Sony Alpha 100 - First impression

With substantial confidence and pride, Sony introduced their new DSLR system to the press under the blazing sun of Marrakech earlier this week. As a prelude on the night of arrival, Sony celebrated their new Alpha system with a colourful simulated tribal war on camel and horseback around a temporary tribal camp at the rim of the gigantic Sahara desert. We, the 250 journalist guests, had six highly skilled Magnum photographers at our disposal to guide us through our first session with camera and lenses at the foot of the mighty Atlas mountain range. It was the glowing red colours of Morocco that had inspired Sony to choose Marrakech as their launching platform of the Alpha system, as warm red is the Alpha colour, symbolized by the red ring around the bayonet lens mount.

The story behind Sony’s attack on the establishment within the D-SLR camera market is well known by now. In March 2006, Sony bought Konica Minolta’s camera division, which included an established heritage of SLR technology. Sony has their own impressive list of merits, of course, but included in the deal was also the rights to Konica Minolta’s lens mount and other camera related technologies, such as their brilliant Anti-Shake image stabilizer, built into the camera body itself.

Without doubt, the new Sony Alpha 100 will compete with popular mid-range cameras like Canon EOS 30D and Nikon D70s, but also the best-selling cheaper models like Canon EOS 350D, Nikon D50, Olympus E500 and Pentax *ist DL. Those who may be considering the Nikon D200 for its image resolution also should take a closer look at the Sony Alpha 100. However, after having shot some three-digit number of pictures with the Alpha 100 under the Moroccan sun, it is obvious that Sony has not designed a truly professional camera, this time. Many of the camera features are quite sophisticated, but the Alpha 100 is first and foremost a highly competitive D-SLR for the hobbyist.

10 megapixel CCD - "shaken and stirred"
Sony would never admit this, but the CCD image sensor of 10.2 Mp is most likely identical or at least fundamentally similar to the CCD chip Sony supplies to Nikon D200 – which also is likely to be found in several new camera models later this year. The physical measures are the same, the number of pixels is the same, but different production techniques and filter systems may be used and therefore produce visual differences in the final image. One difference for sure, is the new anti-static layer used on the Alpha 100 sensor, but apart from that, Sony will not reveal anything. In addition to this layer, the camera also shakes the sensor to remove possible dust particles, a technique also used to counteract camera movements. Beyond any doubt, the CCD image sensor is definitely Sony’s own. Read more about this later.

The Sony Alpha 100 appears to be a sensible mixture of well established components from Konica Minolta and Sony, with newly developed features and functions from the new DSLR division at one of the world’s best known electronics giants.

Handling
The relationship with the Dynax 5D is quite obvious the moment you pick up the camera and play with its controls. The Anti-Shake switch on the Dynax 5D is re-named «Super SteadyShot» on the Alpha 100, but is otherwise virtually the same. Under the viewfinder eyepiece, with its great eyecup, the same sensor is found, but on the Alpha 100 it can control eye activated auto focus in addition to switching off the LCD screen back lighting. The lens mount as such is exactly the same as with Konica Minolta, but Sony has given it an attractive design touch by applying a distinct “Alpha-red” ring around it. Black and warm red are the colours of the Sony Alpha, and based upon our first impressions from a few hours by the Atlas Mountains, we’re confident that this colour combination will become a major trade symbol in the future DSLR camera market.

