Sunday, May 22, 2016

GADGET GIZMO REVIEW SONY 68 (ALPHA 68)

GADGET GIZMO 

REVIEW SONY 68 

(ALPHA 68)
One equates SLRs with quality images and not without reason. The large image sensor, single lens for viewingcapturing and advanced electronics make for a great combination. SLRs start as low as `18,000, going up to a few Lakhs. There are a ton of differences between those bands and varying levels of complexities but the basic functioning remains the same. Sony is one of the few that set out to modify the SLR design with the Alpha series and this is their newest attempt.
While it may look like a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera, it is actually an SLT (single lens translucent) camera. The design is proprietary to Sony and it offers a few advantages over the traditional designs, which we'll come to in a bit. First, the design: typical DSLR design with a very large, comfortable grip. On the back is a 2.7-inch LCD that can tilt up or down (135 degrees up and 55 degrees down). The eyepiece has dioptre adjustment while a scrolling control wheel lets you quickly make adjustments to settings. Controls are comfortably laid out and you'll find a mode dial, hotshoe and secondary backlit LCD in the usual places. The hotshoe is actually a `multi interface shoe', compatible with flashguns, mics & remotes.
The translucent mirror warrants some explanation. An SLRhas a mirror that serves to direct light from the lens upwards to an optical viewfinder and autofocus system.While capturing a photograph (or video), the mirror moves up, letting the light pass straight through to the image sensor. In this case, the mirror stays down -it lets in most of the light to the sensor behind it but also directs a portion of the light up for the autofocus system. The mirror itself is a pellicle mirror: really thin so as to reduce unwanted reflections.
Since the mirror never moves, it lets the camera capture faster frames per second which would otherwise be slowed down by the movement of the mirror. The Alpha 68 can do a maximum of 8 frames per second in high speed mode. In addition, the AF system is always on, always receiving light -which means that it has better continuous focus -and it can focus in between shots which is useful with moving subjects. While shooting video, the continuous AF can smoothly keep your subject in focus.
The OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) is essential and required in case of the SLT design. Some purists scoff at an EVF but it offers advantages: 100% field of view, the ability to use it while recording video and the ability to see changes in exposure real time. It's not the same `feeling' as a camera with a proper optical viewfinder and it tends to shimmer in some conditions. Other features we found useful were the easy panorama mode (just pan the camera in the intended direction and it gives a very clean panorama), solid battery life (500+ photos from a charge), external microphone jack and a total of 10 customisable buttons. Important to note that it has incamera optical image stabilisation (OIS) -Sony calls it SteadyShot Inside. It's a sensor shift type of OIS and will therefore work with any lens.
Performance did not disappoint -the Alpha 68 is quick off the mark and even quicker to focus. Any user will appreciate its ability to focus in really low light. We cranked the ISO up to 6400 and got very good results with noise levels in check. A couple of things that need improvement are the switching time between LCD to EVF -it takes half a second to switch to the EVF when you hold it up to your eye. The limited articulation on the LCD is disappointing as is the relatively low resolution. Finally , the shutter button has a `spongy' feel with no discernible difference between halffull press. Overall, it has performance and features above its class. It's a good step up from an entry-level DSLR and especially good if you want to do lots of video.
Hitesh.Bhagat@timesgroup.com

ET11MAY16

No comments: