Sony Alpha, also rendered Sony α (Greek letter alpha), is a digital SLR camera system introduced on 5 June 2006.[1] It utilizes and expands upon Konica Minolta camera technologies, including the Minolta AF SLR lens mount, whose assets were acquired by Sony after the end of Minolta's camera operations in early 2006. Sony also has an 11.08% ownership stake in Japanese lens manufacturer Tamron,[2] which is known to have partnered with Konica Minolta and Sony in the design and manufacture of many zoom lenses.
Prior to the acquisition by Sony, the α branding had already been used on the Japanese market by Minolta for their AF camera system (marketed as "Dynax" in Europe, and "Maxxum" in North America.) Sony adopted the name "A-mount system" for the Minolta AF lens mount which has been retained in their new SLR range.[3]
Sony's entry into the DSLR market dates back to July 2005 where a joint venture with Konica Minolta would have resulted in both companies marketing an updated line of DSLRs to the masses. [4] Between 2006 and 2008 Sony was the fastest growing company on the DSLR market, reaching 13% market share in 2008 to become the third largest DSLR company in the world.[5] In August 2011, Sony confirmed that it is working on the production of full-frame Alpha cameras. [6] In May 2010, Sony introduced two Alpha NEX mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras equipped with proprietary Sony E-mount.[7]
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The Sony Alpha model system works on the principle that the next model up in the series has additional features to the one below e.g. the α330 has the features of the base model α230 but with a tilt-angle LCD and Quick AF Live View; whilst the α380 has the settings and features of the α330 but bumps the resolution to 14.2 Megapixels.
All Sony APS-C DSLRs have Live View, except for the Sony α100, α200 and α700 series. Live View mode features a 1.4x or 2x Smart Teleconverter which digitally zooms in on the subject and reproduces pixels on a 1:1 basis, preventing degradation of picture quality.[8]
The designation 'SLT' stands for Single Lens Translucent (uses fixed translucent mirrors instead of standard glass mirror). Sony SLT can shoot movie files at Full HD 1080p AVCHD with continuous phase detection auto focus.[9]
Along with the α33 and α55 cameras, Sony also announced the Sony α560 which can also shoot movie files at full HD stereo 1080p AVCHD, but with limited manual controls and no continuous AF.[10]
Sony α33, α55 and α560 use the same technology Sony EXMOR APS HD CMOS sensor. The α33 and α55 are SLT based (fixed translucent mirrors) and can take movie files with continuous Auto Focus, whereas DSLRs using reflex mirrors typically cannot, at least not without limitations.[11][12]
Body | Model No. | Mount | Sensor | User Level | Release date | Availability |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full frame DSLR | ||||||
α900 | DSLR-A900 | A-mount | CMOS | Professional | September 2008 | Discontinued |
α850 | DSLR-A850 | A-mount | CMOS | Professional | September 2009 | Discontinued |
APS-C DSLR | ||||||
α100 | DSLR-A100, DSLR-A100/S (silver colored body) | A-mount | CCD | Midrange | July 2006 | Discontinued |
α700 | DSLR-A700 (only US-model with grip-sensor) | A-mount | CMOS | Semi-pro | September 2007 | Discontinued |
α200 | DSLR-A200 | A-mount | CCD | Entry level | January 2008 | Discontinued |
α300 | DSLR-A300, DSLR-A300K/N (champagne gold colored set) | A-mount | CCD | Entry level | January 2008 | Discontinued |
α350 | DSLR-A350, DSLR-A350K/N (champagne gold colored set) | A-mount | CCD | Entry level | January 2008 | Discontinued |
