After unpacking erstmal came for me the surprise. Coming from the Pentax K20D is the new Sony is a real lightweight. Far more than 100g is already a house number. The Sony is considerably more compact, is somewhat similar to the D5000, however, is between the handle and housing much more space for big fingers. The far towering lightning bestowed the Alpha a long hump. Haptic I find the grip very appealing, the plastic case is shaky, yet it gives me a bit too vile. Other manufacturers are showing the plastic is another way. The lids are a bit fiddly little, but fulfilling its purpose well. The processing is strong and well.
Sony A500L DSLR Comfortable and clean is resolved, access to the media and the battery slot. Among the usable storage media must be said that the Sony is now also the secular SD Card accepted. Very enjoyable I think. Sturdy hooks allow for the installation of an accessory belt. The buttons and controls, I find that very well placed. Unfortunately, the Sony lacks a status display at the top. I have appreciated the Pentax much. With the honesty must be emphasized that the Pentax does actually priced in a different league, and probably more the Pentax Kx would be the appropriate comparison device.

A piece of cake is the folding screen. Sony has managed to provide a 3 “display with a folding mechanism. This leaves the status display is quickly forgotten. I am very happy with the display of the 500s. However, the big sister with over 900,000 points is qualitatively drauflegen substantially again one. Was eagerly I am also on the menu structure. The menu is very catchy and via dial on the front, or affairs of the arrow keys on the well back. In addition to the normal exposure opportunities have the 500 still has some Scene modes, which makes them interesting for the beginner. The camera was quickly prepared and ready to fire. As a former Pentax user is yet one is surprised how quickly the alpha. In this class, they would probably not be beat. Also a K-7 at the same time does not get more images on the sensor . This is likely a more intense look, like the Sigma 70-200 or the Tamron equivalent, be possible for some sports fans.

My conclusion: I like Sony A500L DSLR. It offers much for a truly fair and competitive price. The Alpha 500 has both for beginners as well as amateurs in fact everything on board what you need so, except for the video function. The Sony is quick and makes photography easy. For me, both the 500 as well as the 550 are currently the two most interesting Alpha DSLR cameras. With so much fresh wind Nikon, Canon and Co will have to be strong springs. I’m looking forward afterwards a 70 or a Sigma 85/1.4 on the camera to have.
Through the acquisition of Minolta’s alpha users will also feature a wide range of used AF lenses available, what the Sony connection also makes it very interesting.

The Alpha has not promised too much. Therefore, 5 of a possible five.

The image quality in JPEG directly from the camera at high ISO *** *** extremely impressive (eg, in direct comparison with Nikon D70 and Sony Alpha 700). Even at ISO 6400 the camera still delivers reasonable pictures – wary of this achievement. With other cameras (Alpha 700) is less necessary with RAW editing on the computer to achieve a similar result.

A few downsides must not be ignored: the video mode is impressive, and of course, an absolute novelty, the correction options (eg only had exposure) are however limited and VERY hard to focus when recording in general dead, especially the tone is a disaster ( you will) as an adjustment of the zoom or focus clearly heard during playback. Still, many “pocket cameras should” here to bring better overall results, except of course in the use of special lens on the Nikon.

The Life-View is also a welcome asset, and will probably in some situations (eg, from Tripod, Macro, upside down) are regularly used, the contrast AF in this mode is VERY slow, even more comfortable than many compact cameras. Nikon seems to be a very “funny” focus strategy to use (it probably will be struck down multiple focus points and then directly calculated from the correct focus position – 1-2 seconds does it take to be happy times here, there are much better implementations of Kontrastautofokussi eg Bridge cameras) . Successful?sse in this mode are realistic only with pre-focusing, still had an overall very valuable function.

The 18-105 kit lens can be of course not the hammer at the price situation, but it is very useful, provided a quasi-Universal zoom with image stabilizer at a bargain price. Even the image stabilizer in the lens appears to be very effective, but not “class to be” the Sony 700 with its built-in stabilizer as seems to provide it on a subjective basis of first experiments in this focal length range, a noticeably better performance (eg, arms propped up at 1 Sec. Exposure not overly practical, but quite nice) for a test.

In sum, a camera that is based on the amount of time and is unlikely to disappoint some functions might be better deployed elsewhere, but Nikon D90 has a very round overall and most importantly the picture quality remains at the end and since the D90 can be relaxed with the higher-priced competitors compete.

Sony Alpha 700 as a concurrent user, I can not resist making a remark, unfortunately – please Nikon’s looking at you at times but love this competitive model, where you could in terms of ease of use, learn a lot and so the list of “little things” that are resolved at the A700 much better, is unfortunately quite long: AE-Lock switched on demand directly to spot metering, zoom into the picture jumps to 10x zoom, and right on the spot in the picture, located on what the focus (-dot) [ Fastest Focus Control!], the mini-joystick and the direct selection of functions on the display, ISO Auto-dial directly from over-switched, AF start if you take the camera to your eye, the display automatically shuts off and the front command dial has (for the A700 ALWAYS a rational function and is also much better positioned on the camera), good thumb accessible buttons on top of the camera and all settings on the main display [in the D90 has implemented a lean compromise, because I think Nikon should time to decide which direction you want to go, small buttons down the back for ISO etc. and a mini-display does not fit together on top of the camera remains, as it will immediately switch the display back and not just pressing a button as it is now at D90], Red LED AF assist light on the A700 is much less conspicuous than the D70 has the same bright and early unnecessarily capitalized “Torch” to the D90, etc. etc. etc.

In short, my absolute dream camera would be a hybrid of the operation and image stabilization of the A700, the A350 from Lifeview autofocus, image quality, bracketing, and a few other details from the D90 and a somewhat more reasonable video mode … But one can still dream indeed. Nevertheless, 5.0 points for the D90, because although there is still something to improve that for the other cameras, but also applies to the D90, and egg-laying at my-dream-Wollmilchsau as much pretty, but especially the great JPEG image quality directly from the camera contribute even at high ISO would be …

A tiny little thing yet, but all the newcomers and parallel users of other systems, hitherto well as I went to the Nikon’s is cruel to the biscuit: the D90 can now reverse the display for exposure correction and rotation of the rear adjustment wheel so that now so rum works such as at the Sony. You may have seen the “mistake” of the previous Nikons the rest of the world, not only for Sony but also in the rest of the technology are now stop the negative values of time left and not right on the scale and that the pointer will continue in the direction is running, in which one turns the (posterior) dial is surely only obvious – especially when the wheel then, like most water taps in the western hemisphere (light work) to light, thank Nikon for the two custom options in the D90 !