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Rent NowThe Sony Alpha a55 with 18-55mm Lens is an innovative APS-C camera kit built around Sony’s groundbreaking Translucent Mirror Technology, the first-ever design of its kind at the time of release. Rather than a traditional flipping DSLR mirror, the a55’s fixed translucent mirror simultaneously feeds light to both the image sensor and a dedicated phase-detection autofocus sensor, giving photographers continuous, high-speed autofocus during both stills and video shooting.
At the core of the a55 is a 16.2MP APS-C HD CMOS sensor, paired with a 15-point autofocus system (including 3 cross-type points) that maintains accurate, rapid focus tracking even on moving subjects. Because the mirror never needs to flip out of the way, the a55 achieves professional-class continuous shooting speeds of up to 10fps at full resolution with exposure fixed at the first frame, or a standard continuous mode at up to 6fps with full autofocus tracking between shots.
Handling centers on a bright 3-inch tiltable LCD screen with 921,000 dots, along with an electronic viewfinder that, thanks to the translucent mirror design, provides a high-resolution live image preview at all times rather than the blackout typical of traditional DSLR viewfinders during shooting. Built-in GPS records the location and time of every shot, letting photographers view their images on a map with compatible software. Additional creative features include an automatic HDR mode that merges three exposures into one optimized image, a 3D Sweep Panorama mode combining three photos into a 3D image, and several creative style presets such as Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, and Black & White.
Video capability includes Full HD 1080/60i recording, with the continuous phase-detection autofocus keeping moving subjects sharply focused throughout a video clip, a notable advantage over contemporary DSLRs that typically relied on slower contrast-detection AF for video.
The bundled Sony DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAM lens delivers a 35mm-equivalent focal range of approximately 27-82.5mm on the a55’s APS-C sensor, giving photographers a complete, ready-to-shoot kit spanning moderate wide-angle through short telephoto framing for everyday and travel photography. The a55 uses Sony/Minolta’s A-mount lens system, providing access to a wide range of compatible lenses as photographers look to expand their kit.
Key Features
– 16.2MP APS-C HD CMOS sensor
– Translucent Mirror Technology (fixed, non-moving mirror)
– 15-point phase-detection autofocus (3 cross-type points)
– Up to 10fps continuous shooting (fixed exposure); 6fps with full AF tracking
– Continuous autofocus during Full HD video recording
– Full HD 1080/60i video recording
– 3″ tiltable LCD (921,000 dots)
– Electronic viewfinder with live preview (no blackout)
– Built-in GPS
– Auto HDR mode
– 3D Sweep Panorama mode
– Includes DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAM lens (approximately 27-82.5mm equivalent)
– Sony/Minolta A-mount lens compatibility
