I have been seriously into photography for around 6 years now. I started with a 350d and moved to a 50d but with the imminent arrival of my first child i felt an upgrade was justified.
The obvious choice was the 7d - my dad has one and i like it a lot. There are some good nikon's as well in the price range as well but i've never got on with thembut, the canon 7d old camera now - particularly the sensor technology and there were certain features of the a77 that i thought i would make full use of - things like focus peeking and on paper the evf had certain advantages as well as disadvantages. For example, an overlay of the histogram and the fact the the dof preview button can be set to show exactly what the actual shot will look like, thus somewhat mitigating the low light issues. It wasn't an easy decision, i had a few lenses and as i say i am (or at least was) a canon shooter but i took the decision to move to the a77. I can't say whether i would be happy or not with a 7d as i didn't go that route but having used my dad's i don't think i would have minded having it.
Before purchasing the a77 i owned an a200 and still own an a700, as well as numerous minolta film cameras which share the same lens mount. Focussing is fast and accurate, it's speed blistering, as well as many other useful features such as gps, sweep panorama and face recognition etc. However, it does take some time to adjust to the evf.
I've missed quite a view shots waiting for the evf to start when raising the camera to my eye or because i was chimping at the rear screen before going to take a shot, then finding the image i'd been looking at on the rear filling the evf rather than the subject i'm about to shoot. Slightly annoying but i suppose it is user error. It would be nice to be able to get option to disable image playback in the evf so this doesn't happen. The evf does have the very useful feature of being able to display a histogram or an electronic spirit level as well as other data. My main problem i have with the camera is its flash metering.
Pros
- A Ground-Breaking Camera
- Best APS-C camera, well done Sony!!!
- Better than the Canon 7D
- The new technology at unbeatable price
- A great buy at the asking price
- An extremely solid Semi-pro DSLR
Cons
- A77 SCREEN DAMAGED BY SWEAT STAIN
Negative Review of Sony A77 Translucent Mirror Interchangeable Lens Camera with 16-50mm Lens
Features of Sony A77 Translucent Mirror Interchangeable Lens Camera with 16-50mm Lens
- 24.3 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS, Full HD AVCHD, 25/50p, 12fps, 7.5cm 3-way LCD, GPS. With 16-50mm lens.
- 24.3MP Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor
- XGA Tru-Finder OLED viewfinder
- Up to 12fps continuous shooting
Maximise your creative vision, You're an enthusiast, looking for a camera that will help fulfil your vision. A camera with higher resolution, colour reproduction and sensitivity plus the speed to capture the moment in exceptional detail. The SLT-A77 puts creative shooting in your hands with advanced Translucent Mirror Technology, interchangeable lenses, fast continuous shooting up to 12 frames per second and extremely high 24.3 megapixel resolution. All the high performance features you need in a body that's ready to go anywhere thanks to it's dust and water resistant seals.
Rapid response with Translucent Mirror Technology, Voted 'Innovation of The Year' at the Amateur Photographer Awards 2011,Translucent Mirror Technology provides high precision, SLR quality performance for both still image capture and Full HD movies. By replacing the mirror box used in conventional SLR cameras with a newly designed mirror box containing a fixed translucent mirror that does not need to be raised and lowered each time the shutter is released, this innovative technology gives ultra high-speed continuous shooting and auto focusing. Perfect for catching spontaneous moments in the best possible quality. With improved sensitivity, you'll shoot higher quality photos at high-sensitivity settings. TMT allows both viewfinder shooting and live-view shooting using the LCD monitor on the back of the camera while providing Full-time "always on" Continuous AF during both photo and movie shooting. High performance features like fast continuous shooting up to 12 frames per second and extremely high 24.3 megapixel resolution. Click here for a larger image
The world's fastest continuous shooting at 12fps (frames per second)*, The innovative SLT-A77 offers the speed and precision you need to 'focus between the moments' and shoot high speed continuous action at up to 12fps – faster than most professional interchangeable lens digital cameras. Catch the decisive moment with full-time continuous AF. Tele-Zoom Continuous Advance Priority AE zooms in with around 1.4x or 2x magnification to keep your subject in precise focus in every frame – ideal for capturing sports action and facial expressions.
