With the 33 alpha and Alpha 55 send to Sony to revolutionize the concept of single-lens reflex. The “SLT” cameras offer a classic vibrating mirror no longer, rather than an optical viewfinder, there is an electronic. This approach promises small and lighter body, as well as clear advantages for the auto focus. In our detailed review, the alpha 33 must show whether she can keep the promises of Sony. In addition, we take some equipment highlights the camera under the microscope and intensive look at the image quality.
Ergonomics and processing you may believe that the alpha 33 is a “reflex”, so delicate it comes along. In fact, it is absolutely no DSLR, because there is a vibrating mirror in the alpha 33 no longer. Instead, Sony has installed a fixed mirror in the camera, which is translucent for the most part. Only 30% of incident light are redirected and fall on special phase comparison of autofocus sensors. The vast majority of light happens, however, the “mirror” freely and falls directly on the sensor. He not only ensures the recording, but provides also the viewfinder image such as on a compact camera. “Single Lense Translucent” (SLT) calls this concept, where “Transclucent” is “partly permeable” Sony. Keeping the alpha 33 to the eye, is one immediately clear how this approach differs from the classic single-lens reflex camera: the alpha 33 has no optical viewfinder, but electronically creates the view. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) with more than a million pixels it resolves so fine that even the finest image details are best to recognize. Also, the focus is good to assess with the video viewfinder. Contributes to among other things, that the EVF nominally is one of the largest viewfinder on an APS-C camera. It shows the image area to 100 percent in 1,1-facher view magnification.
What reads as impressive on paper, in practice but due to a tiresome detail quickly becomes a nuisance: the exit pupil is low in the engine Bay, in particular people who wear glasses so not close enough to the eyepiece approach. Despite the relatively lush Sucherbilds, one gets the impression, to look into a tube with the glasses on the nose. You look so better without nose bike in the viewfinder, a diopter correction of +/-4 dpt. makes it possible most of the time. Two other characteristics of the electronic viewfinder are, however, in practice of less important: who takes care, seems to perceive a light Grieseln. And something lubricates the viewfinder image for quick panning, calms down but again as soon as the camera has come to rest. On the small shortcomings of the viewfinder you looks over at the latest when a photo opportunity in the night: the EVF regulated: the brightness to, even when the control key is pressed. So you have a very bright viewfinder image, in slowing light always but at the cost, that the display is increasingly noisy. And in a further point is clearly superior an optical viewfinder the EVF: he shows much more information. So you can show a live histogram on request or one artificial horizon, which accurately informed about the orientation of the camera.
In addition to the EVF, the alpha 33 (along with the alpha 55) as the first DSLR from Sony provides a display that is rotating, swivelling and folding. This Sony has opted for a somewhat unusual construction: the display is attached to the bottom of the housing via joint. In portrait shots, this is a clear advantage because of the small control monitor remains closer in the optical axis as a mounted on the side of the housing. We mounted the camera on a tripod, this design however is a disadvantage: tripod head or removable standing over backwards, the display only by maximum 90 degrees can be folded and above all no longer turn into the correct position. For this, it treats with full VGA resolution (well 920,000 pixels) and a lush size by three inches in the diagonal. As earlier Alphas, the alpha of 33 has an eye sensor under the viewfinder eyepiece. He switches to automatically from the display on the video viewfinder, if one takes the camera in front of the eye.
As a whole, which offers Alpha 33 so despite (or because) of EVFs in connection with the display a great viewfinder wearing comfort. How it looks but with the operation? The housing of the camera is slightly larger than a bridge or super zoom camera. Nevertheless, it has managed Sony accommodate for all important functions of dedicated buttons and switches. However, the buttons fall off bad small and are also not always ergonomically. This applies in particular to the important dial: it is much too far down on the clearly marked but slim handle mounted. Where it should actually be namely under the index finger is the rotating main switch. So increases the risk that you accidentally disconnect the camera, rather than to advance, for example, the aperture. The very compact body is still well in the hand, better for photographers with small hands. A professional lens of the Schlage of a Carl Zeiss 24-70/2.8 on the mounted man however Alpha 33, the whole combination is bad top-heavy and makes one-handed keep hardly sure. And the very compact housing still a downside: it has room for only the battery NP-FW50 developed for the NEX. Its capacity is enough for a maximum of around 340 pictures at exclusive image control on the display, with the EVF, the battery is already exhausted after about 270 photos. Sony manufactures the alpha 33 schn̦dem plastic enclosure Рthis is not necessarily a disadvantage. So was the camera to the real light weight. While she makes a robust impression, nothing crackles or creaks in the courageous access. Beautiful, also, that especially frequently used functions quickly reach can on a special function key Рa trip to the well structured menus is so rarely necessary.
