In the past, I owned a Canon Rebel. Every single shot from the Canon was overexposed. In fact the whole entire Rebel line on that note, overexposes everything. Canons got it right on with color. They do outstanding job. But who cares about color if your sky is white? This is why when looking for a DSLR I took a look at Sonys lineup. From the sample photos, it did not disappoint. But for me you can look at all the sample photos in the world, but until you take the pictures yourself with the camera in hand, and have a chance to adjust the settings how you want them, in the mode that you want them (never leave a camera on default at least move into program mode), until this is done I remained unconvinced.
It arrived with the kit lens, and I took it out for its first photo shoot. Ill put it this way: For the next good 10 years, I am set with a camera and other than looking for a point and shoot for circumstances where mobility is needed, this is going to remain my number one camera.
The thing is, a lot of people who post photos online of cameras, are leaving everything at default settings. It does an injustice to both the software on the camera (seeing what its capable of), as well as the senor. For instance this camera like many today has an HDR mode. This mode brings out the shadows so that you can see more of what otherwise would have been more black. Do you know why people like Panasonic or some of the Samsung TVs so much? Because of the blacks! Because of the contrast. So that was the first default option that was clicked off. Then I set it to program mode. I also turned up the sharpness one. On a point and shoot, adjusting sharpness up is typically a no go. They oversharpen as is. With a larger sensor like this, having the in camera sharpness turned up just one notch IS completely acceptable.
By searching Flickrs website search bar for: "Sony A58 Amazon Review" you will be able view images I took in the last day here with this camera. the V (down) arrow button on flicker will let you view full size. I would recommend viewing on a high resolution monitor. I'm using a Dell 2340MC on multimedia default setting with a good graphics card. Most modern laptops are good enough...there was a huge difference viewing these images on this very external monitor on my old PC and on my HP laptop.Night and day in terms of seeing image quality. It wasnt the monitor, it was a much better graphics card, but any laptop or PC now adays even with intel chips on board should do just fine. But with the settings I have the monitor calabrated to, I have compared these images with Canon and other cameras. Its has the best image quality I have used apart from the Mirrorless Gf6 which I loved just as much. Unfortunately that camera isnt working right so this was my replacement. And actually now that I have it, Im glad I went with the alphas series over a mirrorless camera. There are SO MANY lenses. SO MANY!! All the AF Minolta lenses..they are compatible with this! Tamron makes them for sony A mount, Sigma does as well. There are simply endless possibilities with lenses that wont cost you over 100,000,000 dollars.
CONCLUSIONS: This camera is worth its value. It has a fast autofocus, unlike canon focuses on all spots instead of simply the one spot closest to you (thank you Sony), has an outstanding viewfinder (it gives you a really good idea of your shot before shooting, does a good job with exposure, has a screen that comes out and turns up or down for flexability, a flash shoe, many lenses as state, a good grip, has perfectly acceptable ISO images at 1600 (havent tried 3200 yet though 1600 looks great, is fast (5FPS...really with an entry level camera and many of the nikons and canons being at 3fps , I fail to see what people are complaining about), has a good battery life, has a built in flash as well, has the option of viewing your photo both through the digital viewfinder or digital display (and the digital viewfinder can be adjusted to suit your color warmth or brightness)...Bottom line is the pictures on flicker: "Amazon Sony A58 Review" speak for themselves. They are all unedited and strait from the camera. Some do have exposure turned down but you can click on the details in flicker and see which. All of them have sharpness set to hard, and by hard that means +1 out of 0, 1, 2, 3. Other than in camera sharpening those pictures viewed an a good monitor will give you an idea of what this camera is capable of. Shots that I normally have missed with other past cameras I have yet to miss on this. Its worth the price. I cant speak for the a57, but I have compared the two side by side and really cant see a difference. Ill take more megapixels for larger prints, because between the two Im just not seeing it in all the test photos. The A58 does a fantastic job and on a scale of 1-20, I would rate it at a solid 19/20. One point off for missing the greens that panasonic hits with their GF series.
heading on over to image-resources and reading what they have to say, taking a look at photography blog, reading what they have to say and also taking a look at the samples. Very fast auto focus (and unlike Canon doesnt just focus on what is closest), really high ISO with outstanding results (though pershaps part of this is related to the fact that I come from point and shoots...but still its better than any of the rebel line ive used, great color saturation, just an all around great camera.
Sony SLT-A58K a58 DSLR Digital Camera A-Mount SAL18552 Lens Bundle - Black
3.9 | 141 ratings
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Last update: 10-02-2024
About this item
20.1 MP Exmor HD APS sensor with 5 FPS shooting
Translucent Mirror Technology accelerates AF performance
1080/60i/24p Full HD or 1080/30p MP4 movies w/ Quick AF
Lock-on AF for even easier focusing of moving subjects
SVGA OLED True-Finder optimizes eye-level framing
Translucent Mirror Technology accelerates AF performance
1080/60i/24p Full HD or 1080/30p MP4 movies w/ Quick AF
Lock-on AF for even easier focusing of moving subjects
SVGA OLED True-Finder optimizes eye-level framing
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Sony SLT-A58K Digital SLR Kit with 18-55mm Zoom Lens, 20.1MP SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD Screen (Black)
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Top reviews from the United States
Stephen
Sample images, Outstanding Quality!!
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2014OldPhotoGuy
A New Entry Level DSLR Contender has arrived!
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2014