I have only had this A65 for a couple of days so let's call this a "first impression". I think one of the early magazine reviews called the A65 and A77 "game changers". I have to agree and think that the engineers at Canon and Nikon are really looking at this camera. I also have a Nikon 5100 and Canon G12 in which to compare. Neither of those cameras are slouches. The G12 is my "go to" and I love it dearly (buy one). Of course it is a high end P&S, but a P&S none the less. So I will base my comparison on the Nikon 5100.

Most of my comparisons have been indoor flash shots and a night shots outside. Pixels comparisons aside (16m for the 5100 and 24 for the A65), I am astounded by how much better the Sony photos are. And I thought the 5100 was good-and it is, of course. One of reasons I bought the 5100 was to replace a Nikon D80. I love having a flip out screen, which it and the Sony have. I NEED flip out screens, the G12 has one too. I take a lot of my shots from... Read more

This is an extensively revised review, as I have had a chance to spend lots of time with this camera over the last ten weeks and taken roughly 5000 pictures - for sure one of the best electronics purchases I have made in the last 10 years, but I can also see some consistent problems that need addressing in future firmware updates (or that require user adjustments). JPEGs (Sony's default jpeg algorithm could use some tweaking/sharpening) print out sharply at 30 by 20 print sizes (as long as I stay to no higher than ISO 800). RAW images at low ISO will print sharp to 36x24 easily. When paired with the new Sony 16-50mm 2.8 lens (see separate review for this terrific lens), takes some of the best pictures this side of a Nikon D3x ($8000 full frame pro camera) - if you stay to ISO 800 and under.

Pros:

1) Best viewfinder in the business (2.4 million dot OLED), as bright as any full frame viewfinder, and with far more useful information. Once you've used it, you... Read more

Sony A55 vs. A65: is Newer Really Better?

When Sony released info on the Nex-5N, NEX-7, a65 and a77 models, I decided that the technological leaps on the new line was enough to make me a believer. What really put me into the Sony system over Canon and Nikon was the lower price points on the Sony lenses. Yeah, they don't have as many lenses as the Big Two, but I don't know any photographers with 25+ lenses in their closet, either. The NEX-5N looked nice but I like viewfinders and didn't want to be gouged on that accessory. The NEX-7--while pricey--still doesn't have a release date. The a65 was priced below the a77 by almost $500, so that was a no-brainer, but was it $200-worth more than the a55, a camera that--for the most part--touts a devout ownership?

I actually bought the a65 and the a55 at the same time, opting for the a65 because of its corrected overheating issue while filming video (the tie-breaker for many) and the a55 because, aside from the overheating... Read more