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Sony DSLR-A580 reviews
You can find here the most interesting reviews / ratings from the well-known expert sites about the Sony DSLR-A580 Camera. Here are the reviewers:
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- 06 May 2011 - |
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- 3.5 |
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- 03 May 2011 - |
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- 0 |
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- 28 March 2011 - |
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- 0 |
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- 16 March 2011 - |
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- 4.5 |
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- 23 February 2011 - |
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- 4 |
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- 29 January 2011 - |
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- 4.5 |
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- 20 January 2011 - |
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- 4 |
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- 18 January 2011 - |
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- 4.5 |
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- 20 December 2010 - |
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- 0 |
DPReview 's conclusion / rating - 06 May 2011 |
“ The Sony DSLR-A580 is an excellent all-round performer that gets all the important stuff - image quality, metering, focus - right most of the time. Whether you like its slightly live-view centered design and user interface is pretty much a question of taste and shooting style.
It is not quite as radically innovative as its sister-model SLT-A55 with its translucent mirror and electronic viewfinder but it could be the ideal compromise for those who like the option of shooting in live view as a standard mode of operation, but can't or don't want to live without an optical viewfinder as an option.
The A580 might not be for everyone but with its excellent image quality, solid performance and innovative feature set it can be a great alternative to more 'traditional' competitors and therefore easily earns itself a dpreview.com silver award... ”
Complete review here
Imaging Resource 's conclusion / rating - 03 May 2011 |
“ The 16.2-megapixel Sony Alpha A580 comes with many refinements that make it a far more usable camera than its predecessors, making it a more significant contender in the market for mid-range digital SLRs. Starting with its heft and improved controls, the Sony A580 is a pleasure to use, feeling like a well-crafted musical instrument, making operation fluid and easy. We also find relative heft to be an aid for more stable pictures when it matters. We're split on the grip and overall thickness of the camera, with some of us thinking the A580 too thick, while others have no problem with it. The Depth-of-field-preview button is also an important inclusion, heretofore conspicuously absent from the A200, A300, and A500 Alpha models, and its return is welcome for both video and still shooters.
Excellent for low or high-angle shooting, the Sony A580's articulating LCD is sharp and vibrant, and the Quick AF Live View mode makes these shots considerably faster than the competition, thanks to the use of phase-detect autofocus. Focus Check Live View gives you back the advantage that the competition had with their sensor-based autofocus, as you can now either automatically or manually focus the lens, complete with magnification options. We really like how focus pops in these zoomed modes, especially.
Then there's a whole list of Sony magic that's added to the mix, including Multi-frame Noise reduction, Multi-frame High Dynamic Range shooting, Sweep Panorama mode, and of course 1080i HD movie capture. It's difficult to know how valuable some of these modes are unless you use them, and see the camera capture images that you'd never get otherwise. We were most impressed with Multi-frame Noise Reduction mode, which allows you to shoot handheld, merging and micro-aligning six separate images into one, very clean image. It's only usable for static scenes, but the method makes ISO 3,200 look like ISO 400 much of the time.
Like most digital SLRs, the Sony A580 doesn't offer autofocus during video capture, but it does offer control of aperture, which can be valuable when shooting to isolate your subject from the background, for example.
The only major fault we'd bring to the fore is the over-aggressive noise suppression in JPEG images, which strangely get worse in the red channel when you switch to Weak Noise Reduction mode. But there's no arguing with our printed results, which show the Sony A580 able to produce good quality 20x30-inch prints from Large Fine JPEG images from ISO 100 to 400, and even the highest setting of 12,800 produces a good quality 5x7-inch print. Impressive! Shooting RAW is the obvious workaround, and doing so allows you to tweak the noise suppression yourself for much better results. To see crops from our RAW captures processed through dcraw, go to our High ISO RAW comparison page.
