(SR5) Sony A77 to start shipment early October. (SR4) Announcement mid-July
I bet many of you are tired to wait for the A700 successor. We saw many prototypes on many shows during the last year. And Sony didn’t unveil any specs or details about the camera and final release. But finally I have some very reliable info about the Sony A77 release. Exclusive on SonyAlphaRumors of course 
According to our trusted sources the new Sony A77 will hit the market in October. One source claims to know the exact worldwide shipment date: October 6th! And when is Sony going to announce the camera? I am not 100% certain yet but a few of our sources said that it should be announced in July at a luxury event (probably in Montecarlo).
I can also confirm that the specs we posted here during the past few months are correct:
1) The A77 has a newly designed 24 Megapixel sensor.
2) I have been told that Sony and Zeiss worked very close and very hard to develop lenses that can deliver the necessary resolution for the 24 Megapixel APS-C sensor. The first lens to be announced should be the 16-50mm zoom. Compared to the Zeiss 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 it will have a constant aperture and probably have a bit higher price. Zeiss 16-80mm price check at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
3) The combination of the new sensor+new Zeiss lens delivers 62% more resolution than the A55 16 Megapixel sensor.
4) Sony officially said at Amateur Photographer the A77 price will be on the level of the Canon 60D. But according to our sources it will be a little bit more expensive than the 60D. Canon 60D price check at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay
5) We already got a few detailed specs but we need some time to double check the info we received. I hope to post them soon on SAR. The only thing I can say is that the electronic viewfinder is much better (But no hybrid viewfinder a la Fuji X100), autofocus very accurate, It records FullHD, robust body compared to current SLT cameras, no flip-up mode to allow shooting without this extra sheet of glass in place, it will take CF
I am working to get more info about the A77 and the products that are going to be announce don ealry April (4th?). There will be so many new cameras and lenses you cannot even imagine
If you have some rumor to share contact me at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com or use the anonymous contact form on the right sidebar. And invite your friends to follow us! Join us at Facebook, Twitter and follow our RSS-feed!
Stay tuned!
Andrea (SonyAlphaRumors editor)
P.S.: To support this website make us earn a little commission through our affiliate links. Click on the shop links on our website (like Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay) and buy whatever product you want. You don’t pay any penny more and we will earn the money necessary to keep thiw website running and independent! Thanks!
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!
adam
3 years ago |First!!!
Finally..the long awaited alpha new alpha77.
Thanks admin for sharing this.
SonyA77
3 years ago |130th!!!
Thomas
3 years ago |Great! Not only does the summer-holidays start in July, but maybe we’ll finally be given official news about the A77. It’s a shame that it won’t be ready for summer though, but it would suck to get a camera with rushed firmware or production.
Gino
3 years ago |Well they should be in stores all over the world in November.
Which is perfect planning when it comes to christmas shopping!
zstan
3 years ago |YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
zstan
3 years ago |so meaning that Zeiss will still produce DT lenses?
admin
3 years ago |De facto NO! This will be the last APS-C Zeiss lenses for the ALpha system. After that we will have FF Zeiss lenses only!
Bob
3 years ago |Will the necessary resolution be the same for other lens? Example Sony 70-400/Other Zeiss lens(Just purchased the Zeiss 16-80)/Tamron/Sigma lens. If not then what resolution will they be compariable? 18MP; 16MP or less. If I cannot get higher resolution than my a700 without buying all new lens, why buy it?
A700 owner
3 years ago |So it will manage CF cards? Sure hope that wasn’t a typo.. If not then great!
skiss
3 years ago |Almost same price as the Canon’s 60D?!
Wow,a perfect bargain for the festive season this year.
pancanikonpus
3 years ago |Andrea,
Nice job! but how about LCD screen? like 60D/GH2?
admin
3 years ago |Working on that!
pancanikonpus
3 years ago |Sound like it is getting expensive… pretty bad for me with little budget like 60D
admin
3 years ago |Maybe he street price will bring it closer to the 60D price…
pancanikonpus
3 years ago |and it is pretty late, mean i almost waited a year lol …
SonyA77
3 years ago |I didn’t think we would see this until September at the earliest…
Lely
3 years ago |Finally..now i can start saving..^_^
Olli Nylander
3 years ago |I’ve already started. To get some optics too
Paul W
3 years ago |Was hoping for July
xylum
3 years ago |Excellent!
Whats with 18MP A55, wasn’t it 16MP a few days back?
admin
3 years ago |Ops, typo! Thanks
RB
3 years ago |And how do you come to 62% more resolution..?
Is there something hidden, which I don’t see…?
IMHO, it should be something like sqrt(24 MP / 16 MP) equal 22% more….
admin
3 years ago |I guess the tester talked about the REAL resolution. New sensor+less strong AA filter+super Zeiss lens.
mike
3 years ago |damn, i want that clear one!
khai
3 years ago |my stamina is wearing out on this wait…hahahaha
harpo
3 years ago |Good news, but if it’s going to take until October that will give some time to see what Nikon does with the d300s upgrade as well. May be worth having a look at that as well seeing as I don’t have an investment in glass.
