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In early 2006, Digital SLR sales were one of the fastest growing markets in all of consumer electronics. Sony made sure to jump on it with as much speed as possible, but where to start? By buying out an already successful and well loved brand, Konica Minolta. By basing their designs on Minolta technology, Sony introduced themselves in the market quickly and effectively. They have become a gamechanger. They aim to take down the other big names like Canon and Nikon. In my opinion, they have succeeded further than any other company in providing a QUALITY product for an extremely reasonable price. The T4i might have smoother looking video, but it's auto-focus is S-L-O-W compared to the A57. The D3200 might have 24 megapixels, but more megapixels = more noise at high ISO! And Sony have multitudes of unique features to offer, built in stabilization, auto framing portraits, sweep panorama, and a blazing fast TWELVE frames per second! This camera is also by far the easiest DSLR to learn on. There is an entire built in help manual that provides relevant info with the click of one button. Just highlight a setting (oh, flash compensation, what's that?) and hit the question mark. It will tell you what it is, how to use it, when to use it, and even have sample photos. Not only is it phenomenal for the beginner, seasoned pros will love the backwards compatibility of the Minolta AF lenses. If you are shopping on Ebay you might have noticed the massive used market on these old Minolta lenses labeled 'for Sony'. Pick up a portrait lens for 80 bucks! Just make sure its the AF mount, not the older FD. The image quality is superb. I shoot primarily bands in low light situations, so I'll regularly be shooting under ridiculous colored lights or no lights at all. Trust me, nobody's standing still enough to use a tripod. The camera is lightning fast, and produces very low noise up to ISO 3200. By day I work in camera sales, so I am always exposed to the latest and greatest. Nothing has left me more impressed than the new line of Sony DSLRS. This is a company doing it right. You will find more bang for your buck here than anywhere else. 5/5 on all fronts.Read full review
I have had Nikon and Canon DSLRs and they were both great cameras, but the Sony Alpha a57 is the best I have had so far. The shot rate at full 16mp is second to none at 10f/s and 12f/s at 8.?. The clarity and fast, fluid, crisp, auto focus is amazing during all shots but is really shows its true abilities during high speed sports shots (try it at a football or basketball game with the Sony 75-300mm auto focus zoom lens!). I can't say enough good things about this camera. I will say, however, Sony has discontinued the a57 and replaced it with the a58. The a58 has a newer, supposibly better sensor, though it's hard to imagine, but I haven't tried it. If you can find a new a57, snatch it up, it is at a reduced price now everywhere you look which makes it WELL worth the money, and it on paper offers perks over the newer a58. If you can't find the a57, I would recommend moving up to the a65. It is slightly more expensive than the a58, but blows it out of the water in almost every bracket. This review is for the Alpha a57 though, and I give it 5 stars across the board. Check out the specs, it will certainly live up to or exceed expectations if you can still find one. Mine set the new bar for me.Read full review
This is my first DSLR and it's an amazing camera! The video is surprisingly smooth and great quality. I researched quite a while before deciding on this one. I am so glad I did! To me, the settings are easy to operate. It's fun to discover what each setting can do. This DSLR is versatile. It can be for everyday use and there areally quite a few artis tic settings. There is also an option for shooting tips on the menu. It seems specific for the camera and gives basic to advanced tips. Very helpful. It feels sturdy too. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone.
I shoot mostly wildlife, particularly birds in flight, and this camera makes it easy. Fast autofocus that locks on to your subject and 10 frames per second gives me some awesome shots. Excellent older Minolta lenses are compatible and help keep prices down. Battery life is excellent, I can shoot 300 to 400 shots a day without having to change batteries. I'm on my second A57 now, my first one has over 162,000 shutter actuations and is still working. Love this camera.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The a57 is a great camera, loaded with features includig HD video and panorama. I love the feel of this camera. This was an upgrade from my Sony a700, another great camera. The only downside is no gps. I've never had a camera with gps so I don't really miss it but many cameras now include a gps feature.
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