The SLT design has an electronic viewfinder, rather than an optical one, and as a result it doesn't need a movable mirror to direct light up to the viewfinder. Instead it used a fixed, semi-transparent mirror to provide light to a focusing sensor, allowing the rest through to the imaging sensor. The result is a full-time live view camera that can offer fast, DSLR-style phase-detection autofocus and complete consistency of behavior regardless of whether you're using the eye-level viewfinder or the rear screen for viewing. The fact that this is all available in a small, relatively inexpensive enthusiast camera made the A55 one of our favorites in its class.
The A35 represents a gentle refresh and reshuffle compared to the existing models, rather than any radical redesign. The A35 gets a redesigned version of the 16MP CMOS chip featured in the A55, with Sony promising improved power consumption. This improvement should not only improve the camera's battery life compared to its predecessors, but also offer improved heat characteristics - extending the duration of videos the camera can capture before any risk of overheating occurs. It can now record for up to 29 minutes per clip, rather than the 9 that the A55 can manage with SteadyShot switched on (most DSLRs are limited to 29 minutes or fewer to avoid attracting duty at the higher rate applied to camcorders).
Beyond that, the changes are subtle - the main difference being that the A35 gains a series of image processing filters (such as thede rigueur'Toy Camera' option), that are becoming a standard feature at this level of camera. The high-speed shooting speed is the same as the A33's 7 frames per second, but no longer gives full-resolution images. Instead, to reduce the amount of data being processed (this slower rate and the lack of GPS emphasizing that this is an A3X camera, rather than an A55 replacement), the A35 takes a 8.4MP chunk from the middle of the frame, giving a 1.4x crop. This has the effect of giving the long end of the kit zoom a field of view equivalent to a 116mm lens in film terms, rather than the usual 83mm.
- Revised 16.2MP CMOS sensor
- ISO 100-12800
- ISO 100-25600 in multi-frame NR mode
- 15-point AF sensor (3 cross-type)
- SLT design offering full-time live view with phase-detection autofocus
- 1080i60 HD video in AVCHD format (from 30fps sensor output)
- Auto mode giving easy access to the appropriate multi-shot shooting modes
- Picture Effects processing options
| Body material | Polycarbonate resin |
|---|---|
| Sensor | 23.4 x 15.6 mm Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor 16.2 million effective pixels 16.5 million effective pixels |
| Image sizes | 3:2 16 MP - 4912 x 3264 8.4 MP - 3568 x 2368 4.0 MP - 2448 x 1624 16:9 12 MP - 4912 x 2760 7.1 MP - 3568 x 2000 3.4 MP - 2448 x 1376 |
| Image sizes (Panorama) | Sweep Panorama 8192 x 1856 2160 x 3872 12416 x 1856 2160 x 5536 3D Sweep Panorama 4912 x 1080 7152 x 1080 1920 X 1080 |
| Image sizes (Video) | AVCHD: 1920 x 1080, 59.94i (from 29.97fps sensor output) MP4: 1440 x 1080, 29.97p or 25p, depending on region 640 x 480, 29.94 fps |
| Aspect ratios | 3:2 16:9 variable (Sweep Panorama) |
| File formats | RAW RAW JPEG RAW JPEG Fine JPEG (EXIF 2.2) - Standard JPEG (EXIF 2.2) - Fine |
| File formats (Movie) | AVCHD Ver. 1.0 compliant Video: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 |
| Lenses | Sony A-mount Konica-Minolta AF mount |
| Focus modes | Auto Focus (15-point phase-detection AF system) Manual focus Face Detection AF Tracking |
| AF assist lamp | Yes, dedicated lamp |
| Image stabilization | Super SteadyShot INSIDE |
| Extended optical zoom | N/A |
| Digital zoom | N/A |
| Exposure modes | Program AE Aperture priority AE Shutter priority AE Manual Auto Auto High-speed mode (10-fps) Sweep Panorama (2D/3D) SCN (see below) Flash off |
| Scene modes | Portrait Sports Action Macro Landscape Sunset Night view Hand held Twilight Night portrait |
| Scene modes (movie) | Portrait Sports Action Macro Landscape Sunset Night view Hand held Twilight Night portrait |
| Picture Effect | Posterization (color/B/W) Pop Color Retro Photo Partial color (R/G/B/Y) High Key High Contrast Monochrome Toy Camera |
| Sensitivity | Auto ISO 100 ISO 200 ISO 400 ISO 800 ISO 1600 ISO 3200 ISO 6400 ISO 12800 ISO 25600 (multi-shot NR mode - JPEG only) |
| ISO steps | 1/3 or 1.0 EV |
| Metering range | -2 to 17 EV |
| Metering modes | 1200-zone multi-segment Center-Weighted Spot |
| AE Lock | AEL/AFL button With shutter release half-press |
| AE Bracketing | 3 frames in 1/3 or 2/3 |
| Exposure compensation | -2 to 2 EV 1/3 EV steps |
| Shutter speed | 60 -1/4000 sec. Bulb Flash X-sync 1/160 sec |
| White balance | Auto Daylight Shade Cloudy Incandescent Fluorescent Flash Kelvin temp (2500 - 9900K, 100K steps) Color filter Manual |
| WB fine tuning | Yes (magenta/green bias) |
| WB Bracketing | Yes, 3 frames, H/L selectable |
| Color space | sRGB Adobe RGB |
| Image parameters | Creative Style (Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, B/W) Saturation (5 levels) Contrast (5 levels) Saturation (5 levels) Sharpness (5 levels) |
| Drive modes | Single Continuous Hi (5.5 fps) Continuous Lo (3 fps) 7 fps via high-speed mode |
| Self-timer | 2 sec 10 sec |
| Flash | Manual pop-up TTL auto / manual Guide no. 10 (ISO 100) Sync modes: Auto, Fill flash, Slow sync, Rear-curtain sync, Red-eye reduction on/off, Wireless Flash exposure compensation: Up to /- 2EV in 1/3 EV steps |
| Flash X-sync speed | 1/160 sec |
| External flash | Hot shoe |
| Viewfinder | Electronic Viewfinder Magnification approx.1.1x 100% field of view |
| Live view | Yes |
| Focus check live view | Focus system TTL phase detection system Contrast AF selectable Display Real-time image adjustment display (reflects exposure compensation, white balance, Sunset / B&W of Creative Style ) |
| DOF preview | Yes |
| Orientation sensor | Yes |
| LCD monitor | 3.0 XtraFine TruBlack LCD 921,600 pixels Approx 100% frame coverage Auto / Manual (5 steps between -2 and 2) / Sunny Weather |
| Playback functions | Single (with or without shooting information RGB histogram & highlight/shadow warning) 6/12-frame index view Enlarged display mode (L: 11.8x, M: 8.8x, S: 6x) Image orientation (On/Off selectable) Slideshow Panorama scrolling Auto Review (10/5/2 sec Off selectable) Folder selectable (still image) Slow-forward (movie) fast-forward/fast-rewind (movie) |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 (High Speed) HDMI type C external microphone |
| Print compliance | Exif Print Print Image Matching III DPOF setting |
| Storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC/MemoryStick Pro Duo |
| Power | NP-FH50 Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery (supplied) Battery charger included Optional AC adapter |
| Dimensions | 124 x 92 x 85 mm (4.8 x 3.6 x 3.3 in) |
| Weight (camera body) | Approx. 415g (14.6oz) |
