Digital Camera Review: Sony Alpha SLT-A33

Speed redefined

Digital Camera Review: Sony Alpha SLT-A33

by Trevor Tan
05:54 AM Dec 10, 2010

If you haven't realised, some of Sony's recent interchangeable lens cameras, such as the Alpha NEX-5 and the SLT-A55, are made in Thailand.

During a recent visit to Sony's camera factory in Ayutthaya, which is an hour's drive from Bangkok, the Sony executives emphasised that the quality of the products made there is in no way compromised. The manufacturing and quality control processes in the Thai factory are similar to those in Sony's Japan factories. During the factory tour, I noticed a Japanese newspaper being used to test auto-focusing issues, and the user interface of some camera-testing machines is in the Japanese language, too. Sony's Ayutthaya factory manufactures the Alpha NEX-3, NEX-5, SLT-A33, SLT-A55 along with the E-mount and A-mount kit lenses for the worldwide market. I got to test one of the cameras, the Alpha SLT-A33 ($999, body only).

Unlike conventional mirror boxes in a DSLR, the A33 adopts Sony's new Translucent Mirror Technology (TMT). TMT uses a fixed translucent mirror, which does not need to be raised each time you press a shutter. Light can thus be simultaneously received by the image sensor and a phase-detection autofocus sensor. This allows quick auto focusing (AF) during video recording when you are using Live View.

Plus, the use of TMT helps to reduce the size of the camera. Nevertheless, at 124x92x85mm, the A33 is not as compact as the NEX-5. But at 433g (body only), it is light for a DSLR.

The A33 feels surprisingly solid. The rubberised grip allows you to hold the camera comfortably, with most buttons within easy reach. For example, the dedicated movie button can be easily pressed with your right thumb.

However, it took me a while to find the Menu button, which is situated behind the mode dial on the top left of the camera. Maybe it should swop places with the D-Range button sitting on the top right near the shutter release. Anyway, not all functions are found on the Menu; some are accessed via the Function button on the rear.

Equipped with a 14.2 Exmor HD CMOS image sensor (1.5x crop factor) and Sony's BIONZ image processing engine, the A33 has a 3-inch turn-and-twist LCD screen that allows you to shoot self-portraits or videos at any angle.

There's a Finder/LCD button that you can press to alternate between the electronic viewfinder (EVF) and the LCD. Note that the camera quickly switches to LCD mode when you move your eye away from the EVF.

Camera operation is swift. Startup is almost instantaneous while shutdown takes around 1.6 seconds due to the dust-cleaning operation.

On the downside, the A33 warms up fast as well, especially when you are shooting videos. The camera will prompt you to shut it down if it gets too hot.

There is minimal shutter lag and the A33 can shoot up to 7 frames per second (fps) by activating Speed Priority. It records full high-definition (HD) 1920x1080 video up to 29.97 fps.

Using the Live View to record video elicits fast AF even when you are zooming in and out of the scene. It is the fastest AF I have ever experienced on a DSLR in video mode.

The picture quality is superb for its class, with sharp rendition of pixels. The colours are vibrant, "popping" with life and smooth tones, but they tend towards the warmer side of the colour spectrum. White balance is spot-on in most lighting conditions.

Noise performance is stellar, with no noise artifacts visible till ISO 1,600. Only at ISO 3,200 does the noise become evident. You might want to use higher ISO settings such as 6,400 or 12,800 only for the web.

The full HD video quality is splendid, with smooth frame rates and great audio. Minimal ambient and wind noise is picked up.

With its stellar picture and video quality, fast operation and good handling, the Sony Alpha SLT-A33 shows that it doesn't matter where the product was manufactured.

Source: www.todayonline.com