First look at the Sony Alpha SLT A99

A couple of months back we featured the Sony Alpha SLT A99 which turned some heads in the recently concluded Photokina event. Yesterday, the Japanese company looks to impress Filipino photo enthusiasts by giving us a taste of their latest flagship camera.

After a brief introduction of the new features of the full-frame DSLR camera, we get to play around with the camera along with a wide variety of Sony Alpha lenses. The first thing that I noticed when I held the camera was how light it was as compared to other flagship cameras that I’ve held. In fact, it’s light enough that I was able to shoot pictures with one hand.

Another new cool feature of the a99 is the customizable Silent Control dial in the bottom left corner of the camera that enables users to adjust camera settings (ISO, AF mode, Shutter Speed, etc.) without having to press button and turn knobs that usually emits clicking noise. Sony also improved the Quick Navi Pro UI that makes up for a more comfortable shooting experience.

Sony Alpha SLT-a99 specs:

24.3MP Exmor CMOS sensor
35.8 x 23.8 mm Full-frame size
Bionz image processor
ISO 100-25’600
30 – 1/8000 sec. shutter speed
Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
1’229K dots XGA OLED Tru-Finder (EVF) w/ 0.74x magnification
100% Viewfinder coverage
3” LCD TFT Display w/ Xtra Fine LCD Technology
6fps and up to 10fps in high-speed shooting mode
Full HD video recording (50p/25p or 60p/24p)
MPEG-4, AVCHD or H.264 video format
RAW + JPEG file format
SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Built-in GPS
Lithium-Ion NP-FM500H Battery
Dimension: 147 x 111 x 78mm
Weight: 812g

Camera navigation takes a bit of getting used to especially if you’re not accustomed to a Sony DSLR camera. But the a99, with its straightforward controls and revamped UI, helped a lot to get us where we want to be in terms of customizing the camera settings. By the time we were ready to shoot, the camera’s Translucent Mirror Technology and its 24.3MP full-frame Exmor CMOS sensor along with its other components all came to work to produce amazing photos. Here are some of those pictures captured using the Sony Alpha SLT-a99.

There are other neat features of the camera that we weren’t able to fully explore because of limited time, but we’re sure to look out for those when we get to spend more time with the a99. However, although given the short time we had with it, we say that Sony’s new flagship DSLR camera has what it takes to take on the best in the business. It took the company 4 years to come up with a99, but it’s definitely worth the wait. The Sony Alpha SLT-a99 will be available next month and will set you back a hefty Php139USD 2INR 201EUR 2CNY 17’999 for the body alone.