Sony Alpha 580 : Tests and Reviews

A noise benchmark of 187 digital cameras by Peter van den Hamer

DxOMark Camera Sensor is a raw benchmark for camera bodies by DxO Labs. The benchmark is “raw” because it measures image quality using Raw output files. It is also raw as DxO’s data can be used to cook up camera reviews that cover more aspects than image quality.

Committed to retaining its sales lead in numerous countries, Canon views its new EOS 650D as a strategically important product. What improvements can we see with respect to its sensor, which Canon claims is new? How does this latest camera in the EOS line compare with its predecessor, the EOS 600D, and with its rivals, the Nikon D3200 and the Sony SLT-A65? The answers lie in our sensor test results for the 650D.

Today Nikon announced the long-awaited D800 with a 36 MPix full-frame sensor. This new high-end DSLR has many promising aspects.

When the Sony A77 was announced a couple of weeks ago as a replacement for the Sony Alpha 700, Sony’s semi-professional APS-C camera, we were all very impressed by its specifications. So we were really excited to see how it would perform in our tests.

Here are our results.

Sony announced this “Translucent Mirror Technology” reflex camera in early June 2011.

The aforementioned technology, already featured on the Sony Alpha 33 and Sony Alpha 55 consists in allowing you to shoot on continuous-shooting mode (or burst mode) without the shutter-induced strobe effect. In layman’s terms you do not see the shutter occlusion in the viewfinder.

Here are the image quality results for Sony’s newest member of the NEX family.

The NEX C3 is a Hybrid with an SLR-sized sensor. This sensor is a newly developed 16.2 megapixels APS-C dubbed “Exmor” that has long been rumored to be the same as the one powering the acclaimed Sony A580 and the Pentax K5. In theory, we should get the same IQ as the aforementioned DSLRs with just an entry-level camera. Let’s see if this is the case…

The Nikon D5100 replaces the D5000 in Nikon’s lineup; it finds its place right below the Nikon D7000, according to Nikon’s marketing the D90 is still positioned between the D5100 and the D7000, however the spec sheet and the performances of the D5100 make this hard to believe.

This is because the D5100 shares the same Sony 16 megapixels sensor as the D7000. The major difference between the two bodies being the AF: 11 points with 3D tracking for the D5100 (presumably the “old” MultiCam 1000 already used on the D90) versus the 39 points with 3D tracking now used on the D7000.

High Tech in a Classic Package: The Hybrid Viewfinder

The X100 has been one of the most anticipated compact cameras. Although it looks like an old rangefinder, it is a very modern device. Its most obvious innovation is its hybrid viewfinder that combines both an optical viewfinder and an electronic one, projecting the information from the electronic viewfinder onto the optical one. And this really works!

Sony alpha 580 vs Sony alpha 55 vs Canon EOS 60D vs Pentax K5 vs Nikon D7000: K5, D7000 and A580 come first

To view full test results and scores click here.