Name: Alpha A55
Brand: Sony

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Sony Alpha A55: Image quality

Metering is provided by the main imaging sensor and the image area is separated into 1200 zones during evaluative metering. Evenly lit scenes tend to be exposed a little on the bright side, leading to washed out colours, so it pays to keep an eye on the histogram and apply compensation accordingly. Centre weighted and spot metering modes are also provided. A circle showing the area the light reading is taken from is shown on-screen during spot metering, which is a nice touch.

Colours are vibrant, even when using the standard picture style. If more colour is required then the landscape and vivid styles should satisfy most. Even when not using the dynamic range optimiser feature, the Sony A55 produces images with excellent dynamic range. Where highlights do blow out, the roll off into white is smooth and subtle, giving a pleasant film-like appearance.

As the translucent mirror reduces the amount of light available for imaging by a third, the sensor really needs to be good at controlling noise, and luckily it is. There are no significant signs of noise in the shadows until ISO 1600 and even ISO 12800 should be very usable for all but the largest print sizes.

Images produced by the camera appear a little softer than images produced by other contemporary cameras and a little extra sharpening, either in-camera, or afterwards in image editing software may be required subject to taste.

Sony Alpha A55 ISO performance

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