The Sony A58 joins the SLT Alpha range as the Sony A57 replacement and sits just above the entry level 37. New to the Sony A58 are a host of features that should appeal to photographers who are starting to get more serious about their photography and want to take more control over their pictures.

Along with the Sony A58′s newly designed 201-megapixel Exmor APS-C HD CMOS sensor and Sony’s translucent mirror technology, the A58 adds an increased ISO range from 100 to 16,000, full HD video recording, an improved EVF and an enhanced Bionz image processing engine.

It’s an impressive spec list indeed. In our hands-on Sony A58 review video, Ali Jennings of our testing team runs through all of the Alpha 58′s key features and explains what in particular they’ll be looking closely at in our review.

Hands-on Sony A58 Review Transcript

It joins the SLT Alpha range as the replacement to the 57 just above the entry level 37 and see a host of updated features that should appeal to those just starting out with an SLR style camera.

As an SLT (Single-Lens Translucent Camera) the 58 doesn’t have an optical viewfinder but instead uses translucent mirror technology and an electronic viewfinder, which has it’s benefits but historically also flaws.

However with the 58 the EVF has been updated and in the early sample that I’ve seen the new OLED technology that replaces the LCD version in the 57 is a massive improvement, with no noticeable lag and excellent clarity. This clarity may help to convert some of the EVF critic but obviously not all.

One of the key benefits of this EVF system is that what you see through the viewfinder is what you get, so exposure preview, effects will be captured as you see through the viewfinder, and you also get 100% frame coverage a feature that really only appears on high end and Pro SLRs with optical viewfinders.

The 58 takes a jump to 20.1 million pixels from 16.1 in the 57 and combines this with the updated Bionz processor which promises to deliver better low light noise performance, but sticks to the already impressive sensitivity range of ISO 100-16000. We’ll bring you the results of the image quality tests once we have a full production model.

Other features that are new and of note are Auto Object Tracking which comes  as the evolution of the Auto Portrait Framing feature seen on the Sony NEX and Cybershot cameras. This crops to correct composition in camera and in use the Portrait version that we’ve tested in the past has worked well. This feature is joined by two further Auto modes Macro and Tracking, again once we have a full sample we’ll test these out.

Lock on AF is another feature new to the 58, and we’re told it provides a wide focus area that’s able to identify the focus subject and lock on. The illustration of this looked interesting and if it’s as good as it looks it could be a real winning feature especially for families wanting to capture their kids or for people just getting into wildlife and sports photography.

The Sony Alpha 58 will go on sale with the new 18-55mm Kit lens for £450 or with the dual lens kit which also includes the 55-200mm for £600 in mid-April. We’ll bring you the full review soon, for now for more information check out Techradar.com.

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In her Sony A99 review video, our head of testing, Angela Nicholson, takes a look at Sony’s latest full frame offering, the Sony Alpha SLT-A99.

To see her full lab tests and sample images, check out Angela’s Sony Alpha 99 review on our sister site TechRadar.

Sony Alpha SLT-A99 Review Video Transcript

This is the Alpha 99, Sony’s first full-frame Alpha camera since the Alpha 900 was launched four years ago.

Unlike the Alpha 900, this camera has a fixed translucent mirror which means that it can have a high continuous shooting rate of 6fps at full resolution or 10fps at reduced resolution. It can also use phase detection autofocusing when shooting video or composing images on the rear LCD screen.

Inside the Alpha 99′s body is a full-frame sensor, in other words a sensor that’s the same size as a 35mm frame. This means that the 24.3 million pixels are larger than they are in the Alpha 77 which has an APS-C sized sensor – larger pixels means better image quality.

Sony has mounted the 3-inch LCD screen on a strange tilting-articulating bracket. It’s easy enough to arrange when you’re shooting horizontal format images, but its a bit more fiddly to find the right angle for it when shooting vertical format pictures.  The good news is that the screen provides a nice clear view even in direct sunlight when its brightness is turned up

Because it’s an SLT the Alpha 99 has an electronic viewfinder rather than an optical one. With over 2-million dots this shows lots of detail, but scenes tend to look a bit warmer and more contrasty in it when compared with the captured image – even when its reviewed in the EVF.

