SONY A58
The new Sony A58 is almost identical to the A57 model that it replaces. Measuring 128.6 x 95.5 x77.7mm and weighing 492 grams the Sony A58 is the marginally smaller and lighter than the A57. Although it feels a little plasticky in-hand, the A58 is still a solid bit of kit with built quality thats on a par with rival DSLR cameras in the same price range, although were disappointed to find the A57's metal lens mount has been replaced with a less durable plastic version.
As with its predecessor, the A58 dispenses with an optical viewfinder in favour of an electronic version, and uses a fixed semi-translucent mirror instead of the moving non-translucent mirror of a DSLR. The translucency of the A58's mirror means that enough light can pass through it to the sensor to allow it to remain fixed in place at all times, with the ability to reflect some of the light onto a phase-detection auto-focus array that sits in the top of the A58 body.This combination means that the A58 can offer full-time DSLR-like focusing speeds, even during video recording, plus an excellent live view system with 100% scene coverage and a fast continuous shooting rate of 8fps, whilst being physically smaller and lighter than a comparable DSLR.
The Sony A58 can shoot full-resolution 20.1 megapixel pictures at up to 8fps whilst maintaining continuous auto focus and auto exposure, a very fast fast rate for such an inexpensive camera. To achieve the full 8fps you need to set the exposure mode dial to the dedicated Tele-zoom Continuous Advance Priority AE shooting mode, which locks the exposure at the start of the sequence and uses the 1.4x tele-zoom function to record the centre part of the image, resulting in a 5 megapixel photo. You can set the aperture and ISO speed by changing to AF-S or Manual focus mode, but you then lose the ability to refocus between frames. The A58 can shoot up to 16 Fine JPEGs at 8fps, but note that you can't shoot RAW files in this high-speed mode. Instead you have to use the slower 5fps option, which records a burst of either 7 Fine, 6 RAW or 5 RAW + Fine full-size 20 megapixel images.
As with its predecessor, the A58 dispenses with an optical viewfinder in favour of an electronic version, and uses a fixed semi-translucent mirror instead of the moving non-translucent mirror of a DSLR. The translucency of the A58's mirror means that enough light can pass through it to the sensor to allow it to remain fixed in place at all times, with the ability to reflect some of the light onto a phase-detection auto-focus array that sits in the top of the A58 body.This combination means that the A58 can offer full-time DSLR-like focusing speeds, even during video recording, plus an excellent live view system with 100% scene coverage and a fast continuous shooting rate of 8fps, whilst being physically smaller and lighter than a comparable DSLR.
The Sony A58 can shoot full-resolution 20.1 megapixel pictures at up to 8fps whilst maintaining continuous auto focus and auto exposure, a very fast fast rate for such an inexpensive camera. To achieve the full 8fps you need to set the exposure mode dial to the dedicated Tele-zoom Continuous Advance Priority AE shooting mode, which locks the exposure at the start of the sequence and uses the 1.4x tele-zoom function to record the centre part of the image, resulting in a 5 megapixel photo. You can set the aperture and ISO speed by changing to AF-S or Manual focus mode, but you then lose the ability to refocus between frames. The A58 can shoot up to 16 Fine JPEGs at 8fps, but note that you can't shoot RAW files in this high-speed mode. Instead you have to use the slower 5fps option, which records a burst of either 7 Fine, 6 RAW or 5 RAW + Fine full-size 20 megapixel images.
The A58 features an adjustable rear 2.7-inch LCD which is hinged at the bottom and can be tilted down by 45 degrees and up by 90 degrees. Note that you can't tilt the screen out to the side or fold it against the back of the camera to protect it. The A58 has a clever eye level sensor that switches off the rear screen's info display as you bring your eye close to the OLED viewfinder, plus a facility that automatically flips the same display through 90° should you turn the camera on its side to shoot in portrait fashion.
One advantage that the Sony range still maintains over either Canon or Nikon is that the A58 features built-in sensor shift image stabilisation, hence no need to spend extra on specialist lenses to help combat camera shake. On the Sony A58 light sensitivity stretches from ISO 100 all the way up to ISO 16000, with a quasi top speed of 25,600 achieved by taking and combining six frames at once (JPEG only). Sony's long-standing D-Range Optimiser and HDR functions help to even out tricky exposures, for example where a bright background would normally throw the foreground into deep shadow.