OTTO
3 years ago |good news, although lots of patience is still necessary.
BTW: “at a luxury event (probably in Montecarlo)” – shouldn’t they save the money and donate it to the victims of the earthquake?
SonyA77
3 years ago |I am sure that Sony are doing plenty already.
Thomas
3 years ago |300 million yen, plus 30 000 radios. And Sony’s not the only camera-manufacturer donating either. Pretty much every major corperation has donated a serious amount of cash
mwl
3 years ago |That is correct. They are also matching employee donations up to $500,000 USD. They are taking this very seriously.
Dulaney Ward
3 years ago |I hope you are right about the CF card. The apparent lack of a CF card slot on the most-recently-shown prototype caused quite a furor on many forums.
acolyte
3 years ago |+1
Bob
3 years ago |I still shoot on 120 film and I’m in the market for my first digital camera. I already followed the rumors at Nikon and Canon sites, but lately I come back to this great site again and again.
For me it’s all about the lenses. It would be great to have a fast 28, 35 and 50 from Zeiss. I keep following this site. You do a great job administrator!
AVESTA
3 years ago |hey bob, I also shoot 120 (6×9 format) and I gotta tell you that full frame’s the way to go if you want the same feel and range.
keep in mind that the crop factor on aps-c won’t actually give you a 28, 35, 50… it’ll be a 42,52,75
Panfruit
3 years ago |You’re not going to get a fast 35mm or 50mm from Sony-Zeiss anytime soon, sadly.
Sahaja
3 years ago |The fast 28, 35 and 50mm lenses from Zeiss don’t come in A mount
john
3 years ago |Seems to me in the past when Sony announced a camera they were in the stores about a month later.
Whats the difference now?
acolyte
3 years ago |Difference is the wait has been forever for this camrea
john
3 years ago |The only camera that has taken longer is a Full Frame from Pentax.
SonyA77
3 years ago |I thought the same, odd isn’t it. Who knows, perhaps they have pushed it back due to the quake?
acolyte
3 years ago |Ugh. Read your question another way. Perhaps they’re confident it’s ready by September (first batch of production and such), but with the push from mass and competition, they have to announce it soon.
Or perhaps they have to select which conferences they can announce which camera.
After all, there’s a ridiculous number of cameras Sony is releasing this year (and end of last year). They can’t announce them all simultaneously.
xavierdjx
3 years ago |That’s so late for me… I have some weddings to make this summer and in september ! What a pity ^^
AVESTA
3 years ago |and of course the video won’t have a 24p option.
Thomas
3 years ago |300 million yen, plus 30 000 radios. And Sony’s not the only camera-manufacturer donating either. Pretty much every major corperation has donated a serious amount of cash
clivengu
3 years ago |Thats freaking long…. I guess I can stop coming to the rumors site to find out when the A77 is releasing… until July perhaps
Luckily I have not sold my A700 if not i’ll be suffering without a camera for half a year…
clivengu
3 years ago |But at least now i know i can spend my money for some lenses before the camera release later ….
Mafiosito
3 years ago |I can’t wait, just hope my glass will be able to keep up with that beast of performance. I love the look of it it’s design and the big top lcd glad it is not small like the fullframes ones…My only request is know how does the tilt lcd works
SonyA77
3 years ago |I’ve never seen the point of a top LCD when you have it on the rear one, especially with a flip out LCD.
What bugs me about the A700 though is the lack of ISO on permanent display in the viewfinder, you have to press the ISO button to display it! Does anybody know if the A33/A55 have it on permanent display in the EVF?
Panfruit
3 years ago |“I’ve never seen the point of a top LCD when you have it on the rear one, especially with a flip out LCD.”
Once you get used to it, you’ll never want to be without one again. It’s much more convenient than having just a rear view in many situations; also it’s got to be much easier on the batteries.
Really, it’s a good thing.
SonyA77
3 years ago |Which situations? Compared to using the flip out rear LCD I can’t think of one.
Walt
3 years ago |Too bad no proper replacement for the a700, where’s the pentaprism OVF DSLR replacement?
Sahaja
3 years ago |Walt, that was the a900 and a850
SonyA77
3 years ago |Walt, I fail to understand why you can’t just wait and judge the A77 when you have used one.
G
3 years ago |+1
Sky_walker
3 years ago |And what “using it” changes for someone who wants Pentaprism camera? Nothing.
SonyA77
3 years ago |He may finds he PREFERS the EVF, common sense really.
Sky_walker
3 years ago |It’s more in line with “understands advantages EVF gives and agrees with compromise” than “prefers the EVF” for Walt and anyone else who grown up in SLR viewfinders before the entry-level DSLRs came in.
Maveric19
3 years ago |Thanks Walt for trying to ruin our wet dreams.
James
3 years ago |I’m with you Walt, I think Sony is foolish to abandon DSLR’s altogether and put all their eggs in the SLT basket. Some of us actually prefer the viewfinder image an OVF provides. They should release an A770 OVF model alongside the A77 EVF model. Walt, unfortunately it looks like the camera you want is the Nikon D7000 or if you want this new 24MP sensor then probably the future Nikon D400.
