Both reviews praised detailed images, solid construction and white-balance handling, while finding high-ISO noise and slow bursts limiting. PhotographyBlog admired the viewfinder and controls but criticised clustered autofocus points and missing live view. ePHOTOzine liked focusing performance but found the shutter-button position awkward and contemporary professional support limited.
Approximately 25.7 million total photosites; anti-static coating on low-pass filter and sensor-shift dust removal
Image formats
JPEG, RAW, compressed cRAW and RAW/cRAW+JPEG; Sony ARW 2.1; sRGB and Adobe RGB
ISO detail
Standard ISO 200–3200 in 1/3 EV steps; expanded ISO 100–6400
Image processor
BIONZ
Lens and shooting
Lens mount
Sony A
Stabilisation
Sensor shift
Maximum continuous burst
3 fps
Lens detail
Sony A-mount; Sony Alpha and Minolta/Konica Minolta AF lenses. DT APS-C lenses are not recommended for full-frame shooting because their image circle may affect metering
Autofocus
TTL phase detection with nine selectable points, a central dual-cross sensor and ten assist points; EV 0–18 at ISO 100; AF-S, AF-A, AF-C, direct manual focus and manual focus; micro-adjustment for up to 30 lenses
Shutter
Electronically controlled vertical-traverse focal-plane shutter; 30 seconds to 1/8000 second and Bulb; sync 1/250 second with stabilisation off or 1/200 second with stabilisation on
Burst detail
Full-resolution continuous shooting up to approximately 3 fps; Sony claims 34 Extra Fine JPEGs, 16 RAW or 18 compressed RAW per burst; card and settings affect results
Stabilisation detail
Sensor-shift SteadyShot INSIDE; maker claims approximately 2.5–4 shutter-speed steps depending on lens and shooting conditions
Flash
No built-in flash; Sony Alpha system accessory shoe and separate flash sync terminal; ADI and pre-flash TTL control
Exposure controls
P/A/S/M and Auto; 40-segment honeycomb SPC metering; ±3 EV in 0.3/0.5 EV steps; Dynamic Range Optimizer and exposure bracketing; mirror lock-up
Screen and viewfinder
Viewfinder
Optical
Screen size
3″
Screen dots
921,600
Tilting screen
No
Display detail
Fixed Xtra Fine LCD; dots count colour subpixels; separate top status LCD
Viewfinder detail
Eye-level pentaprism, approximately 98% coverage and 0.74× magnification with a 50 mm lens at infinity; supplied G screen, optional interchangeable L grid and M focusing screens
Connections and design
Battery life (maker's claim)
880 photographs
Body weight
850 g
Release detail
Sony Hong Kong's original announcement specifies September 2009 retail availability for the body; month precision retained
Recording media
Separate Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo/PRO-HG Duo and CompactFlash Type I/II slots; UDMA Mode 5 and Microdrive support
Ports
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed and Mini HDMI; flash-sync terminal; PhotographyBlog also documents the wired remote-release terminal
Battery life detail
NP-FM500H; maker CIPA claim approximately 880 photographs; optional AC-PW10AM adapter or AC-VQ900AM adapter/charger
Dimensions
Approximately 156.3 × 116.9 × 81.9 mm (width × height × depth, excluding protrusions)
Weight detail
Approximately 850 g without battery, memory card or accessories
Video
Video detail
No movie recording (PhotographyBlog); Sony specifies no live view; HDMI supplies still-image playback rather than recorded Full HD movies
Pros and cons
Pros
+Full-frame sensor and RAW recording
+Sensor-shift stabilisation and interchangeable focusing screens
