Sony Alpha SLTA33L.CEH Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm Lens

I am not by any stretch of the imagination an expert in photography, but it's important to have quality memories around you - so all those experts around, please bear with me, I'm sure you only knew what I know once.

If I was a millionaire, I would probably have a Canon 5D or a Nikon, but I'm not, so its a compromise, and my compromise is Sony. My last camera was an A200 which was bought for £279 to get me into photography for a recent family holiday.... and I was hooked, it gave me the flexibility I needed to capture the images I was imagining without the confines of the simple "user friendly" cameras, such as compacts.

My perfect scenario is that my home is filled with images that I have taken through my life, providing a wide range of family memories as well as "art"..... so there are a few key requirements:-
1. I need to be able to capture action shots as well as staged protraits/macros
2. They will vary in size - up to A2 maybe.
3. We have some technology, so it would be nice to have HD videos to play with

So, I need (in order of priority):-

1. Fast frames per second - this is because I'm no professional, and need to have lots of shots to pick from, and if you shoot in fps you get a more natural picture than "say cheese" nonsense
2. A decent Megapixel count - obviously in 2010, full frame 24MP is upwards of £1500, so pushing the affordability, it's going to be a compromise
3. The ability to capture HD Movies
4. Sony compatibility - I have lenses, remote, flash, filters etc... so I don't really want to have to reinvest

After a lot of research, A 550, A580 A390 etc..., I decided that it was worth £500 (due to FPS and Video and the fact that I sold the A200 for £250) to go for the A33, but not the £600 for the A55 with 10 fps and GPS tagging

So the positives...
1. The A33 is very light - it's laughable how my default 2.8 28-70mm Minolta lens weighs so much more than the camera body (so a nice new lens is on the Christamas list!)
2. It is compatible with all my A200 gear
3. It's fast... oh yes its fast... fast fast fast - Sony have taken frames per second to another level for this sort of money... and why shouldnt they? - Come on, its 2010, we have 30fps HD, why cant we have 15 fps 14MP? The 7 fps is great!!! - but be prepared to do lots of deleting! (Glad I didnt get the A55 .... couldn't cope!!!)
4. Pictures are great - 14MP is very good (after only having 10)
5. Panorama feature is MENTAL! - absoluteley awesome after stitching frames together in Photoshop, being able to just sweep the camera across a panorama and see one shot of the subjects is a major bonus .... these will be all over the walls in my office! - Honestly,

... and the bad... well I have given it 4 stars, because it is still a DSLR... for the right person - not an HD video recorder so here goes....

1. It'll shoot HD video, but be aware that It WILL overheat... ??? and shut itself down - what's that all about? it's a camera, not a Ford Anglia! (or a Microsoft product) - It shut down after 3x 5 Minute HD videos, so if you want to video a footy match... it aint happening, unless you've got 6 of these baby's on hand - but it is great to do video over 300mm with full depth of field - really nice
2. Even though I'm a novice relatively, it's "help" due to default settings (even in M mode!!) is a bit irritating - face recognition, AE etc... leave me alone!! - I've set the exposure, F stop, focus... now let me shoot!!! - so you'll have to switch it all off
3. .... What about this one... I lost about 300 shots..... now I'm not blaming the A33 for that, probably the crappy SD card I got free with it... will keep you updated on that, but be very aware... you need to get a FAST reliable SD card - I'm going away in a couple of days, so duty free SD card shop here I come - absolutely gutted bad Karma (if it happens again with the Sandisk 30 Extreme ... it is going back)
4. The viewfinder.... this is NOT a DSLR, you see a digital image of the shot, so basically, if the camera is off, you can't see anything. - A bit wierd you may think, but then think again, it is digital for Heaven's sake! - and why would you want to see a shot with the camera off anyway.... BUT the quality of the image through the viewfinder isn't good .... which is a bit of a pain when on MF trying to focus.

Summary
All in all, it is the next generation of DSLR, and it has set the benchmark, so they will get better from here on.

