The Sony SLT-A33 features Full HD movies in 1080i resolution with MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video compression as well as continuous live view plus AF tracking of moving subjects.
Two file formats are provided and so you can chose - according to Sony’s website - between AVCHD for “smooth video images on a high-definition TV” and MP4 for “WEB uploads, e-mail attachments or playing back on computers.” Three different sizes are available for recording - AVCHD 1920 × 1080, MP4 1440 × 1080, MP4 640 X 480.
Generally there is no recording limit. However, the Sony SLT-A33 is a digital still and not a video camera and this is also reflected within the manual of the SLT-A33:
“Each continuous recording time limit indicated for a movie is available for about [...] 11 minutes [...] at a room temperature of 20°C (68°F). When you disable the SteadyShot function, it is available for about 29 minutes [...].” Admittedly this will be good enough for most situations anyway.
A HDMI interface is also available for connecting the camera directly to your HDTV.
Taking videos with such a small camera feels slightly strange but the results are actually quite excellent and not comparable to the small, low quality movies from digital compact cameras. This applies also to the sound quality of the built-in microphone which captures Dolby Digital stereo sounds. Single and continuous AF is available during recording and - thanks to the SLT technology - pretty reliable. However, you can notice the focusing noises of the lens which may spoil the cinematic experience a little bit.
