Introduction

The SLT-A55 is a new spin on the conventional SLR, with a translucent mirror that lets most light through, so the camera can shoot and focus at the same time. The result is a camera that has the advantages of an SLR (quick and flexible focusing and high quality images) but shoots much faster: 10 frames a second. And it has the image quality to justify the cost: we found that the images it took had good color and excellent overall sharpness, and the video looked great. However, the SLT-A55 also has the downsides of an SLR: it is a large, bulky camera that has a somewhat confusing menu system and only has a limited range of lenses available.