No more optical viewfinders, therefore, but an electronic viewfinder, with as many as 2.4 million points, to look great and faithful in conveying a preview of the final image. The first opinions gathered from all over the web talking about a high quality viewfinder, much better in the field of optical viewfinders APS-C seen so far, although still not at the level of a good optical viewfinder of a full-frame SLR - in But in fact against which offers the convenience of electronic viewfinder, which is mostly faithful to a preview of the final sprint.
The A77 is built around a 24 megapixel CMOS sensor, so be prepared to grant it aims at, worth big disappointment. Not by chance was presented to the camera with a solid 16-50mm F/2.8. The camera body is magnesium alloy, dust and splash-proof, and accepts SD and Memory Stick slots in a single dual-mode (no more CF, therefore) and uses the same battery as the A700. The shutter speed of 12 frames per second, the ability to shoot video in HD (1980x1080 progressive at 50 frames, not interlaced), autofocus very promising (19 points, with 11 cross-type sensors) and the LCD monitor 3 inch flip the envelope of A77 makes very interesting. Obviously the body is stabilized and the presence of GPS is also a convenient plus. Along with the body was also presented to the vertical grip (VG-C77AM). And always A77 was presented together with a machine with the same sensor but with a little bit less here and there, lighter and cheaper: the A65.
The Sony A65 is well within reach, priced at approximately US$900 body-only, while a kit version including the Sony DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM standard zoom lens will be priced at around US$1,000. The Sony SLT-A65 should be available in the US market from October 2011.
The Sony SLT-A77 should be available in the US market from October 2011. Body-only pricing is set at approximately US$1,400, while a kit version including the Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM standard zoom lens will be priced at around US$2,000. (The lens itself will also be available separately a few weeks after the A77's launch, priced at around $700 by itself.) The VG-C77AM vertical grip will be available in October, and cost about US$300.
Key technical specifications
M size: 4240 x 2843 (12M) S size: 3008 x 2000 (6M) | M size: 4240 x 2843 (12M) S size: 3008 x 2000 (6M) | |
Video compression: MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) Image size (pixels) (PAL): AVCHD: 1980x1080 (50p / 28M / PS, 50i / 24M / FX, 50i / 17M/FH, 25p / 24M / FX, 25p / 17M / FH), MP4: 1440x1080 (25fps / 12M), VGA: 640x480 (25fps / 3M) | Video compression: MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) Image size (pixels) (PAL): AVCHD: 1980x1080 (50p / 28M / PS, 50i / 24M / FX, 50i / 17M/FH, 25p / 24M / FX, 25p / 17M / FH), MP4: 1440x1080 (25fps / 12M), VGA: 640x480 (25fps / 3M) | |
AF modes: Single-shot AF, Automatic AF, Continuous AF | AF modes: Single-shot AF, Automatic AF, Continuous AF | |
[Contrast (-3 to +3steps), Saturation(-3 to +3steps), Sharpness(-3 to +3steps)] | [Contrast (-3 to +3steps), Saturation(-3 to +3steps), Sharpness(-3 to +3steps)] | |
Continuous shooting: Hi: Maximum 8 frames per second / Lo: Maximum 3 frames per second Max. continuous shots: Continuous Advance Priority AE mode: Extra fine: 13 images, Fine: 17 images, Standard: 17 images, RAW & JPEG: 11images, RAW: 13images Continuous shooting: Extra fine: 13 images, Fine: 18 images, Standard: 18 images, RAW & JPEG: 11 images, RAW: 13 images | Continuous shooting: Hi: Maximum 8 frames per second / Lo: Maximum 3 frames per second Continuous Advance Priority AE mode: Fine: 17 images, Standard: 18 images, RAW & JPEG: 11 images, RAW: 13 images Continuous shooting: Fine: 17 images, Standard: 18 images, RAW & JPEG: 11 images, RAW: 13 images | |
* With external Flash HVL-F58AM, HVL-F56AM, HVL-F43AM, HVL-F42AM, HVL-F36AM Flash control (ADI flash/ Pre-flash TTL / Manual flash) | * With external Flash HVL-F58AM, HVL-F56AM, HVL-F43AM, HVL-F42AM, HVL-F36AM Flash control (ADI flash/ Pre-flash TTL) | |
Approx. 732g (with battery and Memory Stick PRO Duo) | Approx. 622g (with battery and Memory Stick PRO Duo) |
After the NEX 3, updated in June with the model C3 (16mpx sensor, a small cosmetic makeover, and other details), also the fifth model is updated with 5N: same sensor 16mpx of C3, 10 frames per second, and video progressive rather than interlaced at 50 frames as before. But the juice of the day is certainly within the NEX NEX 7, flagship of the range. If the 3 and 5 are without doubt designed for quick and straightforward, relying as much as possible in automatic (though later, accepting requests from the public discontent over-simplified user interface, Sony has released two firmware that have greatly improved things), the NEX 7 instead is clearly aimed at an audience of discerning photographer. Black and elegant, the 7 has an electronic viewfinder with 2.4 million points, the same sensor 24mpx the A77/A65, a redesigned user interface, buttons and dials, and that certainly will delight those who love being able to take control quickly and direct the various shooting parameters. All in 291 grams (body only, the 5N weighs 210), integrated in the body is a small flash NG6.
