- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How it compares
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Sony SLT A57
- 16 MP
- APS-C CMOS
- 3" LCD
Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Jun, 2012)Image quality is excellent, with results from the 16 APS-C sensor rivaling the main DSLR competition and in most cases surpassing the Compact System Camera alternatives, especially if you want to achieve shallow depth-of field effects.
Conclusion Check out the Sony SLT A57
Features Key features of the Sony SLT A57
16 MP
APS-C
Rated 80% by by N.-Musallam--nolamu (Nov, 2012)Video is very clear if you take videos in AVCHD you cannot watch in on compter unless you download Sony picture motion which it is included with the camera so I went to settings and change it MP4 and I watched it in real Player.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 24 MP    | 30 MP |
SLT A57 by Photography Blog (Jun, 2012)The Sony A57 can shoot full-resolution 16.1 megapixel pictures at up to 12fps whilst maintaining continuous auto focus and auto exposure, an incredibly fast rate for such an inexpensive camera.
SLT A57 by Photography Blog (Jun, 2012)All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 16.1 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5Mb.
sensor size
SLT A57 by John (Feb, 2013)The a57's APS-C sensor has comparatively good sized individual sensors, which is just one small part of all of the tech working together in the a57 to result in great video and picture quality.
SLT A57 by Merto (Jul, 2012)Nikon and Canon make excellent products in the DSLR market, Panasonic does well with its micro four thirds system and Sony's stronghold as underdog may well change with it's SLT line of semi-transparent mirrors.
viewfinder size
SLT A57 by P.-Chebib (May, 2012)Size, it feels just right and comfortable in my hands.2- Bright 3 inches pivoting screen, that you can actually fold back when not using, thus protecting the screen.3- The EVF is excellent, bright and captures all the details.
SLT A57 by Photography Blog (Jun, 2012)This combination means that the A57 can offer full-time DSLR-like focusing speeds, even during video recording, plus an excellent Live View system with 100% scene coverage and an amazingly fast continuous shooting rate of 12fps, whilst being physically smaller and lighter than a comparable DSLR.
body size
132 x 98 x 81 mm
130 x 97 x 71 mm
127 x 97 x 79 mm
focus points
| 0 | 39  | 40 |
SLT A57 by Photography Blog (Jun, 2012)The shutter-release has a definite half-way point, with the focus points (a choice of 15) rapidly illuminating green in the viewfinder and a confirmation bleep signaling that focus and exposure has been determined and the user is free to go on and take the shot.
SLT A57 by Mussolini (May, 2012)MF is pretty easy as the focus peaking tells you when the target area is in focus.
Performance Real world tests of Sony SLT A57
DxOMark image quality
SLT A57 by David-Melges--O-toole-fanatic (Apr, 2013)Color, sharpness, noise control.....the a57 has EXCELLENT image quality.
SLT A57 by Ong-Chi-Hang (Jan, 2013)The handheld twilight mode also enables great night pictures without using tripod.
DxOMark low light performance
SLT A57 by J.-Sullivan (Jun, 2012)I would not expect breathtaking night shots (my Holy Grail, so far) from the 18-55 kit lens; however, I have had pleasing results using night scene mode which captures stars perfectly fine in the dark night sky.
SLT A57 by R.-Houser (May, 2013)This camera makes great photos, is much better in low light than my alpha 100 and has tons of features that I haven't yet explored.
continuous shooting
SLT A57 by RRB (Jun, 2012)When taking pictures at 55mm of the graduation floor with the students, I tried several modes: Intelligent Auto+, and two scene selections: speed burst and the nighttime scene where it captures 6 quick images together.
battery life
550 photos
1,050 photos
850 photos
SLT A57 by Jo (Mar, 2013)I saw other reviews that took off "stars" because of battery life, so I'm not sure what their trouble was, but the battery that came with my camera has done very well so far.
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
Phase detection focusing system -
HD video -
12 fps -
Generic -
APS-C -
Gives you more flexibility when framing your shot -
HD video -
0.72x -
Sensor shift -
Create 3D photos to view on a 3D TV -
Translucent -
92.22% -
100% -
Great for recording movies -
Stitches together multiple photos into a single ultra-wide view
cons
-
3 -
16 MP -
Use buttons to access features and menus -
You'll have to protect your camera from the elements -
785 ISO -
Mar, 2012 -
81 mm -
132 x 98 x 81 mm -
1/4000 s
Reviews Word on the street
 |  
|
|---|---|
 | Rated by 87 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by J.-Sullivan (Jun, 2012) Rated 100% by by Peter1971 (Aug, 2012) Rated 100% by by P.-Chebib (May, 2012) |
Lens
Sony SLT A57 | Rated 100% by by R.-Houser (May, 2013)The electronic viewfinder is very good but in using my 120-400mm zoom lens for bird photography, the a-100's optical viewfinder is easier to focus accurately.
Sony SLT A57 | Rated 100% by by J.-Palmer (Aug, 2012)The kit lens is 200x better than the 20 year old Tamron that I owned, so I will be using that from now on, or at least until I can afford a nicer lens.
Sony SLT A57 | Rated 100% by by Richard-Ross (Jun, 2012)The kit lens takes clear and sharp pictures.