Daniel
3 years ago |Many of those who comment might have never used the a900/850 with lenses like the 24-70, 85, 135. They won’t miss a thing.
)
Imagine the 24-70 Zeiss on a small plastic body with allmost no grip
Maybe less than 50% of those who are posting here will ever reach and buy the a77 or even the next FF camera and lenses!!
To those who use the a900/850 i surely believe it is painfull to see the direction Sony choses for the future. This is for those who really need an APS-C as a second camera, regarding the talk about the a77.
For FF users I see no need to make the camera SLT. But it would be dangerous to Sony, some might ask if such a move would mean that the SLT is not up to FF standards right now and this would affect the overall SLT bussines Sony cameras are based upon right now.
I don’t see them being ready to invest so much that they could release a camera for each cathegory and make everyone happy, even if it would make a lot of customers happy.
Who knows…let’s wait and see.
Anyway, I’m so eager to get my hands on the A77!!!!
Trev
3 years ago |I’ve recently bought another A700 to carry me over the coming year. I’m happy with those and will wait until the A77 gets a good going over, or maybe until the FF is announced. This give a little more time to assess the required glass.
PhotoNut
3 years ago |Ha! Did anyone notice that this see-thru plastic prototype is shown with its “transparent” mirror flat down and out of the way of the sensor?
I still want to hear actual verifiable details about this new camera. In particular:
1. Same or new batteries?
2. Can custom lens information be programmed into the camera for chipless lenses like Samyang’s?
3. Does it have a built-in GPS?
4. Is the flash delay problem fixed?
5. Is the EVF no-gain with studio strobe problem fixed?
Only people who have actually used these cameras will be able to answer questions like this.
Like I said, those who talk don’t know and those who know don’t talk!
Rui Pereira
3 years ago |what you really see is the inside camera reflection provided by the mirror itself… i wish it was true. because of this slt mirror i think i won’t buy it, and move to a more photography oriented brand… this is not the way to go for those who want to work with photography itself…
SonyA77
3 years ago |Why? What is it that the SLT stops you taking photographs of? Sony have already stated that the A77 will have high ISO, so what’s the problem if you lose a bit due to the SLT design over a mirror?
I just don’t understand people basing decisions on the A55, it is a completely different class of camera to the A77.
Rui Pereira
3 years ago |even it might be better than a55 it will still have one more piece of glass in front of the sensor… and when i buy a lens with fast aperture i want to use it to it’s fullest, and not having something taking the light out of it and ruining some of it sharpness…
it might be very good for video but not for photo…
Dulaney Ward
3 years ago |Even with the mirror, I suspect that this camera will have better IQ than any previous APSc camera, and probably better than any soon to come except the D400, which is likely to have the same sensor.
Vlad
3 years ago |I would agree with Dulaney. This camera gets a lot of attention simply because many waited for so long. The special thing about it imho will be the sensor. Big deal if you lose some 0.15-0.3EV. Especially if it as easy to take out the mirror as it is on the current SLTs.
Rui Pereira
3 years ago |i just hope it’s worth the wait… or i’ll be done with sony…
Northof60
3 years ago |If Sony makes the camera simpler by removing a former moving part AND the images are great, seems like a good camera for both video and photo. The fact the imaginary images with a moving mirror might be even better shouldn’t get in the way of judging the delivered images on their own merits. It’s all about the image. But of course, if the image quality isn’t there, it’s not a camera for photos.
PhotoNut
3 years ago |Come to think of it you’re right. it was just the reflection of the mirror. I mistakenly thought that Sony had mistakenly given away an important A77 secret with that promo shot.
gigino
3 years ago |the mirror is not flat down. what you see is a reflection, which induces you to think the mirror is flat down.
look at it again.
Vlad
3 years ago |1000 shots. So, they solved that. very good. Admin, any information on whether the LCD will be flip-out or fixed?
Mike L
3 years ago |As one or two others have mentioned here, I’m a little concerned that my current lenses simply won’t be good enough on this new camera. I can barely afford the camera as it is already. And now I’m being told that my current Sigma, Tamron, Minolta lenses, and even the Zeiss 16-80 won’t live up to the camera’s potential? I really can’t afford to buy another 10-20, another 70-200 f2.8, another Zeiss, another macro, another…
Well, you get the idea. So let me ask: will it make that much of a difference with my current lenses? If so, I might just get the 580 or 55 and be done with it.
Rui Pereira
3 years ago |it happens the same with canikon… if you want to get the most out of your camera you need better glass on it…
in example, if you buy a new lED TV, the image will be better with Blue ray than with VHS…
mwl
3 years ago |I agree. If we need to keep up with the image quality by buying newer and more expensive glass then why not just make the switch to full frame where you can pick up old lenses for cheap and get better image quality. Or am I missing something here?
Alpha 580
3 years ago |for wildlife the crop factor is perfect!
