nikon 5200 vs sony a57 vs canon 650d
- Thread starter kippu
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Well i own a A57 and its the best decision i made in camera purchase.Its overall a better camera then the canon 650D and other cameras such as the D5100,D3200.
The new D5200 is equally good overall since it has a higher MP and also has newer AF system compared to the older D5100.
I choose the A57 because it stabilizes any lens mounted to it even cheap prime lenses thanks to built in sensor shift image stabilization.It also has a AF motor built in to the body and it has biggest viewfinder in its class (nearly the size of fullframe cameras OVF) albeit its a EVF. The EVF has more advantages then cons ,what you see in EVF is what you get,it also boosts the image in low light situations,you can also use the EVF while taking videos.
Since its a SLT its more silent and has a faster FPS and is the only camera of its kind that does PDAF in videos and live view.
The new D5200 is equally good overall since it has a higher MP and also has newer AF system compared to the older D5100.
I choose the A57 because it stabilizes any lens mounted to it even cheap prime lenses thanks to built in sensor shift image stabilization.It also has a AF motor built in to the body and it has biggest viewfinder in its class (nearly the size of fullframe cameras OVF) albeit its a EVF. The EVF has more advantages then cons ,what you see in EVF is what you get,it also boosts the image in low light situations,you can also use the EVF while taking videos.
Since its a SLT its more silent and has a faster FPS and is the only camera of its kind that does PDAF in videos and live view.
malhotraraul
Galvanizer
There are certain technical advantages in D5200, a better autofocus system, borrowed from the higher-end D7000 DSLR. This particular autofocus system proved to be very capable even in most demanding conditions and is not that far off Nikon’s best systems, it incorporates a more advanced metering system, which may prove to be more accurate in some conditions. More importantly, there’s the versatile tilt/swivel LCD screen. It can be very useful when doing video or photographing from uncommon angles, The 39-point AF system will give you more flexibility if you want to do sports photography, think carefully whether additional features of this camera are important to you and your photographic needs. It is possible one of these cameras is all you’ll need for years to come.
When i made the purchase there was no D5200 had it been now i too would have been in dilemma but after using the A57 or any other SLT camera with a modern EVF and PDAF in live view there is no turning back to conventional DSLR .There is a reason 90% of the SLT cameras get rave reviews and gold awards.
The nikon main advantage is the better high ISO performance.In other image quality parameters its very close to the A57.
The sony is cheaper street price and currently you get a free 50mm f1.8 lens.
Even cheap prime and zoom lens are stabilized with Sony but with nikon you need to buy a VR lens.
For manual focusing the Sony is again better with its class leading focus peaking.
If the D5200 has the same ergonomics as the D5100,imo A57 has better ergonomics and is more comfortable to hold with better grip.
There is also the new A58 should be available next month and its mostly going to be significantly cheaper and priced similar to current A37 (but then again A57 gets a free 50mm prime lens) .
The A58 has the latest Sony sensor it for sure has more resolution,better DR and color depth and similar iso performance of the A57.It also has a slightly bigger OLED EVF and NEW LOCK ON AF algorithm ,it also has selective noise reduction derived from the A99 and much higher battery life and is also significantly lighter.
On the other hand it gets a smaller and lower resolution screen .It also has a slower FPS in both still and video compared to the A57 but better then D5200 .
The nikon main advantage is the better high ISO performance.In other image quality parameters its very close to the A57.
The sony is cheaper street price and currently you get a free 50mm f1.8 lens.
Even cheap prime and zoom lens are stabilized with Sony but with nikon you need to buy a VR lens.
For manual focusing the Sony is again better with its class leading focus peaking.
If the D5200 has the same ergonomics as the D5100,imo A57 has better ergonomics and is more comfortable to hold with better grip.
There is also the new A58 should be available next month and its mostly going to be significantly cheaper and priced similar to current A37 (but then again A57 gets a free 50mm prime lens) .
The A58 has the latest Sony sensor it for sure has more resolution,better DR and color depth and similar iso performance of the A57.It also has a slightly bigger OLED EVF and NEW LOCK ON AF algorithm ,it also has selective noise reduction derived from the A99 and much higher battery life and is also significantly lighter.
On the other hand it gets a smaller and lower resolution screen .It also has a slower FPS in both still and video compared to the A57 but better then D5200 .
Konquerror
Forerunner
I will suggest to stick with Nikon or Canon. Recently I had hands on experience with Sony A57 and wasn't impressed with image quality. The colors were dull and image reproduction was not good as compared to my Canon 550D. Nikon has good high ISO performance but the drawback is costly lenses. Canon has descent low light performance and somewhat cheaper lenses are available to get started with e.g. 50mm f/1.8 and 55-250mm. About focusing superiority of SLTs, well i'm more in to manual focus hence it doesn't matter to me. 
