(SR2) A77 firmware updated coming in January?
The A77 “Superkit” at Beachcamera
An anonymous source told us that Sony will release a new firmware update for the A77 in January. This rumor hasn’t been confirmed yet by any of my trusted sources. So keep your feet’s on ground. I hope to get a confirmation of the rumor soon. The source didn’t tell us what kind of improvements the fw update will bring. I guess…that I will let you guess 
EU: Cheapest A77 price for A99 body in UK at Wowcamera (on eBay). Full A77 ebay auctions overview on Slidoo.
US: A77 Superkits at Beachcamera (Click here) and Buydi (Click here). A77 Superkits with lens at A77 at Beachcamera (Click here) and Buydi (Click here). Full A77 ebay auctions overview on Slidoo.
Reminder: For sure that by early 2013 Sony Japan will release a new firmware update that will add the support of the following lenses on the A99: SAL85f14Z, SAL135f18Z, SAL70300G, SAL70200G, SAL100f28 Makro.
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Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
SR2=rumor from unknown sources
SR3=50% chance it is correct
SR4=rumor from known sources
SR5=almost certainly correct!
Shi Feng
6 months ago |YEAH!! Would be so great..better jpg engine, faster Af, etc2.No a fake update like last time, ok SONY???
Lofote
6 months ago |Why was the last update a “fake”? It was a real update. Not every update needs to have revolutionary new features and fixes. And some people like the new lens support. (Why are people always so demanding in voluntary, free(!) updates? I don’t get it.)
Jonathan
6 months ago |Well it was though the A77 was not ready for launch when it was released and with the A99 firmware Sony had a bit of time to work on the features and get the features stable for the A99 (and also the A77) that’s part of the reason why people expected more from Sony on the last update.. In all honesty it was a very minor update and one that could be considered late as Sony still has a large amount of lenses unsupported by there new auto-correct features in the SLT range that should be getting to out to market quicker especially on there top of the line APC-s camera…
Tether support is still something I know a few people are waiting for and like me missed during the A77 launch and when buying, It’s something any top of the line APS-C camera has and even many entry level cameras now days… Yes it was my fault for not reading every specification of the camera but previous models had it from Sony and every other major brand in this range has it so it was expected and Sony were pushing the most digital camera ever during launch one would have though they could have taking tether support to the next level (eg, remote live view, video capture, Sony wireless adapter/card…etc).
I’m also hoping for better start up/power off times and responsiveness, even the A99 is too slow for my liking at times, and I’ve missed a few shots with both the A99 and A77 (few I admit) but still for this range of camera a little more speed would be nice and is expected for this price range, I believe this to be a very reasonable request.
The camera I find also seems to still have a bit of flash inconsistency, stabilising this would also be appreciated.
Another option I think would be nice to have would be to use the rear screen for preview only (eg, it remains OFF unless you PLAY/preview a shot taken) this was you can save battery by the EVF only being enabled if you are looking through it and the rear screen remaining off whilst walking around or preparing shots..etc one of the downsides of EVF is the battery life and working on ways such as the above I personally think would be a good way to help with this minor issue. Of cause it could be toggled on/off in the options so users could config how they like but this would be my preferred option as I don’t really need the rear screen any more other than to preview shots taken…
Taking this one step further if Auto-review is on another good option would be to preview ONLY on the rear screen or on both EVF AND rear.. The reason for this is when you are taking multi-pull shots you often don’t want to have review on via the EVF as it can be rather distracting and cause to you miss some shots due to lag and switching between live view and review..etc….. If set to preview only on the rear screen the camera would only load the image on the reason screen if you remove your eye from the EVF again increasing speed when required as well as saving battery all in one shot…
This is jut my 2 cents worth and I sure hope Sony consider some of the points above for future firmware updates for both the A99 and A77 (flagship models)
Jonathan
6 months ago |Just looked at the Cannon 6D review and noticed Cannon has already implemented most of the tether idea’s I’ve posted in the past… Sony why can’t you with your “Most digital SLR camera”… come on they heave live view even via wifi with phone apps and junk like that (that’s Sony’s realm is it not?)
SonyCyberPunk
6 months ago |Hey, John… looks like you need your own blog. Make it a little shorter next time. Geez.
gspam
6 months ago |Huge +1
gspam
6 months ago |Very well written Jonathan
Peter
6 months ago |… new ISO hotshoe?
Geert
6 months ago |yeah right… FIRMWARE update
Peter
6 months ago |Yeah, this is what really annoys me with Sony. They did not fix firmware issues for the entry/consumer level cameras, (like my A580), but brought new cameras every few months.
Seems like they start doing the same for the “upper class” cameras now.
