Sony Alpha 58 review – LCD, viewfinder and video
The electronic viewfinder is a lot less tunnel-like than its optical peers, while there’s a host of shooting info displayed on screen and the 100% coverage means nothing creeps in at the edges of the frame once you’ve taken the shot. Its more than fine for composition and focusing in most situations, but it does struggle with high-contrast scenes and I’d recommend trying it out before buying.
The downgraded rear LCD screen is disappointing, not offering quite the same level of detail and ‘bite’ as the competition or its predecessor, while the tilt-only screen doesn’t off the same breadth of movement as the Alpha 57.
For general video shooting, the Alpha 58 is fine, with the option to shoot at 25p or 50i in AVCHD, while the onboard stereo microphones deliver reasonable sound – though I’d recommend against using the 18-55mm kit lens in AF while recording, as the AF noise from the lens can disrupted audio.