Even if the Sony Alpha 100 inherits a lot from its “predecessors”, it is far from being a Konica Minolta camera with a Sony logo glued on to it. Obviously, Sony has taken advantage of the ergonomic design expertise from Konica Minolta’s decades of SLR manufacture, but also made sure to follow the established controls layout to please existing Konica Minolta users and SLR camera users in general. The camera body proves to be more compact than at first glance and is very light, although not the smallest nor the lightest in its class. The Alpha 100 has a refined grip with a recognisable Sony design. During my shooting it proved to be very comfortable. A neck strap was missing on my sample, but I didn’t consider it to be a problem to carry the camera in my hand, even with a quite long lens attached. The camera has a plastic exterior, but gives a fairly robust “feel” with more resemblance to the Nikon D70 than the Canon EOS 350D. The viewfinder is certainly approved for a camera in this class. I were unable to compare side-by-side, but I’d be surprised if it is any different from the Dynax 5D. As soon as I got used to the eye-activated auto focus (which may be turned off), the camera responded swiftly and was a delight to use. Nothing from Konica Minolta’s good ergonomic designs seemed to be sacrificed at any altar. The control buttons are firm and requires some pressure to respond. That is assuring. All functions, from lens change to depth-of-field control, mode selection and shutter release, felt predictable and reliable. My first impression of the camera body and its ergonomic design is definitely positive. This is clearly a camera that will please both newcomers and established DSLR users. Sony Alpha 100 has a slot for Compact Flash memory cards and is delivered with a CF-adapter for Memory Stick Duo PRO cards. The camera also offers USB 2.0 High Speed compatible connection and video output.

Innovative features
The high resolution image sensor is only one of many ground-breaking qualities for a camera in this class. The image stabiliser inside the camera body is a unique construction that has proved its performance in many Konica Minolta models. Sony has developed this fine technology further and improved its efficiency to allow up to -3.5 EV-stops in counteracting camera movements. Automatic dust removal has so far been a Olympus-only feature, available in all of their four DSLR model. Now Sony follows suit with a slightly different approach. First of all, it is activated each time the camera is turned off, not on, and will therefore not delay the start-up time as is the case with the Olympus system. It also shakes when another shooting mode is selected. Secondly, Sony has equipped the image sensor with an anti-static layer that reduces the risk of dust sticking to the sensor surface.

This combination of image stabiliser and dust removal is unique. Sony is thereby meeting two of the most attractive features from the competitors in one and the same camera. After several hours of shooting in the dusty surroundings of the Sahara desert, and several lens changes without taking much care to protect the sensor, I can find no traces of dust in my images. This tempts me to conclude that the dust removal system works, but I will not make that statement after such a short period of time. The image stabiliser, on the other hand, worked without a hitch, just like my experiences with the Konica Minolta cameras. Sony claims that their Super SteadyShot is improved compared to the Konica Minolta AntiShake design. This was not possible to confirm, neither to contradict. «Our» Magnum photographer, Richard Kalvar, told us that he had used the camera for a couple of weeks with the standard kit lens and the 75-300 mm telephoto zoom. At 300 mm (with a crop factor of 1.5x equivalent to 450 mm with 35 mm format) he managed to get acceptable image sharpness at shutter speeds down to 1/30 sec. I general, he said, shutter speeds of 1/125 sec. should produce optimum results with the Super SteadyShot activated. Mr. Kalvar admitted that he personally would not choose either of these inexpensive lenses for his own professional use, but the Alpha 100 with these lenses will deliver most acceptable image quality for most users, he said.

Another interesting feature of the Alpha 100 is the Sony Dynamic Range Optimiser, which automatically adjusts the gamma curve in high contrast situations to avoid under exposure of the main subject. The concept is not new, though. Both HP and Nikon have similar systems in some of their camera models. Sony’s system has two settings in addition to being switched off. Standard mode optimises contrast and gamma over the entire image field, whilst the advanced mode analyses each tonal range independently and gives a higher degree of compensation for high contrast subjects. This function will only affect JPEG images of course, not RAW files. I tried it for some shots and saw considerable effect, but more time and detailed studies under controlled lighting is required to make a verdict.

Bionz image processor
Sony has made a new image processor for the Alpha 100, with the questionable name of Bionz (anyone out there who can recommend a naming consultant to Sony?) According to Sony, it takes care of the analogue signals from the CCD, digitizes them, optimizes the data, reduces image noise and calculates contrast compensation, all in real time. The LCD screen is also a newly developed construction by Sony. It measures 2.5" (6.3 cm) diagonally, with 230.000 pixels and has a wide viewing angle. It is also equipped with a multi-layer anti-reflex coating, which made it quite useable even in shade of the bright sun, at full brightness level. The colours appeared to be clear and fairly neutral, an improvement Sony claims to be substantial.

