Sony A77 video review from David Dugdale and more news and in Stock status check.
The video on top is part of the full A77 review from David Dugdale (Click here to read it). He tested the camera with the old 1.03 firmware! So some of the issues he found have been fixed (like responsiveness and lagging). He likes the Canon more than the Sony, and I am curious to hear what you reader think about the review. I bet there will be a huge discussion! 
David Kilpatrick from Photoclubalpha (Click here) says about the new 1.04 firmware: “No significant improvement can be detected so far in image quality despite the claims, at least with the 100 or so test shots we’ve taken at different ISOs using a Color Checker, and other spot checks for Low/Normal/High NR. But there are so many modes on the A77 including panoramas, multishot, DRO, that the improvement may well be specific functions which Sony will explain in more detail.”
There is a new spanish A77 review at pixel-depot (Click here to read the translation): “The image quality is, after upgrading the firmware of the camera, excellent, superior to that offered by other APS sensor DSLR models, but Sony can still improve the response to high ISO as ISO 4000 from the noise signal is appreciable.”
In Stock status:
There is not a lot to say. The A77 is out of Stock almost everywhere. You can still find som cameras on eBay. In USA at Willoughbyscamera (but you pay $400 extra), In Europe at Amazon Germany, Foto Neuber Germany, in Italy at Aggiudicato and at Digitalrev (PAL version!). Check for more (pre-)orders at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
SAR reader mails:
Tony: “Hi Andrea: I have just don a long 3-part review of the 5n vs. A77 vs. NEX 7 on my website. You can access it here: http://www.thistonybridge.com/newsletter”
Matt: “just wanted to share this video I made with the A77 w/ stock lens… I’m using it to film college basketball (VCU Rams) and this video really shows off its autofocus capabilities, which I think a lot of sports photographers are curious about… share if you wish! http://www.vcuramnation.com/2011/12/video-vcu-defeats-south-florida/”
Ricky: “Hello Andrea, I took a lot of shots a couple of weeks ago at the Edgewood Texas Heritage Festival with my A77 and Tamron 18-250 and they came out great. Thought you might put a link to the page where I have them. There are three boxes on the page. The top box is from 2010 and was taken with my now sold SLT-A33 and 18-55 kit lens. The next two lower boxes are slideshows from two weeks ago with the A77. It was cloudy a lot of the day and many are shot with the ISO multishot feature that shoots up to six shot and puts them into one to reduce noise. All were shot JPEG and I reduced them down in FastStone Photo Resizer: http://razzledazzleart.com/EdgewoodFestival2010.aspx“
SonyA77
2 years ago |What is this nonsense about v1.04 image quality? This is what it does:
“Improved quality – addresses rare interference experienced during 24p video recording and occasional flash exposure problem when using ADI mode”
Euleuh2
2 years ago |Wtf? canon;s video beter than sony’s? yes dave and u r more handsome than Tom Cruise… what did u have for breakfast douche bag?
SRL
2 years ago |Euleuh2,
the reviewer seems like a good guy, not a full fanboy of everything Canon. He pointed-out things he thought to be wrong with his Canon and pointed-out things he thought Sony failed to do……….what wrong with that?
One thing he showed,That I see to be important is the delay issues, and to be fair I understand that have been improved in the recent firmware update.
I think it was basically well done review, and one of the many tests and reviews someone should look at making a decision as to which camera and or platform to invest in.
But, It’s so obvious reading posts on this site, that if you write a glowingly positive test of the alpha a77 you are an enlightened genius, but if you write anything negative you must, by definition be a douche bag that needs to find employment as a hand model.
I haven’t tested the a77 apparently unlike many posters here, but from what I understand that it’s a good camera but not a perfect camera. Oh, I just did it, said someing bad about the a77………I’m now a douche bag, dam!
saiman
2 years ago |I agree, it’s a very good review.
Also, one thing that Sony badly needs to fix on its video quality is the issue with video sharpness, as the reviewer rightly points out.
Although, clearly, it’s not the fault of the lens like how the reviewer thought it to be.
The 16-50mm lens can resolve good sharpness in 24MP still images. So, it should surely retain that sharpness in much less resolution of the 1080p video.
But, sadly, all Sony test videos I see on Vimeo and YouTube has poor sharpness compared to Canon….. Makes one wonder about how good the Sony’s are in down-sampling sensor resolution.
Even the NEX-5n videos appear sharper than the A77′s on the same settings — Watch this.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PquNg6z5Dg
Andrew Howes
2 years ago |I haven’t watched those comparison videos yet, but that’s pretty unfortunate. Especially since video from the Canon cameras is quite soft compared to the GH2 (particularly with the bitrate hack enabled.)
Amer
2 years ago |I watch his videos pretty religiously on vimeo. He’s an excellent reviewer, and some of the flaws he talked about are real flaws with video.
SonyA77
2 years ago |On the EVF: “…but you can see the noise in low light conditions”.
Yes or you can use the tiny Canon OVF and not see ANYTHING!
On the lens. “Lack of lens selection. The 16-50 seems dull.”
