Sony A35 Performance

A mixed bag when it comes to performance, ranging from below average to quite fast.

Startup and shutdown times are slower than average compared to an SLR. Shutdown is quite slow, probably due to sensor cleaning. Buffer clearing times are okay, but buffer depths are pretty shallow.

Mode switching times are fairly typical compared to an SLR, though Record to Play is sluggish.

Looking at the Sony A35's ability to determine that it's properly focused when shooting the same target multiple times, its speed is about average compared to a typical consumer SLR. The SLT-A35 required 0.223 second for full AF using the center focus point. This decreased slightly to 0.214 second in wide-area AF mode. Enabling the flash in ADI mode increased shutter lag to 0.475 second, to account for the flash exposure preflashes. TTL mode was a little slower, at 0.483 second. Continuous autofocus mode lag time was 0.218 second and manual focus was only slightly faster at about 0.217 second. When prefocused, shutter lag was 0.102 second which is good but a bit slower than average compared to most SLRs these days, and somewhat of a surprise for a camera that doesn't need to wait for a mirror to be raised before taking the shot. Keep in mind that the shutter is normally open on an SLT camera though, so it needs to be closed and re-opened to take the exposure.

To minimize the effect of different lens' focusing speed, we test AF-active shutter lag with the lens already set to the correct focal distance. We also use the same Sigma 70mm f/2.8 macro with every camera (on all platforms except Four Thirds/Micro Four Thirds and Nikon consumer models lacking an in-body focus motor), to further reduce variation, and because our tests showed that focus-determination time with this lens was close to the fastest, across multiple camera bodies from different manufacturers. Being an older design with a non-ultrasonic motor, it wouldn't be the fastest at slewing from one focus setting to another, but that's exactly the reason we measure focus determination speed, which is primarily a function of the camera body, vs focus adjustment speed, which is primarily a function of the lens.

Shot-to-shot cycle times were about average for an SLR-class camera, ranging from 0.53 to 0.57 second per frame depending on the file type and quality. Continuous mode speeds were excellent compared to most consumer SLRs, at about 5.5 frames per second for large/fine JPEGs, 5.6 frames per second for RAW, and 5.4 frames per second for RAW + large/fine JPEGs. The Sony A35 also offers a low speed continuous mode rated at 3 frames per second, and a high speed "Tele Zoom" crop mode rated at 7 frames per second. Tele Zoom mode captures 8-megapixel images cropped from the center of the sensor. We measured 7.07 frames per second in that mode.

Buffer depths were about average for a consumer model, which is to say pretty shallow, at 12 frames for large/fine JPEG frames with a fast SDHC card, 6 RAW frames and 6 RAW + L/F JPEG frames. Tele-Zoom mode did a little better at 14 frames before slowing down, but the 8-megapixel JPEGs are smaller. The flash took 3.3 seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, which is good.

Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, download speeds are very fast; definitely fast enough that you will likely not feel the need for a card reader.

Bottom line, the Sony Alpha SLT-A35's performance ranges from below average (startup and shutdown), to average (mode switching, autofocus, single-shot cycle times), to much better than average (burst speed). Its fast burst speed and uninterrupted continuous autofocus should come in very handy for sports and active kids, but keep in mind that shooting with RAW files really limits burst lengths.

Battery
Below average battery life compared to a traditional SLR with optical viewfinder, but good battery life for an interchangeable lens camera with EVF.

The Sony A35 uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and ships with a charger. Battery life is a below average compared to SLRs using optical viewfinders, but good compared to CSCs with electronic viewfinders. Still, we recommend you pick up a spare battery and keep it freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings or shooting video.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Sony A35 accepts SD (including SDHC and SDXC types) or Memory Stick Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo memory cards. No card is included with the camera.

We strongly recommend buying either a fast, large capacity SDHC card, or a fast, large capacity Memory Stick Pro Duo card. Get at least a 4GB card, preferably an 8GB or larger one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings and while shooting HD video. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)