Sony will eschew traditional DSLRs and concentrate on developing its DSLT cameras, the company has revealed.

Speaking to our sister website TechRadar, Paul Genge from Sony UK said, “We have no SLRs in our line-up today, and our intention is to develop the SLT technology and make that a real stand-out in the market.”

He also reiterated that Sony’s president made a statement during the IFA consumer electronics show that the company is going to be looking at full frame as the next introduction for for its SLT line of cameras.

From the outside, Sony DSLTs look almost indistinguishable from their DSLR counterparts. However, inside Sony DSLT cameras is the company’s Translucent Mirror Technology that allows around 70% of the light entering the lens to pass directly through it and onto the imaging sensor, while a smaller amount is reflected up to the camera’s phase detection autofocus sensor.

This means that in practice, the time taken to record a shot is reduced, as well as allowing for full-time phase detection AF.

At the moment, Sony’s current SLT line-up includes the Sony Alpha a77 and Sony Alpha a65, which were introduced last year.

Currently, Sony only manufactures APS-C size DSLT cameras, so the confirmation that the next full-frame camera from the company will be fixed mirror is exciting. The last full frame DSLR from Sony, the Alpha 900, was introduced in 2008.

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The NEX-7 appears to be aimed at demanding users who like the idea of a more compact camera, but don’t wish to compromise on image quality or exposure control. Videographers may also look at this new Sony with interest because it’s capable of recording Full HD video with AF tracking and manual exposure control.

Read our full review of the Sony NEX-7 on TechRadar.

Scanning the A77′s specifications, it’s impossible to be unimpressed with what’s on offer. The camera is positively overflowing with up-to-the-minute technology that either matches or supersedes the competition. Boasting a new 24.3Mp APS-C format CMOS sensor, 19-point autofocus (AF) system, 12fps continuous shooting, Full HD (1080p) video recording and the highest resolution electronic viewfinder we’ve seen to date, it’s clear that Sony isn’t taking any prisoners in its battle against the traditional SLR.

Read our full review of the Sony A77 on TechRadar.

In this latest guide to the best cameras on the market, Ali Jennings from Digital Camera takes a look at the Sony NEX-5. The mirrorless APS-C sensor compact system camera was launched back in May to lots of hype. But what is the handling like, how does the image quality measure up, and just how is it working without an optical viewfinder? Watch the video to find out more and click the link on the right to read our full in-depth Sony NEX-5 review.

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.

Aimed squarely at Canon’s IXUS range and Fuji’s “F” series, the T10 packs in some great features but struggles to deliver great pictures.

Upgrading last year’s almost identical-looking Cyber-shot, the similarly flat-faced T10 snapshot brings another million pixels to the party, crammed on to the same physical size chip.

Just 21mm wide, it also boosts maximum light sensitivity from its predecessor’s ISO 640 to ISO 1000 for low-light photography without flash, adding in optical image stabilisation (under the billing ‘Super SteadyShot’), designed to avoid camera shake.

You also get a low-light Movie mode for the first time on a Sony. All this sets the T10 up as a rival to Canon’s IXUS range and Fuji ‘F’ series compacts – the former now boasting real image stabilisation; the latter, increasingly high ISO speeds.

The slender T10 trumps the boxier Fuji in the style stakes, even if its brushed steel fascia and internally stacked 3x zoom lens fail to give Canon a true run for its money. A love-it-or-hate-it sliding faceplate maintains the minimalist feel, protects the T10′s optics and powers up the camera when opened.

But there’s a real danger of flipping it open and accidentally activating the T10 when sliding it into a bag or pocket. Still, the camera automatically powers down when left inactive and the lithium battery is good for an okay-ish 250 shots.

Done to a T

On the plus side, the T10 is well constructed and user-friendly. A bright and clear 2.5-inch LCD screen overshadows solid and responsive controls on the back, in the absence of an optical viewfinder. Usefully, the screen displays battery life remaining, and in both Capture mode and Playback a live histogram can be called upon to double-check exposure.

Shooting options within the menus are shown as an unobtrusive tool bar along the bottom of the screen that expands when you switch from Auto to Program setting. Selecting Set Up provides access to five more sub-folders, where the likes of digital zoom can be turned on/off; Super SteadyShot set to continuous, or activated at the point of capture only; and a memory card formatted.

Speed of performance can’t be faulted – the T10 powers up in just under two seconds (officially 1.3 seconds). A full press of the lozenge-shape shutter button and a shot is taken with no discernable shutter delay, while committing a full resolution, maximum-quality image to optional Memory Stick Duo card or internal 56MB cache takes a speedy second.