If youre a purist, the Canon and the Nikon are still the ones, (and one day... maybe, just maybe!! - I'll have one... £3k plus) but right now, this baby gets you a lot of features that they can't touch for the money.

The thing is, be honest with yourself, professional photographers are VERY skillful, and if you've only been hobbying for a few years, you really are not going to get the benefit of having professional kit.... and before anyone argues, imagine trying to play golf with the same clubs that Tiger Woods uses.... or think you can drive an F1 car because you can throw your Golf Gti round the estate at 50 .... it aint happening. If you are really good - get the Canon/Nikon.... in which case, you wouldnt be reading this review anyway!!!! - so it's a case of QED something or other (Latin)

Today, in Legoland Manchester, I saw a lot of amateur dads with great kit (yes, the Canon/Nikon's - come on you've all seen them) taking crap photos - because they had it on Auto, clicking at 2.5 fps with no HD Video... and they've paid more for the privilidge (and the name). By the time they know what they're doing with the camera (2013??), they'll be able to get 24MP 15 fps for £200.

I'm not saying that this camera is awesome, and can spot the rings on Uranus.... but it's pretty damn good... and versatile, as long as you get a reliable 10mbps SD card! .... but get yourself a DV Camcorder (not HD) if you want to Video footy matches... or A Canon 5D if you know what you're doing!!

Would I have a Canon/Nikon now.... to be honest, no, I'm not good enough, and I would not swap this... yet! - The only thing I would want is more megapixels.... but that can wait.

If you want to look like you know what you're doing... but take crap pictures.... go for it, blow £1,000 for the privilidge.... if you want pictures that people won't laugh at/say nothing because they know they're crap... get yourself something that gets the pictures you need - no matter how you look in Legoland, the only thing that matters is the end result... great pictures isn't it??

Sony A33 is an affluent starter/decent intermediate to proper photography with some nice features - and you will get some great photos/videos (albeit quite short!!!)

Hope this helps someone.... good luck

Jono

I am a DSLR user, although purists will rightly refer to this camera as an SLT. I am scoring the camera at five because it is so versatile. If the 7 frames per second is what you needs, then you will spend much more than this to get an equivalent frame rate. The focus is bang on and because of the SLT (i.e. does not have a moveable mirror), there is true constant auto-focussing.

The HDR and DRO technologies are good, the HDR is tame, so results look natural. The twilight mode is particularly effective and typically gives me an ISO 6400 picture without the associated noise. Panorama mode is also very accurate, and a clever bit of technology. However I have most of these gadgets switched off until the moment that I think the scenes need them, so generally, i use the camera like a normal DSLR, but the above features are in by back pocket to save the day if needed.

The most useful feature for me the the Electronic Viewfinder (EFV) which replaces the traditional Optical Viewfinder (OVF) - some traditionalist are not happy with this new development, but for me, it is perfect. I use reading glasses and with an OVF I can see without glasses but then to look on the back panel LCD, I need glasses, so during the shoot my glasses would be on - off - on 0ff etc. But with the EFV, not only can I use that without glasses (thanks to the dipotre) but EVERYTHING that is normally transmitted to the LCD can also be seen in the viewfinder, so without taking the camera away from my eye, I can view all the menu options, change any settings, review and delete pictures, check battery levels and histograms etc ..... that is such an advantage to a glasses users that it should not be lightly discounted.

The technology allows the camera to be smaller and lighter than a typical DSLR, i have big hands and have not found the size to be the problem that some have said. It did feel strange on day one, but then its became second nature with use, I do not have another camera, and i think those that remain unhappy with the handling probably have more than 1 camera body, so are continually comparing it the handing of another body on daily basis.

I am not a big fan of post processing and shoot in Jpeg, the out of camera images are very good, especially the colour. On the computer I use levels and unsharp mask, but another user recently posted that he sets his camera to vivid, sat -2, Contrast +1, sharpness +1 and DRO 2 and that this gives him out of camera images that do not need post processing, so I must try that.

