Sony SLT-A65 review

For the ability to review this camera Sony SLT-A65body gratitude to the network of stores "Paparazzi", where you can purchase this camera and other photo equipment - http://www.fotomagazinpaparazzi.ua

Sony SLT-A65 review

Sony SLT-A65 review

I'll start right off the bat - Sony SLT-A65 is excellent, even super great camera. As soon as you take the camera in your hands, the undeniable advantages are immediately evident: a large rotary display, 24MP, video with adequate autofocus and a shooting speed of 10 fps.

Sample photo on Sony SLT-A65

Sample photo on Sony SLT-A65

Sony SLT-A65 really can shoot with speed ten frames per second. This is simply an outrageous indicator for a cropped SLR camera. For example, I use Nikon and Canon SLR cameras, and if I want to get 10 frames per second, I will have to spend money on very expensive SLR monsters in the face Nikon D3, D3s, D4 or Canon EOS-1D X, 1D Mark III, 1D Mark IV.

To shoot with the Sony A65 at 10 fps, simply select the '10' icon on the control wheel. True, there are still limitations on these very 10 frames per second. When shooting in this mode, it is not always possible to control the aperture / shutter speed. The '10 fps' mode works in a similar way to the 'aperture priority' mode. If you set the focus mode to AF-S, you can control the aperture, and in the focus mode AF-C iris control unavailable, while shooting is always made at the maximum allowable aperture value. In fact, all these limitations are a trifle, 10 fps still fully works and at the same time shooting in RAW, ISO control, and a correction is available. exposure, and even auto focus during this 'machine gun firing'.

Sample photo on Sony SLT A65

Sample photo on Sony SLT A65

True, under such a high shooting speed you need a good frame buffer... The buffer is where pictures are placed before they are written to the memory card. The camera can shoot 13 frames in RAW and 17 frames in JPEG continuously. For example, when I was shooting RAW on a 32GB Team Class 10 SDHC card, the camera stopped after the first second of shooting at 10 fps. High shooting speed is important for dynamic scenes, for example, for shooting sports. The high speed is also very convenient for creating panoramas.

Sample photo on Sony SLT A65

Sample photo on Sony SLT A65

If there is no desire to shoot in a special mode at a speed of 10 fps, then you can use 8 frames per second in any other shooting mode. Sony A65 has these interesting featuresthat reveal the potential for huge rate of fire:

  1. Create panoramas. It is very convenient to draw a frame and get immediately ready panorama glued from a large number of frames. You can take a panorama with a size of 12416 by 1856 pixels and not spend a lot of time on taking pictures on a computer. This is a damn interesting and useful feature.
  2. Work in multi-frame noise reduction mode. In this mode, the camera takes 6 frames and, based on them, produces one noiseless picture. The mode works only in P, A, S, M and only with JPEG image quality. To start the mode, just go to one of the modes P, A, S, M, turn on the JPEG quality and select 'ISO multiple times. noise canceling '
  3. Continuous bracketing exposure. In this mode, the camera takes 3 pictures each. If you are very worried about the exposure, then you can take each individual picture in continuous mode bracketing. Step bracketing You can choose either 0.3ev or 0.7ev.
Sample photo on Sony SLT A65

Sample photo on Sony SLT A65

Also, Sony A65 uses 24MP sensor, you can take pictures of 6000 by 4000 pixels. That's a lot for a cropped camera. Megapixels are not always good, you can read in more detail in the section megapixel battle. The same (or modified) matrix is ​​used in cameras: Sony SLT-A77, Sony NEX-7.

Sony A65 allows you to work on ISO 100-16.000. In automatic ISO mode, the camera itself selects a value from the range 100 - 1600. By the way, on ISO 25.600, which is claimed to be the limit, can only be shot in multi-frame noise reduction mode. I won't say that the camera boasts good noise levels at high ISOs, but nothing too terrible happens at high ISOs, the range above 6400 is simply 'inflated' and I do not recommend using it.

