Sony SLT a65v Long-term Impressions

I was frequently pleased with the quality of the images from my Sony SLT-A65. This camera was with me all the time, and when not around my neck was hiding in a Pelican case at the bottom of my boat as I worked on various habitat restoration projects. The built-in GPS on the camera was great for documenting where I was and keeping the date and time updated. Not a big deal to most people, but for me it was great. It seems like most cameras omit the GPS these days which is a real shame in my opinion. You can always sync up with a phone, or smartwatch, but I don’t like the extra steps. There is often a delay with the built-in GPS, so I often left my camera on and would wake it up now and again by pressing the shutter button.

The 24.3 MP resolution was more than I needed 98% of the time and the 2% was good enough. The camera was an upgrade from my Sony a580 dslr, and I am not sure it was necessary. The biggest problem I had with the Sony A65 was that my giant thumb would rest on the command wheel and when held down without knowing, pushed the color balance all the way to the right and made everything look muddy. In the bright sunlight I usually worked in, it was impossible to tell the color shift unless I really looked for it. It was disappointing, to say the least, to get back home after a long day in the field to see my photos look like they had been taken with a dog crap filter on.

My Lenses for the Sony SLT A65

• Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM My Everyday Lens
• Sony 16-50mm f2.8 zoom lens

• Sony 75-300mm f/3.5-5.6
• Sony 100mm f/2.8 Macro
• Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM
• Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG HSM OS
• Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC

The other big problem with the Sony a65 SLT was the protective LCD film. This is an integrated part of the screen, not an add-on protector. If you put a protector on your screen, you are really putting a protector on a protector. Anyway, the adhesive they use on these is not very good, and begins to bubble, until they are practically unusable. The same happened to a Sony point-and-shoot and a Sony a77 of the same vintage. Because of these issues and a couple of others, I dumped Sony and returned to Nikon. I don’t ask for perfection in my cameras. There are so many compromises to make when designing a camera body that I can only ask so much. I certainly can’t afford to jump brands because I don’t like the menu in my Nikon z50. (Which is true garbage), but I do want to see my LCD screen!

While I really didn’t like the way it was prone to changing the color balance without me knowing it, I really did a lot of good work with it, and it was a significant step up from my A580. I later inherited an A77, and I really like that camera, especially with the vertical grip accessory, so if you are looking for a used Sony DSLR, I would recommend the A77, but watch out for the screen protector.