The old lack of lens argument, as for the 16-50mm comment, well the lens that comes with the Canon is awesome isn’t it? Oh wait…
Amer
2 years ago |Here’s what I don’t understand. I’ve seen video with the 50mm 1.8, the 50mm 1.4, and they are all worlds sharper than the 2.8. Something is wrong with that lens when it comes to video.
JonasM
2 years ago |Comparing it with a T2i seems like an insult. I agree that the camera is sluggish in it’s controls but the lens selection argument is so outdated now. This guy should just get a job as a hand model.
Maximus
2 years ago |another reviewer that fails to onform himself before reviewing and thinks the mirror is for the EVF
C
2 years ago |I can’t pull up the video (@work) but this is amazing.
Kevin
2 years ago |No comment!
Danillo
2 years ago |I thought it was all pretty fair. We can agree or disagree with his experiences regarding certain things, and I don’t think all the comparisons were apples-to-apples, but really, his main issues was that the camera lags in doing certain things like changing aperture and shutter speed, or switching between the viewfinder and screen. Well… it does! I just got my a77 about a week ago now, upgraded to firmware 1.04, and while I love the camera, it lags. If they’d fix that it would be a huge improvement. I think if you take away the lag issues, he’d have found a few things to complain about, but he’d have loved the camera overall.
vlex
2 years ago |ahm… why the heck, do the guys from sony allow some non-experienced amateurs do their reviews? This guy was talking about lagging in premiere, which is ENTIERLY because of his cr*py PC rig and in case he’s using adobe cs 5+ – then slow graphics card, because they’re gpu-optimized…
This guy has a completely no idea what he’s talking about…
LOL!
Dave Dugdale
2 years ago |I have a pretty powerful PC with a graphic card that use the Mercury Playback engine that Premiere uses. I “think” it has to do more with the AVCHD format. I say think because I am not an expert at all, you can take my review with a grain of salt if you like.
I would like to know who is the “expert” with Sony cameras, is it Tristan Hall?
Matt
2 years ago |Hi Dave, thank you for your comments on here and your video review. I would like to address a couple of the things that you raise, starting with the issue mentioned above about AVCHD – this has been an ongoing issue for all NLEs and the same thing occurred when HDV came out, computers weren’t entirely up to the task, but probably more importantly weren’t optimized for it. Anyone who has been using 50 or 60p on an SD700 or TM700 will know the pains of using this largely unsupported format, support will come but it does take time. Is it a fault of the A77, I wouldn’t say it is, just because your favorite NLE has quite caught up yet doesn’t automatically mean it is a bad format, normally these things just require a work around until they are fully supported. 50/60p are here to stay, they won’t be disappearing anytime soon. Having said that one of the other issues you had was going from 60p down to 24p, this isn’t a simple operation and something that most programs will struggle with to do smoothly, if you were given the choice as to which of the 60 frames you would keep you would probably struggle too. Changing frame rates is always a bad option and should only be done when absolutely needed – in your case it would be better to have shot in 24p as there would be zero advantage to you to shoot 60p to convert to 24p unless you were slowing your sequence down (which is a different matter entirely). Also shooting at 24p would actually give a greater data ‘allowance’ for each frame than shooting at 60p especially if you are just binning frames.
Secondly, while I appreciate your review is largely aimed at the video aspect of the camera I think you didn’t manage to stick to that ethos throughout the review. For example the EVF which is undeniably better than an OVF of a DSLR for video (for no other reason than an OVF not actually being available for video – at all). So while your complaints about the EVF might very well be valid, in a purely video review it should be noted that having a viewfinder of any sort is better than having none at all?
Thirdly, I don’t think it is fair to compare 2 different user interfaces just because you happen to be used to a particular thing occurring on your Canon and therefore damning the Sony for not being exactly the same and meeting your expectations. The point I noted in particular is when you mentioned thumbnails for video, I don’t believe for a second that the Canon way of doing things here is the undisputed ulltimate industry standard for what every device should do, for example shooting with a slate I would probably find it extremely annoying if the thumbnails for all my clips were from where I last stopped playback rather than showing me the slate. I can understand that you might find it ‘annoying’ that it doesn’t perform in the same way as your Canon, just as I would find it annoying if every time I watched a clip the thumbnail changed making it harder for me to visually recognize the clip again, but it doesn’t really make it worse, just different, something that had you always been using Sony for example you would probably find ‘annoying’ on the Canon.
Another factor you mentioned was the IS causing some weird movement, it is probably best to actually turn IS off when using a tripod, if fact that goes for most cameras.
The overexposure in the EVF you mentioned, which showed clipping when there was none, was this through zebra stripes or your on screen histogram or merely using the appearance of the EVF display to the naked eye? All displays have their limitations in term of contrast and dynamic range, turning the brightness of the EVF may have helped some here, but generally properly readable image statistics are more reliable, same can be said for LCDs on even high end video cameras. In fact in many high end video cameras they have almost exclusively used B&W CRT based displays as they have excellent contrast and dynamic range capabilities compared to LCDs.
