DSLT Alpha owners: What improvements would you make to your camera?

[p4ult212]

We constantly strive to improve our products, so we’d really appreciate your feedback on what changes you would make to your Sony DSLT camera to make it even better.  Whether it’s to do with the design, usability or specific features just let us know what camera you use and what changes you’d make.

[johnkimm]

Could an isolation menu be provided for the A65v to aliviate the accidential use of the Record function?

It is most annoying when setting up for a photo , only to fund that the camera is recording. Is is so easy to activate the button without knowing.

Secondly, It appears that there is no battery pack available for this model,  is there any packs being produced in the future for this model?

[konicektomas]

AGC control to A65 PLEASE!!... So many people will be happy...

[Steve_Dunstable]

I'd like much wider range of exposures on the bracketing - +/- 0.7 is a joke; +/- 3 stops would be more like it. The ability to set sound recording level manually would be good. I'd also like to be able to adjust the contrast of the viewfinder display.

[Steve_Dunstable]

So I'm not the only one who keeps doing this

[M4RiO...]

I am a new a77 user. I had Sony a700 and that was a fantastic camera. What I would love to see in future Sony cameras is make it bigger...please make Sony cameras a lot bigger and havier.

I have a feeling that my a700 is bigger than a77 even if it is not. But I would love for a77 that is a little bigger and havier then a700. My little finger of a right hand on holding grip is in conflict with my finger holding a lens. Not case in a700 model. So, please make that space between hand grip and lens a little bigger(wider camera body)

Front and back wheels on a77 are a bit small. Make them in same size like on a700 on a future cameras. I would love to have SSS on/off physical switch, so please in next firmware make available to customize video button to act as SSS switch on/off. I really don't use video ever, so for me that will be excellent SSS on/off button.

Also front and back wheels and menu responsive lag is still there even in 1.05 firmware version, a lot better then before, but still not like on my a700, so please tune that too in next firmware version. Responsivnes is one of most important thing on any camera, so please make that perfectly responsive like on a700.

I must say that Sony make most ergonomical cameras of all, and thank you for that. Please continue in this way in future, but I must say again, please make them bigger at least a7x and a9x models. I don't have very big hands, but I know people who sold a77 just because it was too small for their hands.

[QualityGate5b]

I am an A65 owner, I love the functionality of  the camera and it's ergonomic design, however, I am disappointed with the photographs it produces.  I appear to have a back focus issue with the camera.  I say this because shots taken with the same lenses on the same settings on my A200 are pin sharp, the A65 shots are blurry and out of focus.  (I have seen many other references to this in other web forums and can see I am not the only owner who is faced with this problem).

Is it possible to include micro focus adjustment as part of a firmware update?

If not, is it possible for you to tell me where the micro focus screws are located on the A65, as I would like to carry out the adjustment myself.  Are they under the silver label on the base of the camera?

Failing this, can you tell me how I would go about rectifying this issue?  My camera is less than a year old, but I purchased it from a Hong Kong supplier and I am reticent to return it to China.  As it stands, I have paid a lot of money for a unit that produces inferior results to my A200 and my £100 point and shoot camera.

[Numchuk]

I have a Sony Alpha A57 with the 18-55 kit lens. This lens performs admirably at all settings except on maximum zoom (55 mm) at f5.6, focused at infinity or close to it.

The image I get at these settings is noticeably unsharp, with whites smudging into surrounding colours. So much so that I consider the result unacceptable. The image improves by stopping down to F8 and smaller but that doesn't change the fact that my results should not be that poor from kit that costs over £500.

This occurs at low ISO so it is not noise.

My enjoyment in using the A57 is marred by this problem. If I don't shoot in Aperture Priority I have to be constantly aware that another program could deliver f5.6.

So, my recommendation is, improve the quality of the 18-55 lens, as mine is disappointing.

[Dennis_photo]

Suggestions for firmware improvments for the Sony a57:

http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/a57-firmware-wish-list_topic88352.html

Several very good suggestions there.

[Dennis_photo]

A feature I would love to have on a camera:

DOF Priority Mode

In this mode I would set the DOF (Depth Of Field, i.e. how deep the field that is in focus is) I would like to have for a photo, then the camera chooses aperture and exposure time.

Since the camera knows the distance to the object in focus and the current focal length it would be quite easy for the camera to make the necessary settings, e.g according to algortihms such as used by  http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/dofCalc.asp

This would be a very useful mode on a camera, especially for portraits, at least I would use it far more often than the different creative styles available today.

[Dennis_photo]

The recently released firmware updates included the ability the disable the Movie button for some cameras when not in Movie mode. That is good. But the implementation is just as half-way-there as on the a57.

What we have now in a mode different from Movie mode....

Movie button: Displays annoying message.

Shutter button: Takes a photo.

What we have in Movie mode...

Movie button: Starts/stops video recording.

Shutter button: Displays annoying message.

What I think would be a big improvement:

In a mode different from Movie mode...

Movie button: Performs a configurable action, including the ability to start/stop video recording in Auto mode (but I would probably set it to Focus Magnifier).

Shutter button: Takes a photo.

In Movie mode...

Movie button: Performs a configurable action, including the ability to start/stop video recording in Auto mode.

Shutter button: Start/stop video recording.

A bonus of allowing the shutter button to control video recording in Movie mode is that it also can be controlled by a wired remote or a radio controller with its receiver end plugged in to the wired remote contact (I have one of those).

:-Dennis

Message was edited by: dennis.morin