Sony Alpha SLT-A33 Digital Camera with Translucent Mirror Technology and 3D Sweep Panorama (Camera Body only) (Black)

I upgraded from a Sony R-1 because I wanted a faster camera with an equivalent lens (Carl Zeiss zoom lens, note review of same). The camera is fast indeed. Coupled with facial recognition, photographing active people is a whole new exerience. The auto + setting recognizes back lit scenes, hand held twilight and other modes automatically and correctly. After a couple of tries I was able to take a perfect panorama photo with all the stiching done by the camera software, without using a tripod. The hand held twilight setting takes multiple photos and combines them for the best shot (great shot of the neighbor's eleaborate Christmas lights). The auto + recognition of back light scenes worked extremely well. In short the camera allows the photographer to focus on the subject and composition, and pretty much takes care of anything else. The sensor works extremely well in low light, I initially believed the built in fash was not working before I realized the camera had much better low light sensitivity than did th R-1. As a result I purchased the lowest powered Sony stroble for bounce flash, saving considerable weight as well as cost. As the R-1 had a fixed Carl Zeiss lens, my comments on backwards compatibility do not apply to lenses. However, the A-33 uses a different battery and a different hot shoe for the strobe. The strobe uses Triple A batteries instead of AA battereis as well requiring a new battery charger (which Sony does not market).I did not buy the camera for its movie making ability, but the feature works extremely well, with continuing autofocus and live view. I will now be exploring this capability, which will require a whole new skill set. The built in mike does pick up on the noise generated when the camera refocuses, so a separate (and stereo) mike is a future accessory if I get serious about movies.I opted for the A-33 vs. the A-55 because I wanted fewer megapixels on the larger sensor, and did not want a GPS unit constantly searching for satellites (as the power saving feature and infrequent shooting makes it operation intermittent at best). The A-33 also clears its buffer faster, and allows longer movie shooting before overheating. I expect a little bit better battery life. Battery life is one of the few things that the R-1 did better, and I have ordered a second battery to have on hand.I have not mastered the menu system (which is also changed from the R-1). The viewing mode and movies recording mode are both external buttons, a plus. Given its versatility in Auto + it will be awhile before I gain this proficiency.Both the electronic view finder and live view are much improved from the R-1. The LCD screen is sharp and vivid although I have not tested it in bright sunlight (I live in Ohio and bought the camera this November). The view finder provides 100% of what the camera sees, and has plenty of room for data. I do like the "level" feature available in both views, and the indicators telling me where the camera is measuring light.No doubt some of my enthusiam reflects the general advances in digital camera over the last 4 years. But I am really happy with this camera. I look forward to photographing cycling events this summer and playing with the continous shooting mode. The capabilities of this camera, both known and as yet unexplored, has stimulated my life long interest in photography.The camera is small, but I have large hands and no difficulty with it although it took some getting used to.I use a Carl Zeiss 16-80 zoom, making this a two handed operation.

I bought this camera three years ago and it's been fine. However - a couple years ago I started to notice that when I wanted to review my shots the button seemed to stick so that it would fly through all the pictures - I could stop it, but never where I wanted. I took it to the dealer but it was out of warranty. Now the problem is worse - it does the same thing when I push the menu button - a completely different button - it scrolls quickly through all the options very quickly. This essentially makes the camera worthless to me, and I'm certainly not going to try and get it fixed for whatever SONY wants.

Although I like the Sony brand, this camera didn't stand to the company's reputation for quality and reliability. Soon after I purchased this camera I went on a cruise in the Caribbean and while on vacation the camera started shutting off for no reason. When I tried to take a video, it shuts down because the camera will over heat after about 7 minutes of filming. Upon my return I quickly put it back into the box, and request a refund, which, Amazon was happy to do. But I didn't let that experience damper my enthusiasm about Sony products because once my refund was complete I turned around and bought the Sony A65 which I am still using today. Would I recommend this camera to a friend. No. No. No. And if you really want to buy this camera, just Google first it and see what comes up.

