Wasatch Sunset - Sony Alpha A55

[Photo-John]

I got a Sony Alpha A55 (2010 Camera Of The Year) for review and went out yesterday evening for some sunset photos. It snowed a bunch in the mountains the night before and it was very clear and cold - good conditions for a good sunset. Unfortunately there were no clouds on the mountains. Since it was so cold, super dry snow and a bit of evening wind made up for no clouds with streams of spindrift up at the top.

I haven't used the Sony A55 much yet. But these photos came out beautiful. I shot them on a tripod with the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 pro zoom using live view. I chose the A55 as Camera Of The Year because of its creative design and new technology. After being able to use it a bit I have no second thoughts. No - it's not a pro body. Nor did I expect it to be. But the performance is excellent. Even the EVF works well! I haven't been bothered by it while I use it like I have been in the past with some other EVF viewfinders.

Oh yeah - it was about 15 degrees with a bit of wind when I took these pictures. I had on two shirts, a shell jacket, a synthetic underjacket, a fat down vest, insulated Carharrt pants, a wool hat and fleece mittens, and I was still freezing. My fingers and toes hurt when I got back in the car.

[Iguanamom]

The wind blowing the snow around makes these a bit more dynamic than the norm. I love it when Mother Nature gives us a bonus.

[Liz]

Great shots John. I especially like the 2nd one....especially the color and contrast which gives it more depth.

Liz

[Photo-John]

Thanks, ladies!

I like the second one too, Liz. This was actually a new location for me to shoot from. I was looking for an angle a little closer and farther north than I'd been shooting. This gave me more dramatic shadows and hightlights. I think it worked out pretty well. I'm always looking for new places to shoot the mountains from. It's possible to reshoot the same basic subject in an infinite number of ways with different angles, seasons, weather, etc.

[Chris350]

I second the thumbs up on #2. Love the light. the overall color balance might be a touch blue for my personal taste, but it's a first class image.