Sony Alpha DSLR-A580

The 16.2-megapixel Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 ($799.99, body only) is an impressive digital camera with great photo and video quality and several innovative in-camera software tricks.

The 3-inch LCD on the back of the A580 is top notch; it's just what you'd expect from a company that makes HDTVs. The 4:3 screen is a high-resolution 920K dots, so it's nice and sharp. The display is mounted on a retracting arm that acts like an accordion, tilting the LCD up and down.

Other D-SLRs, like the Canon EOS 60D ($1,099.99, 4 stars) also have articulating LCDs, but shooting still images with them isn't as easy because autofocus often slows to a crawl in Live View mode. Using the articulating LCD on the A580 is a pleasure since autofocus remains blazing fast.

The many buttons offer quick access to features and settings (ISO, timer shooting, and video mode, for example) without having to dig through menus.

An innovative noise reduction mode can help reduce grain, but it's hit or miss. In this mode, the camera shoots six consecutive images in less than a second, then scans and selects the cleanest parts of each to create a single image.

It can write to Memory Stick Duo or SD/SDHC/SDXC cards.

For sharing photos and videos, you can connect the A580 to a computer through a miniUSB port, and to an HDTV through a mini-HDMI port.

The buttons are all the same small size, clearly labeled, and placed around the LCD, and on top of the A580.

At 1.3 pounds and 4.1 by 5.4 by 3.3 inches (HWD), the camera is comparable to other entry-level D-SLRs.

Sony includes two separate shooting interfaces—a simplified one geared toward beginners and a traditional one for seasoned D-SLR users.

Most cameras allow you to auto-bracket, or take 3 consecutive images at three different exposures (one underexposed, one exposed as metered, and one overexposed) so you can later merge them into one master photo in an image-editing program as a high dynamic range image. The A580 automatically merges those exposures on the spot, like the Sony Cyber-shot WX1.

Video recorded on the A580 looks fantastic, but your capture options are limited. Sutofocus is not available while recording video, so if your subjects go out of focus, you'll have to adjust the focus manually while shooting.

At the lowest (cleanest) sensitivity level of ISO 100, the camera scored a center-weighted average of 2,006 lines per picture height. The Editors' Choice Canon EOS Rebel T2i scored just a bit higher at 2,296, but both scores are excellent.