So my comment was rather ironic, but I expect it to become true. Minor (lens database only?) fw update for the A77 soon and a replacement A7″whatever” with new hotshoe…
Sky_walker
6 months ago |Sony doesn’t release new cameras above low-end much more often than Nikon. Just lookup wikipedia timeline.
maggy
6 months ago |That is why I am not going to enter Sony system. They don’t care about clients.
They want us to gain new firmware altogether with new hardware only. Sony is not serious photographic equipment supplier.
Lofote
6 months ago |hehe
Oh and of course a headphone-jack will also be added by the firmware xD
obican
6 months ago |Hi
My Nex 7 lets me choose the rear screen modes I want to cycle through by pressing the “UP” button. One of them is called “for viewfinder” and it just displays basic shooting information with no live view. Doesn’t A77 also have this?
Sky_walker
6 months ago |yes
Disinto
6 months ago |I want the camera to be more snappy! It’s a real shame compared to the A99 but I’m afraid there’s a HW limitation (not enough horsepower) preventing any further SW optimizations :/
Frank
6 months ago |It’s snappy enough now. Since the later firmwares I’ve never really understood people going on about it being slow.
Sky_walker
6 months ago |Snappy, huh? http://www.snappyyork.co.uk/ESW/Images/Senior_Snappy.PNG
Disinto
6 months ago |No, it’s not snappy enough. There’s a small but noticeable lag whenever you manipulate any knob (especially the front and rear knobs). It doesn’t happen on my antique Dynax 5D and obviously not on the A99.
Frank
6 months ago |I am too busy shooting to notice such things.
WTH
6 months ago |It will probably make the A77 worst in a LAME attempt to force more people to upgrade to the A99….
Adam Bindslev
6 months ago |I still primarily want three things – that should be really easy to do for Sony. Cannot see any of them being HW-limitations
- 5 shots +/- 2EV bracketing
- Controlling auto-gain on audio
- Tethering
One can only hope
Lofote
6 months ago |The auto-gain might be hardware (the audio chip).
Taiga
6 months ago |Ten bucks says it’s just more lens profiles.
As a RAW shooter, I don’t really care about the JPEG engine, but I would love it if they somehow added a few features like tethering and expanded bracketing & drive options (maybe even an intervalometer for time lapse photography).
Frank
6 months ago |It’ll be another lens database update, so don’t get excited people.
Sky_walker
6 months ago |Wouldn’t be surprised, but if it goes like that with next FW update they’ll have to carter for Minolta glass, cause no more Sony lenses will be left pending update.
Luwize
6 months ago |Don’t forget the a65
Frank
6 months ago |They share the same base firmware.
Ken
6 months ago |so… if it’s just another lens profile update, doesn’t that mean more lenses coming out?
The Lotus Eater
6 months ago |“Cheapest A77 price for A99 body in UK at Wowcamera (on eBay)”
That doesn’t make sense, although I’d love an A99 for the price of an A77.
By the way, it isn’t really from the UK – Wowcamera are registered as a Hong Kong seller, so it will be a grey import. They’re one of many sellers on ebay masquerading as being based in the buyer’s own country – it’s highly dishonest. I wish you wouldn’t post links to such sellers, Andrea.
AW
6 months ago |The one thing that would save me hours is the ability to somehow mark photos as “liked” or “Pick” or star rated or something in camera – and ideally include that in the exif somewhere that Lightroom can pick it up.
Tethering would be nice, but I’d probably never use it. Bracketing interests me even less than who go licked off X-factor this week. Lens profiles are no use to me whatsoever.
Frank
6 months ago |The feature is already there, the delete button.
dennismullen
6 months ago |Sony, please fix the flash overexposure and inconsistency problem!
zstan
6 months ago |wooot good news indeed!
Dan
6 months ago |Focus magnification in video mode *fingers crossed*
Neo NiGHTS ®
6 months ago |Why do you keep hoping Sony will bring any improvements? I think they’ll add more lens profiles and that’s it.
Frank
6 months ago |To be fair, they improved the A700 with v4 firmware.
Neo NiGHTS ®
6 months ago |I have to agree with that. But wouldn’t keep the hopes too high this time again.
Frank
6 months ago |Can’t disagree with that!
Marek
6 months ago |I hope they finally get rid off the no-dialog when using RAW and switching to JPG only style/program.
Zak
6 months ago |Would like to see 24p available in video mode as it is an internationally accepted standard. Obvious the A77 is not a pro video camera but it would help a lot of low budget independent films make the international circuit.
TeamStrider
6 months ago |Would love to see an improved JPEG engine. This has always been Sony’s achilles heel and i think they can improve this and a few other options. Let’s hope so!
joe
6 months ago |Full frame NEX please
Lost Hope
6 months ago |If the firmware upgrade is just lens compatibility, then it will be the second firmware upgrade in a row which I will not be loading.
