up to this point (with the exception of the Panasonic G1/10/2/H2) has been a bit behind the capabilities of the technology.

Well, they're here. My prediction/hope has not manifested, but they look like some impressive pieces of kit nonetheless (the strange fact that the mirrors still flip up when desired [for... cleaning?] which is unnecessary, as just making them fixed and sealed would make everything simpler and eliminate the need for cleaning gives me some hope that it might show up in the A700 replacement, maybe?).

With the cheap primes Sony's been adding to the lineup (50mm f1.8, 35mm f1.8, 85mm f2.8) their lineup is looking more and more appealing for serious photo enthusiasts and not just the soccer-mom crowd.

Looks good on paper as an action camera...but Sony completely failed at taking advantage of the pellicle mirror.

http://www.dpreview.co​m/reviews/sonyslta55/p​age8.asp

More problems detailed in the DPReview link. On the plus side, it has GPS.

I have no idea why it still gets a "Gold Award".

Canon 1N RS is back.

toxic wrote in post #10776332
Looks good on paper as an action camera...but Sony completely failed at taking advantage of the pellicle mirror.

http://www.dpreview.co​m/reviews/sonyslta55/p​age8.asp

More problems detailed in the DPReview link. On the plus side, it has GPS.

I have no idea why it still gets a "Gold Award".

Probably because while not a perfect implementation, it's still a darn impressive little thing, and highly innovative. I wouldn't say they totally failed at taking advantage of it. Sure, it's not at a 1D performance level, but the hands-on review section over at Imaging Resource stated that the burst-mode strangeness got a lot easier to deal with with a little practice.

Yeah, it looks better on paper than it is in real life (what camera doesn't?) but it's still easily the most capable, action-camera-wise, in its price bracket by a long shot.

Er1kksen wrote in post #10776424
PYeah, it looks better on paper than it is in real life (what camera doesn't?) but it's still easily the most capable, action-camera-wise, in its price bracket by a long shot.

The 7D didn't let anyone down...or at least it didn't let me down. And I dunno about you, but I think most people want their kids and friends to be in-focus, which a 500D or D90 can deliver perfectly fine.

Wow, based on the spec sheet, that is one nice camera...

toxic wrote in post #10776487
The 7D didn't let anyone down...or at least it didn't let me down. And I dunno about you, but I think most people want their kids and friends to be in-focus, which a 500D or D90 can deliver perfectly fine.

...and which these cameras are probably pretty evenly matched against. The 500D and D90 aren't fantastic sports shooters either; any camera you buy in this price bracket is going to have performance issues for action situations and it's up to the photographer to develop the skills to work around them so that they're not an issue. Heck, I've shot sports (track and baseball) with the notoriously slow Pentax K20D, and people for decades before us have been shooting sports with all-manual film cameras, etc.

Yeah, the 7D is great. But like even the top pro cameras on the market, some situations will confuse its AF or metering, but like all other cameras the marketing literature for it would have us believe that the 7D's systems are too good to ever let that happen.

This is a really exciting camera, especially at the price point. Not surprised that it's a third party pushing innovations though, neither Canon nor Nikon have a lot of incentive to take radical steps at the moment. Hopefully this will get them squirming a bit.

ingraman wrote in post #10777769
...Hopefully this will get them squirming a bit.

Canon should be squirming.. The video AF works!
http://vimeo.com/14376​901

They certainly get an "A" for effort. Let's hope it works so C&N have to do the same.

price wise the specs are amazing, got me interested

Updated original post with OFFICIAL specs and prices:

UPDATE 2: Reviewed by DPReview...GOLD AWARD

http://www.dpreview.co​m/reviews/sonyslta55/p​age17.asp

A55 preorder price is $750 Body Only. A33 is $650 Body Only.

http://www.sonystyle.c​om …N=4294951742#/p​anel_prod1

Official Specs:

* 16.2MP (effective) APS HD CMOS sensor
* Fixed, pellicle-type semi-translucent mirror
* Maximum ISO 12,800 (with a quasi-ISO 25,600 'Multi-frame NR' option)
* 15-point phase-detection AF array with 3 cross-type AF points
* Electronic viewfinder with 1.44 million dot resolution (1.15M dots used)
* Built-in GPS
* Electronic level in EVF/LCD with pitch/roll indicator
* Dual-purpose Memory Stick/SD card slot
* 10fps continuous shooting rate
* 1080p AVCHD movie mode with continuous AF
* Articulated 3in 'TruBlack' LCD with 912k dots
* Socket for external microphone
* 2x magnification mode in live view
* Face-detection AF (focus via nearest phase-detection AF point)

This is one heck of a camera for $750. I know that many of you are comparing it to the 7D, but keep in mind that the 7D costs twice as much. There is a huge price discrepancy there. At the $750 price point, Nikon's D90 and Canon's T2i do not compare very well to the A55.

996gt2 wrote in post #10778582
At the $750 price point, Nikon's D90 and Canon's T2i do not compare very well to the A55.

And because of that I hope that canon and nikon will truly step up their game instead of re releasing old cameras with one new feature.

Maybe its time for a new, $1000ish full frame body?

Whoa,. with those specs, at that Price, is the the Giant ( Canon Nikon ) killer for sure.
16MP, full HD video, 10FPS, and internal IS for $750.00! Nice!

I'm still not sure how this will effect the final product.. ?