Sample photo on Sony SLT A65

Sample photo on Sony SLT A65

Of course I missed an important point, Sony SLT-A65 - translucent mirror cameratherefore, when shooting, the mirror does not rise or fall. This allows you to just achieve a huge shooting speed and perform continuous tracking focus when taking photos and shooting videos. The camera does not have an optical viewfinder, but only an electronic one. IN electronic viewfinder you can see just a huge number of different information fields: from the virtual horizon to the battery level. The electronic viewfinder can be configured to work with an electronic magnifier and zoom in 11.7X over the selected part of the image, without having to take your eyes off the viewfinder. This is a very useful feature when working with manual focus lenses. By the way, the camera works wonderfully with unchipped lenses. It is worth getting used to the electronic viewfinder, during the writing of the review, I still could not make good friends with it.

Sample photo on Sony SLT A65

Sample photo on Sony SLT A65

A very important property of the Sony SLT-A65 is video recording Full HD 1920X1080 60p AVCHD or MP4 with 1440X1080 30p. Unlike amateur SLR cameras Nikon and Canon, the Sony SLT-A65 has adequate fast auto focus when shooting video. When shooting video, the camera focuses very quickly and does not tilt the lens back and forth, as conventional SLR cameras do. I was very pleasantly surprised by the Sony SLT-A65. Video can also be recorded through an electronic optical viewfinder, ordinary SLR cameras do not know how. During video recording, you can change the ISO and make adjustments exposure. True, the maximum ISO for video is only 1600, the rest cannot be selected. Another important note for video is the fact that if you want to control shutter speed and aperture manually when shooting a video, you will have to turn off auto focus, in any other way. With auto focus, video is recorded only with software control exposure.

The sensor is responsible for focusing on 15 focus points, 3 of which are cruciform. You can customize the focus system to your liking. Measurement exposure implemented by a 1200-zone sensor.

Sample photo on Sony SLT A65

Sample photo on Sony SLT A65

Some features:

  1. Automatic ISO is always available only in the range of 100-1600.
  2. The camera has a sensor cleaning system that can be 'heard' as it operates.
  3. Minimum excerpt is 1/4000 second
  4. Auto mode does not work in M ​​mode.
  5. To control aperture either shutter speed when shooting a video, you need to turn off the automatic focus on the lens
  6. The camera has a very good face detection sensor near the electronic viewfinder. The camera switches very well between the display and the viewfinder.
  7. When turned off, the camera 'thinks' a little, and then itself focuses the lens to infinity.
  8. The camera can automatically correct vignetting, chromatic aberrationdistortion. This is a very useful thing. You can configure fixes for each item individually. I recommend enabling all features.
  9. Two buttons can be programmed: the AEL button and the ISO button to the desired values.
  10. A bunch of other useful functions and subfunctions. I just physically cannot describe them all, if you know any more fineness when working with Sony SLT-A65, add them to comments to this review.

The Sony SLT-A65 camera is very easy to use, it is very pleasant to work with a rotary 3-inch display with 921,600 pixels. Of course, Sony SLT-A65 Made in Japan. Ergonomics on the level.

Sample photo on Sony SLT A65

Sample photo on Sony SLT A65

Personal impressions:

I liked the Sony SLT-A65 very much, but I can't get used to the electronic viewfinder, I like the good old optical viewfinder on my regular DSLR cameras much better. As the author of Radozhiva, a lot of questions come to me about choosing a camera for photo and video. Usually people ask for Nikon, Canon, Pentax SLR cameras, but all amateur and professional SLR cameras of these brands perform much worse with autofocus when shooting video. Also, they do not have a single amateur camera that can shoot 10 fps. Marketing dictates its own rules, and if it goes further, then Sony will go much further ahead than Nikon, Canon and Pentax. More examples of photos on Sony SLT-A65 can be found in Sony DT 3.5-5.6 / 18-55 SAM review и Minolta AF Macro Zoom 3x-1x 1: 1,7 (16) -2,8.

Sample photo on Sony SLT-A65

Sample photo on Sony SLT-A65

Prices for modern Sony cameras in popular stores can look at this link.