But for landscape or portrait of course full frame is better.
mwl
3 years ago |Ah, yes. Macro too I guess, eh? I guess I just meant in terms of resolution since the post mentions the 62% res increase. So I guess that is a God send for wildlife.
SonyA77
3 years ago |If you lenses are good enough on a 35mm film SLR, then they will certainly be good enough for 24mpix.
Dulaney Ward
3 years ago |Not only good enough, but better than before.
Mike L
3 years ago |Thanks for all the replies. I think I wasn’t clear enough with my question. Let me try a small example:
I have the Minolta Beer Can (70-210 f4) and the Alpha 100. If I get the A77 and use the Minolta, will the images be better than with the A100 if I print both to, for example, 8X10 inches (I think Europeans would call this 20X25 mm or so)? And then if I got a new 70-210 lens that’s built for the A77, the images will be even better?
Or, does it mean that the A77 can expose flaws in the Minolta that I could never have noticed with the Alpha 100?
I guess that is my biggest concern. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.
Ezio
3 years ago |here, a DxOMark lens comparison of our classic Minolta AF 50mm f1.4 (just choose A200 vs A550 on the body selector):
http://94.23.12.156/index.php/Lens-with-Camera/Compare/Compare-lenses/(lens1)/188/(lens2)/188/(onglet)/0/(brand)/Konica%20Minolta/(brand2)/Konica%20Minolta
set lens 1 to Alpha 200 (10.2MP)
set lens 2 to Alpha 550 (14.2MP)
the jump in resolution alone is 39%, but of course all other sensor factors of the A550 is better than A200 (better noise control, etc).
Like above poster said, every lens you have that resolves 35mm film, will get even better now with a high resolution sensor of the likes of A77.
Personally I doubt the new 16-50 f2.8 is meant to replace the 16-80 Zeiss, but rather to compete with Nikon’s offering of a 17-50 f2.8 DX lens. Certainly it never hurts to have a high resolving power lens but as data proves it, every lens right now will perform that much better on the A77 over any other APS-C offerings from any company, at least on the fator that the sensor resolving power will bring out the Gold of each lens.
Balroth
3 years ago |Your curren lenses have more resolution that any of the current sensors, maybe the new 24MP sensor will get closer to lenses resolution.
acolyte
3 years ago |I feel Sony should at least provide a ‘backward compatible’ camera. The sensor is still APS-C. It’s of higher resolution but it’s not of significantly different size. You can read up why FF can’t use it’s full capability with APS-C lenses, but because this is an APS-C sensor, I would like to hope they at least don’t introduce this incompatibility.
What I’m trying to say is, don’t worry about it yet until official announcements.
ChenAlan
3 years ago |Mike, my suggestion then is that you don’t shoot at full 24 mpx if you’re worried bout quality issues and are short on cash.
damiga
3 years ago |I’ll believe it when it’s actually in my hands. Been burned with enough SR4 rumours.
hansen
3 years ago |What is Sony doing??? They working years on a successor of the A700 and we still have to wait for october!!!! Are they sleeping? Or what they are doing?
Normally for 2011 we should see the successor of the successor of the a700.
I hope they will not only have a 17-50! I would prefer a new 17-80 with hsm!!!
Bob
3 years ago |Mike L has a point. I have posted my concern on this subject. To expand: I am a wildlife photographer and the 24MP sounded great, but if I must replace my lenses at a cost of over 3x the camera, why. If my NEW Zeiss 16-80 will only function at a decreased level, then I will not be happy (Maybe Sony will give me a $ for $ trade in). Once you make the committment at least the lenses should be able to capture the higher resolution generated by the larger sensor and with all the other goodies this and other cameras present. Is this new camera the same as the development of a new car that gets 200 miles/gallon but only uses a new gas that costs $40/gallon. Defeats the purpose.
Being a wildlife photographer, I want the increase MP for cropping purposes in addition to the other benefits of a larger RAW File. If I buy a 24MP camera and can only use 50 or 75% of that increase without spending mega dollars, please explain to me again why should I buy this?
Dulaney Ward
3 years ago |I have never see a definitive statement as to which Sony lenses will or will not out-resolve 24 mpx, but certainly a good number of current Sony lenses will, and most others will perform better with this camera. If the sensor performs as well as Sony itself has said it will (ISO into the hundreds of thousands), it pressnts us with no reason at all to be concerned, but rather abundant reason to be overjoyed.
john
3 years ago |I know it won’t happen but I wish Sony would keep the sensor for the A77 to themselves and not sell to Nikon etc. Then image quality would be judged on it’s own merits and not compared to this camera or that.
I can hear the moaning now, OMG the D400 gets 1/3 stop more light,more contrast, more detail and less noise and CA.
Panfruit
3 years ago |Nikon generally makes better use of Sony imagers. Maybe that will change with the a77? Hopefully they’ll catch up.
Too bad Sony isn’t aiming to compete with a Nikon d300-class camera. That really irks me! D90-level — yawn.
john
3 years ago |“Nikon generally makes better use of Sony imagers.”