The EVF is particularly useful when shooting in low light conditions because it shows the scene at the selected exposure settings, making the subject easier to see than it is in reality. Unfortunately though, the autofocus system doesn’t fair so well in low light. In fact it only needs a small drop in light levels before it starts to become quite hesitant. Even in good light it isn’t as fast as the systems in competing cameras like the Canon 5D Mark 3 and Nikon D800.

It also annoying that the 19 selectable AF points are so closely clustered around the centre of the frame.

There are plenty of direct controls available for making settings adjustments. This one on the front is quite unusual and its designed to allow near silent settings changes during video shooting.

This button here is intended to activate the Smart Teleconverter – a type of digital zoom. But I wonder how many full-frame photographers would want to use it for that? I’ve set it to magnify the screen image when focusing manually.

Thanks to its full-frame sensor and 24.3 million photosites the A99 can record a lot of detail – especially in raw files – and noise is controlled well. Even images captured at ISO 12,800 look good at sensible printing sizes like A3. Noise, or the impact of its removal, is more of an issue in images taken at ISO 25,600 – but the results are still usable.

The A99 has lots of useful features and customisation options. It’s also capable of shooting high quality stills and Full HD movies, but it’s let down by a disappointing AF system and its menus could be better organised.

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Sony has added two new entry-level cameras to its range, officially announcing the Sony NEX-F3 compact system camera and the Sony Alpha 37 DSLT camera.

Both new Sony cameras feature a 16.1-megapixel APS-C HD CMOS sensor, as well as the Alpha 77′s third-generation Bionz processor, which enables the NEX-F3 to deliver a sensitivity range between ISO 200 and 16,000 and the A37 a range of ISO 100 to ISO 16,000.

Both cameras also offer HD video recording.

The NEX-F3 serves as a replacement for the Sony NEX-C3 and includes a pop-up flash, increased battery life and a 180-degree tillable screen among its improvements over its predecessor.

The screen, when tilted to the full 180 degrees, automatically enters a self-portrait mode and puts the camera on a self-timer delay of 3 seconds.

Below, you can watch our hands-on review of the new Sony NEX-F3.

The Sony Alpha 37 also boasts a tilting rear LCD screen, along with a ‘Tru-Finder’ electronic viewfinder offering a 100% field of view.

Sony says the A37 also offers more accurate continuous autofocusing than its predecessor, the Alpha 35, incorporating a 15-point AF system and phase detection, rather than the traditional contrast detection systems found on conventional DSLRs.

Below you can watch our hands-on review of the Sony Alpha 37.

The Sony NEX-F3 will be priced £530 in the UK and $599 in the US, and available from early June.

The Sony A37 price tag is expected to be the same, with the camera available from the end of this month.

For more on these cameras, see a hands-on Sony A37 review and a hands-on Sony NEX-F3 review over on our sister site, TechRadar.

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Does your lens has more letters after its name than a retired rocket scientist. What do all these lens markings mean?

You can refer to a lens simply by the name of the manufacturer, the focal length, and its maximum aperture – a Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6, say, or Canon 50mm f/1.4. But as lenses have often evolved from decades of development, they usually have a line of additional letters after their names, stamped on the barrel or printed on the boxes.

Some lens markings are about manufacturer branding – defining a more recent range, or a lens that’s built to higher standards than another. Others are to do with the optics themselves, and to highlight specific technologies used in the lens construction.

In the jargon-busting guide below, we’ll translate these lens markings for you.

The ultimate guide to understanding lens markings

AF  Stands for autofocus. Nearly all lenses have this feature, 
but there’s an increasing trend for niche lens manufacturers (such as Samyang and Carl Zeiss) to offer lenses that can only be focused manually.

AF-S  Stands for autofocus-silent. This features on Nikon lenses that use a silent motor to control the autofocus.