Also in regards to lenses, yes your 50mm is quite sharp and I would imagine (having never used it myself) that the 16-50mm is quite soft comparatively. But I have shot a lot of footage on a Canon 24-70mm 2.8L and that too is much softer than your 50mm – it is really just the nature of zoom lenses per primes. Also I think that your Canon background shows through here once again when talking lenses as i would imagine you have a bit of a collection of Canon glass, so if you were reviewing a new Canon camera you would whack on said collection and happily et on with your review. Being that you are not a Sony user and Sony only sent you a 16-50 and a 50 you seem to make out like these are the only lenses available, which to someone who doesn’t really know any better they are going to trust in what you say and think that is the case! Saying something along the lines of ‘While Sony don’t have quite the same vast array of lenses available as Canon or Nikon, they do have most bases covered for a variety of different photographic styles…’ or something to that effect? Something that says yes Canon and Nikon have more, but not something that makes viewers think that Sony only have 2 lenses available.
Dave I would really like to thank you for the time taken to make this review and I can appreciate where you are coming from on a fair number of the points you raise. I do however get the general feeling that you shoot Canon and while you wanted to like the Sony it just didn’t work the way you expect your Canon to work, from lenses to digital workflows, to previewing your work and that is how you saw the camera – different to what you are used to and therefore a second rate alternative.
PS and yes AGC is a bit annoying (or the lack of the ability to disable it) but honestly for recording birthdays and kids it is probably quite useful and for shooting professional video would you really want to be relying on the crappy inbuilt sound that you cant even monitor? Really? None of the other SLRs are better in this regard but you know what, shooting 35mm film you don’t use in camera sound either!
Dave Dugdale
2 years ago |Hey Matt, someone from Sony liked my comment on the thumbnail issue (see Sony’s Facebook wall):
Paul Genge: Hi Jan, thanks for your post. I just watched Dave’s video, and he makes some interesting comments. There are clearly some aspects that we need to address, 12:48 I have noted the requirement of MF check in movie setting mode and the recreation of a movie thumbnail 12:05, both are excellent feedback.
Francisco G
2 years ago |Hey, can you post the link to the FB wall post you did? I checked out Sony and couldn’t find it. I would also love to see Sony address most of the issues you mentioned like lag and sharpness. Hopefully that stuff is firmware fixable.
Matt
2 years ago |Hi Dave, while I think in certain scenarios the Canon way of doing things might be useful I actually think that the current Sony method is probably more suitable more of the time. I think we can all agree that we would appreciate a big company like Sony listening to users feedback it would be even better if Sony DO implement such a ‘feature’ that they make it a switchable option – having options is better than having none.
The reasoning I have for wanting to at least have the option of staying the way it is now is for three reasons:
1. If like a lot of users when we stop a clip there is often a lot of motion at the last second which just becomes a blur – if we review our footage and stop playback at that point then we are simply going to end up with hundreds of blurry poster frames that tell us nothing about which clip it is.
2. In order to get it to remember a useful poster frame for the thumbnail users would have to train themselves to stop at a useful spot in the clip and at the end of the day how many of us when reviewing a clip stop it specifically in the crux of the clip that would make it the most identifiable when later looking through the clips, rather than reviewing the whole clip until we get to ‘waste’ after the important sections?
3. If each time we review a clip it changes the poster frame to the last playhead point, every time we look through the thumbnails, assuming a clip has been played it will look different. We humans are very visual creatures and we look for patterns and identifiable markings to remember things, if these are constantly changing rather than ‘knowing’ which clip we want to play by it’s poster frame which we have used to identify it before we actually have to look at each poster frame and try to assess where it may have come from.
I’m not sure if I have explained point 3 clearly enough, but imagine if McDonalds didn’t have any branding and every single McDonalds you went to had a different colour scheme so that each time you drove past one you would have to actually look at the store, digest the information presented such as the name, the fact it has a drive through etc by the time you have realized it is in fact a McDonalds you have already driven past! Or if they changed the poster for a film, so that while it depicts the same characters in each one the colour scheme, font, layout are all entirely different – you would think it is for a different film!
Once again I can see how it would be useful, but I can see drawbacks in implementing it like that. I would suggest a compromise between the two ideals and this comes from media players (I am thinking of Apple’s Front Row here but I know it is used a lot) whereby the poster frame is captured from say 30 seconds into any video clip – it doesn’t change on you (so it is quickly identifiable) but it also shows the clip in the crux of the scene not the ‘waste’ at the beginning or end. If we could only have 1 option I would hope it would be something like this. Obviously if a clip is shorter than 30 seconds this wont help, personally I would like to see a plain black poster frame for clips less than 30 seconds as this usually would indicate an ‘accidental’ or ‘useless’ recording one that I can recognise and immediately skip over (how many times have you accidentally watched one of those ‘waste’ clips that looked the same as an important one?).
Once again I can understand where you are coming from on this, you have adapted to a certain way of working (Canons method of poster frames) and you would like it if there were consistency across devices – but as everyone is different so too will UI elements designed by different manufacturers and design teams.
