Sony Alpha DSLR-A560

14.20 Megapixels	Sony Alpha (Minolta A) mount	3.0 inch LCD

Sony A560

Overview

by Carl Garrard, Mike Tomkins, Shawn Barnett

and Zig Weidelich

Hands-on Preview: 08/24/10

Full Review: 03/03/11

Announced alongside Sony's attention-grabbing Translucent Mirror cameras, the A33 and A55, the launch of the Sony A560 perhaps was robbed of some attention -- and that's maybe a little unfair, because when compared to its predecessor, the A560 sports some genuinely useful changes.

The Sony A560, like the A550 before it, is based around a 14.2 megapixel, APS-C sized image sensor, although it now carries Exmor APS HD branding. Perhaps the most significant change in the A560 is a brand new autofocus system, based around a 15-point AF sensor, of which three are cross-type points. From the fifteen total points, eleven can be addressed directly, and four serve as assist points.

Also new to the Sony A560 is its high-definition movie recording capability, which is fast becoming a common function even among entry-level DSLRs, and an absolute must-have feature for enthusiast cameras. The Sony A560 can record movies at up to 1,920 x 1,080 pixel (Full HD) resolution, with stereo audio -- either from a built in microphone, or an external mic with 3.5mm jack. The A550's Smart Teleconverter button, which simply cropped the image when shooting at lower resolutions, has been abandoned in favor of a new dedicated Movie button.

Sony has also made some useful tweaks to the A560's body design. The Drive Mode and ISO buttons have both been moved nearer to the Shutter release button, making them easier to reach without having to change your grip on the camera. There's also a new Depth of Field Preview button just beneath the right side of the lens mount. The Mode dial is also a little larger, easier to grip, and clicks more firmly between positions so as to prevent accidental adjustment. The various scene modes on the Mode dial have been consolidated into a single Scene position, simultaneously reducing clutter and freeing up room for a new Sweep Panorama position.

Sweep Panorama has appeared in Sony's Cyber-shot and NEX-series cameras previously, and is now making its debut in an Alpha DSLR. The function, which offers 2D and 3D modes, automatically captures numerous images as the A560 is panned across the scene, and then stitches the result in-camera to create a single seamless image. The Sony A560 retains its predecessor's Auto HDR function, where the camera captures two images and merges them into one High Dynamic Range image, but now increases the possible strength of the effect, by doubling the step size to create a total range of up to 6 EV in 1 EV steps. High ISO Noise Reduction has also been adjusted, and now offers a choice of Auto or Weak modes, in place of the previous High or Normal positions. A new Multi-Frame NR function overlays six sequential images in-camera, to create one final exposure with about a two stop improvement in signal to noise ratio.

The A560 retains the articulating display screen from the A550 design, as well as the unusual Live View mode that uses a secondary, low-resolution sensor inside the pentamirror, so that phase detection autofocus can be offered during live view. The AF550's alternative MF Check LV mode -- which raises the mirror and exposes the imaging sensor like the live view modes on most other DSLRs -- has been renamed and greatly improved. It's now called Focus Check LV, and offers not only manual focusing or phase detection AF with a brief interruption to the live view stream, but now also offers contrast detection autofocusing.

A few other notable changes include slight updates to the Help Guide function and menu system, a change to Sony's new playback mode, which segregates still and video content, support for the latest generation SDXC cards, and the removal of PictBridge support.

Shipment of the Sony Alpha A560 in the US market, originally expected in October 2010, was postponed until the first quarter of 2011 due to component supply issues, but they seem to be shipping now. Pricing is set at US$650 body-only or US$750 with an 18-55mm kit lens.

Sony A560 User Report

by Shawn Barnett and Mike Tomkins

Look and feel. At first glance, the Sony A560's body is very close in design to that of its predecessor, the A550. Size and weight are unchanged, but on closer inspection, there are a number of relatively subtle changes made to accommodate new features, or improve accessibility of existing ones.