Sensor
Sony SLT A57 | Rated 100% by by Beka (Oct, 2012)It's excellent and it's not big news that 16mp sony sensor is really great.
Sony SLT A57 | Rated 100% by by Tony (Nov, 2012)I have found the quality of the photos to be excellent, even to 1600 ISO.
Sony SLT A57 | Rated 100% by by Rabbanah (Dec, 2012)My favorite thing about the camera is that when you change shutter speed or f-stop or iso etc, it shows you a live preview on the screen!
Focus
Sony SLT A57 | Rated 100% by by N-DoxeyIt is the best focus assist system for manual focusing in the world.
Sony SLT A57 | Rated 100% by by J.-Sullivan (Jun, 2012)The auto and auto plus modes work nicely, yet with no way to change the focus mode from 15-spot in these modes, I rely on the camera to choose my subject for me while focusing, and it seems to prefer selecting the most contrasting objects within range for that purpose.
Sony SLT A57 | Rated 100% by by Beka (Oct, 2012)Autofocus is really fast, unlike nikon competitors you have built-in AF motor that you can use with old excellent minolta lenses.
Video
Sony SLT A57 | Rated 100% by by Sterling-A.-Seals (May, 2013)The 1080p video is also amazing and shows great detail.
Screen
Sony SLT A57 | Rated 100% by by E.-Gollihar (Jan, 2013)That, combined with the wealth of features (big, bright, pixel-dense display, easy to use auto and program modes, great video capabilities, ability to use Minolta lenses) left me favoring the Sony slightly before purchase.
Sony SLT A57 | Rated 100% by by J.-Palmer (Aug, 2012)For about $100 more for the body, the A57 offers a larger battery, sharper screen, larger body size, 1080P 60fps video, etc..
Sony SLT A57 | Rated 100% by by N-DoxeyI love being able to see the adjustments of the camera setting in the EVF and shoot without needing to refer to the output on the LCD screen.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Nikon D7000 Most shots per battery charge Nikon D7000 vs Sony SLT A57 |
 | 2 | Sony SLT A65 Little delay taking photos A65 vs A57 |
 | 3 | Nikon D5100 6-way tie: Has a flip out screen Nikon D5100 vs Sony SLT A57 |
 | 4 | Pentax K-30 Smallest Pentax K-30 vs Sony SLT A57 |
 | 5 | Nikon D90 Largest sensor Nikon D90 vs Sony SLT A57 |
 | 6 | Nikon D5200 Best image quality as rated by DXOMark Nikon D5200 vs Sony SLT A57 |
 | 7 | Canon EOS 650D 2-way tie: Highest resolution screen Canon EOS 650D vs Sony SLT A57 |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
Discussions Get involved, ask your question about the Sony SLT A57
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Popular Questions
If you were to switch camera brands, which camera would you buy?
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Community Find out what the Sortable community is saying about the Sony SLT A57
84
people have recommended the
Sony SLT A57Top Sony SLT A57 experts at Sortable
- 16.1 MP
- APS-C CMOS
- 3" LCD
Seeing as you're looking into beginner choices, you obviously don't have a collection of lenses that would limit your choices. That being said I'd say go ahead with Sony. They haven't been in the...
- 0 comments
- August 21, 2012
- Reply to: Nikon D5100 vs Canon Rebel T3i Vs Sony SLT-A57
I've had a Nikon D5100 and then I tried the Sony A57 and I can say it's big difference to use them. Sony is more comfortable, has quicker AF, better handling and controls.. Both have very similar...
- 0 comments
- June 5, 2012
- Reply to: Which camera is better for me the Nikon D5100 or the Sony SLT A57?
Sony a57 has a lot of features that nikon or canon only put in high-end cameras so your question is pointless....these cameras are no match for the a57
- 0 comments
- August 21, 2012
- Reply to: Difficult to decide? Sony Alpha 57? Nikon D5100? Canon EOS600D?
- 17.9 MP
- APS-C CMOS
- 3" LCD
Seeing as you're looking into beginner choices, you obviously don't have a collection of lenses that would limit your choices. That being said I'd say go ahead with Sony. They haven't been in the...
- 0 comments
- August 21, 2012
- Reply to: Nikon D5100 vs Canon Rebel T3i Vs Sony SLT-A57
This camera can autofocus while shooting videos. Canon does not have autofocus capabilities when shooting video. If you want to use manual focus, just switch it by switching the button on the...
- 0 comments
- October 9, 2012
- Reply to: Which DSLR is best for beginner film maker?
A-57 vs Nikon D5100 The A-57 has: • Mirrorless Technology • Upto 16000 ISO (25600 with ISO Boost) • In-Built Image Stabilization • 12 FPS Burst Mode • More cross-type focus points • More •...
- 0 comments
- September 7, 2012
- Reply to: Camera for HD video D3200, D5100, T3i, A57
- 22.1 MP
- Full frame CMOS
- 3.2" LCD
I'm a Nikon shooter, I've owned the Nikon D70, D200, D3 and D700. I'm shooting less often these days, and more casually, I'd consider trying Sony at some point, they seem to be innovating a lot...
- 0 comments
- July 6, 2012
- Reply to: If you were to switch camera brands, which camera would you buy?