As expected, Sony has adopted the same flash system as Konica Minolta and is, needless to say, compatible with ADI exposure metering with all dedicated Dynax flash units. A most useful function is the way a wireless slave may be controlled by the camera. The external flash is first mounted on the camera to establish connection and communication between them. Then, the flash may be removed and handheld, still with full TTL automatic control, and triggered by the built-in flash. I only had the option of using the built-in flash, mostly for fill-in and it seemed to give perfect results. Flash exposure may be adjusted individually and the camera supports high-speed flash synchronisation with compatible flash units.

High consumer class performance
The Alpha 100 works fast, but will not impress those who are used to more expensive professional cameras. The auto focus seemed to be precise and fast, except when using the eye-activated AF, when it had some problems in low light situations. As the Super SteadyShot is activated when the camera is switched off, rather when switched on, the start-up delay is quite short. No professional lenses were available during our shoot-out, but I experienced the AF performance to be more than satisfactory for an amateur camera. The camera has nine automatically selected AF points, which may also be selected manually. Four focusing modes are available, normal single-shot AF, automatic AF and continuous AF, plus manual focusing, of course. Manual override of automatic focusing is also possible with all lenses with the Direct Manual mode.

When shooting in JPEG format and with a High Speed memory card is installed, the camera can shoot continuously with 3 frames per second, until the memory is full. Burst shooting in RAW is also possible, but only six images at a time or three mages with RAW+JPEG combined. These figures may not seem very impressive, but quite competitive compared to its rivals in this class.

Sony has an astonishing expertise within battery technology and naturally the Alpha 100 benefits from this know-how. Physically, the battery packs for the Alpha 100 is the same size as in many other Sony camera models, but it has not the same Info-Lithium technology indicating the exact remaining time of power. Sony says they do not yet have the technology to calculate remaining battery capacity in a DSLR camera, as there are many more factors involved in determining power consumption in a DSLR than in a compact camera. The battery pack has a capacity of 1600 mAh, which to some extend is considerably more than the competitors. The standard CIPA test procedure for battery capacity claims an average of 750 exposures per charge, which is very good.

Exposure and image quality
The exposure meter in the Sony Alpha 100 is a 40-segment honeycomb pattern sensor coupled to the four usual exposure functions (”Green Full Auto”, Program AE with shift option, Aperture priority AE, Shutter priority AE and Manual Exposure), plus seven Scene selections. The metering options are Evaluated Metering, Centre-weight Metering and Spot Metering. During my limited time of camera evaluation, I found no need to alter the evaluated metering setting. In cases where priority to certain areas was demanded in high contrast subjects, locking the exposure and re-composing was quite simple. Even shots with extreme backlight against a bright sky were no challenge for the Alpha 100, delivering ample details in the shadow areas. To achieve a desired silhouette effect, manual compensation was necessary. Overall, I was very pleased with the exposure metering precision under the rather homogenous lighting conditions we had at our disposal, with the addition of high contrast subjects – all handled satisfactory by the Sony Alpha 100.

The camera’s White Balance control is rather sophisticated. In addition to the ordinary automatic and pre-set options, manual adjustments between 2500 and 9900 Kelvin, as well as 19 steps magenta/green compensation are available in addition to manual white balance, of course. My shots showed no WB deviation worth mentioning, but with bright sunlight and shadows, it was not really put to the test. Where my eyes saw warm colour tones, the automatic white balance control managed to satisfy my mind, rather than neutralising the colours like too many cameras would. Pleasing, good results, just as expected from an advanced camera.