Overall, the Sony A580 is a very competent camera with excellent image quality, great dynamic range, and several special modes that allow you to capture scenes other SLRs couldn't. Add that to its already impressive Quick Live View mode, which exhibits faster live view autofocus than any of its competitors, and you have an able photographic tool, one that we're happy to give a Dave's Pick... ”
Imaging Resource's rating: |
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- 0 |
Complete review here
ThePhoblographer 's conclusion / rating - 28 March 2011 |
“ The A580 is a great camera, in particular if you’re dragging around a bag of Minolta lenses and you are not too excited about the A33 or A55... ”
ThePhoblographer's rating: |
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- 0 |
Complete review here
Whatdigitalcamera 's conclusion / rating - 16 March 2011 |
“ In an age of making minor adjustments to cameras between generations and repackaging the results as a new model Sony has made the A580 a perfect example of choice for choice's sake. The differences between this model and the A55 are as minor as the change in mirror type would allow, although it's understandable that a number of consumers wouldn't immediately trust the technology.
The most important element of the Sony A580, the image quality, is impressively consistent if not quite as eye-catching as it should be. Results are of an equivalent level to the chasing pack and the camera performs reasonably well in low light, although above ISO 800 image noise becomes apparent. The burst rate, although impressive at 7fps, can be difficult to utilise in anything but the best lighting conditions and longest depth of field settings due to the inability of the camera's focus to quite match up to the burst rate ability
The A580's LCD screen is excellent from a detail and colour point of view, making it extremely useful in combination with the tilt-angle hinge. Similarly the optical viewfinder is perfectly serviceable for framing images, although the substantial manner in which the two are switched between seems a little unnecessary.
In all the Sony A580 ticks a number of boxes for the mid-range DSLR genre, but doesn't differentiate itself enough from the A55 or other similarly-specced models to make it anything more than another solid DSLR in a crowded market... ”
Whatdigitalcamera's rating: |
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- 4.5 |
Complete review here
Expertreviews 's conclusion / rating - 23 February 2011 |
“ Feature-packed and capable of high quality photos, but automatic exposures could be better... ”
Expertreviews's rating: |
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- 4 |
Complete review here
Cameragearguide 's conclusion / rating - 29 January 2011 |
“ For photographers looking for an easy to use but powerful DLSR camera, the Sony A580 makes an excellent and affordable choice. For about $800 the A580 provides the image quality and performance of cameras hundreds of dollars more, but does so in a very consumer friendly format, all while adding Sony’s clever shooting mode options like Sweep Panorama, Auto HDR, and Hand-held Twilight that quickly prove themselves to be more than just cheap gimmicks, but genuinely useful options that produce excellent results.
More advanced photographers will disapprove of the A580′s lack of custom camera setup, average viewfinder (95% frame coverage and 0.80x magnification) and its largely interface driven setup, but perhaps they could be enticed by what the A580 does offer and at what price it offers it. Effective in-camera image stabilization (SteadyShot), brilliant and adjustable hi-res LCD, fast AF and blazing fast Live View AF, enthusiast-sized camera body, 7fps continuous shooting, excellent battery life and the same video, image quality, and low light performance found in cameras like the Nikon D7000 and Pentax K-5, again- for much less money.
For its target audience and for existing Sony Alpha DSLR owners looking to upgrade from older models, the Sony A580 easily earns a “Highly Recommended”. Until we’re given an A700 replacement, the Sony A580 is simply producing the best image quality and offering the most impressive ISO performance of any APS-C Alpha camera available today. If you want a powerful but easy to use DSLR with zero compromise in the performance and image quality department, the Sony A580 should be the first camera on your list... ”
Cameragearguide's rating: |
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- 4.5 |
Complete review here
PhotoRadar 's conclusion / rating - 20 January 2011 |
“ Can include value for money proposition (so no separate section), camera system analysis, and buying recommendations eg just the body or with kit lens, target price etc.
Seasoned DSLR users may be inclined to take the Sony A580 less seriously as a DSLR, given some if its more novelty inclusions such as the Sweep Panorama and Smile Shutter options. This would be a shame, as neither of these features should eclipse the solid feature set and fine performance of the Alpha 580 that makes it compare well with its peers. As an all-rounder performer it shines, with its high-resolution sensor and articulated LCD screen making it ideal for still-life photography, and its speedy focusing system and 7fps burst rate meaning that it's not out of place when action presents itself either. It's easy to see, therefore, why the camera may appeal to a range of users, from first-time DSLR buyer’s with a little money to spend, through to Alpha fans looking for the next upgrade option from their current model.