Sophisticated 19-point AF system, This camera also includes a newly developed 19-point AF system with 11 cross sensors for higher autofocusing precision. By spreading the 19 AF sensors across a wide auto focusing area, subjects are clearly captured. The 11 cross sensors track the subject more accurately than sensors with only vertical or horizontal detection. The result? Continual focus on your subject without lag or interruption.
See the difference with unsurpassed resolution, Despite being light and compact, SLT-A77 includes a large, high resolution Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor with 24.3 megapixels. Shoot professional quality images with intense colour, rich tonal gradation and subtle background defocusing effects. This sophisticated sensor is identical in size and performance to those used in Sony a digital SLR cameras and more than 13 times larger than the 1/2.4' sensors found in most digital compact cameras. Noise is reduced in both the analog (pre-AD signal conversion) and digital (post-AD signal conversion) stages by an on-chip column AD converter and dual-noise reduction circuit. Working with the sensor is a sophisticated BIONZ processor, designed to process vast amounts of information from the sensor at high speed. Ideal for handling intensive tasks such as ultra high-speed 12 fps shooting, Multi Frame NR, Sweep Panorama image stitching and Hand-held Twilight image composition. High ISO sensitivity of 100-16000 gives you the freedom to shoot at fast shutter speeds indoors or in dimly lit environments such as candlelit weddings without the need for a flash. An ISO expansion mode allows you to set ISO sensitivity as low as 50 – combined with a slow shutter speed, this setting is great for capturing detail such as the flow of a waterfall or river.
Smooth Quick AF Full HD movies, Catch the action, the moment it appears. With Translucent Mirror Technology, movies can be captured utilising full-time continuous AF. The high-speed phase-detection AF system precisely tracks moving subjects and with electronic SteadyShot image stabilization on board, your film will be stable and judder-free. Shoot super smooth Full HD 1920 x 1080 movies in razor-sharp detail at 50p or 25p for a more cinematic feel. The large Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor gives outstanding light sensitivity for shooting at dawn, dusk or indoors and sound recorded by a stereo microphone on the mirror housing gives excellent quality with low noise.
Advanced Quick AF Live View, With Advanced Quick AF Live View, high-resolution image data from the sensor can be displayed in the viewfinder as well as on the LCD monitor. You choose which you want to monitor while shooting. Switching is automatic for ease of use and you can activate Quick AF Live View in the viewfinder simply by putting your eye to the eyepiece. Enjoy newly developed 19-point AF system with 11 cross sensors for higher autofocusing precision.Click here for a larger image
High resolution, high contrast viewfinder, See your world in perfect clarity and detail. The XGA OLED Tri-Finder in SLT-A77 is the first electronic viewfinder to feature an Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) for higher resolution, higher contrast and 100% frame coverage. This viewfinder offers a wide viewing angle of 33.3° and a high eye-point of 27mm so you can shoot and review images without taking your eyes from the finder. OLED technology provides the power, contrast and response required to perfectly reproduce scenes without motion blur or residual image. Detail is superb and allows image enlargement for more precise focusing and framing.
The world's first 3 way tilt LCD*, View images more comfortably, however you're shooting, with the world's first camera display that moves in three ways. Compared with conventional two-hinged displays that tilt only horizontally and vertically, this display gives you more flexibility when shooting at angles, using a tripod or from low and high positions.
Rapid response everytime, With a fast release time lag of just 50 milliseconds and high speed AF, SLT-A77 gives you the flexibility to capture fast, dynamic action the moment it happens. This impressive release time lag – the time it takes the camera to begin image exposure after focusing – is due to a new electronic front shutter curtain that synchronizes with the mechanical second shutter curtain and provides exposure without front shutter curtain movement. New Object Tracking keeps moving subjects in perfect focus even while zooming in by locking on to them in the target frame so you can concentrate solely on composing your scene.
Go manual for precise control, Switch to manual exposure and precisely control light for even more creative freedom. P/A/S/M modes provide perfect control of defocus and brightness. This camera can also record in 25p — for that more traditional movies look, enhancing your video with a truly artistic feel.