YES and IF Sony didn’t sell Nikon (or others) the next sensor, Nikon(or others)wouldn’t have the opportunity to best Sony.
A77 IQ would be judged on its own merits.
But Nikon will be first in line.
pmac
3 years ago |actually based on the A580 v D7000 I’d say thats reversed now.
Northof60
3 years ago |Let’s hope Sony looked at the enhanced Nikon performance and learned how to match it. Nothing like competition in this kind of situation to get a company to pick up their game.
Dulaney Ward
3 years ago |Sony has already picked up its game. There is barely any difference at all between the performance of the sensor in the A5580 & the Sony sensor in the D7000–a somewhat more expensive camera.
Northof60
3 years ago |Thanks for reminding me on the improved Sony sensor performance. Competition is a good thing. ;<)
ChenAlan
3 years ago |On the contrary, people in Nikonrumors.com are going nuts that their DX lenses can’t cope with a 24 mpx D400!
Northof60
3 years ago |W00t!
Vlad
3 years ago |Why should your Zeiss perform on a decreased level? From what I understand it might not be able to outresolve the new sensor, but it won’t perform worse.
AVESTA
3 years ago |well, it all depends on if you view your camera as a long term investment or not.
In the case of the FF vs APS-c, I still think full frame is better simply because you can always get newer and longer lenses in the future if you need to get a closer shot (worse case scenario, you can crop a bit). However, once you start shooting with a cropped sensor, you’ll never be able to “uncrop” your shots, and wide angles (that perform well) are harder to come by.
Sahaja
3 years ago |Your lens won’t function at a “decreased level” – having a higher resolution sensor is similar to putting finer grain film in an SLR. That never made images taken with the same lens look worse.
Sahaja
3 years ago |Look at it this way: If your lens out resolves your sensor (camera), then you are getting the best out of your camera with your lens; if your sensor out resolves your lens, you are getting the best out of your lens with your camera. Either way you’re a winner.
emarsh
3 years ago |The beercan 70-210mm holds up well on the a900. The a900 has a 24mp sensor, so I would not worry about it. I’ve asked a900 owners about the 70-210mm beercan before, it’s fine. If any lens can hold up on the a900/850, then there should be no reason for them to not hold up on the new sensor. Now, something like the old 18-70mm kitlens is a different story I’m sure. It just seems that Sony and Zeiss are saying that they have been working to bring top notch lenses for this new top notch sensor. Hooray for awesome resolution! Hopefully, also, they put on a teleconverter feature like the a350 had, say from 2x to 4x, you could still get 12mp at 2x, and 6mp at 4x. Talk about wildlife photos, wow. Thoughts anyone?
Vlad
3 years ago |The A900 has a bigger sensor. So given they’ll have the same resolution, the pixels on the A77 would be smaller, hence needing very good lenses. Or am I mistaken?
Mike L
3 years ago |That’s what I’m worried about, Vlad. I see that we likely won’t know for sure until we have the camera in our hands. It just sucks that at least some people will have to take that US$1,200 gamble to find out.
But I should also say that I’m not a professional photographer. The majority of my photos will be on computer screens, and not hanging on huge prints in galleries. So if the A77 provides better results with the lenses I already have, then it’s not so bad (even if a newer and more expensive lens will give me even sharper photos).
My biggest concern is if the new camera would show some sort of flaw in the lens that you could not notice with an older camera. If people don’t think this will happen, then I’ll be happy.
Vlad
3 years ago |I see your point, Mike. But I think you shouldn’t be very worried. Look at the Canon Rebels with the 18MP sensor. I haven’t seen anything said about them revealing faults in the lens.
When I said you’ll need better lenses, I meant that if you put some lame glass imho in most cases the problem would be that you just don’t use the sensor to its full capacity. If your current lenses outresolve your current sensor, then you should even see an improvement. That’s my uneducated guess
Mike L
3 years ago |Thanks, Vlad. Hope you’re right.
gigino
3 years ago |Yeah… what a gamble.
This camera will out resolve the a700 handsomely, not mentioning better color,, noise, DR, AF, FPS etc….
Some people….
Daniel
3 years ago |I feel your concern, but if it is to any help to you I might say that out of my experience with the 24mpx sensor of the a900/a850 the 24-70, 85, 135 work flawlessly, so I assume they will do so on the A77. These lenses are phenomenal!!
The 35, 50 f1.4 really need to get replacements!!
Panfruit
3 years ago |I wonder if the horrendous color-fringing of the Beercan is any better on full-frame compared to APS-C?
David
3 years ago |I don’t believe it….not at all…
There have been at least a hundred or more false release dates given over the past four years. I won’t believe it till it actually happens…
In the meantime…I picked up a Sony A700 on Ebay for 500 bucks and very happy with it as a companion to my A850….and I definitely DON’T want EVF…
Panfruit
3 years ago |“.and I definitely DON’T want EVF…”
Will there be any choice?