In comments Can I ask you a question on the topic and you will answer, and you can also express your opinion or describe your experience. Many little things for a photo can be found on AliExpress.


Conclusions:

Sony SLT-A65 - great amateur camera With good image and video quality, autofocus when shooting video works just fine. The camera can shoot at 10 frames per second, has a rotary 3-inch display and many nice and useful features. I’ll add from myself that the technology of the translucent mirror, which is used in the Sony SLT-A65, greatly outperforms its capabilities some features on ordinary SLR cameras.

Material prepared Arkady Shapoval.

Add a comment: Alexey

 

 

Comments: 198, on the topic: Sony SLT-A65 review

  • Georgy

    If not difficult, complete the overview with views from different sides of the camera itself

    • Michael

      On the Yandex market you can see there. True only with 3-way

    • Arkady Shapoval

      So the whole Internet is clogged with these types.

  • Michael

    Arkady! Thanks so much for the interesting review! We look forward to reviewing the A-77 and A-99!

  • Denis

    Could Paparazzi give the Nikon D600 for review? You are welcome! At the request of our clients ... present and future!

    • R'RёS,R ° F "RёR№

      Better 7100 less information about it.

      • anonym

        she is just entering the market

      • Vadim Gadzira

        At the request of readers, Paparazzi has arranged for the Nikon D7100 to be sent for review! So, I think soon there will be information on this camera!

        • Arkady Shapoval

          Great, I'm waiting for the package :)

    • Arkady Shapoval

      There will be a review soon, let me catch my breath :)

  • SpitFire

    I read it, read it, I was happy) chose between D3200 and D5100 ... and in the end bought a Sony A-37 for this price with two lenses 18-55 + 55-200 + hood .... for the price came out 21500 ... happy as an elephant! essentially did not find any cons. noise reduction is slightly better than on the A65. the pictures are excellent, the speed is 7 fps. But Sony has two drawbacks ... and marketing is to blame for everything ... among the comparison of 50 mm lenses ... Sony has the most expensive ... about 6-7 tr. and in general all accessories are more expensive. and the second issue is accessibility. sometimes finding something for Sony cameras is not such an easy task. you have to use online stores. the rest of the camera, manufacturer support, price, quality, asceticism .. incredibly pleasing! I advise especially to beginners ... unlike all other state employees, Sony has several unshakable competitive advantages: a stabilizer is built in the cameras, an autofocus screwdriver is built in, and a high "rate of fire". I recommend starting with these cameras, the quality is similar to the entry level of other brands, and the price is several times lower.

  • Stiv

    "Of course, Sony SLT-A65 Made in Japan."
    Arkady - sorry, of course, but I saw "Made in THAILAND"

    • Arkady Shapoval

      So I have a lucky copy from Japan. Thanks for the addition.

  • Masan

    Not a bad review :-) It's worth adding here the ability to use picking i.e. illumination of the contours of the sharply imaged area when focusing with manual lenses, which in turn is the EVF chip. It also makes it possible to display in the viewfinder / camera screen all sorts of mathematical abstractions on exposure and camera effects preview, in other words, exposure compensation is visible in the viewfinder (somewhere like that ;-)). The camera also knows how to stitch pictures with different exposures i.e. does HDR itself or can expand dynamic range programmatically. However, all camera effects are only available when shooting in JPEG mode. The translucent mirror can be easily removed (it is strongly discouraged for dummies to do this due to its extreme flimsy), which adds 0,7 stop (offhand) in the light, autofocus does not work, but for some reason peaking remains .... (a very strange moment when the phase detection autofocus sensors were left out of work) that is, you can easily aim manually and shoot. Using the adapter on the M42 with a dandelion in terms of exposure metering for me personally lies by +2 stops. That is, all the pictures are overexposed. I recommend the author to try it, maybe something is wrong with me :-) And also - manual lenses allow you to sharply see infinity on this camera with a regular adapter, and also - the camera is not weakly able to sharpen and crush noises, and also ... and a lot of other things and everything unknown in it.

    • Arkady Shapoval

      Thanks for the addition.