Advanced photographic features, The sophisticated SLT-A77 is packed with latest technology to help you create perfect photos. From aberration correction, Auto HDR, D-Range Optimizer to Shot Result Preview for displaying results of aperture and shutter speed settings, you'll have all the tools you need to maximize every shot.
Easy creative photography, With the SLT-A77, anyone can experience the satisfaction of artistic photography. New enhanced Picture Effect lets you modify images by changing colours, adding textures or including special visual effects – all without a PC. Transform simple shots into works of art using modes such as Toy Camera or Partial Colour. Choose from 11 Picture Effect modes including new HDR Painting, Rich-tone Monochrome, Soft Focus and Miniature. You can even adjust the level of some effects for total creative control.
Simple to use, Frequently used buttons are designed to stand out for easier recognition and access, front and rear dials near the grip provide quick adjustment of camera settings while looking through the viewfinder and a large LCD display keeps you up to speed with all essential data.
Interchangeable lens flexibility for unrivalled freedom, Enjoy all the flexibility of a traditional SLR and the technological advances of the DSLR. The SLT-A77 is compatible with the full range of system A-mount lenses - including fisheye, super wide-angle, telephoto, macro, and other fixed focal length and zoom lenses. Whether you're shooting stills or moving images you'll get the benefits of high-speed, high-precision, phase-detection AF with virtually all of them. Exercise your cinematic creativity without worrying about difficult focusing problems.
Battery chargerRechargeable batteryShoulder strapBody capLens hoodEyepiece cupPower cableLens capCD-ROMAccessory shoe capUSB cableSAL-1650
Best Aps-C Camera, Well Done Sony!!!. One of my best purchases ever, worth every penny. Joy to use & shoot giving great results from not so great photographer!i won't list all the features - you can easily find them, so i'll just describe main pros & cons. Pros:great build quality, feels solid and right grip in handweather sealed body & lensvery good controls with plenty of buttons for efficient and fast access to most settingsexcellent, all way adjustable lcdjoystickbrilliant oled evf - this literally transform the way you take photos - what you see is what you get, no more compose and look at the results on lcd - not to mention all the information available - also easily switchable as on the lcd - best thing ever. Focus peaking - finally easy way to manually fast focusexcellent image quality - including jpeg which can be adjusted a lotvery high resolution imagespanorama/3d panoramas - easy to do, well stitchedauto hdrmulti noise reductionvery fast and accurate, 19 points phase detection auto focusaf illuminationfast image processingstrong built-in flash (though i prefer external for bouncing and other effects)very high burst and continuous shootingsony lenses correctioncustomisation + 3 memory setsfantastic video quality - 1080p 50fps is hard to beatfast focus in videouseful (sometimes) gadgets - gps, picture modes/effectscons:bad video audio - for high quality best use good externalno video audio volume adjustmentcan't adjust all the buttons the way you want (minor)if i were picky, i could say evf in very low light, but in reality it won't hamper you muchon/off switch feels worse than a550, less tactileall in all - if this is in your budget, just get it, you won't regret it a second. ************ update february 2012 - after 7 months of use ************after 7 months and >5000 photos i thought i'll share my feedback & experience. Over time, i absolutely got to love this camera. Thanks to oled evf, precise, fast af and lens micro adjustment, my numbers of keepers is ~ 95% and the remaining 5% is pretty much due to my errors rather than camera. At some point i stopped using raw (with the exception of very high iso shots) and shoot extra fine jpeg only - with 15-19mb files i'm not loosing much and still can process files in lightroom if i want to. Thanks to the 24mp sensor photos are very detailed even when heavily cropped - so eventual composition errors are easily corrected. Once microadjusted sharpness is excellent with all lenses - and the 16-50mm 2. 