Sony Alpha

Sony Alpha, stylized as Sony α (Greek letter alpha), is a camera system introduced on 5 June 2006. 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 Konica-Minolta's photography operations in early 2006. Sony also has an 11.08% ownership stake in Japanese lens manufacturer Tamron, 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.

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. 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.

Sony Alpha 300

The Sony Alpha 300 (a300) is a camera that was released in 2008 soon after the a200 and a350. The camera is a hybrid the a200 and a350, combining the sensor of a200 with the features and construction of the a350.

Sony Alpha 500

The Sony α 500 (DSLR-A500) is an midrange-level digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) marketed by Sony, which was released in 2009.

It features live view and body-integrated image stabilization. It has a 12.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor. The camera itself received mostly good reviews, with its fast continuous shot function, much better image quality for photos taken in bad light situations compared to 3xx series and overall very good price/performance ratio. Inability to record videoclips, is the mostly often criticized point.

Compared to A550, A500 features less detailed LiveView LCD, 12 contra 14 MPixel sensor resolution and absence of 7 frame/s continuous shot without autofocus mode. Both cameras also feature unique auto-HDR mode.

References

External links

Media related to Sony DSLR-A500 at Wikimedia Commons

Sony Alpha 65

Announced by Sony on August 24, 2011 and launched alongside its brother the Sony Alpha 77, the Sony Alpha 65 is the top-tier for Sony's midrange Alpha SLT camera line.

The Sony Alpha 65 does not have a direct predecessor like the Sony Alpha 77 however is still considered a replacement for the Sony Alpha 700 with less high-end specifications than its brother. The A65 lacks the A77's magnesium alloy construction in favor of a polycarbonate resin (plastic) resulting in a lighter frame and slightly smaller dimensions and lacking weather-proofing capability. The A65 uses the USB 2.0 transfer interface of 480 Mbit/s, has HDMI type C for connectivity and remote capabilities using the RM-S1 accessory.

The camera enters the market with its own tier entry into the range, boasting features such as a 24.3Mpx APS-C HD CMOS sensor using a single-lens translucent mirror and features full HD 1080p recording capabilities using H.264 compression. It hosts a variable burst-shooting mode up to 10fps, stereo audio recording capabilities and like others in the Sony Alpha range it has high sensitivity with ISO 100 to 16000, several noise reduction features, 8 white balance presets including custom balance and exposure control systems. The battery capacity is rated for 510 shots using the electronic viewfinder or 560 shots using the LCD. The capture format for images in RAW format uses the .ARW extension, Sony's extension for RAWs.