As expected, the Sony Alpha 100 lets you shoot in JPEG, RAW or RAW+JPEG formats. Sony’s RAW is called ARW and even if I have not yet had the opportunity to try the Image Data Converter SR v. 1.1, which supposedly will be bundled with the camera, I discovered that Adobe Camera RAW v. 3.4 unofficially supports this format, both in Photoshop CS2 and Photoshop Elements 4. Yet, my preliminary judgement of picture quality is based solely on the JPEG shots. As expected, the Alpha 100 also supports both sRGB and Adobe RGB colour space, like most other cameras in this class. Light sensitivity is adjustable in full steps between ISO ISO 100 and ISO 1600, but also two special settings, ISO 80 Lo and ISO 200 Hi are available. The first is a Low Key setting provided to maintain shadow details in high contrast situations, the latter a High Key settting to prevent burnt out highlights. Automatic noise reduction is selectable for exposure times of one second and longer.

Obviously, a full and final evaluation of image quality is impossible with the limited time and opportunities available. Controlled lighting and test targets are required to make such a statement. Besides, only three lenses were at hand. Apart from the inexpensive Sony lenses DT 18-70 mm f/3.5-5.6 and 75-300 mm f/4.5-5.6, I managed to get hold of a Konica Minolta AF DT 11-18 mm f/4.5-5.6, the same construction as the coming Sony 11-18 mm. Nevertheless, my preliminary judgement is very positive. In my opinion, the Alpha 100 proves to be a highly competent amateur camera which makes use of the excellent image sensor in a most satisfactory way. None of my images show signs of inferior image processing or inadequate use of the image sensor. On the contrary, without much assistance from the photographer, I found the Alpha 100 to deliver almost optimal JPEGs with automatic exposure control and best quality settings. The images are virtually perfect, with modest sharpening and well suited for manual optimization. Perfectly exposed images have well defined details in highlights and shadow areas, with natural colour rendering and tonal curve.

With all mentioned reservations, my first impression of the Sony Alpha 100 is very positive and I can hardly wait to see its true capabilities in my test studio later this summer. Please take a look at our image samples and make up your own mind.

Lenses and accessories
No camera can deliver better images than the capability of the equipped lens. Sony inherits a well designed high performing lens system from Konica Minolta. It’s no wonder Sony makes sure to mention this fact during the launch of the Alpha System. Also they underline the fact that there are already 16 million compatible Dynax lenses from Konica Minolta out there, plus a number of compatible lenses from independent manufacturers. This gives Sony a flying start in building their Alpha System, or should we say that the Konica Minolta Dynax is a perfect platform for further development. Let there be no doubt; all existing Dynax lenses and other Dynax compatible lenses may be used without restrictions on the Sony Alpha 100. And, even better, all lenses may take full advantage of the in-camera Super SteadyShot image stabiliser. Obviously, the compatibility also works vice-versa, so if you own a Konica Minolta Dynax/Maxxum camera, all Alpha System lenses may be used. Sony has even taken over all service responsibilities for Konica Minolta cameras, lenses and accessories.

From a marketing point of view, the Sony Alpha is a new system – partly also technologically. Yet, it is a continuation of a long-existing system. The way I see it, Sony has all qualifications to further develop this system and to become a competitive participant in a very tough market. Apart from Canon, Sony is perhaps the only manufacturer with all the technologies available to improve this fine system under their own roof (Panasonic and Samsung are likely to follow in the near future). And, even though Sony has no history as a high quality lens manufacturer, they are determined to show the world that they can do it (with a little help from their Konica Minolta friends).

At launch this week, Sony presented no less than 19 lenses and two telephoto converters (1.4x and 2.0x) all scheduled to be available within this year, most of them during this summer. All three lens series will be manufactured at Sony’s own plants:

