Sony Cameras - DSLR-A100H SLR Digital Camera

What do you do when you’re the latecomer to a very exclusive party?

You’ve got one of two options:

• Dress up like everyone else and blend in with the crowd
• Make a huge entrance wearing an outfit that’s louder than a Rolling Stones concert

Sony has chosen the latter when it comes to their new digital SLR camera.

The Feature Fight

A year ago, there were five dominant players in the digital SLR camera business: Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Konica Minolta.

Canon and Nikon duked it out for the attention and admiration of professional photographers, while Olympus, Pentax and Minolta preferred to target the consumer market.

With the megapixel race pretty much over, these three companies gained consumer attention with their own proprietary features.

Olympus developed the Supersonic Wave Filter, a device that “scrubs” the camera’s electronic sensor, removing tiny particles of dust.

Pentax made their cameras small and light, some of the most portable digital SLRs on the market.

Konica Minolta beat everyone else to the anti-shake arena, and made it an integral part of their cameras. The built-in anti-shake reduced camera vibrations for clearer hand-held shots, and it worked with every compatible Minolta lens.

But here’s the key: since all of these technologies were proprietary, there was no one SLR that had them all.

Until now.

The Sony DSLR-A100

Sony claims that their new digital SLR camera has all of these features and more.

It includes a dust-repellent sensor (like Olympus), built-in anti-shake (like Konica Minolta) and a compact frame that mimics the size of the Pentax digital SLRs.

Then Sony takes it one step further.

The A100 has one feature not available in any camera from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax or Minolta. In fact, only two lesser-know cameras made by Fuji have something similar: extended dynamic range.

The human eye has exceptional dynamic range, and can perceive a lot of detail from shadow to light. Cameras can’t.

A digital SLR will either lose detail in the shadows and correctly expose highlights, or will blow out the highlights when exposure is set for the shadows. A camera with extended dynamic range is better equipped to capture detail from dark to light, even when there is a lot of contrast in the scene.

In addition to the extended dynamic range, the DSLR-A100 also has an autofocus feature which activates when you bring the camera up to your eye, 10.2 megapixels for huge 16×20 inch prints and all the other goodies you’d expect on a high-end digital SLR.

What the Future Holds

Only time will tell how well Sony competes with the established digital SLR companies. Even though Sony is late to the SLR party, they are prepared to make a big entrance.

If they continue to release feature-rich cameras like the DLSR-A100, Canon and Co. will have to watch their backs.

Chris Roberts dispenses practical plain-English advice and information about digital SLR cameras at the Digital SLR Guide. His 5-week ecourse in digital SLR technique helps beginners get the most out of their digital SLR cameras.

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For many years the SLR film camera has been the choice of both amateur and professional photographers alike for the best and most versatile camera equipment. And now that the digital photo age has begun, the digital SLR is still the best choice for those that want more than just snapshots. Here are a few things to look for when choosing a digital SLR camera.

First of all, if you already have a SLR film camera with multiple interchangeable lenses, then you may be able to save a lot of money by just buying the same brand of digital SLR as most brands allow their older film camera lenses to be used on the new digital models. But just make sure before you buy because a few major brands do not allow this kind of migration and so there is no benefit in staying with that brand for lens equipment savings.

Resolution is important in digital SLRs,and is usually represented by how many megapixels the camera uses to save its digital photo files. For most uses a 6-8 megapixel camera will work fine with enlargements on up to 11 X 14, but if you like making even larger prints or do heavy image editing, you may want even more resolution to work with to ensure that your photos remain clear and sharp.

If you like to use fill flash for many of your outdoor shots, you will want to consider a digital SLR that has a very fast flash sync too, such as 1/500 second. Below 1/250 second the flash sync speed is really only useful mainly for indoor shots instead.

Being able to see the images and controls that you use on a dSLR is important too, so check the LCD screen for brightness and visibility not only indoors but also outside too, as this is an area where some very good SLRs can let you down. Also make sure that the viewfinder itself gives you a bright, clear image in all types of light, enabling you to easily see and manipulate the camera settings at all times.