Northof60
3 years ago |Whenever a new technology is shunned I’m always reminded of the professional photographer I very much respect who years ago said, “You can spit on me if I ever use digital” He of course is fully in the digital world now, and loving it. If the technology, for example, EVF, delivers the goods, it’s for using. I can’t imagine this kind of electronics not getting better and better, and expect it to be great someday, maybe soon.
Wirralpix
3 years ago |What a bummer. I was hoping to have the A77 in my hands for a wedding in September. My A700 is playing up.
David
3 years ago |I can’t believe that people are complaining about the camera possible outresolving their current lenses…
How exactly is this a problem? Either way, you get better image quality by changing to the a77. And if the limiting factor is your lenses, you can always resell lenses and get new ones later. You don’t need to rush out immediately and get new ones.. the image quality will still be much better.
Plus – image quality isn’t the only reason to upgrade. The better build quality, battery life, faster fps and amazing video capability are all good reasons too.
acolyte
3 years ago |I suspect the main worry is because A900 using APS-C lenses can only grab up to 16 MP or so. I’m throwing numbers here, but it’s along those lines
gigino
3 years ago |They should stick with their old cameras so they will not out resolve and upset those Sigma and Tamrons….
God knows what those lenses are going to say if they get out resolved by a new sensor.
EumRarne
3 years ago |I’ve been wondering about this resolving issue for some time as well, so I’ve been doing some reading and some maths. Basically the 24Mpx sensor should not outresolve any lens up to an aperture of about 5.6. And I believe that’s where the (rumored 2.8) fast kitlens comes in as well.
In the end, if one desires to make optimal use of the 24Mpx resolution, one will lose DOF.
feedmatekill
3 years ago |I don’t need more then 12mp anyways but i DO need better AF and highISO so the a77 will do
acolyte
3 years ago |Just for fun, what’s the rumor of the f number on the 16-50? and size?
Q
3 years ago |It’s definitely going to be F1.8
Sky_walker
3 years ago |right, f/1.1, lol
SonyA77
3 years ago |f2.8 would make sense, but the lack of aperture information makes me wonder if it will be an f4 to keep the cost down.
Sky_walker
3 years ago |Yep – these would be my best bets too – or f/2.8 or very high quality f/4.
David
3 years ago |Great news on the A77 – thanks Andrea. Now I am officially excited!
richard
3 years ago |Wish it release sooner, but if a77 is as good as claim in paper is worth the wait.
David
3 years ago |“I suspect the main worry is because A900 using APS-C lenses can only grab up to 16 MP or so. I’m throwing numbers here, but it’s along those lines”
That’s because the sensor in a900 is physically larger – it has nothing to do with the resolution.
The lens focuses a circular image onto a rectangular sensor – that’s why you get darkening corners aka vignetting. If you use a DT/APS-C lens on full frame you get dark corners.
Zstan
3 years ago |With that amount of price for the new lens it better comes with SSM!
pancanikonpus
3 years ago |$599
Bob
3 years ago |I appreciate the comments concerning the resolving issue. When I said I was concerned with this issue I am mainly concerned with waiting all this time for a 24MP camera and then having it not take full advantage of the 24 MP as per acolyte with his example of the a900 only being able to grab a certain amount of the mp available for use. If I am spending the cash for a 24MP sensor, then I want it to grab all of these MP with the lenses I currently own not being required to purchase new more expensive lenses to use what I have already paid for. This is not a deal in my estimation. How can we find this out prior to buying the camera. At least we could then make an informed decision. It may or may not be a critical issue. However, I want to make that decision prior to spending the money otherwise I would really fell ripped off.
RB
3 years ago |Well, with this 24 MP on APS-C the camera has a pixel pitch of 4 µm (if I have calculated right) — with is very close to the resolution limit of a perfect lens (“diffraction limit”), which is about 3-4 µm at f/5.6 and about 2-3 µm at f/4.0 (depends on how you define resolution precisely). Now, taking into account that no lens is perfect, you will have a hard time (and a considerable amount of money less on your bank account) to find a lens which out-resolves your sensor: If must have a sufficiently high resolution already at f/2.8 before the diffraction limit limits your resolution…
LifeStoryImages
3 years ago |Well done with the calculations RB.
Bob, your full-frame lenses are fine to use on this or any other APS-C sensor. Your lens covers MORE field than the sensor captures, i.e., you are “overfilling” the image plane.
Now, optical design is ALWAYS a tradeoff. Henceforth, given two lenses (same focal lengths & F/#), the one designed for a smaller field (smaller image plane) WILL have better performance, because it was optimized ONLY for that smaller field. (I’m assuming same tolerances and build quality. Of course you CAN make a better full-frame lens, it will just cost more.) But only the one designed for the larger focal plane CAN cover the larger focal plane.
Likewise, all other things equal, a lens designed with a higher F/# will out-perform a lens designed with a lower F/#. e.g., An f/4 lens performs better at f/4 than an f/1.4 lens performs at f/4. But the f/4 lens will NEVER perform at f/1.4…
So what IS the advantage of a bigger sensor?
#1) Resolution, potentially.
#2) Bigger pixels, which means better sensitivity, potentially.