I use a Sony 18 -250mm lens for general walkabout stuff and the big Sigma 150 - 500mm for wildlife and am very happy with the results. There are 2 things you need to know about this camera (1) Sigma have released a notice to say that their lenses do not work with the camera, but they will re-chip them for free so that they are compatible. All compatible sigma lenses with have an A33 / A55 compatability sticker on their box. My Sigma was re-chipped an is perfect. (2) In the menu, leave the power save feature set to the the default 1 minute setting, some have experienced a power shutdown by changing this setting to say 20 seconds, I imagine the first firmware will sort this out if it is a real problem.

I have found the A33 to be fairly heavy on the battery and as I like to run my batteries right down to discharge, I have bought a second battery, so that I always have a spare.

An important feature of the camera is the new Exmor sensor (as used in the NEX5) because it has a good high ISO capability and I think allows you to shoot 1 step higher than you might ordinarily consider. The image stabiliser is built into the body, so will stabilise any lens, it is effective, though on my big Sigma, at 500mm, I find the lenses own stabiliser to have the edge.... though that is saying somethiing of the in body stabilisation when you consider the power of the stabilisation in a lens of that size.

Finally the video of the A33 is very good, the HD quality is excellent, though I have dropped down to MPEG4 as i think it is easier to edit. The big advantage of the SLT is that it has continuous focus for the movie ... the downside is that the movie audio picks up the lens moving back and forth as it focusses and because of this i have my audio switched off for moving subjects ... though of course an external microphone deals with this issue. If you have the stabiliser on, shooting is limited to around 9 minutes because agitation of the stabilised sensor causes too much heat - switch the stabilser off (which you would do if on a tripod or using the stabilser that may be on the lens) and you can shoot for longer.

In all, I am a big fan of the A33, I have owned a lot of cameras and used several brands, but if I had the money to spend again, I would go the same route and buy the A33, it is a lot of fun to use and has re-invigorated my photography - recommended. Sony Alpha SLTA33L.CEH Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm Lens

I have spent years with prosumer camera's, too scared to jump into the terrifying world of DSLR's. I have spent much time researching Canon (my favorite make) and Nikon, but realised that I would have to spend great amounts of money to get anything comparable to my much loved Canon SX10IS. I bided my time over the years...then I read about the Sony SLT A33 (I was never interested in the A55). This camera seemed too good to be true-the gorgeous swivel screen, the 1.4million dot trufinder, the continuous-focus HD video WITH stereo sound, and lots of other exciting on-board features. After reading the reviews, I went for it, almost constantly regretting the decision.

However, after using this beast for several days, I began to love it. The performance is FAST in every way, which is something I need as I like action photography such as birds in flight and air shows. The 7FPS burst mode is outstanding and the focus speed with the kit lens is very impressive, especially compared to my old prosumers. And talking of the kit lens (18-55mm zoom, about 3x), this lens is superb, giving gorgeous, rich minolta-like colors and sharp images without having to worry about stopping down most of the time. You can actually select several levels of sharpness and contrast for each mode (such as STANDARD, VIVID, MONOCHROME, LANDSCAPE etc). I found shooting on FINE with +1 contrast and +1 sharpness on each mode is giving me virtually perfect results.I have tried night tripod shooting with manual aperture (about F8-10) and the sharpness even in the corners of the image is impressive.

The continuous focus tracking mode works well and allows me to shoot my nuclear-powered 5 year old daughter as she flashes about the house and garden, with almost every shot being perfect. Shooting seagulls in town which tend to fly very close has also yielded good results. Once I get a nice sharp telephoto lens, I shall be putting this to the test proper. The fact that the camera has a fixed translucent Pellicle mirror instead of a standard mirror that moves means the phase-detection auto focus is very fast and in movie-mode is continuous. To get this performance with a Canon or Nikon, I suspect you would have to spend over £1000 and then you would get a soft kit lens too. The Sony kit lens is also superb at taking macro photo's, allowing me to hand-hold shots about 10cm away zoomed in to 55mm. The results have so far been truly excellent, but obviously not on par with the super-macro ability of my SX10IS. It will be interesting to see the results of my Raynox 250 on the end of this lens.