α230 | DSLR-A230 | A-mount | CCD | Entry level | May 2009 | Discontinued |
α330 | DSLR-A330, DSLR-A330L/T (copper brown colored set) | A-mount | CCD | Entry level | May 2009 | Discontinued |
α380 | DSLR-A380 | A-mount | CCD | Entry level | May 2009 | Discontinued |
α450 | DSLR-A450 | A-mount | CMOS | Midrange | February 2010 | Discontinued |
α500 | DSLR-A500 | A-mount | CMOS | Midrange | October 2009 | Discontinued |
α550 | DSLR-A550 | A-mount | CMOS | Midrange | October 2009 | Discontinued |
α290 | DSLR-A290 | A-mount | CCD | Entry level | June 2010 | Discontinued |
α390 | DSLR-A390 | A-mount | CCD | Entry level | June 2010 | Discontinued |
α560 | DSLR-A560 | A-mount | CMOS | Midrange | August 2010 | Discontinued |
α580 | DSLR-A580 | A-mount | CMOS | Midrange | August 2010 | Discontinued |
APS-C SLT | ||||||
α33 | SLT-A33 | A-mount | CMOS | Entry level | August 2010 | Discontinued |
α55 | SLT-A55V (with GPS), SLT-A55 (without GPS) | A-mount | CMOS | Midrange | August 2010 | Current |
α35 | SLT-A35 | A-mount | CMOS | Entry level | August 2011 | Current[13] |
α65 | SLT-A65V (with GPS), SLT-A65 (without GPS) | A-mount | CMOS | Midrange | October 2011 | Current[14][15] |
α77 | SLT-A77V (with GPS), SLT-A77 (without GPS) | A-mount | CMOS | Semi-pro | October 2011 | Current[14][15] |
APS-C interchangeable lens compact digital camera | ||||||
NEX-3 | NEX-3 (with Eye-Fi), NEX-3C (without Eye-Fi) | E-mount | CMOS | Entry level | May 2010 | Discontinued |
NEX-5 | NEX-5 (with Eye-Fi), NEX-5C (without Eye-Fi) | E-mount | CMOS | Entry level | May 2010 | Discontinued |
NEX-C3 | NEX-C3 | E-mount | CMOS | Entry level | June 2011 | Current |
NEX-5N | NEX-5N | E-mount | CMOS | Entry level | August 2011 | Current |
NEX-7 | NEX-7 | E-mount | CMOS | Midrange | August 2011 | Current |
The α lens mount, originally known as the A-type bayonet mount was introduced by Minolta in 1985 as the world's first autofocus system. As a result, virtually all Minolta AF lenses are supported on Sony DSLRs, and many Sony lenses work on Minolta's film and digital SLRs.
During the initial introduction of the α system in 2006, Sony announced 19 lenses and 2 tele-converters, of which the majority are rebranded Konica Minolta lenses. MSRP and month of introduction are included for these lenses, below.
At the 2007 PMA Trade Show, Sony unveiled several new lenses, but has referred to them only in qualitative terms, not providing specific specifications. As a result, these newly announced lenses are not included in this list.
On 18 May 2009 Sony introduced the first A-mount lenses to feature their new SAM (Smooth Auto-focus Motor) in-lens auto-focus motor for more lens-specific AF Speed improvements and silent operation. This introduction was made with the new X+30 series camera bodies (α350 + 30 = α380). These new bodies retain an in-body focus motor for backward compatibility with the historic lens collection. In addition, the new bodies utilize HDMI output for display on HDTV sets and feature dual memory card slots for both Sony's proprietary Memory Stick Pro Duo chips as well as SDHC media format, while eliminating CompactFlash support.[16]
DT | "Digital Technology", lenses for APS-C size sensors. |
G | "Gold" Series, Sony's line-up of professional grade telephoto lenses. |
ZA | "Zeiss Alpha", manufactured and designed lenses by Carl Zeiss specifically made for Sony Alpha cameras. |
SSM | "SuperSonic Motor", performance oriented in-lens ultrasonic motor used on some Carl Zeiss and G series lenses. |
SAM | "Smooth Autofocus Motor", a cheaper alternative to the SuperSonic Motor offered on some entry level lenses since 2009. |
Lens | RRP | Release Date | |
---|---|---|---|
Zoom Lenses | |||
