Most digital cameras these days have the ability to digitally zoom by cropping the sensor - meaning a portion of the sensor is only used when utilizing this feature. I am a proponent of using your feet or lens to zoom and NEVER this feature...except when you have no choice or want to show others how good or bad it is.
Before I begin, I want to quickly describe crop factor. A full frame camera like the Sony Alpha a99 or the Canon 5D MarkIII will exhibit a 50mm frame of view when they slap on a 50mm lens. Because the a58 has a smaller sensor, it will have a different frame of view if we place that same lens on this camera. It is listed to have a 1.5 crop factor, so the 50mm will have an effective focal length of 75mm. When we digitally zoom the lens, we are effectively using a smaller portion of the sensor to get a longer reach. There is a dedicated zoom button next to the shutter release that allows you to "zoom" or crop your sensor by 1.1 to 2 times. So the same 50mm lens will effectively be a 150mm lens if you apply the 2 times zoom/crop. Please note that this can only be done in JPEG and not Raw. Below are some sample shots taken with the 50mm lens - all taken at Disneyland's Tomorrowland Terrance - 80z All Stars
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| George as Devo |
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| Todd McCool as...well, I'm not really sure |
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| Devo George -A personal favorite from the night |
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| Nigel - Lead Singer |
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| More Devo |
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| Nigel - It's nice having the option to digitally zoom when I can't physically move closer |
The above photos were all taken in JPEG with normal noise reduction. I personally think it is a bit over done, so I decided to set it to low. The following shots display JPEG files with low noise reduction
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| Nathan Shrake as the Mad Hatter |
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| Nathan Shrake as the Mad Hatter |
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| Dan Franklin (Dormouse) and Jenny Kidd (Alice) getting close and personal |
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| Tomasina |
The JPGs on the a58 aren't too bad, but given the option I would almost always shoot Raw. Having that ability to pull out details in shadows/highlights and tweaking white balance is really helpful. (see the following
POST regarding why I shoot raw) Well, I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for stopping by.
So say we all,
Dino
Hi !
ReplyDeleteWith the experience that u have had with the A-58 what do u feel ....Is it a keeper ?:)
Thanks for stopping by. I think it is a keeper for what I had paid for. I was able to get the kit lens plus a 50mm f1.8 for about $600. When compared to my Olympus OMD, it falls a bit short. However, as a back up camera, I am completely happy and intend on investing in future Alpha gear/glass. I plan on posting a long term user review after I've had some extensive use with it.
DeleteThanks for stopping by. Glad the post was helpful.
ReplyDelete