Sony A77: A Wildlife Photography Game Changer?
Wednesday, August 24, 2011 at 08:51AM
Sony announced many products today, and without going into too many details the A77 is a product that may do quite well in the wildlife photography world. Why? Here are some quick specs to tease you:
- 24.3MP sensor (1.5x crop)
- 19 points AF sensor with 11 cross sensors
- ISO 100-16000, with expandeable ISO 50 option
- 1920 x 1080 60p/24p AVCHD 2.0
- P/A/S/M manual controls while recording video
- 12 fps
- TrueBlack 921k 3-way tilt LCD
- 3 million dot OLED viewfinder
- Smart teleconverter function with 1.4x and 2.0x option
- Built-in flash
- Built-in GPS
What do you think about having a 12fps camera that also shoots high quality video for under $1500? Pretty cool, actually. Add in built in GPS, a moisture and dust resistant magnesium construction and it sounds like a great wildlife camera. I look forward to hearing reviews on it. Remember that Sony purchased Konica Minolta back in 2006, and they have a very nice set of lenses. Sony struck a deal with Zeiss shortly after their acquisition, and now they have a full range of lenses at different price points. The big question is regarding their 500mm f/4 lens that they have been showing at trade shows for the past couple of years?
A77, Sony in News, Photo Gear and Reviews
Reader Comments (6)
I agree that this looks really good Andy. However, no long glass = no sale. I cant find a single piece of <f4 glass over 200mm.
Keith, they actually sell a 300mm f/2.8 which is super sharp (like Canon and Nikon).
Looks like Sony is going to give Canon & Nikon some competition....which is good. Hopefully the prices of the high end NIkon & Canon SLR's will come down. 5K is a lot of money for a Canon 1D Mark IV and Nikon D3s.
Andy, a UK rep actually spoke about the 500 F/4 yesterday during a live online Q&A for the new products. He said that due to the disaster in Japan, they were forced to prioritize lens production to meet demand with the new cameras they're releasing this fall. He indicated that the 500 F/4 should arrive Q1 2012.
My dream kit for my first Andy Biggs safari is the 500 F/4 on a Sony A77 and my Zeiss glass on the next Sony A99 for landscapes. That'll do just fine, I think!
Hello Andy,
Have you shot with Sony products in the past? The specs look pretty good and so does the price. At the moment BH is selling the body only for $1300.00. Would you personally stack this camera against Nikon and/or Canon? Not sure what it woukld comapre to in the Canon range but I am seeing reference to the Nikon D700.
I have shot with the A900 camera and most of their lenses, and I was quite happy with the system. We shall see if the A77 will be a game changer or not in due time.