Sam
2 years ago |spot on Matt!
todd
2 years ago |^ what he said, particularly when it comes to the user experience. One thing that both consumers and reviewers seem to forget is the amount of “training” that occurs once you own and start using a particular product/system. I was reminded of this when I moved to Android after owning an iPhone for a couple of years. I ran into what I originally considered “UI flaws” on Android, only to finally realize that the line between flaw and feature is often blurry. While Android certain has some issues, I had trained myself into the iOS way of thinking. So picking up a different system would certainly have some frustration and me thinking that it was “wrong.” Same thing when going between different camera systems.
That isn’t to say that anything is perfect, nor am I suggesting that people shouldn’t use what they feel is the best fit. But too often I think that people will reject something due to ingrained expectations rather than actual utility or features. Everything is a compromise. I don’t miss my 5D2 as I now have a viewfinder during video, focus peaking, and real AF during video as well. I lost the FF, L glass, and my familiarity with the UI. Good to have choices. And also wrt audio I don’t know anyone that uses camera audio for anything other than reference tracks. A good outboard recorder gives orders of magnitude better sound.
sleek
2 years ago |agree! got the a77 myself for almost 2 months now.. same issues. Dave also has his points. good review.
The Lotus Eater
2 years ago |That was pretty rude, vlex.
Now that Dave has taken some time to respond to the comments here, maybe you would like to apologise.
Renato S.
2 years ago |You guys get angry for anything, it’s funny – this is an euphemism.
I think that most of the lag issues were solved by the last firmware, weren’t they? But for that we know that Kai wasn’t so picky with this issue. Anyway, I’m sure that the lag is incredibly annoying, it always is.
But I disagree that it would be better to have unrelated settings for photo and video. It would be horrible if you have to shoot some video after taking pictures and the video has the settings of last night instead of the thing that I was taking pictures of. Doesn’t make sense.
pancanikonpus
2 years ago |admin always posted old video from youtube which i have watched them all. i search and watch daily latest video on new uploaded sony a77
lol…
btw, i do not know how other tested a77 high iso. I feel it beaten by 18mp T2I/T3I/60D for both still and video. could say win some lose some
lol…
Tron
2 years ago |Man, that basketball footage of the VCU game looks pretty awesome for an SLT!!!
Ben
2 years ago |You would hope that the guy would do a little research rather than defaulting to “I have no idea why they did this” whenever he can’t be bothered looking in to something.
He shoots 60p video and complains about the performance of Premiere converting it down to 24p compared with his expectations. Just shoot in 24P dude! He pretty much ignores the video PDAF feature which is such an integral part of the a77 value proposition, while focusing on GUI differences with just one other camera.
Most infuriating was the sheer absurdity of comparing sharpness of his 50mm f/1.8 PRIME lens against a f/2.8 zoom kit lens. He had the 50mm f/1.4 right there, why not use it?
He lamented Sony repeating Canon’s mistakes in the video area yet he repeats the Digital Rev review’s mistakes such as pretending the LCD/finder switch button doesn’t exist.
Dave Dugdale
2 years ago |Thanks for posting me review here, even though it sounds like a lot of people didn’t like what I had to say.
admin
2 years ago |Hi Dave! it’s a pleasure to meet you here. I think 99% of our readers do appreciate your work and the fact that you are here on SAR. And it’s also good that you mentioned the limits of the A77. Anyway, some of the mentioned “dislikes” should be fixed with the new firmware. Hope you have time to update your review. Bye!
Dave Dugdale
2 years ago |Thanks Admin (sorry I don’t know your name). I wish I could update it, but I had to give the camera back the day the v1.04 firmware came out. Caleb Pike who I know also has the camera for review might be able to talk about the firmware changes and I will link to his video review when he is done.
admin
2 years ago |My name is Andrea. I will look forward to Calebs review! Thanks!
Dave Dugdale
2 years ago |Hi Andrea, I can see you have a very passionate group of commenters here which I think is pretty cool (except for when they swear at me here). I guess they didn’t read your your only rule.
“The only rule you have to respect is….respect”
Danillo
2 years ago |I thought yours was a fair review, and not out of line with my experiences. I learned a few things to keep an eye out for is I start using it for video. Thanks!
SRL
2 years ago |+1
Dave Dugdale
2 years ago |Thank, I appreciate you saying it was a fair review. I tried to be as fair as I could.
WTH
2 years ago |Hi Dave,
Great review on the A77 Video, thank you for spending the time to produce it.
I noticed that approximately 80% of all your cons remarks can be corrected through firmware.
This is good as Sony is just at 1.04
This camera has great potential.
It’s a bit selfish of me to hope, knowing that you have stocked on Canon products. However I do hope you will consider purchasing one at a later stage and spending more time with the camera to make a more in-depth review.
I have used Sony cameras for a few years now, strangely when I try to use a Nikon, Canon or any other DSLR, I find their menu system very difficult to use. I guess this can be applied for a lot of other products, macs and pc, android and ios.
Sony didn’t change the game with the A55, however the Nex and A65-77 is changing the way we view SLR/SLT/Mirrorless cameras.
pancanikonpus
2 years ago |hi dave, I like your review!
