Sony Alpha A77 review

One for me ....

Deffo gonna have a go with this when Jessops get it in stock, two months of lots of overtime should cover the cost of this, hell yes :D Any chance of a review of the new kit lens and the 70-200 2.8 which I see you used in some of the sample pics? :)

I think you pointed out an important fact: while the 24Mpx sensor may not beat the D7000 in higher ISO's, it will shine in lower ISO's. I want one!

Yep, we'll be reviewing both the 16-50mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8 very soon.

An excellent review Phil, finally a camera to wipe off the smug Canon & Nikon grins, and a worthy replacement for the A700. I'm going for an A65, just hope it's nearly as good.

Christmas present for myself -check!

Hi; I cant believe you forgot an SLR sensor that beats the ones you mentioned in the review in terms of resolution its the Sigma SD1 sensor with 46 mega pixels

DanC, megapixels dont count for shit, high ISO/low noise sensors are where its at nowadays, anyway the files produced by the sigma are 15mp as far as Im aware as its 3x 15mp sensors combined?

To remedy the false impression by this review about this camera's construction. It has a tough Magnessium/Alloy body covered in high quality tough knock resistant plastic.

99.9% of my pictures rarely shot above iso 800. If you really worry about noise shoot Raw and don't tell me professionals like you use jpeg to process. Noise is the marketing of pixels in the past once it's going beyond 1600. They will work on others to brainwash customers.

I just wonder why a900 is more expensiwe than a77 I just want to know wich camera to buy. I had a100 and I still have some lensses

Jerzy, the A900 is a FF camera and has a different lens mount than a crop sensor camera. Mine is pre-ordered...too excited.

"Alpha A77 can shoot Full HD 1080p footage at both 24 or 50fps (30/60fps for the NTSC market)". This is incorrect. In the UK the A77 will offer 25 or 50fps. NTSC market models will do 24, 30 or 60fps, depending on the video format used.

While the review goes into detail about some aspects of the EVF, primarily the optical clarity disadvantage it has compared to OVF, it doesn't really mention the advantages EVF has over OVF, such as being able to see the effect of exposure settings before the shot is taken. You mention that one might miss OVF, but it isn't even considered that certain advantages of the EVF will be missed when going back to an OVF. I've seen many people mention that going back to an OVF after using EVF is sometimes like going back to the Stone Age.

It was hard to make case for the A700? Well in body steady shot and a grid pattern, low-light focusing LED was something both the Canon 40D and Nikon D300 didn't have. The 40D also didn't have today's standard high-res screen. And, at the time, it was quite a bit cheaper than the D300 for basically the same sensor. By the way Jerzy, the A900 is the cheapest full-frame DSLR by a long way.

Having read the reviews I decided to try an A77 out at my local photo store. I was a little disappointed with the electronic viewfinder although it gave an excellent big view, under the shop lights it looked very contrasty and flare prone. I picked up a Nikon D7000 and compared it, the Nikon was sharp as a tack and in a different league. I also didn't like the shutter action it felt slow - I'm guessing it wasn't in reality but it didn't feel quality. However the camera looks a lot better than the toy like A33/55 offerings. Maybe the A88 will be an even bigger improvement, I think the technology still needs to improve.

Steve, what do you mean by slow shutter action? Do you mean the action of the button, or the actual shutter? If the latter, you should be aware that with the electronic first curtain shutter, the A77 is probably the fastest camera around in this regard.

Nitpickers everyone. I've had my A77 from 23rd Sept with no problems and I have not installed firmware 1.03 yet. Yes it has it's limitations but overall it is a great improvement - my A580 now languishes in my bag until I need to take out 2 bodies. It's a great and versatile camera and unless you are pixel-peeping at over ISO 1600 buy it.

Well I have the a77 with the 16-50mm lens and have tried a variety of lenses, sigma 70-200 hsm + 2 x tc Sony 50mm 1.4 and Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 and compared the results of the same shots with my a850 and used a 42" full hd tv straight from the SD card and, the results are nigh on the same exept that the a77 focus speed and accuracy is far better!