The duo-tone body of the previous design has been replaced with a more professional-looking all-black body, and a slightly more noticeable texture applied all over. It's a change that you'll only notice if you look really closely, and yet somehow it makes less obvious the fact that the A560's body panels are plastic. The shiny black accent strip on the front of the grip, which conceals the infrared sensor and self-timer lamp, has also been given a matte finish along the lower half of its length. Incidentally, the self-timer locks up the mirror first, to avoid mirror-slap induced blur. Just beneath and to the left of the lens mount in the picture above, you can see the new Depth of Field Preview button.

Like that of the A550, the Sony A560's grip is a little odd. It's rather slim left-to-right, and not really deep enough. This impression is increased by the unusual thickness of the body front-to-back. We really didn't find it very comfortable for long hand-holding. Here you see the switch for Live View, in the same location as past models. The Alpha a550's MF Check LV button, which puts the camera in Live View mode from the main imaging sensor, has been renamed Focus Check LV for the Sony A560. The name change hints at the fact that autofocus is now possible in this mode.

Dynamic Range, Drive mode, and ISO settings can also be adjusted on the top deck, and the latter two buttons have been moved closer to the shutter release, making them easier to reach when a quick adjustment is called for. Note the sloped area between the top and back, making operation a little easier from more angles. Also visible is the reworked Mode dial, which adds a Sweep Panorama position, and consolidates all of the Scene modes into a single shared position. The dial itself is a little taller and easier to grip, has a much stiffer detent, preventing accidental mode changes. The top of the dial has been changed from a smooth, screen-printed metal badge to a plastic one with raised, painted lettering. Also visible from this angle are the two four-hole grilles for the left and right channels of the new stereo microphone, located directly in front of the flash hot shoe.

The back view is nearly identical to the A350, except that the Smart Teleconverter function has been removed, and its button -- now silver with a central red dot -- acts as a Movie shutter button. This allows the movie function to be accessed in any operating mode, although ISO sensitivity, shutter speed and aperture for movie shooting remain under automatic control regardless of the mode currently selected.

As in the A550, the Function (Fn) button calls up the A560's Function menu, allowing quick settings changes for common exposure variables. When comparing the Sony A560 to the A550 from this angle, you can just notice the slight increase to the height of the mode dial. The only other visible change that would tip you off as to which camera you're looking at is the new Movie shutter button. Adopting the traditional design, in silver with a red dot, this button replaces the previous Smart Teleconverter button, and has the same shape and positioning.

The tilting LCD mechanism has the same generous angular mobility as that in the A550, able to tilt a full 90 degrees downward, and a little beyond 90 degrees upward. While it doesn't allow for framing of self portraits, it's very helpful when shooting overhead, or low to the ground. A small sensor on the lower right of the Sony A560's LCD can be set to dim or brighten the LCD's backlight automatically when needed.

Looking at the left of the A560's body, you can see the newly added three-hole speaker grille, directly above the forward most rubber compartment door. Behind the compartment door is the other notable change from this side of the camera -- a new 3.5mm stereo mic jack, allowing use of external microphones with the A560. Connectivity options behind the other compartment door include high definition video output, and USB 2.0 High Speed data. The Sony A560, like its predecessor, conspicuously lacks any provision for standard definition video output.

Image Sensor. At the heart of the Sony A560 is a Sony Exmor APS HD CMOS image sensor with dimensions of 23.4 x 15.6mm, roughly equivalent to a frame of APS-C film. The Sony A560's sensor has an effective resolution of 14.2 megapixels, and yields 3:2 aspect ratio images with dimensions of up to 4,592 x 3,056 pixels. In addition to two lower-resolution 3:2 modes of 3,344 x 2,224 and 2,288 x 1,520 pixels, the Sony A560 offers three modes that crop the sensor's output to a 16:9 aspect ratio, suitable for viewing on wide-screen HDTVs. The Sony A560's 16:9 image modes are 4,592 x 2,576, 3,344 x 1,872, and 2,288 x 1,280 pixels respectively.