Sony SLT-A55 Digital Camera Review

Motion

The Sony SLT-A55V records Full HD video with a 60i frame rate, which is what you commonly see on consumer camcorders (including Sony models). The camera also has a 1440 x 1080 MP4 record mode that uses a 30p frame rate, but we didn't see too much different between the motion quality of the two record settings. More on how CamcorderInfo tests motion.

We like the way the A55V records motion, and the camera's results in our motion test were similar to the Sony NEX-5. The SLT-A55V did capture a smoother video image, however, and there was slightly less artifacting and interference than what we saw on the NEX-5. Our main complaint is that there's no 24p mode on the SLT-A55V.

The Canon Rebel T2i captured some of the best motion video we've seen from a DSLR camera. It records using 24p or 30p frame rates, but it does not have a 60i or 60p mode. So, this means it essentially offers the opposite frame rate options than the Sony SLT-A55V.

The Nikon D5000 is behind the times in terms of its motion capturing capability. In our testing, the camera recorded choppy motion video with terrible interference and jagged lines. The camera also had a very bad rolling shutter problem, although this is a common issue with video-capable DSLRs. The Nikon D5000 records video using a 24p frame rate.

As we said before, the NEX-5 captured motion in a similar manner to the Sony SLT-A55V, but we liked what we saw from the A55V a bit more. The NEX-5 had more artifacting, its video looked a bit choppier, and there was more blur noticeable in the rotating pinwheels in our test.

Video Sharpness

With its Full HD (1920 x 1080) recording capability, we expected the Sony SLT-A55V to put up a strong showing in this test. The camera did not disappoint, as it measured a horizontal sharpness of 700 lw/ph and a vertical sharpness of 725 lw/ph. These numbers were the best out of the other video-capable DSLRs we compared it to, although we have seen better sharpness scores from consumer HD camcorders. More on how CamcorderInfo tests video sharpness.

Low Light Sensitivity

The SLT-A55V needed 11 lux of light to hit 50 IRE on our waveform monitor. In a strange coincidence, this was the same amount of light required by the other three cameras we compared it to. This makes it rather simple to compare the A55V's low light sensitivity to the competition.