Regardless of pixel size, anyone who often makes large prints will definitely appreciate the higher resolution available with the A350.Īll three cameras produced very good image quality at ISO 800, making this level ideal for low-light shooting in conjunction with the Super SteadyShot stabilizer. That's probably because the A350 employs different processing algorithms and because of the advantages provided by the additional four million pixels. At ISO levels to 800 all of the images from the three cameras were virtually identical in digital noise and dynamic range even at higher ISO the difference was subtle.
And yet, that's definitely not obvious, based on my review of the images on a professional monitor and in 13x19" prints.
Dynamic range can also be narrower: the sensor may not be able to record full detail in both highlight and shadow areas.īased on those facts, image quality should be higher with the A200 and A300 than with the A350. That produces a lower Signal-to-Noise (S/N) ratio causing more obvious digital noise. When light-sensitive dots are smaller they're less sensitive to light so "analog gain" must be applied at higher amplification to boost the weaker sensor signal.
Because of the greater number of pixels on the CCD used in the A350, each invididual photosite must be smaller although specific data on this aspect was not available. (This image was made at f/7.1 at 1/320 sec, using ISO 400, +1 compensation, and Continuous AF with the Vivid Picture Style mode.)Įvaluation: The primary technical difference among the three Alpha cameras is the effective resolution or the number of pixels on the 23.6x15.8mm sensor. The override was necessary for avoiding underexposure while Advanced DRO helped to retain detail in both highlight and shadow areas. This photo is a perfect example of one that benefited from the Dynamic Range Optimizer as well as exposure compensation. This more sophisticated process does cause the camera's framing rate to slow noticeably after about three shots but provides greater effectiveness. In Advanced DRO, the processor analyzes 1200 individual segments of the scene it will then lighten shadow areas and darken very bright areas in order to bring out detail in both. The extra processing takes very little time so there's no camera slowdown but highlight areas are sometimes too bright. Standard DRO employs standard gamma curves to modify the entire image, to recover shadow detail in scenes with high contrast or strong backlighting. The Bionz processor also provides the Dynamic Range Optimizer with two options.
More importantly, any of the trio can process a burst of 10 Large/Fine images in under 3 seconds so it's almost always ready to shoot another long burst. Speed is enhanced by two-channel data transfer from the CCD to the processor and a large buffer allowing for recording an "unlimited" number of JPEGs when using a very fast CompactFlash card. They also employ the same Bionz processing engine with Large Scale Integrated (LSI) circuitry to generate images quickly while maintaining a wide tonal range, accurate colors, and minimal digital noise.
(This image was made with high contrast, sharpness, and saturation at f/9 with ISO 800.)Īll three of these Alpha D-SLRs are equipped with CCD sensors but their effective resolution differs: 14.2 megapixels for the A350 and 10.2 megapixels for the A200 and A300. Bracing my elbows on a concrete railing allowed me to extend that to a full second for this photo. While shooting at night at 40mm (60mm equivalent) I was able to make many sharp images at a 1/8 sec shutter speed. So you can use it both ways: like macro lens (without wide angle part) and like wide angle with macro together! This is a very unique feature of this lens for its price.The built-in stabilizer can be valuable with telephoto lenses but it's equally valuable with the shorter, more typical zooms. This unique lens works on all Cameras & Camcorders with 55mm size Lens Filter thread! This excellent lens can be separated in two pieces (unscrewed): macro part and wide angle part. It’s great for landscapes or recording in situations where a little creative curvature of field is wanted for a certain style. The lens will multiply angle view of digital/video cameras by 0.45 times, which more than doubles the angle of view of the camera. This is a premium 55mm wide angle lens with 0.45x magnification for cameras and camcorders.