DT 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 | US$650 | Aug 06 | |
DT 18-70mm f//3.5-5.6 | US$200 | Jul 06 | |
DT 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 | US$500 | Jul 06 | |
24-105mm f/3.5-4.5 | US$470 | Nov 06 | |
70-200mm f/2.8 G SSM | US$1999 | Aug 06 | |
75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 | US$230 | Jul 06 | |
Prime Lenses | |||
16mm f/2.8 Fisheye | US$1000 | Oct 06 | |
20mm f/2.8 | US$680 | Oct 06 | |
28mm f/2.8 | US$250 | Oct 06 | |
35mm f/1.4 G | US$1400 | Oct 06 | |
50mm f/1.4 | US$350 | Jul 06 | |
50mm f/2.8 Macro | US$480 | Jul 06 | |
100mm f/2.8 Macro | US$680 | Jul 06 | |
135mm f/2.8 Smooth Transition Focus (STF) | US$1200 | Oct 06 | |
300mm f/2.8 G SSM | US$6000 | Sep 06 | |
500mm f/8 Reflex | US$700 | Oct 06 |
Model | RRP | Release Date |
---|---|---|
1.4× Tele-converter | US$600 | Sep 06 |
2× Tele-converter | US$650 | Sep 06 |
Lens | RRP | Release Date | |
---|---|---|---|
Zoom Lenses | |||
Vario-Sonnar T* DT 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 ZA | US$750 | Apr 07 | |
Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm SSM f/2.8 ZA | US$1600 | Feb 08 | |
Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm SSM f/2.8 ZA | US$1900 | Feb 09 | |
Prime Lenses | |||
Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZA | US$1370 | Oct 06 | |
Sonnar T* 135mm f/1.8 ZA | US$1480 | Oct 06 | |
Distagon T* 24mm f/2 ZA | US$1250 | July 10 |
Lens | RRP | Release Date | |
---|---|---|---|
Zoom Lenses | |||
DT 18-250 f/3.5-6.3 | US$580 | ||
DT 55-200mm f/4-5.6 | US$180 | Released with SAM Mar 2009 | |
28-75mm f/2.8 SAM | US$800 | Sep 2009 | |
11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 | |||
18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 |
Lens | RRP | Release Date | |
---|---|---|---|
Zoom Lenses | |||
DT 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 | US$500 | ||
70-300 f/4.5-5.6 G SSM | US$800 | Apr 2008 | |
70-400 f/4-5.6 G SSM | US$1600 | Feb 2009 | |
DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAM | US$200 | Mar 2009 | |
Prime Lenses | |||
DT 50mm f/1.8 SAM | US$125 | Mar 2009 | |
DT 30mm f/2.8 Macro SAM | US$175 | Mar 2009 | |
DT 35mm f/1.8 SAM | US$200 | Jul 2010 | |
85mm f/2.8 SAM | US$250 | Jul 2010 |
The hot shoe on Sony DSLRs (carried over from Minolta's Maxxum/Dynax/Alpha and its bridge digital DiMAGE A1/A2/A200 series) is not of the same design used by most other camera and accessory manufacturers. Adaptors, however, are available.
The first two flash models released by Sony (HVL-F36AM and HVL-F56AM) are, like the first generation of lenses, rebadged models of the Minolta Program Flash 3600HS(D) and the Minolta Program Flash 5600HS(D). Later on Sony expanded its flash system further, allowing advanced wireless flash control, including grouping of external flashes into groups with full ratio control.[17]
The HVL-RLAM is a ring-shaped LED continuous light, adapted for macro photos of static objects. The Sony flash system does not include a ring flash.
Model | Guide number [m] | ISO |
---|---|---|
HVL-F20AM | 20 | 100 |
HVL-F36AM | 36 | 100 |
HVL-F42AM | 42 | 100 |
HVL-F43AM | 43 | 100 |
HVL-F56AM | 56 | 100 |
HVL-F58AM | 58 | 100 |
HVL-RLAM | Ring LED | |
HVL-MT24AM | Twin macro flash |
Vertical control grips were released to numerous Alpha DSLRs, though with exception of most recent entry-level DSLRs: α230, α330, α380, α290 and α390. The new α65 will also get no vertical grip. All the vertical grips are sold separately.
Model | Bodies |
---|---|
VG-B30AM | α200, α300, α350 |
VG-B50AM | α450, α500, α550, α560, α580 |
VG-C70AM | α700 |
VG-C77AM | α77 |
VG-C90AM | α850, α900 |
Single-lens translucent (SLT) camera — HD video capable (Video AF) |