#1 & #2 can be traded off. But the A900 is over 2 years old sensor technology. The A77 will potentially outperform the A900 in #1 & #2. When we see the 34MP A99 with improved lenses (and/or matched software correction), well, look out.
#3) Wider field coverage (same focal length lens) and/or lower depth of field (longer focal length w/ same framing.)
So there is a “benefit” to acquiring only lenses specced only for APS-C sensors for use only on your APS-C cameras. I just heard from one of NYC’s most popular wedding photographers he is abandoning full-frame! But by all means, feel free to use your bigger, heavier, more expensive full-frame lenses on the APS-C cameras. I do. – Bert Pasquale
Clyde
3 years ago |Per your comment:
“An f/4 lens performs better at f/4 than an f/1.4 lens performs at f/4.”
That’s just not the case in my experience.
My 50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.4, 100mm f2, 200mm f2.8 ALL perform much much better at f4 than my 24-50mm f4, 70-210mm f4 and 600mm f4.
Not to mention they’ve already gotten past their vignetting, whereas a lens which is a standard f4 is still vignetting until f8.
Get the 600mm f4 to f5.6 and it’s almost as good as the others at f4. The 24-50mm is pretty good in the centers wide open, but corners never sharpen at any f-stop (nice effect when you want it, and I want it a lot for portraits and street photos). The 70-210mm beercan needs f8 before it resembles the 100mm f2, or 200mm f2.8 even when they’re wide open.
Wide aperture lenses (especially telephotos) are designed to be at their maximum quality at wide apertures.
But to the point, I have no fear shooting any of these lenses on a 24mp APS sensor… Even the beercan will be great, I’m sure of it.
Mike L
3 years ago |Thanks, RB! That helps put my mind at ease.
David
3 years ago |Sorry Bob, but I really don’t understand your logic here.
I don’t see how you are being “ripped off” at all. The a77 won’t make your existing lenses perform worse. You’ll just be squeezing all of the performance out of them, rather than having the camera sensor as a limiting factor.
But the question to ask it “What difference does it make whether the lens or the camera is a limiting factor?” The only thing that actually matters is the final output – and the output from the a77 will be better than your current camera – even with your current lenses.
Essentially you are complaining that the camera is TOO good. What do you want? A worse camera that won’t make you feel bad about your lenses? That’s a strange reason to call something a “rip off” and not wanting to upgrade.
And that stuff about a lens only “grabbing 16mp” is nonsense. That’s to do with the focused image circle not covering the whole full frame sensor.. not to do with the resolution.
And as I said before – image resolution isn’t the only reason to upgrade:
Better high ISO performance
Fast fps shooting
Better build quality and weather sealing
Full time autofocus during video
etc
pancanikonpus
3 years ago |and cheap p-r-i-c-e
lol….
acolyte
3 years ago |A quick comment, Daniel. Try to sound less hostile to those who does not sound so o_O You could use your hostility towards the flamers :s Bob just worries, and while a bunch of us don’t care, there’s quite a proportion of the A77 waiters who are worried. All they need to know is more knowledge about the system, that’s not easy to search if they don’t know the keywords.
So, yeah you can say that the “grabbing 16mp” is nonsense, but that’s all I remember from reading here and there. Not the ‘focused image circle’ part. And if I only remember that part, I’m sure there’s a few others who only remember that part also, and carried it years later.
pancanikonpus
3 years ago |I got strong sense that A77 LCD screen will be like 60D/GH2 design eventhought we cannot really figure out from those pictures recent announcement.
This is same to the memory card format concern like previously been discussed seriously Sony not put CF into it. look like now we are wrong.
and I strong believe we will wrong at another time for this LCD screen
yeah! hopefully!
otherwise, Sony have to ‘kill’ that engineer that design it. this is link back to this old story upon Three Kingdom Romance(Emperor CaoCao says:”I am okay if we are defeated in war due to this mistake did by your stupid decision, But I feel shame you have made me more stupid than you! Emperor Cao Cao awarded death to that advisor”
Sky_walker
3 years ago |You might be right about the card – prototype did not contain CF slot. But some guys just forgot that it was a prototype.
acolyte
3 years ago |Andrea seems pretty confident that it contain a CF slot. He did post up some rumors though that says otherwise, but he never confirmed those strongly. Hey, April’s a few weeks away.
acolyte
3 years ago |Crap. I didn’t see the header changed to mid-July.
Bah.
SonyA77
3 years ago |My money is sat in the bank waiting Sony…
Chris
3 years ago |+1
SonyA77
3 years ago |…and what is it going to be called!
LifeStoryImages
3 years ago |Ummmmmmmmmmmm… the “A77″ ?
acolyte
3 years ago |You sure it’s not 78 or 75?
or 77.5? :p
SonyA77
3 years ago |Ummmmmm, you did see the rumour here that it might NOT be called the A77?
LifeStoryImages
3 years ago |A79 and that’s my final offer!
Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…
SonyA77
3 years ago |A800 was mooted.
