Sony A57 Detailed Review

In additional A57 was introduced by Sony in March 2012. It belongs to the Amateur DSLRs category.

Sony is well-known and shouldn’t require further introduction, please see our manufacturer’s page for more digital cameras by Sony.

Also A57 has a APS-C CMOS sensor with size of 23 x 15 mm² (0.91″ x 0.61″).

Picture of A57’s sensor compared to popular format.

The 1-Euro coin has a diameter of 23.25mm.

Note: APS-C sensors made by Sony are slightly larger than those from other manufacturers.

The A57’s image sensor has an effective resolution of around 16 megapixel. That’s roughly average and will be sufficient for most purposes. Photos with this resolution can easily be printed to A3 or A2 size.

The Sony supports taking images in RAW. RAW images are stored as they come from the sensor, without any in-camera processing or sharpening. Converting to JPEG or other formats takes place on the computer, using software like Adobe Lightroom or Sony’s RAW converter. This involves one extra processing step but almost always results in superior image quality. Some filters, like converting to monochrome (black and white) will only yield decent results when used with RAW images.

The A57 features a mechanism for automatic sensor cleaning.

The A57 uses an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 1.44 megapixel, an above average value for a viewfinder like this.

The magnifcation is c. 0.65x, an above average value for an electronic viewfinder.

The A57’s shutter speed varies from 1/4000s to 30s.

The A57’s sensitivity is from 100 ISO and 16000 ISO.

Also, Sony’s sensitivity can be boosted to 25600. Therefore, ISO boosting will lead to growth noise.

The A57 supports all general exposure modes.

The Sony allows spot exposure for the difficult occasion.

The A57’s auto focus processor has 15 AF points. The main point is about that the more points the autofocus has then preferably. If AF has more points then you have a better opportunity to have a focus at the interesting area. In addition, It is a big advantage in a difficult condition. For example, when doing macross.

Manual focusing is available in the Sony. Even in complicated location.

The A57 has a built-in flash with a diapason of up to 10m (33 ft.). That range will fit for almost all occasion.

The A57 features a monitor with a diagonal of 76.00mm (3.0 in.) and a resolution of c. 0.92 megapixel. That’s about average.

The camera’s display is articulated, a plus for selfies and other challenging situations.

The A57 does not feature a touch screen.

Display characteristics at a glance:

A57 video supported the resolution with 1920 x 1080 pixel.

ACamera is not equipped with an external microphone.

Sony A57 Video parameters:

Built-in wireless connectivity is not available with the Sony. You will need appropriate accessories to wirelessly transfer images between camera and smartphone.

However, the camera can be controlled over a wired connection.

Connect the Sony to a monitor or TV set over HDMI.

The Sony supports USB 2.0.

Connection parameters:

The camera will accept all common SD HC and SD XC cards. Sony MemorySticks can be used, too.

Memory cards characteristics:

The Sony A57 has a NP-FM500H LiIon battery. The battery provides a shooting life of 550 shots. It`s enough for one day or more.

The A57’s battery battery parameters:

The Sony A57’s size is 132 x 97.8 x 80.9mm³. (5.2″ x 3.9″ x 3.2″). That dimensions are without lens. The weight of camera is 5.2″ x 3.9″ x 3.2″ grams (620 oz.) without lens weight.

Here is front and top view of the A57:

For a better idea of the size of the camera, takes a look off camera and ID card comparison image.