  • Andrei

    Many complain that it is very difficult to find lenses and accessories on sony, but there is also a huge + this is compatibility with minolta lenses.

  • Vadim

    When choosing his first SLR camera, he listened to two friends. One Nikon, the other Canon. This is just some kind of war. I wanted to buy Sony, so as not to side with one of them. He stopped only the fact of the very high cost of the lenses and everything else.

    • anonym

      And about the Sony service in Ukraine (especially by region), if anyone has contacted, write how and what? And lenses ... Carl Zeiss on Sony, but a little expensive, but Zeiss for other mounts are as relevant, who uses it?

    • Bavitli

      There is Tamron, Sigma, Minolta and a bunch of manual optics M42 ...!?!

    • Romario

      And what did you buy in the end?

  • anonym

    And in the movie Armor of God-3, Jackie Chan runs the entire film with a Canon and L-koy lens. What is this advertisement?

    • Arkady Shapoval

      I advise connoisseurs of good cinema to watch the film 'Lessons in Love' (originally called Guinevere), there is a bunch of photographic equipment and just a good film :)

  • Anatoly

    All of her, Sonya, is somehow unfinished, everywhere a little limited.
    A translucent mirror, as it were, is good, but has its incurable flaws.
    10 fps is also a little castrated, 24 megapixels the question is whether the progress that everyone was waiting for, or there is nothing to offer in the development of sensors like megapixels.
    The cropped panorama is a toy for housewives.
    The electronic viewfinder, yes, the future lies with him and, as I see it, is not near.
    But this is all IMHO my thoughts, for Sonya breeders the very inscription Sony is already warming the soul.

    Arkady is interesting, but if you reduce the resolution to normal in the settings, the buffer capacity will increase when shooting 10 fps or also there will be a second to catch the moment.
    Thanks for the reply.

    • Arkady Shapoval

      You won’t be able to trim in RAW, but in JPEG mode S 5,1MP and average image quality, the series increases.

  • R'RёS,R ° F "RёR№

    My first DSLR was alpha 100, I remember the advertisement was the most powerful, I barely sold it, maybe something has changed since then, but for me the sony camera does not exist, my video camera however is excellent SONY.

    • Michael

      Likewise! I am satisfied with Sony camcorders, both with change houses and pro, but with cameras somehow reciprocity did not work out. Had A100 and A700, then changed the system. I tested the A77 - it didn't "stick".

  • Gene jb

    I have a Sony-Ericsson C905, Arkady, give a review on it, because it is also a camera, though with a phone function.
    But seriously - I took a sleepyhead from a friend (I don't remember which one) to “turn it in my hands” - honestly, I didn't like it. Why install a mirror is understandable for phase AF. Why translucent - so as not to lift. Why the electronic viewfinder - the mirror does not give light. Roughly speaking, this is not a DSLR. This is a soap dish with interchangeable lenses, phase AF and APS-C sensor. I think that DSLRs will soon be released only because of the signature sound when shooting. In principle, a mirror in a camera is not needed at all. And when they make an ultra-high resolution, small pixel display, 100% will give up the optical viewfinder.

  • AM

    Thank you Arkady for the work done, but reading the comments causes no less pleasure - I have never read such funny nonsense. Guys - no offense, but "pins" and "cut-down panorama", well, this is a kindergarten :) If you buy equipment so that it "pins" you - you definitely need to think about what photography is, in principle, but about a stripped-down panorama ... still funny.
    Have a nice shot!

    • Arkady Shapoval

      Since I observe the overall picture of comments throughout the site, often the camera is bought generally by abstract criteria, little related to photography :)

    • Anatoly

      And I thought for some reason that the panorama was shot with a 24 megapixel matrix, then forcibly interpolating the pixels, which is not good, to a frame size of 2 megapixels and stitch the panorama from such frames, which is a mode for housewives, but it turns out that all the Photographers dreamed about it.

      Flies from cutlets - separate dear.

      • AM

        You do not quite understand the purpose of this mode in this camera, perhaps due to the fact that you do not know how these same panoramas are shot on other cameras without a special mode - look on the Internet. In short, the fact that you wrote it reproached the dead dog for being dead. It is NATURAL that this mode is for those who do not want or cannot shoot high-quality panoramas.

