Sony Alpha α

Type	Brand name used by Sony Corp for their line of DSLR/SLT cameras
Founded	Tokyo, Japan (2006)
Headquarters	Konan, Minatu-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Products	Lenses, camera bodies
Website	www.sonydigitalimaging.com

The Sony A-mount on a Tamron SP 17-50mm F2.8.

The Sony A-mount on an α33 camera.

Sony Alpha, stylized as Sony α (Greek letter alpha), is a digital SLR camera system introduced on 5 June 2006.^[1] It utilizes and expands upon Konica Minolta camera technologies, including the Minolta AF SLR lens mount, whose assets were acquired by Sony after the end of Minolta's camera operations in early 2006. Sony also has an 11.08% ownership stake in Japanese lens manufacturer Tamron,^[2] which is known to have partnered with Konica Minolta and Sony in the design and manufacture of many zoom lenses.

Prior to the acquisition by Sony, the α branding had already been used on the Japanese market by Minolta for their AF camera system (marketed as "Dynax" in Europe, and "Maxxum" in North America.) Sony adopted the name "A-mount system" for the Minolta AF lens mount which has been retained in their new SLR range.^[3]

Sony's entry into the DSLR market dates back to July 2005 where a joint venture with Konica Minolta would have resulted in both companies marketing an updated line of DSLRs to the masses. ^[4] Between 2006 and 2008 Sony was the fastest growing company on the DSLR market, reaching 13% market share in 2008 to become the third largest DSLR company in the world.^[5] In August 2011, Sony confirmed that it is working on the production of full-frame Alpha cameras. ^[6] In May 2010, Sony introduced two Alpha NEX mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras equipped with proprietary Sony E-mount.^[7]

Camera bodies[link]

Sony Alpha 900 with Carl Zeiss 135mm f/1.8

Sony Alpha 55 with Sony 1680Z (Carl Zeiss)

Sony Alpha 390 with 18-55 lens

The Sony Alpha model system works on the principle that the next model up in the series has additional features to the one below e.g. the α330 has the features of the base model α230 but with a tilt-angle LCD and Quick AF Live View; whilst the α380 has the settings and features of the α330 but increased resolution of 14.2 megapixels.

All Sony APS-C DSLRs have Live View, except for the Sony α100, α200 and α700 series. Live View mode features a 1.4x or 2x Smart Teleconverter which digitally zooms in on the subject and reproduces pixels on a 1:1 basis, preventing degradation of picture quality.^[8]

The designation "SLT" stands for "Single Lens Translucent" (a misnomer) which refers to a fixed beam splitter in the image path. Sony SLT can shoot movie files at Full HD 1080p AVCHD with continuous phase detection auto focus.^[9]

Along with the α33 and α55 cameras, Sony also announced the Sony α560 which can also shoot movie files at full HD stereo 1080p AVCHD, but with limited manual controls and no continuous AF.^[10]

Sony α33, α55 and α560 use the same technology Sony EXMOR APS HD CMOS sensor. The α33 and α55 are SLT based (fixed translucent mirrors) and can take movie files with continuous Auto Focus, whereas DSLRs using reflex mirrors typically cannot, at least not without limitations.^[11][12]

Lenses and tele-converters[link]

The α lens mount, originally known as the A-type bayonet mount was introduced by Minolta in 1985 as the world's first autofocus system. As a result, virtually all Minolta AF lenses are supported on Sony DSLRs, and many Sony lenses work on Minolta's film and digital SLRs.

During the initial introduction of the α system in 2006, Sony announced 19 lenses and 2 tele-converters, of which the majority are rebranded Konica Minolta lenses. MSRP and month of introduction are included for these lenses, below.

At the 2007 PMA Trade Show, Sony unveiled several new lenses, but has referred to them only in qualitative terms, not providing specific specifications. As a result, these newly announced lenses are not included in this list.