It is an important note to make that the lenses for this camera DO NOT have a stabiliser system built into them, as Sony have implemented the steady-shot system inside the camera body. This is an excellent idea, meaning lenses can be cheaper to produce and therefore cheaper to buy. HOWEVER, because the sensor is the part of the camera that moves to counter shake, this means you do not see the effect through the lens as you compose your picture (try switching off the IS on your prosumer camera, this will give you an idea). Now, with shorter range photos this will not be a problem, but when shooting longer ranges (such as over 200mm) you will find the image moving about a fair bit if you have unsteady hands. But don't worry yet, as the final image, given the light and conditions were quite good, will be nice and sharp thanks to the in-body steady shot system). Thankfully I have pretty steady hands and have been using telephoto lenses on 35mm camera's for a while, so I'm used to an image on a screen moving about as I compose a shot). For most people this will not be a problem, especially considering the burst rate of this camera will ensure a result!

The camera body and design is very small and compact, smaller than almost every other DSLR type camera. It looks very stealthy too, like something Sam Fisher would carry in his backpack. I have no issues with the lovely feeling buttons or the super-responsive control pad and scroll wheel. I do wish there had been a few more customisable buttons though, like down the left side of the body like the Nikon D5000, but the menu is very fast to navigate and I have found it very quick and easy to change settings. Access to ISO, exposure, AEL, D-range, drive mode, white-balance are all quick on the buttons. The D-range optimiser is effective at taking several shots and then merging them together for just one single properly exposed shot. This has worked well with me so far.

Battery performance is good but not brilliant. However, I have found that with subsequent charges, the battery performance has improved slightly and even upon reaching 0% I have managed to continue shooting photos for a further 5 minutes. I would recommend investing in a second battery, but Sony are currently charging FAR TOO MUCH for this item (SONY TAKE NOTE PLEASE).The movie mode is excellent, with a dedicated record button and the quality has so far been very nice, but one or two clips have exhibited stuttering and lag, but I suspect this is something to do with my PC as the playback on the camera itself is perfect. There are many other features I would like to list here, but I have other things to attend to. The only down side to the SLT technology is when shooting subjects where there are strong light sources near the edge of the frame, such as street lamps at night. This can cause a weird triangular lens flare effect across the upper corner of the image, but I have found slightly moving the camera (or post processing) eliminates this. It is not something to worry about during most daytime shooting. I have found the camera controls contrast very well and have been pleased with pictures where the sun is shining through trees and around buildings. I have shot up to 800 ISO and have been extremely pleased with the low levels of noise in the photos. Very good performance indeed. I love the way the camera handles and feels, and the fact that you can buy many old, cheap Minolta AF lenses that will fit this no problem. Overall, I HIGHLY recommend the SLT A33 to anyone who is interested in jumping from a prosumer to a DSLR/SLT. Sony have done a very good job bringing the SLT technology back to modern digital camera's, and the A33 is packed full of features which really are interesting and fun to use, and most importantly, the image detail and overall quality is just superb.

UPDATE & FOLLOW-ON...5 WEEKS INTO SHOOTING...
I have to say, this is the best camera I have ever bought. I have been using the AUTO ISO setting where the camera takes several shots in quick succession, then merges them together for a very low-noise final picture. This works brilliantly where light may be low and you don't wish to use a high ISO setting to avoid blurring. I have taken ISO 1600 merge shots and have had SHARP results with ISO equivalent of maybe 400 (virtually no noise at all). This feature really out-stands me and was impossible on my prosumer camera. Also, in sunny or bright conditions, I have been testing sports mode which uses focus tracking and a very high shutter speed. I have captured birds in flight that were travelling VERY fast, all with beautifully sharp results (1/2000sec, ISO 200). I have yet to completely get grips with the panorama mode but have had some pleasing results. I have no regrets with this camera at all and would not wish to swap it for any canon or nikon within the same range. The performance is so fast and the feature set is so good that it leaves me feeling very confident and now able to take on anything. Sony are truly leading the way.