AL  Stands for aspherical lens. All camera lenses are made up of a number of individual lenses or elements. Many of these elements are spherical – as if cut from a sphere. Aspherical elements are less rounded – and are used in some types of lenses to help minimise chromatic aberration.

APO  Stands for apochromatic. This features on Sigma lenses that use super-low dispersion (SLD) lens elements to reduce chromatic aberration.

AS  Stands for aspherical  (see AL).

Asp  Stands for aspherical (see AL).

AT-X  Stands for Advance Technology Extra – the branding used on all current Tokina lenses.

D  A type of Tokina lens that’s compatible with full-frame SLRs.

DA  Stands for Digital Auto. This features on a range of Pentax lenses that (unlike some earlier ranges) don’t have a manual aperture ring. They have a ‘Quick Shift’ mechanism that enables you to override focus manually, even when the lens is switched to autofocus.

DA*  Star by name, star by nature. The premium lens range from Pentax, which combines weatherproofing with the advantages of the DA range.

DC  This features on the range of Sigma lenses that are designed specifically for use with crop factor SLRs, and which can’t be used with full-frame models.

DFA  This features on the range of Pentax lenses that will work with full-frame 35mm film cameras, but which are also optimised for use on crop-factor digital SLRs.

DG  This refers to the Sigma lens range that’s suitable for full-frame SLRs (but that can also be used on crop-factor models).

Di  Tamron’s ‘Digitally Integrated’ lenses have a full-size image circle, so they are suitable for full-frame and crop-factor SLRs.

Di II  Tamron’s second-generation Digitally Integrated lenses are designed for use on popular crop-factor SLRs, and are not suitable for full-frame models.

DO  Diffractive Optics is used on a handful of Canon telephoto lenses – the technology allows these long lenses to be made smaller and lighter than equivalents using conventional optical designs.

DT  Sony lens with a smaller image circle, designed for use on crop-sensor cameras.

DX  Tokina’s and Nikon’s way of marking lenses that are only suitable for crop-factor – or APS-C – SLRs.

ED  A lens featuring Extra-low Dispersion glass in one or more of its elements, to help correct chromatic aberration. This abbreviation is used by Nikon, Panasonic, Olympus and others.

EF  Standing for Electro Focus. This is the name of the lens mount that Canon introduced 
on its first autofocus SLRs back in 1987. EF lenses can be used 
on all Canon SLRs.

EF-S  Electro Focus Short back-focus lenses were introduced by Canon in 2003. They have a small image circle so they are only suitable for use on crop-factor SLRs. A modified mount means that they can’t physically be fitted onto incompatible (ie full frame) Canon models.

EX  Sigma’s designation for its premium lens range.

f/X.X  The f-stop number is 
the size of the lens’s maximum aperture, measured as a fraction of the focal length of the lens. On some zoom lenses there may be two apertures quoted – f/4-5.6, for example. This means that the maximum aperture gets smaller as the lens is zoomed in. The maximum aperture on the lens barrel may also be expressed as 
a ratio – so 1:4-5.6.

FA  Pentax lens that’s full-frame compatible, and that features an old-fashioned aperture ring.

FO  Tokina’s Focus-One-touch mechanism allows you to switch quickly from autofocus to manual focus operation, and back again, by snapping the focus ring backwards and forwards.

FX  A Nikon, or Nikkor, lens that’s compatible with its full-frame SLRs, as well as crop-factor ones.

G  Stands for Gold – a designation found on top-class Sony lenses. It’s also used for current Panasonic Lumix compact system cameras and lenses.

HID  Stands for High Index Dispersion, a type of glass used in Tamron lenses that helps to minimise chromatic aberration.

HSM  Sigma’s Hyper Sonic Motor is used in some of its lenses to provide faster and quieter autofocus operation.

IF  Stands for Internal Focusing, and is found on many lenses from many manufacturers. The lens is constructed so that it doesn’t change in length as the lens is focused. It also means that the front element doesn’t rotate – which can help with the use of some lens attachments, such as petal-shaped lens hoods and polarising filters.

iFn  Stands for i-Function, a feature of Samsung NX cameras which allows photographers to access a number of key camera settings via a button and ring around the lens.