Facilities you can see it the alpha 33 not equal to, that Sony has powered its a very rich and above all practical facilities. For example, which is new for Alpha DSLRs “Auto +” mode: will he set on the dial wheel grip, the camera chooses the appropriate recording program suitable to the subject. If you want to shoot just easygoing, goes well with this function. In addition there are the “green fully automatic” or the ability to manually set one of the nine scene modes. Would you prefer itself determine how the camera will take? No problem, the alpha 33 offers the usual Halbautomatiken (time or aperture priority) and can be also fully manually controlled. This not only applies to the exposure, ISO sensitivity can be manually or automatically by the camera. As well, the focus can be adjusted automatically or manually.
The special features of Alpha 33 fall of only at the second glance on – such as a pressure on the “D-range” button: Now you can will turn on a HDR function with the camera in very quick succession merges several differently exposed images to an image with perfect dynamic range. Up to six f-stop difference can you here for the single recording set – or alternatively the dynamics of the HDR automatic fix can be. Another very useful innovation hides in the ISO menu: here, you can choose this a “Multishot noise reduction” for all ISO levels. The alpha 33 takes up then again six images, combining them to a photo with amazingly low noise. This is possible because sensor noise is a stochastic phenomenon – noise pixels occur on virtually never several recordings in the same place. This works best with static images, taken from the tripod out.
As well as the “classic” features Sony has not saved: the alpha 33 has a control button, a self timer, allows the inclusion of bracketing (with 0.3 or 0.7 EV difference), knows several methods for measurement of exposure (Multi-pattern, multi-field and spot measurement) and rich Flash features. So, it is for example possible to control system flashes unleashed with the camera. Flashing on the second curtain dominated them as well as the slow sync. Also, the Flash output can be set easily from the function menu. This allows perfect to mix ambient light and Flash. The camera of House from already on Board has a small Flash, he jumps up if necessary and assists the auto focus in dark conditions with strong Flash salvos. The alpha 33 offers practically everything you expect from a good mid-range DSLR. These include also class common connectivity, as a HDMI output, or a socket for a system remote control. In the serial image speed she swings up then the professional class: fast eight images in the second shoots the camera on request – the missing voice mirror makes it possible. Only high end-DSLRs, which cost a large four-digit amount are so fast.
Should the alpha 33 in high speed mode (AF-C), updating the focus it fixes the aperture on F3. 5 and the maximum aperture. The exposure can customize continue to it for each frame, but only on the variation of exposure time and/or ISO number. The Panel control inherited from Minolta will be responsible for this restriction. It allows up to six shots per second, faster to switch the camera between the open plate (for the auto focus) and the working aperture. You would like to set a smaller aperture – about to also in high speed recordings the depth of field to specifically control-, gives only with static auto focus (AF-S). Now, the alpha 33 freezes the focus on the value of the first image of the series. If you exposure and auto focus updating without restrictions would can do with a still respectable series frame rate of six shots in the second. When the serial image it – unlike comes as in a traditional DSLR – not to the “blackout” in the viewfinder of the alpha 33; There are Yes No vibrating mirror, which obscured the view. However, the camera in high speed mode can not continuously be the viewfinder image. Instead, it shows the picture just taken. So, you can see a “slide show”, in which each picture for 0.15 seconds appears during the recording series. Mitziehern requires the some change: A fast motif is already a significant step further by the image area wandered, as it suggests the viewfinder.
Full end to the wearing the advantages of the SLT concept come then, when it comes to video. No vibrating mirror must be weggeklappt only awkward, according to a press of the “movie” button, the alpha 33 virtually no delay before starts the film recording. While the rapid phase AF provides faster hot than any other DSLR video mode. Great also: During the video filming one of the 15 AF fields can be at any time select and so the focus quickly for example of the front set to the background. The exposure compensation work also during the video recording. The aperture, however, is the alpha 33 enabled af video fix on F3. 5 and the maximum aperture of the lens used. The default of other Aperture values is possible, then must be focused on the video recorder manually. For the good movie soundtrack, a stereo microphone in the A33 provides the camera also offers the ability to connect an external microphone. Films records the camera in full-HD (1080i) and stores them either in the space-saving AVHCD format or nachbearbeitungs friendly as MP4 files.
Objectively, the alpha 33 is available in the set together with the lens of “SAL 1855″. The zoom lens with a focal length of 27-82 mm, completely made of plastic (by Kleinbild) weighs just once about 100 grams. This arouses first no confidence, but the set lens scattered first concerns quickly. So, it – convinces thanks to built-in servo motors – with a hurtigen auto-focus, which has found its goal mostly within one-third of a second. Previous focused raises the camera already after about 0.15 seconds. The auto focus however has problems in burst mode: Although he has no difficulty, an object that moves across through the picture, quickly to reach enough of a point to the next. Moves to the object but directly on the camera, the alpha 33 regulates the focus often not fast enough to, some footage from the series are not properly in the focus. Although the alpha 33 with a phase-AF, with special AF sensors works, it provides a face and smile detection. It relates the information about the recording sensor. This can cause that the alpha 33 while recognizes a face, but not that sharp can provide, if it is outside their 15 AF fields.