Dulaney Ward
2 years ago |To be honest, I watched your review very carefully. To be honest, I was bothered by your condescending tone even before you criticized the camera, though you use the persona of a nice rational guy. Certainly, some of the criticism you make are justified, although you could find as full a list with ANY other camera, video or still, including the best pro cameras. However, I find it hard to reconcile the high praise I have heard from many other reviewers with your wholesale criticism, and precious little praise.
customercopy
2 years ago |I love these Canon/Nikon guys who think that Sony’s proprietary technology is just going to sudden appear in Canon and Nikon cameras at some future point!
Wait till the 7D Mk II appears Dave – I’m sure it will have focus peaking, magnified manual focussing, full-time live view with continuous AF and phase detect AF with video. Oh actually it won’t. It probably won’t even have a tilt screen or a GPS.
He’s right about the Auto Gain though – Sony dropped the ball with that.
Dave Dugdale
2 years ago |Many people don’t know about it but there is another version of firmware you can put on your Canon camera that has all those items you mentioned. However I didn’t do the comparison with Magic Lantern installed.
Jonathan Geach
2 years ago |Dave – Sorry, no firmware update will give a Canon “phase detect AF with video.” The light can either go to the sensor, or the phase detect AF with a conventional mirror.
Dave Dugdale
2 years ago |Jonathan, my bad, you are right on that one (but it does have focus peaking). Like I said in the video I think the AF is pretty cool and reacts very quickly.
Sam
2 years ago |You are a great man Dave! But you are too biased and comparing it with t2i is absolutely ridiculous!
pancanikonpus
2 years ago |a77 high iso beaten by t2i=550d and 5n too
lalalalalalalalala……..
lol…..
danny
2 years ago |What strikes me from this review is the poor performance of the 16-50/2.8. Even if the Canon 50/1.8 is a prime, the 16-50 should have equal performance, it is an expensive lens after all (650€).
And slow processor? I don’t think so, it can handle UHS-I cards with 90MB/S. If you put a UHS-I 45MB/S card, the buffer clearing time will increase. This means the memory cards are the limiting factor and not the processor. And to handle such huge RAW files at that speed, it does excellent : 7sec buffer clearing time after 16RAW files in 8fps mode.
Ben
2 years ago |I don’t agree with you about the expectation of performance from the zoom compared with a faster prime, regardless of price.
In general, lenses are optimally sharp when stopped down a couple of stops from their widest apertures. Therefore, a f/1.8 prime stopped down to f/2.8 should perform much better than the zoom wide open at f/2.8.
Also note that the SSM focus needs to be factored into the price, not just its optics.
Aalpha100
2 years ago |Well it seems it’s all about opinions.
I for one appreciate the time to make this review and the additional time to respond to comments here.
What I see is someone who is not afraid to say where he was wrong ” my bad”. Not many people have the courage to do that. So: a bow and thanks for Dave on my behalf!
Marek
2 years ago |16-50 is superb sharp for a zoom. Between F3.5-8 it is just great. Just be aware it is prone to flare. Above F8 diffraction is a limit.
Mark
2 years ago |“Lack of lens selection. The 16-50 seems dull.” – same ol, same ol. While I appreciate the review Dave, please do more research before posting. I recommend you go to store.sony.com and check the lens selection. Also reading some pro reviews of zeiss lenses would help.
vlex
2 years ago |I said what I think and stick to it. May be it sounded a bit rude, that wasn’t the intention, but let me put it this way: I’m sure that if you’re used to some brands and use those for years, won’t get that fast along with another brand. Just as I was first with Panasonic and now with Sony. However you did admit that “may be you’re doing something wrong”, yes, but I don’t really think that since you doubt your actions, jumping into conclusions would be the best thing to do?! May be just this one month, or two months for that matter, are a little bit too short to get used to all the features, settings, dials etc.
DigitalRev had a review of it (which I actually watched today again) and honestly – don’t like the attitude saying that sony is this or that, only because u’re used to something else. It’s wrong to generalize everything like that. Further on from you both, only you did mention about the stabilized sensor. And this is a HUGE plus for sony ans pentax! Try buying a stabilized(!) 300/2.8 for canon/nikon (as an instance) for under 2 grand! (btw completely disagree that canikon have much wider lens palette than sony AND Minolta together).
So may be before making a review one should think a little bit deeper into the benefits a system gives you and then draw the line and list all the positive and negative
Don’t know you personally, and you seem like a nice guy, so please don’t take it personally, but if you are going to make a review in front of all the internet, you have to be objective, which I feel was not the case.. So sorry if you felt somewhat offended by my post, but answer me this and please be honest: do you sincerely believe, with all your heart, that you were 100.00% objective about everything you said? If yes, be sure, will take back all I said!
Cheers!
vlex
Dave Dugdale
2 years ago |Gosh, 100% objective, probably not since I only had it for a month and I know my Canon inside and out.
I think you will like Caleb Pike’s review that is coming out soon since he owns a Sony NEX5. I am just an amateur were as Caleb does this for a living I believe. His site is http://dslrvideoshooter.com/.