The issues regarding image quality are unfortunate, although the use of a good optic, correct technique and careful post-processing can comfortably get round these. The fine results which may be obtained from its video function also score it a few extra points, too, although anyone looking for a capable video-shooting camera should also add Sony's SLT A33 and Alpha 55 to their shortlist, both of which use the same Alpha mount as the A580. While not strictly DSLRs in themselves, the fluid autofocusing available during video recording make them better suited where manual control isn't likely to be used... ”
Complete review here
PhotographyBLOG 's conclusion / rating - 18 January 2011 |
“ The Sony A580 is a more traditional alternative to the headline-grabbing A55 model, and an excellent DSLR camera in its own right. It doesn't offer the continuous auto-focus during video recording or the small size and light weight of the A55, but its optical viewfinder and more comfortable handling make it well worth a look.
Despite its reliance on more traditional technologies, the A580 is certainly no slouch in the performance stakes, matching the A55's fastest 7fps continuous burst shooting rate, albeit without the ability to focus for each individual frame. The same 15 point AF system delivers fast auto-focus for both stills and video, while the refined and intuitive Live View system is still market-leading, although the optical viewfinder can only provide 95% frame coverage. The addition of Full HD video importantly brings the A580 up to speed with its main rivals, although its reliance on manual focusing may put some potential buyers off.
Image quality is very good, with noise not rearing its ugly head until ISO 1600 for JPEGs and not until 6400 if you use the innovative Multi Frame Noise Reduction mode, although the A580 does apply some pretty aggressive noise reduction to keep the files clean, resulting in a loss of fine detail. The myriad assortment of clever effects such as HDR, Dynamic Range Optimisation, creative styles and the innovative 2D/3D sweep panorama mode really help to get the most out of the A580.
When Sony launched the A55 and A580 cameras alongside each other, many questioned why they needed two such similar cameras in their line-up. While they do share a lot of common ground, the larger and easier-to-use A580 with its trusty optical viewfinder is a great DSLR, and thanks to its 16 megapixel sensor, full HD video and improved AF system, also a real rival to similar offerings from Canon and Nikon... ”
PhotographyBLOG's rating: |
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- 4.5 |
Complete review here
AlphaMountWorld 's conclusion / rating - 20 December 2010 |
“ As is the A580 is a very solid DSLR and the most fun I've had with an Alpha camera that I can recall, a camera which is difficult to put down for many reasons- image quality wise (raw) it is very capable with the best bang for the buck image quality I've seen yet. The improvements over the A550 make it a much more powerful tool, and much less frustrating to use.
The A580 is a comfortable and ergonomic camera to use with some very powerful new tools, and some carried over from the A550. Those have been put to better use now with the inclusion of main sensor live view focusing options, depth of field preview, and mirror lock up added. And as a bonus, I can use manual focusing lenses with aperture control from other manufactures on the A580, with metering to boot.
What the A580 lacks in some customization options in the menu system it almost breaks even by adding alternative features. Really it all comes down to the photographer and whether or not Sony's more unique features end up being a valuable tool for them or not. Do you want the tried and true traditional DSLR features/customizations, or the new Sony features... or none, or both!?
The Alpha A580 (and A560) are a siren cry to traditional DSLR Alpha Shooters (that's most of you) wanting to upgrade from the A200, A300, A350, A330, A380, A290, A390, and of course the A500 and A550 DSLRS. For A100 owners the choice isn't as easy, you need to make your choice based on what is more important to you- The newer features or the somewhat more comprehensive menu system and excellent (near perfect) handling of the A100? For A700 shooters (myself having been one for a very long time) the A580 represents an alternative experience that gives you quite a few tools to use in addition to the A700. It might be a great second body along side your A700- perhaps (hint hint), and outperforms it on image quality.
And now for some gratitude to Sony for listening to constructive feedback.
In the end the A580 is a camera I will definitely recommend to Alpha shooters (granted with some reservations) who are fully aware of its capabilities and limitations based on their own current needs. This is the most fun I've had using any Sony DSLR to date (all considered) and is a redeeming model compared to the camera it replaces. Pick one up and try out the features sometime... ”
AlphaMountWorld's rating: |
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- 0 |
Complete review here
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