Sony A57

Sony A57 is Sony's Entry-Level DSLR digital camera initially revealed on September of 2012. The camera includes a 16MP, CMOS APS-C sized sensor and has a full resolution of 4912 x 3264.

Sony released this model in an effort to replace the older Sony A55 (Read Full Comparison) and subsequently introduced the updated Sony A58 (Read Full Comparison) in order to update this model.

The A57 is scored #20 out of 80 in Entry-Level DSLR cameras and over-all #186 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our collection. Please test our Smart camera filter to find camera rankings based on your personalized criteria.

Here is a diagram of various factors used in the rating system.

The Sony A57 is part of a family of products. You can see the complete range underneath.

You can check the A57 from various angles in the gallery underneath.

Below is a list of benefits and drawbacks of the Sony A57 based on criterias which are often regarded as crucial in a digital camera.

The sensor measurement in the Sony A57 is 23.5mm x 15.6mm (APS-C). The 367 mm² sensor has the capability to capture 4912 x 3264 pixels and aspect ratios of 3:2 and 16:9. The camera includes Image Stabilization (Sensor based). In body stabilization is more desirable than digital stabilization as the latter may lead to cropping.

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The CMOS sensor boasts 16 megapixels and features a standard ISO range of 100 - 16000. This ISO can also be widened electronically to a high of 25600. RAW format is supported which means that you have wider room to maneuver in post.

The graphic underneath shows the A57's sensor dimensions in comparison to other popular sizes. The A57 sensor comes with a crop factor of 1.5 and is shown in green.

Photography Glossary

To get a sense of various aspect ratios, you should refer to the graphic below.

Sony A57 weighs 1.36 lb (618 grams / 21.80 ounces) and the volume of the camera is 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2"). The weight of average Entry-Level DSLR camera is 540 grams so the Sony A57 is heavier in comparison with various rivals.

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Here is a picture of the Sony A57 with a softdrink so you're able to have a feel for its scale.

The top view under will illustrate the button arrangement on the A57.

The A57 works with the Sony/Minolta Alpha mount and has 145 lenses available to buy. Below is some of the lenses we have in our database which will work with the A57.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight

Tamron AF 70-300mm F4-5.6 Di LD Macro70-300mmf/4.0-5.6 435g

Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 EX DG Aspherical HSM12-24mmf/4.5-5.6 600g

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Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM17-50mmf/2.8 565g

Sigma 18-50mm F2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM18-50mmf/2.8-4.5 395g

Tamron AF 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 Di II LD Aspherical IF Macro18-250mmf/3.5-6.3 430g

Sony DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II18-55mmf/3.5-5.6 222g

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Sony 135mm F2.8 T4.5 STF135mmf/2.8 730g

The A57 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes
• HDMI Yes

Digital cameras that consist of NFC and Bluetooth support can be controlled wirelessly with smartphones. You will be able to copy files and at times change settings with no need to connect physically to the camera.

Some applications even stream a Liveview and release the shutter in case you are not close to the camera. If the camera features a HDMI out, it can be hooked up to an external screen. Most cameras enable you to charge the battery pack using the USB port.

The highest possible video quality in the Sony A57 is 1920 x 1080 and it can shoot in MPEG-4, AVCHD and H.264 file format. 1080p quality provides a good balance in video quality versus file sizes but 1080p will not leave you with much room to crop. Although the camera includes a mic jack, it is sadly missing a headphone jack which means that you won't have the capability to check your audio levels.

Sony A57 does not include environment proofing so damp conditions might affect the camera.

The Sony A57 includes a 3 inch fully articulated display supporting a resolution of 921 thousand dots.

It has got a selfie friendly screen to get self portraits and even group shots when needed. Please note that the display screen offers no touch support.

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The ViewFinder specifications regarding Sony A57 are as follows:

• ViewFinder Electronic
• ViewFinder Resolution 1,440 thousand dots
• ViewFinder Coverage 100%
• ViewFinder Magnification 0.7x

Viewfinders can be very helpful in sunny outdoor conditions which might make the camera screen washed out and difficult to view.

Sony A57 continuous shooting rate is 12.0 frames per second. The highest shutter speed is 1/4000 sec.

Sony A57 includes both built-in flash plus external flash support. The highest flash sync is 1/160 sec.

Sony A57 includes both Phase Detect AF and Contrast Detect AF. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot quicker & precise in comparison with Contrast Detect autofocusing. The camera includes Face detection which makes it helpful for portrait photography.

It includes 15 focus points to choose from. It also comes with Tracking AF for subjects on the move. Sony A57 has manual focus in case it is needed in low light situations or you need to have more accurate control on focus.

The battery life (NP-FM500H) in the Sony A57 is designed to last for 550 shots as per the CIPA specifications making it about average when compared to its competition. The average Entry-Level DSLR camera battery life is 589. Pentax K-x has got the best (1900) battery life in this kind of cameras.

Underneath is a listing of Entry-Level DSLR cameras which have the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Pentax K-x
A57 vs K-x1900 yesnono

Nikon D3500
A57 vs D35001550 yesnoyes

Photography Glossary

Nikon D3400
A57 vs D34001200 yesnoyes

Canon SL3
A57 vs SL31070 yesnoyes

Sony A450
A57 vs A4501050 yesnono

The following illustration presents a outline of the Sony A57 for various styles of photography. To look at more, visit the specific paragraph underneath.

The Sony A57 receives a score of 74 which is above average, and means the camera is a good fit for portrait photos. Taking portraits leans greatly towards sensor resolution, RAW support and option to work with off-camera lighting.

With a above average score of 75, the Sony A57 is a good choice to buy for street photography. A good street photography camera has a good balance of image quality plus portability.

A great sports photography score of 78 suggests the Sony A57 is a outstanding choice for shooting sports. A camera needs good autofocus plus fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

Portability is extremely important when picking a camera for travel. In general, the Sony A57 gets a very good 67 as a travelling camera which is a respectable option to purchase for your trips.

If you're planning to buy a camera for landscape photographs, the most essential aspect is going to be image quality. The Sony A57 at it's nice score of 72 as a landscape camera is a very decent fit among its competition.

A camera for vlogging should come with a articulating display, microphone port and ideally image stabilization. Considering everything, the Sony A57 is a brilliant fit as a vlog camera as it comes to a terrific score of 77.

If you are searching for replacements to the A57, here is a range of the top rated cameras which fall under the category of Entry-Level DSLR.

The diagram here provides you a bird's eye view of the A57 compared to it's top scoring rivals mentioned previously.

Here are a handful of other cameras you might check out as alternate options. To check out a extensive comparison, simply click the "compare" link.