Pros
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Image stabilisation, promising range of lenses, pleasant images, good LCD, good image noise control, high resolution, button placements
Cons
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Shutter noise, slight oversaturation of images, no histogram, extended dynamic range less effective than hoped, average build quality
Image Quality
Noise Crontrol
We were reasonably pleased by the low level of image noise in the photographs we took. From ISO 100 to ISO 400 there’s little, though it begins to creep into the shadows as the gain is raised. ISO 800 is still perfectly usable, while ISO 1600 shows noticeable noise. The same sensor in the Nikon D200 seems to perform better too.
Tone and Contrast
JPEGS from the camera in daylight look bright and punchy with pleasant, warm tones. Skin tones are healthy and bright.
Colour and White Balance
Auto White Balance is less accurate in mixed lighting, for example daylight and tungsten, so we’d recommend using manual white balance in critical conditions. The camera has a tendency to increase warmth and saturation in JPEGs, with a 125% saturation figure, recording in our tests, which is on the slightly high side, but within acceptable limits to match consumer tastes. Raw files respond better, and any margins of error in white balance can be better corrected in the alpha RAW software. The camera also has a Vivid mode, which boosts saturation further, along with contrast, and slightly increases sharpness.