@Jerzy, apparently to make a 100% accurate Pentaprism viewfinder takes a painstaking alingnment process at the factory. And the A900's is the biggest & brightest around. The full-frame sensor is quite a bit more expesive too over an APSC. Rumour has it that Sony has finished A900 production so expect price drops as this model is run out.

Iwan, yes Sony has finished A900 production, but they have said they will not be dropping the price, as they fully expect to easily shift all remaining stock.

I have the A700 and use the 500mm F8 reflex lense (which is AF), it can be slow in focusing moving objects (birds). I am thinking of getting the A77, can someone tell me if this problem will be solved with the A77 as it is a lot to pay out.

I know this might sound silly but can you use canon lenses on this camera?.. Nicky.

Looks like Sony don't have lens for such a big sensor. All pictures are inert and noisy.

Hi John , The 500mm reflex lens was not meant to be used for moving objects.....I'd Recommend the 70-400 G if you need that far a reach and faster focusing

@Krasitsky, a sensor out-resolving a lens is an urban legend going around the web. The same has been said every time there is a jump in mpix...

Krasitsky you seem to be an expert, is it a good buy or not, obviously these folk reviewing the camera do' not know anything.

The Carl Zeiss lenses are the best choice for this camera , also de G series ... and the old APO Minolta series .... check out the reviews of this ones ...

this is a best review that i have read.this information is hight Quality, packed with content that is actually useful to me. i like your blog. I will come back to your blog again.

I am evaluating this camera, along with the SLT65VK. Why is the battery life a negative?

@Krasitsky, not so much. I've been shooting with the a77 for a month and use a Sony-G lens, a Tamron premium lens and several AF Minolta lenses with amazing results. @ Steve, I think you are just Nikon biased. The EVF is great and shows what the sensor is seeing (WYSIWYG). You obviously did not have the correct exposure set in your "camera shop test". Not sure what you meant about "shutter action" not feeling quality. Probably because you don't understand that there is no mirror flopping around and all you hear is the quiet little zip of the shutter. @ Bill B, the battery life is shorter becuase of the EVF and the GPS (if you keep it on). That being said I still get between 450-600 shots on a battery. You can extend a shoot with the verticle grip accessory. This is truely an amazing camera. I love it and have no regrets.

Fantastic review, thought about going to a rival (alpha a55 at mo)but this has changed my mind. Serious saving required.

This camera was well worth the wait! You really get a lot of bang for your buck. I'm a Sony shooter and proud of it (besides, why would I ever want to buy a "Canikon" camera body at about 4x the cost and get essentially the same outstanding features)? I like being the underdog and being a standout among my fellow Press photographgers. My new Sony A77 is truly amazing!

I tried the GH1 and clduon't believe how Panasonic had implemented the live view effectively disabling the one great advantage of it. I'd originally picked up the benefits of working with live view from the Canon G series I had a G3, G5 and then a G6. so expected the GH1 to work the same, but what a disappointment.I think Sony have got this right and should be highlighting it as a benefit and unique selling point.

I just bought the V77 two weeks ago and I am one "Happy Camper"! Before this one I had the A500 which is also a good one (gave it to my son). The A77 HAS IT ALL (for the money that is). You can say that it is not for the pro's but then again that's not who it's meant for! It's for us enthusiasts who just like taking good photos! The lens that comes with it is the best I ever had! (Works Great on the A500 also). If you have (like me) all the stuff that goes with it (Lenses, Flash & Grip) you have a pretty good working kit. I have been experimenting a lot with all the possible settings and this machine really does the job well. Of course I am a Sony enthusiast so I’m biased …….. is that a bad thing?

Awesome update. Lag removed. Now I will have in-body compensation to my prime lenses too, the 35mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.8 and Zeiss 85mm 1.4. Life is good. In-body lens compensation is huge for me as it puts these lenses into perfect state. Next up, Sony pleeeeeeeaseee..... add tethering feature back to the 7-series lineup. It will make it the perfect camera for my use once that's in. www.autostatic.net