        Have a nice shot!

        • Anatoly

          It’s good that the flies flew away, and you have successful shots.

  • AM

    By the way, reading the reviews very often, I noticed that very few people write about "binding" to the camera, and more specifically, about the supplied RAW converter. So - what comes with Sony cameras simply does not turn out to be called a converter. He's just awful! The stability of work is extremely low, productivity - well, if you have a lot of time, why not wait;), inconvenient.

  • i-hero-in.narod.ru

    Autopano is useful for creating panoramas. The main thing is to make more frames in the manual mode (by bright frame, set the exposure, autofocus to infinity or the closest object and turn on the M mode for everything). Make sure that frames are without vignettes and overlap by 50 percent or more. In addition to the main shooting line, draw a line half a frame higher and lower. otherwise, when the tripod is mounted unevenly, the panorama borders will be curves and the frame will be low.

  • Aleksey

    Enough is already measured by lenses))) the most important thing in any camera is the “M” mode and straight arms)
    and all sorts of chips and sweets for an amateur)))

  • Vasil

    Bulo b to read the Pentax 645D look є on sale on the Paparazzi website (:

  • Novel

    More Sony Camera Reviews !!! Sony - rules !!! A58 recently came out, I would like to read its review.

    • Anatoly

      Woo, how, marketing cleared my brains ...

      • anonym

        Yeah ...)))

  • Novel

    A57 - this was a change of A65, FF or BF was noticed behind the 65th, so they were often worn in service. While there is A57, take it ... since it was discontinued, and it is already a real quick-fire. Nobody knows anything about 58 yet.

  • Oleg

    Some kind of very simple review you get.
    I am a lover. Recently I bought a Sony a77, before that there was a Sony R1.
    Sony cannot be compared to other DSLRs. This is a different ideology. For me, OVI is the last century, the future belongs to EVI. In an ordinary DSLR in the OVI you see what you want to shoot, but what the camera will shoot is unknown. In JVI, the maximum you can do is frame the picture, set the focus points and see some values, for example ISO, aperture, shutter speed, etc. Therefore, the shooting mode is as follows - I shot it while looking at the OVI, looked what happened on the screen. If it didn't work, then I corrected the settings, then again in the OVI and again on the screen, and so on until the picture is obtained.
    But in Sonya you see a practically finished picture (as in soap dishes), i.e. in real time you see a picture with white balance, focus, in general, up to and including artistic effects. At the same time, all settings are displayed in the EVI, although there is a side black-and-white screen, it is absolutely not needed. With manual focusing, there is an 11x zoom with border highlighting.
    Sony has no difference looking at the EVI or the screen, because it shows the same thing there. Those. Sonya can be shot in LiveView (this is mega convenient, I almost never look in the eye), while the focusing speed will be fast and occurs using phase sensors, for other DSLRs in LiveView, the focusing speed is programmed and much worse, therefore LiveView is often useless there . By the way, a translucent mirror rises during photography (this is even audible), but not with video. Its translucency allows the use of phase sensors during shooting video and with LiveView.
    Why do pros cling to JVI so I do not understand. When I take DSLRs with JVI, it’s an order of magnitude more difficult to remove from them. It is much more convenient to look at the rotary screen and see the finished frame than to look into the peephole just to frame the frame and choose the focus point. For example, I just can’t imagine how my wife would shoot looking through the peephole of the JVI.
    Of the minuses for me:
    - accessories, this is a real problem (even a non-standard shoe). Boo. lenses and Chinese flashes are much smaller.
    - The video is shot not by the whole matrix, but only by the center, which makes the short end of the lens not so short, this is bad
    - with auto-panorama as well as with video, not the whole matrix is ​​filmed.
    - I set the maximum ISO for myself in 1000, more is already noisy.
    But EVI and a translucent mirror covers all these disadvantages.
    My conclusion is this:
    If you are a pro, then you yourself know what you need, quality is above all for you. But if you are an amateur and this is your first DSLR, then look towards Sony, because shooting with them is much more convenient. Sony is a DSLR for people combining usability and frame quality.

