I used the A55 once for a friend's concert shooting, the photo are there:

using the 35f18, and a old Beercan with also a HVL-f58 in wireless mode.

I loved the lightness of the camera and also the image quality, but I found the buffer is really poor when you shoot in rapid sequence the machine is blanking the viewfinder and you lose the scene, I still remain on my A700

I have an A33 but find it really annoying that the screen blanks for so long while taking rapid action shots.  Only the first shot is likely to be well centred while panning, the next couple might work but after that a fast moving object is usually lost.  The lack of a mirror to move should make the thing faster than an SLR, not slower, surely this "feature" could be reduced or removed?

More ideas.

1. User modes like on a900/850.

Changing the settings by hand is way too slow, as there ar no dedicated buttons for SSS f. ex.

2. Peeking (with adjustable sensitivity, no like on NEX).

There are cases where AF is inferior, so manual focus should be  as easy as possible - now with SLT this could finally be very easy for  APS-C cameras, so please implement it.

3. RAW histogram and expose to the right.

Digital cameras have specific requirements when it  comes to exposure: maximum quality is achieved by giving some extra  exposure (depending on sensor characteristics) while ensuring that no  highlights are clipped. It is therefore necessary to determine exposure  accordingly. One might think this is easy with a camera that does the  metering with the main sensor: the automatic functions have to use  according algorithms, and the live histogram helping with manual  exposure has to be based on raw sensor data. Alas, both is not the case.  Exposure is determined like for slide film in the old days, and seems  near perfect - just for the wrong media.

Suggestion:

• base histogram on raw data whenever the camera is set to raw or raw+jpeg. In addition, either
  • expose to the right automatically in above case, or
  • give configuration option to do so.

In both cases, process jpeg and embedded jpeg so that the resulting jpeg is properly exposed.

It seems the above has been discussed for years, some  people go to great lenghts to get a histogram that resembles the one  from raw data as much as possible, and demanding users try to expose to  the right using the inaccurate camera histogram together with  bracketing. Isn't it strange that such crude measures are necessary in  these days? For me, it was a really frustrating experience: on film, I  could easily get perfect exposure without bracketing in a few seconds  using a spot meter and some knowledge. No knowledge however will help me  with current digital cameras, the only thing I can do is to do  bracketing, hope for the best and select a shot later. Now that is a  frustrating "high tech" experience.

Make Sony the first  camera company to produce a "digitally ready" exposure metering system.  SLT technique with direct metering from sensor should be perfect for  that.

See http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/optimizing_exposure.shtml for more detailed explanations and suggestions.

4. Improve exposure bracketing

(for hdr, of course ): more shots, much wider range.

5. Touch screens

You  will probably use touch screens for some of the future cameras.   Please: do not force the user to use the touch screen where it is not  superior to a button or dial. Use touch for features like "tap to zoom  in in live view or image review", "drag to scroll zoomed area", "tap  again to zoom out", but not to enhance the coolness factor.

SLT-A55V 

Body: I agree that the USB port is a forced connection, I am also waiting for the 'hinge' to give up.

Firmware: AUTO ISO: It would be good to be able to limit the ISO range in auto eg no faster than 400 (selecteable rather like Drange).

I really like the ver 2.0 firmware option to return to the last used menu option. I use it to control GPS on/off. Sadly the reason is to keep charge battery longer.

Hardware: Larger capacity battery

Hardweare: faster charging batteries / and matched charger.

Any chance of a plugin super battery/ grip that would replicate memory card contacts? (I cant see how you could have a plug in battery without blocking the memory card.)

>>The cover for the USB connection only just allows the USB plug to fit in. It seems like the flexible plastic "hinge" might break soon when used regularly.

I second that!

I agree totally. If you use shutter priority settings the 10fps is not achievable and the EVF / screen goes black mid way through rapid shooting which is very very very irritating when I'm trying to take shots of fast moving aircraft. I use a Sandisk 16GB Extreme 20MB/s SDHC card and I wondered if I had a problem with it or the camera so I went to my dealer to check if my camera was actually working properly. Apparently it only gives 10fps when set to "auto" and the guy at the dealership queried what the problem was!

The other improvement I would make is to make the body bigger - I have large hands and where my fingers wrap around the grip and my fingertips touch the body I have worn away some of the rubber skin from  it - within the first 6 months of owning it which makes me not very impressed!

I consider myself a bit "old-fashioned" in so much as I like to look through the EVF to capture my shot rather than look at the LCD screen. The other reason is that you have more control over "shake" if the camera is held up to the eye and you can balance better to get a steadier shot. Trouble is the EVF is not good for shooting in MF because it is incapable of producing a sharp image so you never know whether its on the money or not until you've taken the shot. I know that the focus point will illuminate green when in focus and the shutter button is held part way down but I'm not always convinced that it is focussed on the actual part of the shot I want!

I would also like to see a dual display - one for settings and the other for live view.

Also why not a number of user-defined saved manual settings that will allow the user to quickly change the settings to accomodate different types of subjects by retrieving them from the memory?

A detachable battery pack that fits on the base of the camera and provides a longer battery life than the standard internal battery?

Finally the flash hotshoe: Why isn't it a standard design to be compatible with other non-Sony devices? Canon and Nikon have a standard design so why not Sony?

Message was edited by: MarkHoldgate

Message was edited by: MarkHoldgate

Hi, I use the A35 mainly for film.

A couple of firmware improvements would be:

1. Configure a button (say live view) to hold focus while pressed when recording. (some older minolta Xi lenses have such a button)

2. Mjpg is already available - why not allow filming 720p in mjpg? Easier editing on PC and SD card sizes are growing + prices are coming down. Would be a nice choice.

3. More control of settings in video mode, for those of us who do have tripods etc...

Because video is in auto mode, it causes ios/ap lighting problems, flickering etc.. I would prefer to choose a constant setting and accept the cons.

4. AVCHD is recorded progressive (25fps PAL), but seen as 25fps interlaced in editing programs. Would be nice to be able to change properties of avchd file in say PMB.

5.Be able to to activate shutter release button for video filming in settings - thus being able to use a remote. A useful setting would be like on Point and shoot, Hold down the shutter to autofocus, fully press to film. I know it's not the point of a n SLT, but for video, it gives instant control in one button for recording when you don't have time to adjust everything. Professionals use higher end gear, the A35 is Entry - family birthdays etc...

Hope we amatuer film guys get some of the above....