I dropped my previous DSLR, on concrete. I purchased this, as the cheapest Sony DSLR, of the ones released in the last 12 months. I have had it for a week. I immediately updated to firmware v2.0 released in July 2011.I would categorize myself as an advanced-amateur. I've been using DSLRs for 6 years now.Positives (+)It can be setup as a simple camera, with only the most basic settings made visible, all the way up to a maximum information feedback machine. In this mode, it can be overwhelming to an amateur.+This camera is a nice balance for a "New to DSLR" household. What I see is, a camera that can grow with you, yet work well in a two user setup, easy mode, and advanced mode. You pick which one applies.+I took some great action photos of kids' sporting events this weekend. The 7 frames per second (FPS) is just "wow" versus my previous 3FPS. I think it actually is taking them faster than it is making the 'shutter' sound.+This one does a nice job of explaining what every feature does, after a 2 second pause, on every setting.+This camera provides a lot of versatility, to every user. Some may view the versatility as a problem.+Uses all my Konica-Minolta Lenses+Focuses really fast!+Live view is really well done.+Focuses during video shooting, unlike some competitors.+Very light+Well placed button layout+Nice left to right functionality in the "Fn" screen. It adds more features to Fn menu.+Optional screen overlays and displays give some really nice graphical information, for those that understand what they are looking at. i.e. Rule of thirds guidelines and a graphical sliding f-stop/shutter speed meter, to really help you see what you are getting. This is the first camera I have ever seen it done in, and I really like it. I would hope that every manufacturer includes such alternative setup features. My previous camera gave me the numbers, but not the two additional guideline options. The numbers were not as easy easy to digest, when shooting in A or S modes.+ISO, FPS, Exposure, and focus point settings persist between A and S modes. Very convenient to switch between the two. I like it much better.I strongly recommend reading the user manual for this one. I recommend that for any camera though. It prevents you from getting into a setup that isn't working for you or your mate. The A33 begs to be played with. The control knob gives so many options for different setups. I know what I'm doing as a previous Konica-Minolta DSLR user, and I'm able to push the camera to get some really nice sports setups. My wife can also continue using the basic Auto setup as before. She sets the "Green Auto" mode, and starts clicking. I clean up her images later, as required.Negatives (-)-The Screen shows still images when taking sports images quickly, vice live video. Most other DSLRs are a slower shooting rate, and this one is too fast to show video in between shots. It works, but initially feels weird coming from an old school DSLR. There really isn't an alternative, if you think about it. Unless you choose the slower FPS rate, but then you risk missing the good "Shot." The A33 has a slower 4FPS mode with live video, but I haven't bothered with it yet.-The camera pauses during constant depressions of the shutter button, when the buffer fills up. I bought a faster 133x SD card, it seems to persist there too. It is strange in that it shoots 3 images then a pause, 8 pause, 5 pause, 20 pause. The pause is about a half-second of no photos, but viewfinder video is available, yet all the shots occur at the 7 frames per second rate. I don't know if this is intended or not. I'm not certain it is the frame buffer, or auto-focus interrupts. I cannot tell. The images it gets are pretty good though.-Every so often, (3% of the time), the viewfinder is blank when I bring it up to my eye. It lasts about a 1/2 second. I got used to it, but it was a change from my previous camera, which was an optical view finder.-The fast FPS on sports photos, means I need to get a bigger hard drive for my home computer. It is going to fill up. Large-Standard images are around 4.2Mb. I don't use the Large-Fine setting. I don't need it. My previous camera was 6 megapixels, versus 14 megapixels here. It was 1.4Mb/photo on the Large-Standard settings. I'm getting twice the numbers of photos at 7FPS, so it is 5-6 times the hard drive space.-It is only good for 3-4 minutes of video. That works if you are making a feature film in small chunks, but not for home videos. This one can get you by in a pinch.If I were interested in video, I would recommend the SLT-A35 instead, or better yet, a designed for video, video camera, not an SLR.(If you want it for video, make sure you have the SAM($) or USM($$$) lenses, or you will be listening to lens focusing in your audio, when you play it back)