Does the lack of MLU on the A200, A300 and A350 have any real impact on picture quality
Posted on: Fri, 05/16/2008 - 7:25pm
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Does the lack of MLU on the A200, A300 and A350 have any real impact on picture quality
It has been trashed as real camera for not having MLU or DOFP, but I tell you, I have never found DOF useful through that small viewfinder anyway. MLU on the other hand may be real issue. I say may be since Sony claims to have damped the mechanism sufficiently that the 2 second delay alone is enough to steady the camera. Has anyone used long exposures on these cameras and would care to comment? Real world use only please, not shots of magazine pages.
Thanks,
Keith
Keith,
I fully agree that the DOFP is hardly important in any way. If one should close the aperture down quite a bit for any reason what they will see is a very dark image which shows them nothing. Besides, we live in the digital age. If you want to check your DOF because you are trying to establish a particular type of shot take the shot then look at your picture and verify that is the effect you are looking for. I find that easier to do should I need to do it at all.
MLU on the othe hand I can see being important. It is true that Sony has improved the mirror mechanism greatly to make it more quiet. No doubt it vibrates a lot less because of the redesign. But, I see it as an added anti-shake feature in addition to our sensor based anti-shake mechanism. Having it does no harm and it is probably still worth while to have regardless of the improved mirror mechanism.
Those are my thoughts.
Regards,
Niko
Sony Alpha 700 DSLR + Vertical Grip|Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D DSLR + OwnUser Vertical Grip|Konica Minolta AF 28-75 f2.8 (D) Zoom Lens|Konica Minolta AF 18-70 f3.5-5.6 (D) Zoom Lens|Minolta AF 50 f1.7 Prime Lens (2 qty - Original & RS)|Minolta AF 70-210 f4 Telephoto Zoom Lens|Sigma APO 100-300 f4 EX DG Telephoto Zoom Lens|Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6 EX DC Wide-Angle Zoom Lens|Sigma 24-135 f2.8-4.5 Aspherical IF Wide-Angle Telephoto Zoom Lens|Sigma 70 f2.8 EX DG Macro Lens|Sigma 1.4X EX DG Teleconverter|Sony HVL-F56AM Flash|Minolta 3600 HS(D) Flash (2 qty)|Slik Pro 340DX A.M.T. Tripod|Slik Pro Pod 600 A.M.T. Monopod|Tamrac Expedition 5 Back Pack
While I agree I would have preferred to have had the option of using MLU, the fact remains that it is not available in these cameras.
Bob Atkins advises the following:
"In general, for lenses of 300mm and over (and macro work), users should try to avoid using shutter speeds between 1/30 and 1/4 second for optimal sharpness. For "normal" work with lenses of 100mm or less, sharpness loss due to mirror induced vibrations does not seem to be an issue."
In addition the SSS should eliminate any remaining vibration, but I digress, this is why I would like to see real world results. It is also understood that a steady tripod and the 2 second self timer or remote release should still be used.
Thanks,
Keith
Quite a while ago someone on dpreview posted some sample shots with a A100. IIRC there was virtually no difference between shots in which MLU was used and shots in which it wasn't.
Sony A700, Sony A100, Maxxum 7xi
What we really need, is to get someone to put a longer focal length lens on one of the cameras (200/300mm), tripod it, with a slower shutter speed, ala 1/10th sec or near there. And take a shot. Pick something like a shampoo bottle with loads of small text on it..should do the job.
If there is problem, you will see it for sure. I def noticed the difference on the KM5d, with MLU..for some shots. I dont have any of the new ones, so..cannot say!
But I would be interested in knowing what effect there is. Its one of those things I dont get, MLU costs nothing as such. I know many film bodies didnt have it, bar the higher end Minolta ones..but its a feature worth having IMO. DOF preview, isnt such a huge loss..but IMO it was worth keeping there. Ditto with AEL spot metering toggle, and DMF, handy features that I use a fair bit.
Still least we got the wireless flash, that would have been a cut down too far IMO.