8 kit lens is amazing. Colours, bokeh, sharpness (especially when stopped to f4), speed - phenomenal glass, especially when used well. Yes, there is distortion at the wide and, but it is in-camera corrected (jpeg) or in the pp (raw) - so not an issue at all. As it is very quiet it is great for videos - which are excellent - i sold my sony hdr-sr12 camcorder as the video was on par (and better for high speed - 60fps full hd!) so there was no point carrying it with me. I use mostly evf + the top display for settings changes - and in this combo i'm amazed how many shots you can take on battery - it seems to go and go forever. I've been updating firmware as soon as the new version appeared and being now on 1. 07 my observations are - versus the initial 1. 04:1) responsiveness has been improved from very good to outstanding2) start-up/shutdown is much faster. In the 1. 07 they introduced a trick - basically the camera has 2 types of shutdown - first it sort of hibernates, giving almost immediate start up if not left for long, and the proper one, when not used. I don't know however what is the exact time after which it shuts down fully - and didn't see any battery draining. All in all, great idea sony!3) buffer emptying in 12fps mode is much faster, with the sandisk extreme pro 95mb/sec camera is ready after ~5. 5 sec!!! fantastic4) auto iso seems to be more considerate with higher iso (i. E. Keeping lower iso than before)5) auto focus improved, especially in tricky conditions6) can't see oled lag bug (basically rarely i would get slower fps after switching modes - this would be corrected after switching to different mode and back so not that it was a big issue)7) i'm not a huge pixel peeper so can't say there's noticable iq improvement - it was excellent to me from the start. Don't want to repeat myself, but this camera transformed me as an amateur photographer, it is a real joy to use, and thanks to that as well as all the qualities, i've learned a lot and i'm able to shoot much better pictures - and it has been noticed by anyone who looked and my photos. It gives confidence when you press the shutter and i want to carry it with me everywhere - not to mention going out as much as possible. It is an expensive camera, however if you can afford, it's fantastic and worth every penny - after all, you can't put a price on captured memories!.
Better Than the Canon 7d. I know i'll get a lot of stick for the 'subject' of my review, but i used both & can confidently say that for me the a77 is far better. The focusing and speed of the camera is excellent, as is the quality of the image. It's not in the same league as say the canon mkii for noise control, but then it isnt a full frame camera. The evf is as most people will probably say, a matter of choice, but for me it works - period. I take a lot of animal photos, and getting the eyes in focus is a must. Having the ability to zoom in through the viewfinder to ensure accuracy is such a boon + you dont really have to worry too much about whether you have the correct exposure settings, as wysiwyg. Purists and canon / nikon snobs will probably hate it - to them i would ask why it now seems that both manufacturers always seem to be one step behind when it comes to innovation? sensor cleaning, in built camera shake, in built gps, reticulated screens, the list goes on. . I'm not trying to poo poo canon's and nikons btw, i have used both over many years of photography, and they have made some real stars, such as the canon 5d mark ii, but if you are in the market for buying a camera, dont feel forced in to just looking at these two manufactures as now sony and others are hot on their heels. Reviews of the a77 prove this. So if you are looking for a good solid camera, that wont cost you the earth, then you wont go far wrong with this. .
The New Technology At Unbeatable Price. This is a unique camera with so many innovations, which will change the future of the srl market, the 'kit' lens is excellent, fast optics and super fast focusing, while being silent (which is important for making movies). The same fast (24-70) f/2. 8 lens for full frame cameras cost twice as much (nikon /canon equivalents) and weights twice as much too! the electronic viewfinder is a game changer, much easier to view in low light, all info is visible at a glance, focus peaking, depth of field check function, white balance adjustment are very convenient; the a77 camera is relatively compact, while giving the full field of view in the viewfinder, such coverage of view one can only see on the full-frame pro-slrs. .
