A550 vs A500Īs we've seen before with Sony the 500 series is actually made up of two very similar models the camera on review here (Alpha 550) and its cut-down brother, the Alpha 500. The other changes are also quite striking - the 3.0 inch LCDs (in a lovely high resolution incarnation on the A550), are better articulated than on the A330 and A380 and both 5-series cameras are based around CMOS, rather than the CCD technology of the 330 and 380. With the mirror in the up position, the new MF Check mode does not direct any light to the AF sensor at the bottom of the camera and hence is manual focus only (the A550 cannot use its main imaging sensor for contrast-detection AF). Roll your mouse over the above images to see how the light path is redirected between the viewfinder and live view sensor. The A500 and A550 still sport a small secondary sensor in their viewfinders to provide live view with fast phase-detection AF, but can also utilize the slower but higher-resolution main-sensor live view system used by all other manufacturers, albeit without any autofocus at all (Sony dubs this mode 'MF Check Live View') The most notable feature of the new cameras, however, is the inclusion of a second live view mode.
There is also a wider selection of external buttons for giving fast access to a variety of shooting settings such as drive mode, ISO and D-Range, freeing up the four-way controller for AF-point selection. So now, in the sub $900 market, Sony offers five DSLRs - the price conscious A230, the simplified A330 and A380 live view cameras and the A500 /A550 for the more experienced DSLR user.Īs such the A5XX series cameras regain a couple of the features lost from the most recent 2 and 3-series models - so the 'fives' feature the larger 11.8Wh FM500H batteries used in previous Alphas and include Auto Exposure Lock buttons. However, the launch of the A500 and A550 make it clear not only that Sony wasn't aiming for existing DSLR users with its 2XX / 3XX series but also that it intends to break the entry level market down into more segments than any other manufacturer has before tried. With the recent refresh of that range, its cameras have moved even further towards a compact-user friendly interpretation of what an entry-level offering should look like - with the predictable result that the A230, A330 and A380 have prompted disappointment and even derision from the company's DSLR fan base. Sony instead created three cameras that placed greater emphasis on attracting new users across from compact cameras (whether that be through price or what was, at the time, the most seamless, compact-like live view system on the market), rather than simply stripping down their higher-end models.
Sony's approach to the DSLR market has been an interesting one to watch - the first generation of the A2XX/3XX family was a three-camera assault on a market that most manufacturers had tried to address with a single model.