Just another lens update is an insult to A65/A77 owners who can’t use many of the cameras facilities when they are Jpeg only because the Jpeg Engine is rubbish. The ISO and sensor noise are also poor and need tweeking. Sony make the sensors then let everyone else get the best out of them…how bad is that.
Come on Sony, as I have said before, if you have a better Jpeg engine – which you should have by now – then give it to us, if you haven’t…then shame on you.
SonyCyberPunk
6 months ago |Exactly…
+ 36 widely spaced dual cross type (horizontal & vertical) phase detect on-sensor f2.8 focus points
+ Central 9 points vertically sensitive down to f1.4.
+ 1 million dollars
Poke
6 months ago |Any news on 99 firmware,admin? I was hoping to get a few more lenses compatible with the 99′s dual focus system, primarily the 70-200G.
FahFah
6 months ago |Yes Please Sony! I agree with Adam. I want to see:
• TETHERING – there’s no excuse not to have it
• More bracketing options
• Better Noise performance – it still creeps in way sooner than it should on this level of camera.
prj
6 months ago |How about legacy lens support such as beercan range, G lens and maybe some others of note.
Andrei
6 months ago |Does anybody know why Sony so religiously updates firmware for the Alpha line to reflect the latest lenses and not doing it for the NEX cameras? NEX-5N, in addition, could benefit from fixing the bug in firmware version 1.01 (latest version) due to which the camera is incapable of focusing on a horizontal line.. Could anyone of the Sonyalpharumors.com sources comment on this?
Lloyd Grace
6 months ago |YES PLEASE SONY!
I would like to see:
• Tethering – There’s no excuse for not having it
• More bracketing options
• Better NOISE performance – It still creeps in way sooner than it should on this level of camera. Why does Nikon get consistently better noise performance from the same sensors???
whistler
6 months ago |I only have a wish for a few things
- better noise performance if possible
- improoved video modes, with AF up to lets say f7.2, higher fps for a short period of time
- and I take any improovement to autofocus
Not much more on my wish list
Joe
6 months ago |I never got the original memo regarding the A99 firmware update. I imagine we’ll see A99 and A77 updates in conjunction as they are very similar menu-wise. The A99 has a function to disable the movie button, so they release firmware for the A77 movie button. They have nearly indistinguishable chassis, I can’t imagine the software portions of their firmware are vastly different.
agorabasta
6 months ago |Admin,
If your system doesn’t stop filtering out my completely relevant comments, your misbehaviour is going to be much more public than your site alone is.
shamb
6 months ago |A firmware roadplan would be one of the best things for Sony to release right now. Same as the lens roadplan, but catering for all pro and semipro bodies.
That would give greater peace of mind for people thinking of moving over to Sony, as well as keeping existing owners feeling like they have been forgotten.
MrLee
6 months ago |I hope its a REAL update and not just more lense support…
Sony trying to sell you a camera yearly instead of real firmware updates is a real put-off…. I wont fall into that cycle (trap).
Tony
6 months ago |Yeah a firmware update for tethering would be nice, but let’s be honest. Unless the next firmware update is magic, and it can change that crap 24 MP sensor into a better 16 or 12MP one, who cares? My old Sony A700 has better RAWs at ISO 3200 than the A77 and it’s four years older. What happened there? Oh if Sony took that 12MP sensor from the Fuji X100 or even their “sweet 16″ sensor that everyone uses, and put it in the A77 it would have been a nice dSLR. time to update the A77 completely.
Len
6 months ago |Would like to see
* Audio controls or see the levels at lease.
* tethering (sorry have found away around that)
* turn off/on NR
* turn off/on steady shot
* Improve ISO
* lower ISO in video (add 3200)
* Add more lens new and old
Not much, but all this will be on the Camera I’m sure.
Even thought I just bought my a77 five weeks ago.
computer0004
5 months ago |Comme j’espère un firmware 1.07 en janvier = af en mode manuel video !!!???
James
5 months ago |I’m going to hope for the worst. Here’s probably what you can expect from the latest update: a kick in the pants. Sony will probably update their compatibility with older lenses (snore), some bogus ‘boost’ in performance, and maybe allow you to customize a button or two.
Know what would be awesome?
—> Manual Audio Control
—> ISO Above 1600 in Manual Movie Mode
—> In Camera Time Lapse (like any Nikon DSLR)
—> Ability to Set White Balance in Manual Movie Mode (setting it in photo mode is getting old.
—> Shutter Speed of 48fps in Movie Mode.
Let’s see what happens. Hopefully it will be a 2.0 release, but Sony is notorious for forcing it’s users to buy a new model rather than fix problems via firmware update.
Agh.
william
5 months ago |shooting theter maybe?