• Standard Sony lenses – consumer and refined lenses with zoom and fixed focal lengths. These lenses are equivalent to the standard Konica Minolta lenses we know from before, but a few designs will be new. The first lenses to appear together with the Alpha 100 are DT 18-70 mm f/3.5-5.6, 75-300 mm f/4.5-5.6. Later this summer and early autumn, also DT 18-200 mm f/3.5-6.3, DT 11-18 mm f/4.5-5.6, 24-105 mm f/3.5-4.5, 50 mm f/1.4, 16 mm f/2.8 Fisheye, 20 mm f/2.8, 28 mm f/2.8, 135 mm f/2.8 STF, 500 mm f/8 Reflex, 50 mm f/2.8 Macro, and 100 mm f/2.8 Macro will be available.
• Sony G lenses – high quality lenses with large aperture and low distortion, zooms with constant optical performance at all focal lengths. These lenses also feature an improved multi-layer coating. The first lenses to appear in this series are 35 mm f/1.4 G, 70-200 mm f/2.8 G and 300 mm f/2.8 G.
• Carl Zeiss ZA lenses for Sony Alpha. Initially, only four lenses in this series will be made. Three of them are compatible with 35 mm full frame format; Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70 mm f/2.8 ZA, Planar T* 85 mm f/1.4 ZA and Sonnar T* 135 mm f/1.8 ZA. In addition, the Vario-Sonnar T* DT 16-80 mm f/3.5-4.5 ZA is a totally new design that will be available for the Alpha 100 sensor size.

Apart from the Carl Zeiss lenses, most of them are well known Konica Minolta designs. If you think you recognise the specs of some Tamron lenses, it’s a poorly concealed secret that many of Sony’s consumer lenses (as for Konica Minolta and several other camera manufacturers) are produced by, or in close cooperation with, for instance, Tamron. Sony says they never specify the name of the actual manufacturer, only that the lenses are made at a "Factory of Sony". As you will see from the list above, Sony will deliver a fine mixture of consumer- and professional lenses – and we were promised: ”There are more to come in 2007”.

From the very start, Sony Alpha fits perfectly into a well established system of lenses and accessories, most of it inherited from the Konica Minolta range. With the exception of the battery packs, most parts of the Alpha system will fit Konica Minolta cameras, as their system will fit a Sony Alpha. Apart from obvious necessities like cases and bags, Sony will also supply two external flash units and two macro-lights, one with two flash bulbs and one with a LED ring light. To top the list, there are a multitude of appropriate cables, batteries, adapters and remote controls, as well as eyepiece dioptre lenses, angle finder and magnifier. As mentioned, Konica Minolta battery packs will not fit, so Sony has developed their own, together with compatible chargers and AC adapters.

Summary and future prospects
At the press conference on June 6, Kornelius Müller, marketing manager of Camera Optics at Carl Zeiss, made some cryptic hints. With distinct clarity, he pointed out that most of Carl Zeiss' and Sony’s lenses are "Full Format" compatible, although Alpha 100 has an APS-C size image sensor. – I can’t say more than this, he said, but continued: - I suppose this is a hint that opens up for speculations.

Apart from the obvious, but underwhelming fact that a full format lens meets the demands of a film based Dynax/Maxxum camera, it is hardly without reason that Sony’s most important partner on optics suggests that Full Frame lenses will be in demand also in the future. When Sony representatives are asked about this, the reply is as expected; - No comments on future products or plans, but they "cannot rule out any possibilities”.

We choose to interpret these hints as Sony seriously considering a coming full frame format DSLR. Or, perhaps they just want to keep potential customers from buying other systems because the Alpha system does not offer a full frame camera at the moment. It is most unusual for high ranked representatives to formulate a statement this way. The statement was not altered, nor denied by Sony officials later, when this topic was raised during an interview. Vice President of Sony Europe, Takashi Kondo, said that their main goal is to concentrate on the consumer market, but also that the “consumer market” covers a wide range of users, with all kinds of needs. He also underlined that their ambitions are very high and they will use all their power to get competitive in the DSLR market and to stay there as a major supplier in a long foreseeable future.

You, our reader, will probably make your own speculations and predictions, as this is all we know at the moment. It is, however, good reasons to take notice of Sony’s heavy launch, their committing promises to the public and their ambitious plans. Yet, first they need to convince the consumer to buy their Alpha. They seem all too confident about success. The DSLR market has just got a new, aggressive, mature, confident and respectable player, who is willing to invest heavily in making their Alpha System a winner. We wish them welcome and are looking forward to many exciting products in the years to come.