Armanius
Bring Jack back!
- Location
- Houston, Texas
- Name
- Jack
The new Nikon D5100 is not the fourth camera to sport the now famous 16 meg Sony sensor. It's actually the fifth camera. We've all heard and read tons about the Sony A55, Nikon D7000 and the Pentax K-5. The least publicized camera to sport the Sony sensor, though, is the Sony A580.
Three or four weeks ago, before I briefly satisfied addressed my GAS problems by getting the K-5, I played with the A580 at the local camera shop. I was very impressed with the camera. Button configurations and ergonomics definitely better than the A55. Live view AF as fast as the A55, and thus faster than either the D7000 or the K-5. OVF is considerably smaller than the D7000 and K-5 though, and much smaller than the excellent EVF in the A55. What impressed me the most was the image quality. I took a few photos with the Sony DT16-105, and they were nice. The IQ is definitely better than the A55, which apparently suffers a little bit when compared to the A580, D7000, and K-5, because of the translucent mirror that diverts some light away from the sensor.
In any event, here's a JPG at ISO1600 from the A580, downsized and WB adjusted in LR3.3. Extremely detailed and no serious noise.
Not bad for a $799 camera. Priced at $400 cheaper than the D7000 and $600 cheaper than the K-5. Too bad Sony marketing totally forgot about this camera. With the release of the Nikon D5100 at the same price point, Ashton will be selling lots of those. Sony doesn't have Ashton.
Three or four weeks ago, before I briefly satisfied addressed my GAS problems by getting the K-5, I played with the A580 at the local camera shop. I was very impressed with the camera. Button configurations and ergonomics definitely better than the A55. Live view AF as fast as the A55, and thus faster than either the D7000 or the K-5. OVF is considerably smaller than the D7000 and K-5 though, and much smaller than the excellent EVF in the A55. What impressed me the most was the image quality. I took a few photos with the Sony DT16-105, and they were nice. The IQ is definitely better than the A55, which apparently suffers a little bit when compared to the A580, D7000, and K-5, because of the translucent mirror that diverts some light away from the sensor.
In any event, here's a JPG at ISO1600 from the A580, downsized and WB adjusted in LR3.3. Extremely detailed and no serious noise.
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Not bad for a $799 camera. Priced at $400 cheaper than the D7000 and $600 cheaper than the K-5. Too bad Sony marketing totally forgot about this camera. With the release of the Nikon D5100 at the same price point, Ashton will be selling lots of those. Sony doesn't have Ashton.