II  This stands for second-generation – a classic lens that’s been updated in design by the original manufacturer.

III  Stands for third-generation.

IS  Stands for Image Stabilization – optical camera shake reduction found in a wide number of Canon lenses.

L  Stands for Luxury, and is used to designate Canon’s best pro lenses, which have superior build quality and weatherproofing.

LD  This features on Tamron lenses that use one or more Low Dispersion lens elements to help reduce chromatic aberration.
mm  Stands for millimetres – used to measure the focal length of a lens.

OIS  Optical Image Stabilisation – the system used on Panasonic lenses to reduce camera shake.

OS  Optical Stabilization is 
the system used on some Sigma lenses to reduce camera shake.

PC-E  Stands for Perspective Control-Electronic. Used to designate Nikon’s range of tilt-shift lenses, which enable you to move the front elements on the lens to avoid or exaggerate lens distortion. They are commonly used in architectural photography to ensure vertical lines remain parallel in the picture.

PZ  Stands for Power Zoom, 
a servo-assisted zoom facility found on some Panasonic compact system camera lenses.

PZD  Stands for Piezo Drive, 
a type of ultrasonic motor used in Tamron lenses to provide 
fast, quiet autofocus.

RF  With Rear Focus, the group of elements nearest the camera are used to focus, providing faster autofocus. This feature is found on super telephoto lenses.

SAM  Stands for Smooth Autofocus Motor – used in recent Sony Alpha lenses.

SD  Super-low dispersion – 
the glass used in Tokina lenses 
to reduce chromatic aberration.

SDM  Supersonic Drive Motor, Pentax’s fast, quiet focus motor.

SLD  Super-low dispersion – lens elements in Sigma lenses that reduce chromatic aberration.

smc  Stands for Super Multi Coating, a seven-layer coating used on Pentax lenses to reduce light reflected the lens itself.

SP  Super Performance – a long-standing tag found on top-of-the-range Tamron lenses.

SSM  Supersonic motor – used for high-speed autofocus in top-of-the-range Sony lenses.

SWM  Silent Wave Motor, 
the high-speed quiet AF motor used on Nikon’s AF-S lenses.

TS-E Tilt-shift Electronic – Canon’s range of perspective control lenses (see PC-E).

UD Ultralow dispersion – type of glass used in Canon lenses to reduce chromatic aberration.

USD Ultrasonic Silent Drive, Tamron’s fast, quiet AF motor.

USM Ultrasonic motor – fast, low-noise autofocus motor used by some Canon lenses.

VC Vibration Compensation – optical camera-shake reduction system on some Tamron lenses.

VR Vibration Reduction, Nikon’s image-stabilisation system.

WR Weather Resistant – found on certain Pentax lenses.

XLD Extra Low Dispersion; glass used in some Tamron lenses to reduce chromatic aberration.

XR Extra Refractive – type of glass used in Tamron lenses. It can bend light at bigger angles than normal glass, helping make the overall size of a lens smaller.

ZA Zeiss Alpha – a range of Sony lenses made by Carl Zeiss.

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Introduced in February, the Nikon D800 is the world’s highest resolution full-frame camera, and sees Nikon firmly targeting studio and medium format photographers.

Speaking to our sister website TechRadar, Paul Genge from Sony UK said, “[It] sounds like a good idea to me, the user of that type of camera only ever seeks higher resolution for stills.

“I think when it comes to the market and when people are using it, people will be impressed by the increased resolution, of course on a full-frame sensor you’ve got room to provide for it so, all credit to them, they’ve chosen to keep pushing the boundaries.”

Of course, it is widely believed that it is Sony that produces the sensors for the D800, Nikon confirmed to us that it was working in partnership with another manufacturer for the sensor.

“It’s a good thing,” Genge continued, “36 megapixels will be improved upon in years to come still. We were the world’s highest with 24 megapixels until this point, and we’ve held on to that since 2009.

