Sony Alpha SLT A37K – 16.1 MP, Full HD Recording, Exmor CMOS [Review]

The world of Sony DSLR cameras just got rich with their latest addition – the Sony Alpha SLT A37K. This camera has a combined package of a sharp lens, punchy colors, excellent video performance and is extremely well-priced. Its designed keeping in mind the output required by professional photographers. The highly versatile camera gives out colorful, vibrant and detailed images. Video performance of this camera will be touted as the best when compared to its market competitors with full HD video recording.It is the most recommended camera for amateurs and semi-professionals to develop their photography skills.

Going by technical specification, this camera isn’t a full-fledged DSLR. It is named SLT (single lens translucent), where in translucent refers to the mirror that is placed in front of the sensor. It looks more like a compact DSLR. Due to its design, the makers have slashed the optical viewfinder from the design but have retained the flexibility in capturing images by giving interchangeable lenses.

However the absence of a viewfinder doesn’t clinch too much to the user because the screen in the eyepiece is fine-grained and very detailed. The image quality is beyond expectation. The image settings which show overlaid graphics, focus points and so on are extremely well-defined and easy to read. The camera build is equipped with a diopter wheel on right side and a proximity sensor just below the eyepiece and a 2.7 inch LCD screen on the back.

While capturing low down shots-like that in concerts or sport matches this camera will be helpful as the screen has an articulation of 180 degrees on the horizontal plane. The K in the name A37K marks that the camera is bundled with Sony’s 18-55 mm kit lens. The maximum aperture at wide-angle is f/3.5 and at full telephoto it becomes f/5.6. There is an APS-C sized chip which acts as a sensor giving an output of 4912 X 3264 pixels in JPEG format. There is a single slot for different format cards. One will have to choose from a SD card or SX memory card. The colors produced by the 16-megapixel sensor are bold and realistic and the kit lens is sharp and accurate.

The minimum focusing distance of the kit lens is 25 cm while the macro performance is good. The focused object in the image is sharp, full of colors and accurate. In most tests for still-life images, studio lights, ambient lights and low-lights the camera performs well. The camera shoots a high-definition video at 1920 X 1080i resolution, 50 frames per second in AVCHD format.

Overall, the camera is a good choice not just for still images but also for shooting videos. It is an excellent camera as the body is paired with a high-quality, sharp all-round lens and it is not over duly priced too.

This review is penned by experts at Reliance Digital.