Sony SLT Alpha 99

The Sony SLT Alpha 99 is a full-frame DSLR released in 2012, and it puts still-image quality first. A CMOS sensor, an electronic viewfinder and in-body stabilisation form the core of the shooting experience.

That mix suits landscape, portrait and travel photographers who want resolution in a DSLR-style body and are happy to build a kit around the Sony Alpha lens mount.

Owning it means accepting a large body. At 812g and 147 x 111 x 78mm it will be noticed on long walks, though the weather sealing lets you keep shooting in dust and damp.

The Optics score of 72 is good, and it places this camera in the top 21% of cameras in our database for Optics. The 24.3 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor sits at the heart of that result, providing resolution for large prints and generous crops from each frame.

In-body stabilisation means steadier handheld shooting at slower shutter speeds with every Alpha-mount lens you attach. It counters your own camera shake, not the movement of your subject. The ISO range runs from 100 to 6400, which sets a modest ceiling on low-light work, and the 1/8000s maximum shutter speed helps keep wide apertures usable in bright light.

Autofocus offers 19 points, and the maximum burst rate is 6fps. The 2,359,000-dot electronic viewfinder gives a detailed preview of your framing before you press the shutter, so composition can be checked in advance.

The camera records video, but video is a modest part of its specification, as the score of 56 reflects. The maximum recording resolution is Full HD, and the maximum video frame rate is 60fps, each a separate limit rather than a combined recording mode. Anyone needing higher-resolution footage will find the ceiling here.

Recording saves to AVCHD Ver. 2.0 or MP4 files, which gives a choice of two formats for the footage you record.

There is no built-in timelapse function, so sequences of that kind need another approach beyond the camera's own feature set. For a photographer whose main interest is stills and who films occasionally, Full HD recording covers the basics.

The 3-inch TFT screen carries 1,229,000 dots, which makes reviewing shots and checking focus a clear, detailed exercise. It also flips out from the body, so waist-level and overhead framing become comfortable rather than guesswork.

Its Features score of 44 is modest, and the absences weigh on it. There is no touchscreen, so menus and settings are handled through physical controls, and there is no Bluetooth for connecting to other devices. Wi-Fi is absent too, so there is no built-in wireless transfer.

Weather sealing guards against dust and moisture, though it is not waterproofing. There is no built-in flash, but the camera can take an external flash for stronger, directional light. A GPS receiver tags each photo with its location, which helps with travel and documentation work.

Storage and battery is the camera's lowest-scoring area, with a limited score of 27. A single card slot takes SD, SDHC and SDXC cards as well as Memory Stick Pro Duo and Pro-HG Duo, so you cannot record to two cards at once or keep an in-camera copy of a shoot.

The NP-FM500H battery is rated for 500 shots, a figure to plan around rather than a promise for every situation. A charged spare is a sensible part of the kit for longer days out.

There is no USB charging, so the battery cannot be topped up over a cable while it sits in the camera. Building a charging routine into your preparation is simply part of owning this camera.