Product Info
- Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 14.2 x 10.4 cm ; 653 g
- Boxed-product Weight: 2.3 Kg
- Item model number: SLTA77VQ.CEH
- ASIN: B005O8KJ2M
Conclusion of Sony A77 Translucent Mirror Interchangeable Lens Camera
I have had the sony a77 for about a month and am still discovering hidden depths. The response from reviewers has been overwhelmingly positive and i can't help feeling that this camera heralds a new era of slr/slt development. I'm a wildlife photographer, having used canon for many years i never thought i'd switch manufacturer, but having seen reviews and footage of the a77 in action i knew it was time to make the leap. Now for all of you that have discussed this camera body with friends and colleagues, and have been greeted with the negative comments that seem to be doing the rounds on you-tube and the photography forums let's get some of the nonesense out of the way -yes, it's different, it's a sony. The very fact that you can shoot, at 12fps, up to 1/8000th of a second, is itself an incrediable feature, yes you still have the constraints of the cameras own internal buffer, and the size and write speed of the memory card, but i've used this with a sandisk ultra 95mbs sd card and have consistantly managed 36 frames before realising any buffer lag, with the internal buffer then clearing down in around 10 seconds.
8 'kit' lens, which is weather proofed, sharp, fast and in conjunction with the cameras onboard 2 x teleconverter (shooting jpeg only) suddenly becomes a 100mm f/2. 8, anyone else give you such a high quality lens as part of a package?and before i forget, a 24. 3 effective megapixels ultra-high resolution exmor(tm) aps hd cmos sensor, on a camera body that retails for under £1,500. Pros:great build quality, feels solid and right grip in handweather sealed body & lensvery good controls with plenty of buttons for efficient and fast access to most settingsexcellent, all way adjustable lcdjoystickbrilliant oled evf - this literally transform the way you take photos - what you see is what you get, no more compose and look at the results on lcd - not to mention all the information available - also easily switchable as on the lcd - best thing ever. Focus peaking - finally easy way to manually fast focusexcellent image quality - including jpeg which can be adjusted a lotvery high resolution imagespanorama/3d panoramas - easy to do, well stitchedauto hdrmulti noise reductionvery fast and accurate, 19 points phase detection auto focusaf illuminationfast image processingstrong built-in flash (though i prefer external for bouncing and other effects)very high burst and continuous shootingsony lenses correctioncustomisation + 3 memory setsfantastic video quality - 1080p 50fps is hard to beatfast focus in videouseful (sometimes) gadgets - gps, picture modes/effectscons:bad video audio - for high quality best use good externalno video audio volume adjustmentcan't adjust all the buttons the way you want (minor)if i were picky, i could say evf in very low light, but in reality it won't hamper you muchon/off switch feels worse than a550, less tactileall in all - if this is in your budget, just get it, you won't regret it a second.
Over time, i absolutely got to love this camera. Thanks to oled evf, precise, fast af and lens micro adjustment, my numbers of keepers is ~ 95% and the remaining 5% is pretty much due to my errors rather than camera. At some point i stopped using raw (with the exception of very high iso shots) and shoot extra fine jpeg only - with 15-19mb files i'm not loosing much and still can process files in lightroom if i want to. As it is very quiet it is great for videos - which are excellent - i sold my sony hdr-sr12 camcorder as the video was on par (and better for high speed - 60fps full hd) so there was no point carrying it with me. I use mostly evf + the top display for settings changes - and in this combo i'm amazed how many shots you can take on battery - it seems to go and go forever.
07 they introduced a trick - basically the camera has 2 types of shutdown - first it sort of hibernates, giving almost immediate start up if not left for long, and the proper one, when not used. All in all, great idea sony3) buffer emptying in 12fps mode is much faster, with the sandisk extreme pro 95mb/sec camera is ready after ~5. Fantastic4) auto iso seems to be more considerate with higher iso (i. Keeping lower iso than before)5) auto focus improved, especially in tricky conditions6) can't see oled lag bug (basically rarely i would get slower fps after switching modes - this would be corrected after switching to different mode and back so not that it was a big issue)7) i'm not a huge pixel peeper so can't say there's noticable iq improvement - it was excellent to me from the start. Don't want to repeat myself, but this camera transformed me as an amateur photographer, it is a real joy to use, and thanks to that as well as all the qualities, i've learned a lot and i'm able to shoot much better pictures - and it has been noticed by anyone who looked and my photos.
