WIRED and The Register praised daylight image quality, useful beginner guides and accessible controls, but found the plastic finish basic and high-ISO noise limiting. WIRED liked its light weight and ease of learning. The Register found the grip cramped for larger hands and continuous shooting too slow for wildlife, despite a useful JPEG buffer.
Approximately 14.9 million total pixels; RGB primary-colour filter; anti-static coating and image-sensor-shift dust reduction
Image formats
JPEG, RAW and RAW+JPEG; Sony ARW 2.1; 3:2 and 16:9; sRGB and Adobe RGB
Image processor
BIONZ (Sony launch announcement)
Lens and shooting
Lens mount
Sony A-mount
Stabilisation
Sensor shift
Maximum continuous burst
2.5 fps
Autofocus
Nine-point TTL phase detection with central cross sensor; EV 0–18 at ISO 100; single, automatic and continuous AF plus manual focus; Eye-start AF and flash AF illumination
Shutter
Electronically controlled focal-plane shutter; 30 seconds to 1/4000 second and Bulb; flash sync 1/160 second
Burst detail
Maximum approximately 2.5 fps at full resolution using the optical viewfinder; maker specifies Fine JPEG until card fills, six RAW or three RAW+JPEG frames, depending on card and conditions
Stabilisation detail
SteadyShot INSIDE sensor shift; approximately 2.5–3.5 shutter-speed steps depending on lens and shooting conditions
Flash
Pop-up flash, guide number 10 m at ISO 100; ADI and pre-flash TTL; Sony Alpha accessory shoe; wireless flash with compatible optional external flash
Exposure controls
P/A/S/M and scene modes; 40-segment honeycomb SPC metering; ±2 EV in 0.3 EV steps; three-frame exposure bracketing at 0.3 or 0.7 EV; Dynamic Range Optimizer Off, Standard and Advanced
Screen and viewfinder
Viewfinder
Optical
Screen size
2.7″
Screen dots
230,400
Tilting screen
No
Display detail
Fixed Clear Photo LCD; dots count colour subpixels; no live view
Viewfinder detail
Pentamirror optical viewfinder; approximately 95% coverage and 0.83× magnification with a 50 mm lens at infinity (Sony UK specifications). Shared original Asia specification sheet prints 0.74× across the model table; exact UK model table used
Connections and design
Battery life (maker's claim)
500 photographs
Body weight
456 g
Release detail
Sony Spain's original announcement specifies availability in the first half of July 2010; month precision retained. Sony Europe's parallel announcement states summer 2010; DPReview also reports July shipping
Recording media
Separate Memory Stick PRO Duo/PRO-HG Duo/PRO-HG Duo HX and SD/SDHC card slots
Ports
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed and mini HDMI Type C; supports BRAVIA Sync and PhotoTV HD; optional infrared remote, without wired remote-release terminal
Battery life detail
NP-FH50; approximately 500 photographs under maker CIPA conditions
Dimensions
Approximately 128.1 × 97.1 × 79.6 mm (width × height × depth, excluding protrusions)
Weight detail
Approximately 456 g without battery, memory card or accessories; approximately 508 g including battery and Memory Stick PRO Duo
Video
Video detail
No movie recording (WIRED); HDMI is for still-image playback
Pros and cons
Pros
+RAW recording and sensor-shift stabilisation
+On-screen guides explain exposure settings
+Optical viewfinder and HDMI still-image playback
Cons
−No live view or movie recording
−Maximum continuous shooting of approximately 2.5 fps