If you like to use your camera for closeup shots then you will want to get a dSLR that has a mirror lockup feature. This lets you lock the mirror up out of the way before taking the photo and reduces the camera shake that is inherent when the mirror flips up out of the way and then lands back into position again. This doesn’t normally create a problem for most average shots, but when taking closeups and vibration of the camera at all can results in a blurry unfocused image.

Also check the size and weight of a digital SLR camera before buying it to be sure that it will not be uncomfortable to carry for a prolonged period of time, and that the knobs and controls are easily manipulated. Some cameras are so small that their controls can be difficult for those with larger fingers and hands to easily use.

These simple suggestions can help you buy a digital SLR camera that will best fit your own unique needs.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including digital photography. You can find digital slr camera reviews and digital camera comparisons by visiting our Digital Photography website.

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Digital cameras use a sensor known as CCD in order to convert light energy to pixels. Dust that accumulates on the CCD can result in black pixels or imperfections in the photo as it blocks light energy from hitting parts of the CCD. We will go over a few solutions for eliminating dust on the CCD.

The CCD sensor is located behind the reflex mirror in a digital SLR camera. When taking a photo the mirror moves and lets the light coming through the lenses hit the CCD which then converts the light to a series of pixels comprising the digital photo. Most of the time the camera is closed and dust can not penetrate it. Some cameras might not be completely sealed against dust resulting in dust penetrating he camera’s body even with the lenses installed. However in most cases the majority of dust exposure is when lenses are replaced. During that time the camera is open and exposed to air and dust.

In order to minimize dust on the CCD make sure that you minimize the time in which the camera is open and exposed to air. For example when changing lenses make sure that you are in a relatively clean environment and that you have the second lenses handy. Try to avoid changing lenses when in windy or dusty environment. Never take the lenses off a camera and leave the body open and exposed - either install other lenses or put a seal on the body to prevent dust penetration.

Even with careful care dust will eventually find its way into the camera and on the CCD. There are a few ways to get rid of that dust. Depending on your camera some of them will not be available to you.

Active dust removal:

Most new SLR cameras include some sort of active dust removal mechanism. The most common one is anti dust vibration. This solution removes dust from the sensor by vibrating it in high frequency for a short period of time. Vibrating the CCD will result in dust falling off the CCD or “dancing its way” from the CCD. Different cameras turn the anti dust vibration at different times. Some cameras turn it on every time the camera is switched on, some every time it is switched off and some both when the camera is switched on and when it is switched off. Other cameras turn the vibration on periodically or let the user turn it manually.

Cameras that include an image stabilizer based on sensor movement usually also include anti dust vibration since they already include the mechanical part: a motor that can move the sensor and thus the anti dust vibration is a simply software addition.

Passive dust prevention:

Passive solution that tries to eliminate some of the causes for dust accumulating on the CCD. The main reason that draws dust to the CCD is static charge. Some manufacturers add an anti-static coating on the outer layer of the CCD (usually this is the low pass filter layer). By doing that the CCD is less likely to attract dust due to its static charge.

Manual dust removal:

Manual removal is simply a way for you to manually clean the CCD. When put in manual dust removal mode the camera moves the mirror and keeps it in a position where the CCD is exposed and is reachable. At that time you can try to blow off dust from the CCD for example by using an air blower. You could also use special cloth in order to clean the CCD but be very careful when doing that and make sure you read the manufacturers instructions for how to clean the CCD without damaging it. If you’re not sure how to clean the CCD it is better not to attempt cleaning as it can be easily damaged.

All dust removal methods have their limitations. Adhesive dust or other material is either very hard to clean or impossible to clean. Eliminating dust completely from the CCD is impossible but by applying care and the mentioned features most of the dust that results in photo imperfections can be avoided. For the casual photographer the built-in active or passive anti dust features should be enough and manual cleaning will not be needed.

Ziv Haparnas is a technology veteran and writes about practical technology and science issues. This article can be reprinted and used as long as the resource box including the backlink is included. You can find more information about photo album printing and photography in general on http://www.printrates.com - a site dedicated to photo printing.

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