It is an expensive camera, however if you can afford, it's fantastic and worth every penny - after all, you can't put a price on captured memories. The focusing and speed of the camera is excellent, as is the quality of the image. It's not in the same league as say the canon mkii for noise control, but then it isnt a full frame camera. Sensor cleaning, in built camera shake, in built gps, reticulated screens, the list goes on. I'm not trying to poo poo canon's and nikons btw, i have used both over many years of photography, and they have made some real stars, such as the canon 5d mark ii, but if you are in the market for buying a camera, dont feel forced in to just looking at these two manufactures as now sony and others are hot on their heels.
So if you are looking for a good solid camera, that wont cost you the earth, then you wont go far wrong with this. This is a unique camera with so many innovations, which will change the future of the srl market, the 'kit' lens is excellent, fast optics and super fast focusing, while being silent (which is important for making movies). 8 lens for full frame cameras cost twice as much (nikon /canon equivalents) and weights twice as much too. The electronic viewfinder is a game changer, much easier to view in low light, all info is visible at a glance, focus peaking, depth of field check function, white balance adjustment are very convenient; the a77 camera is relatively compact, while giving the full field of view in the viewfinder, such coverage of view one can only see on the full-frame pro-slrs. Before purchasing the a77 i owned an a200 and still own an a700, as well as numerous minolta film cameras which share the same lens mount.
However, it does take some time to adjust to the evf. I've missed quite a view shots waiting for the evf to start when raising the camera to my eye or because i was chimping at the rear screen before going to take a shot, then finding the image i'd been looking at on the rear filling the evf rather than the subject i'm about to shoot. My main problem i have with the camera is its flash metering. 8 is a great lens and many people would have expected a lens of this quality to bear the 'g' designation.
To get the best out of the camera it is best to shoot raw as the jpgs don't really do the 24mp sensor any justice and lack the detail that can be achieved by using good raw processing software. This is definitely not a beginners camera and needs time to learn how to get the best out of it. You will be sadly disappointed with this camera if you just shoot jpgs in auto mode. But if you take the time to get to know it, then it really is capable of taking stunning images. Like many i toyed with the idea of the a77 for some time, having briefly used one a few years back it was nice, but the price was fairly heavy at the time.
Fast forward to 2014 and a newer model a77 mkii and we get some very good deals on this camera right now. Having used the camera for a week or so i'll give you my honest impressions of it so far, and will update the review as required over time. Quick fire good/bad pointspros:+ very good build, mag alloy front and back panels, weather sealing (dust moisture)+ excellent 19 point (11 cross type af points) autofocus, it's very fast with good accuracy+ ability to af 'fine tune' lenses (so far i have not needed to)+ built in red led beam 'af assist' very handy for low light, it puts a pattern out and you can focus even in complete darkness or on subjects with no contrast+ excellent details and tonality with very good dynamic range, 24mp is overkill for most, but the firepower is there if you need it+ extensive on body controls with direct buttons for wb, iso, joystick control, front/rear dials, af mode knob+ top lcd can be useful (it's backlit) for tripod shooting+ multi swivel lcd can be fully articulated, sharp high res 3' display+ very fast frames per second shooting rate up to 12fps (fixed aperture though) also has 8fps and 3fps cont shooting modes+ full metal mount (lower priced alpha bodies don't have this, just worth a mention)+ focus 'peaking' can be use and a magnify focus check, this makes manual focus very easy+ ability to 'save' 3 banks of settings on the dial (mr position)+ has a dof preview, dmf (direct manual focus) option for af+ pc sync port, remote port, gps built in, 3. 5mm microphone+ quiet shutter sound (electronic first curtain) shutter rated to 150k actuations+ 1/8000 sec top shutter speed+ steady shot adds in body stabilisations to all lenses (even older minolta and third party a mount lenses) for freecons:- battery life is around 500 shots below comparable dslr's- some limitations to movie mode, auto iso is limited to iso 1600 max, the video also crops in more, af is restricted to f3. 5 even if you have faster lenses, cannot adjust audio levels (though sound quality is good - stereo with wind cut function) you do have manual controls though (just not af)- jpeg noise reduction is too strong for my own tastes, ok at low iso but higher iso levels you are better off shooting raw (and you are best shooting raw at low iso for max details)- high iso/low light shooting requires more care with exposure (metering can underexpose) iso 3200 is usable with decent exposures, 6400 is pushing things a little.
