Thoughts on the A-77

[Greytop]

Strictly speaking not a D-SLR but never the less a very interesting camera and to be honest one of the very few Sonys that has held my interest in a quite a while.

It certainly has a lot going for it, of particular interest to me the weather sealing of both the body and new 16-50 f/2.8 lens. The design seems well rounded (in terms of specification) and it's a nice looking body too.

My worries would be access to the sensor for cleaning, likewise to the fixed mirror which could potentially need cleaning at some point. Finally what about 24MP is that really necessary and will the Sony optics be up to that pixel density in the crop area?

I'm looking forward to reviews and user reports :)

For mods: The Reader Feedback link at the bottom of the sample image page seems to have disappeared :confused:

[Ian]

Thanks Huw, the reader feedback link has disappeared after our technical problems last week. I will see if I can rebuild it.

What did you think of the sample images?

The mirror can be manually raised for access to the sensor for cleaning, incidentally. Unfortunately, although the sensor is self-cleaning, the mirror isn't.

In the time I had to use it I was quite pleased with it. The EVF is excellent, there are plenty of controls and it's fairly logical to use. I'd like to see an automatic focus assist option for manual focus instead of having to push the digital teleconverter button.

The A-77 is not the solution for those who want a smaller and lighter DSLR alternative. It's a reasonably big camera. Considering there is no mirror to operate, the shutter mechanism is rather loud and could be more refined, although it's better than the NEX compact system models. Those really are noisy!

Ian

[Ian]

I've made this thread the feedback for the sample images article :)

Ian

[Greytop]

Thanks Huw, the reader feedback link has disappeared after our technical problems last week. I will see if I can rebuild it.

What did you think of the sample images?

The mirror can be manually raised for access to the sensor for cleaning, incidentally. Unfortunately, although the sensor is self-cleaning, the mirror isn't.

In the time I had to use it I was quite pleased with it. The EVF is excellent, there are plenty of controls and it's fairly logical to use. I'd like to see an automatic focus assist option for manual focus instead of having to push the digital teleconverter button.

The A-77 is not the solution for those who want a smaller and lighter DSLR alternative. It's a reasonably big camera. Considering there is no mirror to operate, the shutter mechanism is rather loud and could be more refined, although it's better than the NEX compact system models. Those really are noisy!

Ian

Thanks Ian, the sample images are interesting, I'm not completely sure what to make of them yet. I did download several RAW files and processed them to Tiff using DCRAW then PP'd in CaptureOne with some additional noise reduction (Neat Image). I think the results are not too bad but far from optimal, certainly a bit more detail than the Jpegs but then we are taking pre release firmware I guess.

That 70-400mm lens looks to be a good performer judging by some of the shots.

Interesting and good to hear that the mirror has a 'sensor clearing position' but as you say that still leaves the question about contamination of the mirror surface. It's also good to hear about the quality of the EVF, that really does interst me as I have grown quite fond of the VF-2 and E-PL2 combination and the A-77 EVF sounds like a nice step up from the VF-2.
You mention the size, how does it stack up compared to an E-5 (size and mass)?

Overall an interesting camera which I will be keeping an eye on :)

[Greytop]

Just a quick heads up for any Capture One 6 users interested in the A-77 RAW file conversion.
Version 6.3 which has just been released has support for the A77, 65 and new Nex models as well the Oly EP-3 and E-PL3.

[Houckster]

I have just seen some RAW files for the A77 and they are right around 23-24MB in size. Since the RAW files for the 12MP A700 are 18-19MB, I am guessing that Sony is producing a compressed RAW file to minimize the memory bottleneck.

Any thoughts?

[Ian]

Is there anything unusual about compressed RAW files these days? Any compression would be lossless of course.

Ian

[TheBull1875]

Thoughts on the A77? hard one. It is OK until a few miles south of Ayr. Once you hit the single track road into Stranraer it is a nightmare though. Definitely not my favourite road. :-)

[w7ox]

The mirror can be manually raised for access to the sensor for cleaning, incidentally. Unfortunately, although the sensor is self-cleaning, the mirror isn't.

FWIW I find cleaning the sensor using an ionized brush (Visible Dust) is easy on my A55. And I've not found a need to clean the mirror, perhaps because it's located where the image will not be noticeably affected by dust on the mirror.

Phil

[w7ox]

What did you think of the sample images?

...

In the time I had to use it I was quite pleased with it. The EVF is excellent, there are plenty of controls and it's fairly logical to use. I'd like to see an automatic focus assist option for manual focus instead of having to push the digital teleconverter button.

The A-77 is not the solution for those who want a smaller and lighter DSLR alternative. It's a reasonably big camera. Considering there is no mirror to operate, the shutter mechanism is rather loud and could be more refined, although it's better than the NEX compact system models. Those really are noisy!

The sample images are quite interesting, at least the jpg ones; not sure what to do with the RAW images at this point. The jpgs show me a lot -- though I do wonder about the ones taken with the 16-80 f/2.8 with a focal length of 210 mm (Nos. 24 & 27).

I've used the EVFs of the Oly E-PL1, the Panny GH1 and GH2 and the Sony A55. The Sony A55 has the best EVF of that bunch IMO, and the A77 is said to be far better (I've not yet seen one). So it should be a winner.

I expect the A77 will be similar in size and ergonomics to my Canon 7D. The added control features (compared to the A55) are one reason I've pre-ordered the A77. The A55 gives me good results, but it's user interface (e.g., to change ISO) is a bit tedious.

Phil

[w7ox]

That 70-400mm lens looks to be a good performer judging by some of the shots.

Interesting and good to hear that the mirror has a 'sensor clearing position' but as you say that still leaves the question about contamination of the mirror surface. It's also good to hear about the quality of the EVF, that really does interst me as I have grown quite fond of the VF-2 and E-PL2 combination and the A-77 EVF sounds like a nice step up from the VF-2.

You mention the size, how does it stack up compared to an E-5 (size and mass)?

The 70-400G is the best lens in it's class I've used, far better than the Canon 100-400L.

I've used the VF-2 extensively. The A55's EVF is much better, so the one in the A77 should blow you away (and me, too!).

The A77 seems similar in size to the Canon EOS 7D. I imagine it's somewhat larger than the Oly E-5.

Phil

[Ian]

The 70-400G is the best lens in it's class I've used, far better than the Canon 100-400L.

I've used the VF-2 extensively. The A55's EVF is much better, so the one in the A77 should blow you away (and me, too!).

The A77 seems similar in size to the Canon EOS 7D. I imagine it's somewhat larger than the Oly E-5.

Phil

Hi Phil, I have been reading your posts with great interest :)

Glad to see your dormant account here on DPNow has burst into life!

I was impressed with the A-55's EVF, but when the VF-2 is used with the latest Olympus Pens (E-P3, E-PL3, and E-PM1), which have a doubled frame rate from the sensor and separate image processing for the live view display, there isn't much to choose. The new higher resolution OLED finders that Sony has just introduced are a big step forward, however.

The A-77 is siginificantly larger than the A-55 and the A-65 still feels large even without a grip. I think the Canon 7D is a little larger than the A-77 from memory, though.

Ian

[Greytop]

More interesting thoughts and information, thanks Phil and Ian.
I guess having a play with the camera is the only real way of seeing if it will fit both from a size / handling and operational point of view.
I shall be following developments with interest :)