Whereas so many digital compacts suffer from underexposure, the T10 goes the other way, with the result that daylight images look slightly washed out, with an inevitable loss of highlight detail.

Under bright sunshine it’s difficult to avoid lens flare, while the positioning of the lens to the top right of the camera body means that users also have to guard against the occasional fingertip straying into shot. Pixel fringing is also noticeable between areas of high contrast, though it’s less pronounced than on previous generations.

Unfortunately, image noise is visible even at the Auto default setting of ISO 320, though not infuriatingly so. Still, it’s advisable to steer well clear of ISO 1000 unless there’s really no other way you can achieve the shot you have in mind.

Sharp results are achievable, but images are often softer than we like, and it’s difficult to be convinced that 7-megapixels offers any more genuine detail from the same chip than 6-megapixels.

Although the T10 is certainly one of the quickest snapshots off the mark outside Ricoh’s acclaimed Caplio range, ultimately it seems better suited to the point-and-shoot brigade, who are likely to attach as much importance to style as substance.

Inevitably, it feels like certain headline features have been rather over-egged and others over- compromised in order to bring a camera boasting these dimensions to market at a street price of around £230.

Sony’s second generation bridge looks a bit like an old sci-fi prop; it’s also a well-specced all-in-one alternative to a budget SLR.

Like last year’s H1, Sony’s second generation bridge camera has a touch of the Flash Gordon about it.

There’s something about its eyepiece, lens barrel and silver plasticky body that recalls the helmets and spaceships of a 1950s TV show. However, on first inspection it also looks chunky, clunky and unwieldy.

Still, it helps the H2 stand out against the near-identical specifications of Canon’s more solid-feel PowerShot S3 IS and Panasonic’s acclaimed Lumix DMC-FZ7.

While both rivals boast optical image stabilisation to prevent image blur at the telephoto end of the zoom, Sony has christened its own anti-shake mechanism ‘Super SteadyShot’.

Denoted by a wobbly hand icon, this has a dedicated button that can be set to continuous adjustment, or activated on a shot-by-shot basis. And, as you’d expect with Sony’s camcorder heritage, it’s also present in MPEG Movie mode.

Common JPEG

When it comes to still capture, the H2, like the Canon S3, eschews TIFF or RAW formats and sticks with common JPEG. Though Panasonic’s FZ7 combines TIFF capture with light sensitivity up to ISO 600 for shooting in the near dark, the H2 stops at ISO 1000.

Nevertheless, it betters the Canon’s noisy ISO 800. Sony claims to have minimised noise problems at high ISO by improving signal-to-noise ratio, which, for those looking for available file formats, it has confusingly dubbed Clear RAW NR technology.

The rubberised grip to the right of the H2 affords comfortable one-handed operation and houses two rechargeable AAs. They’re claimed to be good for up to 400 shots, though the battery indicator was showing half full after 50.

Shot composition is via the 2-inch LCD or, a better bet, the tiny but higher resolution electronic viewfinder. Although you can quickly swap between them, it would have been great if (like Sony’s Alpha DSLR) the EVF sported an eye sensor that immediately activated it and perhaps even pre-focused.

One thing to bear in mind: as the eyepiece juts back proud of the body, it’s awkward to use if you’re wearing glasses.

On a positive note, the H2 powers up in a couple of seconds, the lens barrel extending to maximum wide angle in anticipation of the first shot, while the LCD bursts into life. Screen menus have a clean, legible layout, while the mode wheel atop the camera is mirrored by a virtual on-screen equivalent, complete with explanations of the settings.

What’s immediately noticeable on review is Sony’s typically vivid handling of colours. Images aren’t quite as sharp as those from the Canon S3 IS, despite the H2′s inclusion of Carl Zeiss optics. It’s a trade- off though, as the H2′s handling of image noise is better than the Canon’s.

On close inspection, it starts to creep in from ISO 400 upwards, though we still got usable images at ISO 800 and IS0 000. While the Panasonic also loses detail at higher ISO, the addition of that camera’s TIFF settings may give it the edge for some.

As expected, the H2′s Super SteadyShot anti-shake system isn’t infallible, but it will allow more usable shots at the telephoto end when shooting hand-held. There’s also a screw thread for a tripod. No MemoryStick came with our review unit, although a 30MB internal memory – enough for nine maximum-quality JPEGs – is included to get you started.

Indeed, Sony has ensured that the H2 features sufficient hand-holding to allow a beginner to take the camera out of its box and start shooting straight away, but crammed with enough real photographic functionality to satisfy the expert. It should also be noted that it’s roughly £100 cheaper than a budget digital SLR.