Preface

You don’t want good pictures from your new Sony Alpha DSLR-A850—you demand outstanding photos. After all, this Alpha model is one of the most advanced semi-professional cameras that Sony has ever introduced. It’s a full-frame camera that boasts an amazing 24 megapixels of resolution, blazing fast automatic focus, powerful anti-shake features to provide sharp images, and dozens of advanced customization options. But your gateway to pixel proficiency is dragged down by the slim little book included in the box as a manual. You know everything you need to know is in there, somewhere, but you don’t know where to start. In addition, the camera manual doesn’t offer much information on photography or digital photography. Nor are you interested in spending hours or days studying a comprehensive book on digital SLR photography that doesn’t necessarily apply directly to your Alpha.

What you need is a guide that explains the purpose and function of the Alpha A850’s basic controls, how you should use them, and why. Ideally, there should be information about file formats, resolution, aperture/priority exposure, and special autofocus modes available, but you’d prefer to read about those topics only after you’ve had the chance to go out and take a few hundred great pictures with your new camera. Why isn’t there a book that summarizes the most important information in its first two or three chapters, with lots of full-color illustrations showing what your results will look like when you use this setting or that?

Now there is such a book. If you want a quick introduction to the Alpha’s focus controls, flash synchronization options, how to choose lenses, or which exposure modes are best, this book is for you. If you can’t decide on what basic settings to use with your camera because you can’t figure out how changing ISO or white balance or focus defaults will affect your pictures, you need this guide.