Button is only useful for image deleting (you can bring up a guide mode with it - option in the menu)other notes: (i will update this as required)oled evf is good resolution wise and has some benefits (focus peaking and exposure simulation, big view) it does struggle with dynamic range in harsh lighting though, and there is some noise in low light in the viewfinder (not listed this as a pro or con like an optical finder it has advantages and disadvantages) the live view advantage due to the fixed mirror is that you get phase detect af in live view full time (though the 70d has this off the sensor too), the mirror does take a bit of light though for the af system (i estimate about half a stop)buffer depth is around 15/16 frames raw (shooting at 8fps) that's ok though the newer a77 ii has a significantly bigger buffer, it's probably enough for most (quite a lot larger than the d7100 buffer, similar to the 70d's buffer), the a57 i have shoots around 23 frames at 8fps (buffer the same smaller raw files mean more shots)do get yourself a faster card if you shoot action, i tested the 80mb/s sandisk in camera and it's clearing times are quick, likewise the extreme pro is a touch faster, the 45mb/s extreme is acceptable clearing times wise (longer than both but not bad) the a77 is uhs-i compatible so look out for cards that are compatible with that from various makers. Like the 7 series cameras from the past era (minolta and sony) you can set the rear dial to exposure compensation. You have wireless flash control via the built in flash (as you do on all sony bodies), you can additionally set the a77's built in flash to manual output (1/16 min output) this can be useful for triggering optical flashes without the main flash influencing the exposure. Exposure is good in most situations, even in harsh light it balances exposure well, but in lower light levels it can be a bit under, this won't do you any favours with high iso shooting, so adjust the exposure if required underexposing at high iso will increase noise. Manual focus is very easy now, you get a real time exposure preview, it can gain up in very low light, and can have lots of information on the display.
Sony A77. Brilliant viewfinder and solid build quality of camera body. Lens is wide aperture and extremely good resolution for a standard fit. Photos well exposed and naturally very sharp. Fast autofocus with no hunting. Translucent mirror has got to be the future of dslr cameras. No crude mechanical mirror mechanism which is an absolute anachronism in the era of electronics. .
An Extremely Solid Semi-Pro Dslr. The evf. You just have to try it, & you'll probably be like me, for the first 10 minutes i was like, i hate this, what have i done! then, it clicked, & i don't think i'll ever go back to an optical viewfinder ever again. You can overlay a histogram, & more importantly, enable focus peaking, so you instantly know you've nailed the focus on those important images. The other important thing is to set the viewfinder brightness to 'manual' & +1 brightness. Also, turn the contrast down in the 'creative style' jpeg setting which in-turn effects the contrast in the evf. This gives a far more pleasing evf experience than when first using the camera. The camera is quick to react, but there is the tiniest of lag's when changing f-stop/shutter. This is apparently being updated with the 1. 05 firmware. High iso performance is absolutely fine up to iso 3200. Beyond this is, noise rises a fair bit. However, you can get around this by downloading a piece of software called 'lightroom enfuse'. This allows you to stack images to reduce noise whilst in lightroom. I find this, combined with the a77's 12fps, can really get you out of some tight situations. Just shoot 3/4 shots instead of the usual 1 & then combine in lightroom. This gives you another 2stops+ high iso performance, & i'd be happy shooting up to 12,800 with this method. The 16-50 lens is excellent, and sharp, corner to corner right from f2. 8. The 16-50 (24-70) focal length is also excellent, and unmatched by the canon & nikon dx current lens offerings and that extra 1-2mm at the short end of the focal range really helps. The sony flashguns are also excellent, the quick bounce system is 'so' much easier than twisting around a traditional flashgun head. The only area of real let down is sony's wireless flash control. This apparently is being sorted by the pixel king radio trasmitters, but, it would be nice to see a sony offering in the area. To summarise then, this is a solid semi-pro offering & definitely worth checking out. The only other thing i'd like to see added to the sony system is a 50-150 f2. 8 which would increase the appeal of this system greatly. .
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