Sony Alpha SLT-A57K

An extremely fast DSLR with several features of a point-and-shoot camera

I am no fan of Sony’s DSLR cameras. But its Alpha SLT-A57K amazed me. It’s got 16.1 megapixels, can shoot photos at 10 frames per second (fps) and 1080 p videos at 60 fps. It also has a wide range of ISO settings—100 to 16,000. Not only does it look good on paper, its tilt LCD display and viewfinder make it look good all round.

It uses Sony’s latest Bionz engine, which gives you faster speeds, low noise and accurate images when you run the camera in Auto mode. Its image stabilisation is good too, even in low-light conditions.

The LCD also displays a digital ‘level gauge’, so that your pictures are not tilted to one side. You can also use the LCD’s regular grid for that purpose. A sensor on the viewfinder switches the LCD off when your eye is near it. I am comfortable with viewfinders and had no problem with this. It also features a 15-point autofocus system with three cross sensors that allow you to gain pinpoint focus. The lag between when you click and when the shutter releases is 0.05 seconds. So if you miss that perfect moment, you can’t really blame the camera.

This DSLR camera also offers a few features commonly seen in point-and-shoots, such as Handheld Twilight and High Dynamic Range imaging. Thanks to these features, the camera takes multiple images and combines them automatically to enhance the ones for your album.

Overall, the 57 is a great all rounder if you are looking for a DSLR. The only hitch could be the availability of lenses beyond India’s metro cities.

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