I will suggest to stick with Nikon or Canon. Recently I had hands on experience with Sony A57 and wasn't impressed with image quality. The colors were dull and image reproduction was not good as compared to my Canon 550D. Nikon has good high ISO performance but the drawback is costly lenses. Canon has descent low light performance and somewhat cheaper lenses are available to get started with e.g. 50mm f/1.8 and 55-250mm. About focusing superiority of SLTs, well i'm more in to manual focus hence it doesn't matter to me.
I have to disagree and has do every professional review out there.The Sony has much higher color depth and has better dynamic range then any Canon APS-C camera.For manual focusing again the SLT is superior you can magnify the image or use Focus peaking which none of the canon cameras have and trust me with focus peaking feature manual focusing is just a childs play.
Canon lenses like the good L lenses are no longer cheap as Canon has raised the prices infact the Sony G lens now looks to be a bargain.
Yes one gets a free lens with the A57 after registering in Sony india website,Sony will then courier you within 10days via blue dart courier.
The only thing wrong with the A58 is the naming ,i feel the change to OLED weighs more then the rear lcd screen size and resolution reduction.If you are into shooting videos or going to use the machine gun mode for sports or other fast action shots then the A58 will be a downgrade
Yes Sony has decided to replace both the A37 and A57 with one single product.But there is also the future potential replacement for the A65 for people upgrading from A57 ,if i am going to upgrade in some 3 to 4 years time it will be A7x or A9x type camera and i wouldn't buy another A5x camera.
Brendon
Galvanizer
Well Sony does NOT have the best JPEG engine out there. You really need to shoot RAW to get the best benefit out of the camera.
Realistically you cannot tell any IQ differences between these cameras upto ISO 1600. At 3200, the D5200 will be slightly cleaner but hardly anyone will want to shoot at ISO 3200 anyways.
So the main differences come down to features and ergonomics.
In features the D5200 has a lot going for it but it still has a small pentamirror viewfinder as does the 650D.
Both the 650D and D5200 have a slightly better AF system than the Sony.
However Sony has the vari angle LCD with fast AF making it far more useful than the implementation of the D5200.
The D5200 does NOT support a LOT of Nikon lenses in AF mode. While Nikon has come out with many AF-S versions of its lenses there are still quite a few AF-D versions around both new and in the used market that will simply not auto focus with the D5200 (they will autofocus with a higher end body like the D7000).
The last big difference between the cameras is the burst mode. The 650D and D5200 have 5 fps burst rates with a super high buffer of 6 frames for the D5200 and a mind boggling 7 frames for the 650D.
The A57 shoots at 8 fps with a RAW buffer of 22 frames.
Realistically you cannot tell any IQ differences between these cameras upto ISO 1600. At 3200, the D5200 will be slightly cleaner but hardly anyone will want to shoot at ISO 3200 anyways.
So the main differences come down to features and ergonomics.
In features the D5200 has a lot going for it but it still has a small pentamirror viewfinder as does the 650D.
Both the 650D and D5200 have a slightly better AF system than the Sony.
However Sony has the vari angle LCD with fast AF making it far more useful than the implementation of the D5200.
The D5200 does NOT support a LOT of Nikon lenses in AF mode. While Nikon has come out with many AF-S versions of its lenses there are still quite a few AF-D versions around both new and in the used market that will simply not auto focus with the D5200 (they will autofocus with a higher end body like the D7000).
The last big difference between the cameras is the burst mode. The 650D and D5200 have 5 fps burst rates with a super high buffer of 6 frames for the D5200 and a mind boggling 7 frames for the 650D.
The A57 shoots at 8 fps with a RAW buffer of 22 frames.
Firstly what are ur needs ?? What will you be shooting ?? Do you shoot raw or are u a jpeg shooter ?? If you are a jpeg only shooter and interested in wedding shots or portraits then canon makes sense. Canon jpegs have a good rendering of skin tones. if not then going for canon with their outdated sensor technology makes little sense now. Both D5200 and A57/65 have their pros and cons.5200 has better autofocus and better low iso capability( whereas sony has evf, inbody image stab , better videogoing for it.Also do read abt the new toshiba sensor that d5200 use.Somebody pls correct me if i am wrong but some were reporting banding issues under some conditions?? Do ur research and before buying try both.A camera may produce the best image but if you don't like the button/ menu layout, handling,etc , then you are not gonna enjoy using it much!
wingmysoul
Discoverer
Have a smiliar query but the cameras in question are a notch lower. I'm struggling to choose between the D5100 and the 650D.
Request your help to choose between the two.
Request your help to choose between the two.
Congrats.
Don't forget to register and get the free 50mm lens
thanks and how long does it take ?
After registering it should take around 7 days(excluding weekend and holidays) to get it in your hands.
TheNightwing
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