    • Arkady Shapoval

      Actually, I have the same conclusions in the review. What else is missing in the review?

      • AM

        There is a lack of a more detailed review of ergonomics and controls, comparison with competitors, an assessment of the quality of camera JPEG, one of the most painful questions for Sony cameras - power consumption, and finally a verdict - who is this camera more focused on and who it will not suit. Basically 2-3 paragraphs of additional text. By the way, I missed the point about large RAW files - a real problem;)

    • AM

      The mirror never rises - there is no lifting mechanism.

      • Arkady Shapoval

        I have it indicated in the review.

        • AM

          This was addressed to Oleg)

      • Oleg

        Oops, specially removed the lens and clicked. The sound of a twitching curtain is heard, and the mirror is motionless.

    • Andrei

      The optical viewfinder has many advantages. Here is the difference between JVI and EVI
      JVI sees what the lens sees, i.e. we directly see the picture, and EVI sees what the matrix sees. Oleg listed the advantages for Evi, But what is for Ovi- In poor lighting the matrix will display a bad picture on Evie, or when shooting at night it will just be black ... And in Ovi we see everything perfectly, frame ... because the eye has DD and photosensitivity much higher. Ovi transmits light directly. As for the information content in Ovi, now there are screens with LCD spraying, and there is enough information content in Ovi (what is needed for shooting)
      2. When working with EVI, the screen, matrix, percent, etc. continuously work. i.e. continuous video stream.
      OVI - no. Accordingly, the battery is saved in the OVI. For prof. it is important.
      3. When using a curtain-slit shutter with an OVI, its resource is approximately 2 times longer. Also, the shutter lag with the JVI is much shorter. This is also important.
      4 . OVI is more pleasant for the eyes ...
      As for Sonya with a permanent translucent mirror, the pluses are listed, but the minuses should be noted increased noise. Still, the mirror absorbs a lot of light, and not all of the light enters the matrix. therefore it is a disadvantage. As for autofocus when shooting video, DSLRs basically catch up with the Canon 70d.

  • Ivan

    Be sure to this super great camera, do not forget to buy a spare battery, or better, two!
    By the way, the "keyhole", after a normal video finder of any DSLR, looks very poor ...

  • Viktor

    Arkady, I really wanted to read your opinion about the SONY A57 if you had to deal with it. Thank you in advance.

  • Victor

    Thanks for the reviews. The more I read reviews, the more my head swells, choosing a camera. And you want this too. What would you recommend: Sony A65 or Pentax K30? I'm going to shoot family, nature, I do not plan to do reports. Thanks.

    • anonym

      Victor, choosing a camera is always a headache :)
      If you decide to opt for these two copies, then opt for the Pentax K30.
      In terms of picture quality and correct color reproduction, today it is one of the leaders in the amateur segment on the market, has a wide optics park and a friendly interface. In general, you need to come to the store, twist both cameras in your hands and trust your feelings.

      • Alexey

        The fact of the matter is that sensations are different. Recently, a camera was stolen, there was a Canon 600D, I started thinking what to get in return, I wanted something higher class, a full frame is expensive, but I still looked at the Canon 6D, looked, twisted it - it did not lie in my hand at all, I stopped at the Canon 7D (although and far from a new model), everything, the sensations have strengthened, then the seller gave the Sony A77, picked it up - damn it, and I like this one. And how to choose, here and EVI and a translucent type of mirror, everything is unusual. And the camera is not even a phone, it costs several times more, you don't want to buy at random.
        So you trust the opinion of people who are better at this, at least to narrow the search circle.
        Thank you for the review!

  • Alexander

    Does the camera really write video - up to 2GB per file?
    on dpreview.com such data. (here the canon has 4GB per file).
    In video mode, electronic stabilizer?
    In manual mode, iso is also up to 1600 in video?

  • Alexey

    Arkady, you don’t have a review on Pentax kr to compare with the Sony A65. I will hesitate in choosing. Which is better! Advise.

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