Bob
3 years ago |David
Thanks for setting me streight. Feel better. Not wise to be misinformed much better to have the information presented in the correct manner and be able to see the errors of you way. Thanks
David
3 years ago |Haha no problem. And I wasn’t trying to be harsh or hostile.. it’s just better to clearly and factually point out the misconceptions!
No need to panic or worry. The a77 will be a great camera in it’s own right, for lots of reasons. I’m really looking forward to it!
pancanikonpus
3 years ago |sony push very strong in E mount. that worry me that going to buy A77 Amount. Seen many lens companies going to release lot lenses to E-mount. How A mount lenses to compete? what is the disadvantages e mount lenses use on Amount body via adapter?
RB
3 years ago |E-mount lens on A-mount body? Will be tricky…: The distance between the rear lens and the sensor is built into the lens, which you cannot change. Now, as this distance is larger at A-mount than at E-mount, you can put a tube between an A-mount lens and an E-mount body in order to keep that distance. But it will be difficult to put a tube with negative length between an E-mount lens and an A-mount body…
LifeStoryImages
3 years ago |LOL! “Tricky.” “Difficult.” LOL, snort!
Maveric19
3 years ago |Hurry up and get here already!!!
Clyde
3 years ago |Please Please Please Sony get rid of those antiquated shoulder strap lugs. They bite my hands and prevent my fingers from accessing controls cleanly.
Use the a200 style strap lugs or adopt the Canon style. Don’t you think we can do better than a fifty year old design? Don’t overlook the little things.
One more thing… Please Please Please before you release this new camera… Please put a small two stage shutter release between the grip and lens mount 180 degrees opposite from the lens release button. Similar to where the old Topcon Super D shutter release was shown here…
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm100/amoebahydra/Photo%20Equipment/TopconSuperD.jpg
Now everybody go get their a900/850 or a700 and turn the camera sideways exactly opposite of how the camera would be with a vertical grip. You know, with the shutter button on bottom and remote ports on top. Tell me that you wouldn’t love to have a button where the index finger naturally lands (like the Topcon) just for vertical shooting. It’s much lighter than attaching a vert grip, VERY NATURAL, and your thumb still has fabulous access to the rear controls.
I’ve been shooting Sony/Minolta since the Maxxum 9000 days. I believe in the system. I’ve rigged my a900 with a remote release placed like the Topcon and it works beautifully without all the weight of a vertical grip. I just don’t like the chord and port door having to be open. I’m getting ready to hack my a900 apart to make a more permanent custom solution. Please Sony! Save me from having to chop up my a900! I only use the vertical grip for the 600mm lens on monopod. Actually keep the grip stored with the lens. All other shooting is without grip because the camera is much lighter that way.
But being a fashion photographer, my work is 99% vertical. Please adopt the Topcon style shutter release for lightweight vertical shooting. Just look how easy it is to keep both elbows on your chest and improve shooting stability.
Don’t underestimate this design change!
Clyde
3 years ago |I’m not saying get rid of the top button. Just add another one on the front. This will improve shooting experience because there is no current way to comfortably shoot verticals all day long with a standard camera configuration.
Clyde
3 years ago |Put the camera strap lugs ON THE BOTTOM so they stay clear of my fingers. I can’t stand camera straps. But with them on bottom, they’re out of the way and allow the lens to hang down (not out), giving me a clear view of the LCD (instead of up against my shirt).
Sony, get the DSLR Feng Shui right before somebody else does.
Oh, and PLEASE DON’T FORGET my EYESTART! Really miss that on the a900 folks. Eyestart combined with the fixed mirror AF speed would be out of this world.
Clyde
3 years ago |Would it be too much to ask for a Canon style F4 custom function dedicated AF button?
Speaking of which, don’t forget the AF/MF button PLEASE! That’s the only thing preventing me from buying the a55.
DON’t move the product backwards. Keep SOME Minolta DNA.
Monroe
3 years ago |Ok I can’t wait. Does anyone know if their will be a a99? I can’t imagine what the capabilities would be
El rumor de la semana: la Sony A77, a la venta en octubre y con 24 MP | hasta los MEGAPÍXELES
3 years ago |[...] SonyAlphaRumors ha ido un poco más allá y ya aasegura con bastante serguridad que el anuncio oficial de la cámara podría producirse en julio, aunque habrá que esperar hasta octubre para verla en los escaparates. [...]
Alan
2 years ago |No info on whether this will bomb for video like the a55?
I just returned my a55 as it overheated after 6 or 7 minutes of video and not even continuous video. The photo end was nice but still not Nikon or Canon.
So will this be a bomb on video again or will they address the limitations of video which shut off all access to the camera. Still searching for a mid level camera that can actually do video and stills well.
The 60D looks good but limits to 5min of video at a time same with most mid range nikons and the auto focus on the sony was the real reason for the video. Since the Tsunami most camera are out of production so I’m not holding my breath on this one. If it overheats, I’ll go for a canon or nikon.
Dave C
2 years ago |Sorry I’m so late with this, but the 60d can record for 12 minutes per take. It’s a gem of a camera.