On 18 May 2009 Sony introduced the first A-mount lenses to feature their new SAM (Smooth Auto-focus Motor) in-lens auto-focus motor for more lens-specific AF Speed improvements. This introduction was made with the new X+30 series camera bodies (α350 + 30 = α380). These new bodies retain an in-body focus motor for backward compatibility with the historic lens collection. In addition, the new bodies utilize HDMI output for display on HDTV sets and feature dual memory card slots for both Sony's proprietary Memory Stick Pro Duo chips as well as SDHC media format, while eliminating CompactFlash support.^[13]

Designations[link]

Lenses[link]

Sony produces a variety of A-mount lenses, largely carried over from the Minolta models.

Other accessories[link]

Flash system[link]

The hot shoe on Sony DSLR/SLT and some NEX (carried over from Minolta's Maxxum/Dynax/Alpha and its bridge digital DiMAGE A1/A2/A200 series) is not of the same design used by most other camera and accessory manufacturers. Adaptors, however, are available.

The first two flash models released by Sony (HVL-F36AM and HVL-F56AM) are, like the first generation of lenses, rebadged models of the Minolta Program Flash 3600HS(D) and the Minolta Program Flash 5600HS(D). Later on Sony expanded its flash system further, allowing advanced wireless flash control, including grouping of external flashes into groups with full ratio control.^[14]

The HVL-RLAM is a ring-shaped LED continuous light, adapted for macro photos of static objects. The Sony flash system does not include a ring flash.

Vertical control grips[link]

Grip VG-C70AM for Sony α700

Vertical control grips were released to numerous Alpha DSLRs, though with exception of most recent entry-level DSLRs: α230, α330, α380, α290 and α390. The new α65 will also get no vertical grip. All the vertical grips are sold separately.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sony Alpha

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (August 2010)

Previews[link]

• Why the Sony Alpha77 Was Worth the Wait, Sony Alpha77 Camera Review by PhotographyTalk Forum
• DCRP First Look: Sony Alpha DSLR-A100, Jeff Keller, 2006-06-05, Digital Camera Resource page
• Sony DSLR-A100 Overview, Shawn Barnett and Stephanie Boozer, 2006-06-05, The Imaging Resource
• Sony DSLR-A100 First Look, 2006-06-05, Steve's Digicam
• Sony Alpha A700 Preview, September 2007, Phil Askey, Digital Photography Review

Reviews[link]

• Sony Alpha SLT-A35 Review, Craig Dunning, Daily Telegraph
• Sony Alpha 350 Review, David Kilpatrick, Photoclubalpha
• Sony A300 Review, May 2008, Alpha Mount World
• Sony Alpha A200 Full-Review, April 2008, Neocamera, Cybernium
• Sony Alpha A700 Review, January 2008, Alpha Mount World
• Sony Alpha A700 Full-Review, November 2007, Neocamera, Cybernium
• Sony Alpha A100 Full-Review, March 2007, Neocamera, Cybernium
• Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 Review, May 2008, Matt Golowczynski, What Digital Camera
• Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 Review, December 2007, What Digital Camera
• Review: The Sony Alpha DSLR-A100, September 2006, SLR Today
• Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Review, July 2006, Phil Askey, Digital Photography Review
• Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 In-Depth Review, Phil Askey and Simon Joinson, Digital Photography Review
• Sony A200 Review, February 2008, Sony's A200 DSLR, closest in lineage to the A100 reviewed
• Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 Review, December 2008, Matt Golowczynski, What Digital Camera
• Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 Review^{[dead link]}, December 2007, Dan Richards, Popular Photography
• Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 Review^{[dead link]}, April 2008, Michael J. McNamara, Popular Photography
• Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 Review, December 2008, Popular Photography
• Sony NEX-3 and NEX-5 Review, June 2010, Digital Photography Review (DP Review)
• Quick comparison: Sony HVL-F43AM flash vs. Sony HVL-F42AM flash, April 2011, PHOTO-TIPS-ONLINE.com

User sites[link]

• Sony Alpha 700 Support Official Sony e-support site for Alpha 700
• Sony Alpha 700 Full Specifications^{[dead link]} from sonysite.ca
• Dyxum Forum Dyxum (DYnax/maXUM) forum supporting Alpha mount photographers

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