“I think Nikon will do quite well with it, certainly their customer base can adopt it, use it and get the best of it, but we’ll have to see when it comes to market what their customer truly thinks of it.”

Genge added that the camera doesn’t compete with any of Sony’s products. “Alpha 900 is a very different camera altogether, it’s very conservative in its offering, it doesn’t have Live View and it doesn’t do video. It’s a different proposition altogether.”

Sony has unveiled a new camera to sit in its line up of translucent mirror technology range of cameras, the a57 which offers 12fps shooting, full HD video capture and new creative options.

According to Sony, the Alpha 57 has been priced to appeal to a wide range of DSLR users, sharing many of the premium features found on the enthusiast level a65 – though the price has not been announced.

The a57 features a 16.1 million pixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor, which is teamed with the latest generation BIONZ image processing engine which has been designed for low noise stills and full HD video.

Shooting speeds of up to 12fps in new Tele-zoom Continuous Advance Priority AE mode are now available.

As on the a65, the a57 features a 15 point AF system with 3 cross sensors to help with TTL phase detection autofocus. Object Tracking AF has been enhanced to keep faces or other objects in sharp focus, even when the subject is momentarily obscured by another object.

Full HD video recording is included, with responsive full-time continuous phase detection AF to ensure moving objects stay sharply in focus. Full HD resolution movies can also be captured at a high 50p (progressive) frame rate, something which no other brand currently offers.

With the a57, Sony has introduced a new “Auto Portrait Framing”, which it claims to be a world first. This uses face detection and the compositional “rule of thirds” to identify a subject’s position and trim the scene to create a tightly-framed image.

By Pixel Super Resolution Technology is used to ensure that cropped and zoomed images retain the full pixel count. The original photo is saved together with the optimally-trimmed image, allowing for quick comparison between the two versions.

The same technology is used for 2x Clear Image Zoom, which doubles the effective magnification of the mounted lens.

An electronic Tru-Finder viewfinder is used on the a57, which Sony claims can rival quality optical finders. It offers 1440k dot resolution along with a 100% field of view and a number of high-resolution information displays.

A rear angle-adjustable 7.5cm (3 inch) Xtra Fine LCD screen is also included.

In camera picture effects include 11 effect types and 15 variations, which can all be added to images in-camera.

The Sony Alpha SLT A57 will be available from April 2012. UK pricing is yet to be confirmed.

In this guide to the best D-SLRs on the market, Ali Jennings from Digital Camera takes a look at the Sony Alpha 850, the full-frame DSLR to rival the Canon 5D Mark II and the Nikon D700. What is the image quality like? How good is the handling and build of the camera and what is the usability like? Watch this video and see Ali’s test shots to find out!

The a230 won’t score very highly in a beauty pageant; it’s an ugly lump of a machine, that despite its size isn’t particularly comfortable to hold. The overall design also gives its budget price tag away too readily – and that’s even before you’ve found the flimsy cover for the sockets and card slots.

Although the runt in the family, it shares a useful gene with more able Sony SLR siblings. It too has a built-in image stabilisation that will convert any zoom you buy into a shake-busting one; a feature     that could save you a pretty penny compared to some rivals. This is particularly useful, as the camera will         not just accept Sony-fit lenses, but also most made for the Minolta AF mount over the last 20-plus years. The vibration reduction with the supplied standard zoom is amazingly good – allowing sharp shots without a tripod with exposures of a third of a second.

The autofocus system is in a different league to many budget models. There are nine active focusing points, which prove useful for action subjects and portraits – although choosing a point manually isn’t easy enough. A neat trick is that the autofocus starts working and adjusting the lens as soon as you lift the camera to your eye – unlike other cameras it doesn’t wait for you to squeeze the trigger.

The flash can’t be popped up with a simple button like the other models on test here, but uses an over-elaborate menu option for this simple task. Other niggles include the lack of Live View function, a heavy-handed mirror mechanism, and a failure to display the current ISO setting in the viewfinder.