No hard feeling, I kind of enjoy seeing all the passionate comments here. Sure beats the boring comments I get on my real estate site.
Sam
2 years ago |cheers! we still appreciate your honest review though i find it a bit biased!
with best regards,
Sam
pancanikonpus
2 years ago |let compare a77 to canon 500d
lol…
Michael
2 years ago |Re: laggy controls. I noticed no real difference between 1.03 and 1.04. Just try selecting local AF mode and use the joystick to move the selected AF point. You really have to wait to see the point move to catch up with your inputs. Even then, against a dark background your selected AF point is bold black on a dark background, so you can’t see what you selected anyway. Now, that’s annoying!
Jim Baxter
2 years ago |I would love to see Dave’s review but the sound isn’t working on my P.C.
Anyone else having this issue?
PS: the pc sound is working, just not with this video clip.
Sam
2 years ago |ive no issues!
Dave Dugdale
2 years ago |Sam if you like you can watch it on my site which has a YouTube embed so it might work for you there instead of the Vimeo version on this page:
http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/sony-a77-dslr-review/
Gareth
2 years ago |Jim….it was filmed with a canon and this is a “pro sony” site so there will be no sound…hahhaaaha
No realy, it works on my vaio so no problem for me.
kalpurush :)
2 years ago |Thanks for your review Dave.
I have the a77 for two weeks now and I love it. I think Canon has to wait few more years to make a camera like a77, but at a price of a900.
Bugger
2 years ago |I like this video because he’s doing a lot of honest,practical complaining.
You know what’s the best part? Very, very typical sony problems LOL!
john Spirou
2 years ago |Dave, you also forget another useful tool that only SLT have on video, except focus peaking.
Its called… Focus confirmation, in manual mode (all pros love manual mode) you can have any shutter-iso-aperture you want and the same time you can see if you are in perfect focus from the 15 focus points.
They get highlighted when you adjust the focus ring and find the right focus point!
Check it, its very nice and you dont have to own external monitors or any other equipment to see if you are in focus.
Gunnar
2 years ago |i enjoyed this review much more then the digitalrev ones, he brought up some nice points that really need addressing. the slowness of my A77 is something i was`nt expecting..especially as my Nex 5 has a more visually demanding interface and still feels much more responsive..
but overall i feel the A77 is a much better cam then what you get out of the review..
just one thing about the video AF tracking, there is an option for slow AF tracking, which would most likely solve the stepping in the focusing
Jay - SonyAlpahLab
2 years ago |Great Honest review Dave and thanks for your efforts!!
Best,
Jay
Caleb Pike
2 years ago |People, lets get a grip. The A77 doesn’t come close to Canon’s HDSLRs in the video department. And this review after all is aimed at those using DSLRs for video use. So if you are a photographer using this cam for stills move along nothing to see here.
I worked with the A77 for a month and the cons outweigh the pros.
It sports a Killer screen, ok’ish OLED EVF, and decent camera stabilization.
But the crop factor is LAME and the reason this only gets 2/5 stars from me. Lens choice is very limited when you look at useable focal length.
And the video mode ‘Cat menu’ that always pops up is ridiculous. Not to mention maxing out at 1600 ISO in video mode?!? REALLY?! I can see someone like Canon doing this but Sony? Its pretty sad.
My advice: Spend the $1400 (or $2k if you were thinking of the lens kit) on a T3i and get a set of primes. Or if you need something more grab a 60D. Or if you are a diehard sony fan grab a 5n (LOVE mine ta death) and you will get way more bang for you buck.
Sony has some cool tech, but they kinda botched this one on the video end (unless you shoot all auto).
I have no doubt they will improve the video functions of their SLRs in the near future.
zstan
2 years ago |I’m sorry but what’s your definition of usable focal length? 400mm? 500mm? 600mm?
Crop factor? Why are you even comparing the a77 to a 5D2 anyway?
Andrew Howes
2 years ago |I understand what you mean about the video crop factor, as it is sort of a pain in the butt. I’m thinking about getting a Sigma 10-20mm F3.5, which would function pretty well for me as a fast multi-purpose video lens. The wide end of the 16-50mm is okay in the video mode, but still only the equivalent about 30mm on a full-frame.
WTH
2 years ago |Hi Caleb,
You lost me at ok’ish OLED EVF…
Have you seen a better EVF to date?
Your review should be based on the camera… not the lenses…
I haven’t seen any reviews that lowers a rating of a camera because of the lenses, at best they objectively comment on the point but never do they allow it affect the cameras rating.
Caleb Pike
2 years ago |Oh and BTW gentlemen, I back Dave’s review 100%. And yes he may be used to his T2i but that doesn’t change the fact that the A77 just doesn’t do some things. Plain and simple. Crop is crop etc.
Barbarous Waytel
2 years ago |“Crop is crop” WTF? This cable pike is dumber than a stack of stones. Obviously it’s an APSC sensor (which means crop compared to FF), and then there is some more (light) crop due to electronic stabilization, but so what? Is that the end of debate? If so, since the Canon T2i uses smaller APSC sensor than Sony (1.6 crop for canon vs 1.5 for Sony), does that point alone makes 5N a better camera? (i.e t2i has smaller crop?)