As for Sony, the lens is not stabilized. For the Verwacklungsschutz the Alpha provides 33 with their “SteadyShot” – the recording sensor is movable and compensates as Zitter movements of the hand of the photographer. The Bildstabi free-hand taking up too much time allows longer exposure times. Because the view of the main sensor is generated, it is stabilized – for the first time in a system camera from Sony a further advantage of the SLT concept. From a photographic point of view, there is so little blame for the SAL 1855. is annoying, that the front lens focusing with turns, the use of a polarizing filter is so complicated. The set lens is but not so well suited for video recording. The zoom ring has a very high torque, which wants to be first of all overcome. Soft zoom rides are so difficult. Furthermore, you can not silently change the focal length; rotate the zoom ring, get ugly scraping noise on the soundtrack of the video recording.
Image quality from an ergonomic point of view is there on the SLT concept of Alpha 33 little to the criticism. But how does affect the placed firmly in the beam path, partially-permeable mirror the image quality? We are intensively investigated this question in the renowned DC-Tau test lab. How can always be obtained the detailed test protocol for a small fee (further links see). The sensor of the alpha 33 gets in absolute terms about 0.6 f-stops less light, as it is the combination of shutter speed and aperture (based on a traditional DSLR). (Note: 50% light loss is an aperture level, 30% are loss of light such as in the alpha 33 i.e. 0.6 f-stops.) It was to be feared, therefore, that this loss of light have a negative effect on the noise behavior and the dynamics of the input. But those fears quickly refuted the test protocol of the alpha 33: the noise curve remains to up to high ISO 1600 at a low level. This, the camera noise reduction takes precedence above all against the dreaded color noise and tieffrequentes luminance noise. Very fine brightness errors allow for the engineers of Sony, however, – so the detail is less, which irons Alpha 33 so not with the noise also equal to fine image detail is away. The ISO number rises to a value of 1,600, the details take off while visible – photos recorded but even at ISO 6,400 to paper bring is still in acceptable quality up to the size of 13 x 18 cm. Because one almost forgets that it records Alpha 33 on request also in RAW. Camera raw 6.1 can elicit is the RAW files of little details and less noise than the JPEG files directly from the camera eh already provide.
In terms of dynamic range, the alpha cuts a good figure 33: up up to ISO 3,200 she processed indemnify brightness differences of at least eight f-stops. Like so many other cameras, the JPEG files from the alpha 33 however show a high black level – black rendered rather than dark grey. The tone curve is with crunchy contrast in the midtones but rather soft lights and shadows for a “shot-to-print” camera: ideal, to just print the pictures, less suitable for further image processing. Also, the focus is more crisp, creates but hardly visible artifacts. Sony has designed the low-pass filter more aggressively, very fine structures in the motif increases the risk of moiré education. The alpha 33 knows the JPEG compression levels “Fine” and “Standard”, which preserves itself “standard” image detail to the detriment of small files.
The cheap set lens can however not fully exploit the potential of the sensor of the alpha of 33. Above all a strong resolution waste to the edges of the image there is problem, even stopping down doesn’t help as much. If you would like to fully exploit the potential for resolution of the camera, is to rely as “elegant glass”. Also older Minolta lenses may be, the 1984 introduced A lens mount Sony has maintained to this day. In the Randabdunklung this can be seen in 1855 less critical SAL, vignetting is virtually a non-issue. Also, the distortion of the lens is fully fine with the exception of barrel-shaped Weiwinkels. In practice, it convinces Alpha 33 with a very reliable exposure. Otherwise as previous Alpha DSLRs, we have seen no inclination towards the overexposure. The camera renders colors strongly but with very neutral tones. What is but perhaps most important: in the light path fixed, partially-permeable mirror leaves no trace in the recording. Even with extremely high-contrast images with point-like light sources occurred in our test not to ghosting.
Conclusion Sony has some courage with the radical departure from the classic mirror reflex concept at the alpha of 33. The lack of a vibrating mirror however many advantages: the alpha 33 works always in “LiveView” mode, always offers a fast and accurate phase AF and provides a stabilized view. In the video recording, the SLT concept of Alpha 33 of all current DSLRs is superior. Also, so series frame rates are possible reserved so far expensive professional DSLRs. Also the housing dimension is – reduced significantly due to the loss of the mirror but at the cost of some fummeliger buttons and a small, inefficient batteries. The decision for this concept was especially brave, because the alpha 33 offers no optical viewfinder. But its electronic viewfinder does really well his stuff, he is bright, large and shows a detailed view with a wealth of information. The image quality is not affected by the SLT concept, it is entirely on the hoe.
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