Are ALL APSC DSLRs better at video than GH2 since GH2 (due to smaller sensor) has more crop?
Go back to your Canon site, dude.
M
2 years ago |Where does this fairy tale about solving the laggy response problem with firmware 1.04 come from? Well, Sony claimed to have improved responsiveness with 1.04, but I do not notice any significant difference. Reaction on turning the front and back wheel is still delayed, but that is not so important. What is more important, is the slow switching between EVF and display. There seems to be no difference to v 1.03. Watch this video to compare:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sywmXay9J2g&feature=player_embedded
Clinton
2 years ago |I believe that if i am to buy an SLR (SLT) .. im not going to be worried about issues in video mode as i have brought the camera to tae photos not do videos… one thing i noticed is that people have become to extremely focused on nikon or canon that they will ALWAYS find something wrong with sony. Cant wait for the A89x to come out!!! I SONY
Poke
2 years ago |Will Sony produce a camera that is any where the quality of a canon. According to these guys Sony is not even close. A cheap canon is better than Sony’s top of the line APSC. I hold hope for Sony’s next FF but I am not holding my breath. I am lost on this crop factor crap. I have an 850, therefore I have no crop factor and will gladly give up the crop factor for a FF sensor. On the noise issue, the sony engineers need to get their crap together. There is no excuse for the poor performance at 1600 vs the canon. My 850 sucks when it comes to high iso compared to most cameras. My 5n shoots better in low light than my 850. I am venting, but I am just hoping that sony gets it right with the a9x or it may be time to jump ship.
zstan
2 years ago |Your 5N is 3 months old while your a850 is how old……….?
Denis
2 years ago |“A cheap canon is better than Sony’s top of the line APSC” – really?? Do U think, noise level is the most important thing? Canon APS-C sensors has the worst DD and color depth among all SLR’s (see DXO). Using Canon camera, You have a little advantage at ISO above 1600, but EVERY single Sony image at all ISO settings will be better in terms of DD and colour.
cavin
2 years ago |some good info fromt he review but the author talking a lot of crab.
M
2 years ago |This review is about video and that is mentioned in the review. So there is nothing to complain that it only looks at video.
For me personally, video is of no importance and the video possibilities that A77 offers, are more than enough for me.
When photographing stills, A77 is a very good camera, although I sometimes prefer my A580. Often the EVF of the A77 is far better than any optical viewfinder in an APS-C camera, but sometimes the OVF is still better, but the versatility of the EVF is great. I like the A77.
I recently was on a two day photography workshop and all others there had Canon or Nikon bodies and of course the different cameras where discussed in the breaks or when using. I am glad that I am with Sony, the usability is simply better and they have features that others do not have. Now that Sony is about on par in AF and IQ with the competitors, there is not much to complain, although A77 has its clear weaknesses, but other cameras have weaknesses too. I am no Sony fanboy, I was shooting two decades with Canon.
For my applications I do not miss any lens in the Sony and Minolta portfolio, Sony and (used) Minoltas even have the better choice and higher quality (G and Zeiss lenses) amongst the lenses I need.
Jakop.com
2 years ago |Thank you for the review, it was the most helpful sony a77 review I found.
Dave Dugdale
2 years ago |Thanks, I am grad someone here found it useful instead of swearing at me.
harpo
2 years ago |If that’s the case than you need to consider what you would be using the a77 for if you were to purchase it. Do you want a camera or a video camera because this was NOT a camera review in any way shape or form, nor was it meant to be, or are you just a troll?
Timmay
2 years ago |Good review. I did switch from the T2i to the A77 for its video. I will be shooting some video later on this week with it.
For me switching to the A77 was hard at 1st but once I know how the menus worked, it was easy.
I chose it for its auto focus. with little testing I did, I didn’t run into the coloring and sharpness problems you did.
Maybe I should do a video on how to switch? I know I’ll get flamed but I might get a few people to know there are other options than Canon or Nikon.
Keep up the good work Dave!
Francisco G
2 years ago |I’d love to see your switching video!
harpo
2 years ago |Actually what bothered me about the review was comments like I don’t know why, I haven’t figured that out. Contact Sony and ask, read the manual, get online and ask other users. DLSR video is in its infancy and no company has hit the ground running.
Canon certainly had some setbacks getting to where they are with DLSR video and Sony will get there, but in the meantime there are some people doing great video work with the a65 and a77 as can be seen with this video.
http://vimeo.com/29245251
At the end of the day don’t expect a heavy canikon user/reviewer to come out all a gush about a Sony DSLR as their not intimate with the workings of the product and can never give the time required to work out the bugs and become intimate because of the limited time they are given with these products. It’s always easier to fall back on what you know and are comfortable with.
JMHO
Ian Scovell
2 years ago |OK, I’ve ‘just’ come back from shooting a Wedding, where I had been with 2 A700′s I have recently retired one, & replaced it with an A580, running the new 16-50 f2/8 zoom.
The good, the 16-50 is properly sharp with nice bokeh, as with all Sony et all DSLR’s it needs calibrating with the body. It doesn’t focus as fast as my Sigma 50-150 f2.8 but it is quick rather than lightning quick.
The bad, the A580 just isn’t as responsive as the A700, it shares none of its DNA & isn’t as good a picture making tool as the old A700 & I would think A900.
From David’s video its clear that the A77 shares a lot of the same DNA from the old A580, & for that reason, I would again say that it just isn’t as good an image making tool as the other offerings from Nikon or Canon.
I think for me, it is now time to change, which is a real shame as my A700′s are ‘brilliant’ cameras.
Jason
2 years ago |Personally I could’ve watch more that 30secs of this guy. Its clear he knows nothing about sony DSLR lines and couldn’t care less about them. So how the fuck he come off as a “Reviewer” for anything sony. He needs to stick to his damn canon and leave sony products to sony users.
Dave Dugdale
2 years ago |Jason, sorry that you seem so upset by my review from the language you used.
It is just my opinion. You didn’t have to watch the video, you could have spent the 17 minutes of your life doing something else, like creating your own review of the A77. I would like to see it.
Sam
2 years ago |That what you call a civilized response!
critic
2 years ago |Daves’ review was pretty accurate in certain areas. I do agree that he needs to spend more time with the Sony DSLRs.
Coming from the Sony DSLRs I find Nikon and Canon controls a mess to use, but that is only because I am not aquinted with the layout.
Most of what he mentioned as a concern is firmware updateable. So the perfect video camera (apparently its the t2i… ) will be within reach with a bit of firmware releases.
So those parts of the review, I took it light heartedly. What I don’t understand is why there is so little praise about the camera. I can understand if Canon might pull his invitation to the next release conference etc… But there is very little praise for such advancment in technology.
There almost seem to be an underlying tone of distaste for this camera in his review. If that is the case, I am glad he held back.
Ian Scovell
2 years ago |To David Dugdale,
David, I’m very much ‘pro’ Sony, they really should take some credit for what they’ve done in the face of Canon & Nikon.
I would say though, that your review here is pretty spot on, & I say that with as much compassion for the Sony Alpha camera’s as the next guy.
Reading between the lines, the NEX format has been a real run away success for Sony, & its obvious that this is ultimately going to drive them as a camera manufacturer going forward.
I ‘want’ to stay with Sony, but, as a Pro Photographer, it will be very interesting to see how their full frame offering matches up against the new models from the ‘big 2′, this coupled with the lack of support from companies such as ‘pocket wizard’ & ‘radio poppers’ (although the later can be made to work).
I’ll finish this comment with a ‘TRUE’ story, I wrote to Sony UK 18 months ago to ask them to either lend me or, put me in touch with a dealer who would allow me to try the full range of zeiss & G lenses. I believe it was Paul Genge who phoned me to say, ‘Sony have no Pro Support at this time, they currently only market their camera’s to enthusiasts & Prosumers’ I’M NOT MAKING THIS UP
To make a ‘true’ perfect future Sony camera, it needs to offer a ‘clean’ ISO 6400, proper 50 point+ AF with tracking, better scene metering & a ‘proper’ wireless TTL flash system. The EVF is a good decision IMO. The reason Sony camera’s are ‘cheaper’ than other providers are, I believe, because they ‘don’t’ offer these additional features within their system.
Its a ‘nearly there’ camera system rather than a ‘fully featured’ camera system, & until those short comings are rectified along with Pro support, Sony will never be a proper ‘player’ in the DSLR world, much to my disappointment………….
poke
2 years ago |I completely agree with your response. However, do you think Sony will produce such a camera? Given Sony’s latest effort with the 77 and its problems with video, lag times and responses and poor low light performance, I am having significant doubts. I will wait to see what their next FF can do.
WTH
2 years ago |Pro support would be so nice, I just spent $5000 on lenses.
I really love the EVF on the A77, What You See Is What You Get photography.
If Kai from Digital Rev can even start singing some praises about Sony and he is has been known to be quite brutal in some of his past reviews, then you have to wonder when will the other pros start.
Overall I generally liked what Dave Dugdale said, because some of his complaints are very accurate and would warrent a concern. I am sure Sony would be appreciative of his efforts in the review.
Note that most of his complaints are firmware related tweaks. If it was a design flaw in the hardware, then things might become difficult.
Sony is releasing more lenses and as the 2nd largest camera menufacturer in the world, I am not too worried about them leaving the market.
The lenses, except for a few, are brillant, I do hope that Sony will keep the consistancy and improve on other things like weather sealing.
I like the phase detection, attached with a 24-70 CZ lens and fw 1.04 the camera had no problems keeping up with fast moving objects.
Overall, IMHO, I don’t know why people would want video on a dslr, video on compacts would make more sense to me. Having video on a DSLR is like having Air Conditioning, luxuary seats and wood trims in a Nascar.
It’s nice to have…
vlex
2 years ago |+1