Looking to answer experienced photographers' wishes for a compact system camera that offered a powerful, customizable interface--most CSCs seem instead to focus on a simplified interface that's approachable to amateurs--Sony has gone back to the drawing board with the NEX-7, and come up with an entirely new design dubbed "Tri-Navi". The new interface was crafted with enthusiasts in mind, and includes one more control dial than is typical even in SLR cameras, for a total of three. Two are mounted on the rear edge of the NEX-7's top panel, while the third is the familiar control dial on the camera's rear panel. A dedicated Navigation button on the top panel cycles through a variety of settings groups, including a Custom mode that allows the user to configure the dials in the manner of their choosing. By default, the dials control functions appropriate to the exposure mode, such as program shift, aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, and ISO sensitivity. Different settings groups offer the ability to control a wide range of settings related to focus, white balance, dynamic range optimizer, high dynamic range imaging, creative styles, and picture effects.
The Sony NEX-7 also includes a built-in OLED electronic viewfinder with an astoundingly high resolution of 2.4 million RGB dots, providing photographers with a great view of the scene they're framing, or the image they just captured, no matter the ambient lighting conditions. The NEX-7 further caters to enthusiasts by including a full-sized flash hot shoe, albeit one using the same proprietary design as in its SLR cameras. For good measure, there's also a built-in popup flash strobe with a guide number of 6 meters at ISO 100. It's even possible to connect the NEX-7 to studio strobes, using an available sync terminal adapter.
The Sony NEX-7 compact system camera should be available in the US market from November 2011. Body-only pricing is set at approximately US$1,200, while a kit version including a special black variant of the Sony E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens will be priced at around US$1,350. The LA-EA2 Alpha mount adapter with phase-detection autofocus capability will cost about US$400, and The NEX-7 will be available November 7.
Key technical specifications
| General | Camera type | Interchangeable lens digital camera with built-in flash |
| Lens compatibility | Sony E-mount lenses | |
| Image sensor | Type | APS-C type (23.5 x 15.6mm), "Exmor" APS HD CMOS sensor with primary color filters |
| Number of pixels | Approx. 24.3 megapixels (effective), Approx. 24.7 megapixels (total) | |
| Image sensor aspect ratio | 3:2 | |
| Anti-dust system | Charge protection coating on optical filter and ultrasonic vibration mechanism | |
| Recording system (still image) | Recording format | JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver.2.3, MPF Baseline compliant), RAW (Sony ARW 2.3 format), 3D MPO (MPF Extended compliant) |
| Image size (pixels) 3:2 | L: 6000 x 4000 (24M), M: 4240×2832 (12M), S: 3008 x 2000 (6M) | |
| Image size (pixels) 16:9 | L: 6000 x 3376 (20M), M: 4240 x 2400 (10M), S: 3008 x 1688 (5.1M) | |
| Image size (pixels) Sweep Panorama | Wide: horizontal 12416 x 1856 (23M), vertical 5536 x 2160 (12M), standard: horizontal 8192 x 1856 (15M), vertical 3872 x 2160 (8.4M) | |
| Image size (pixels) 3D Sweep Panorama | Wide: 7152 x 1080 (7.7M), Standard: 4912 x 1080 (5.3M), 16:9: 1920 x 1080 (2.1M) | |
| Image quality modes | RAW, RAW & JPEG, JPEG Fine , JPEG Standard | |
| Picture Effect | 11 types (15 variations): Posterization (Color, B/W), Pop Color, Retro Photo, Partial Color (R, G, B, Y), High Contrast Mono, Toy Camera, Soft High-key, Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Rich-tone Mono, Miniature | |
| Creative Style | Standard, Vivid, Neutral, Clear, Deep, Light, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Autumn leaves, B/W, Sepia (Contrast (-3 to +3 steps), Saturation (-3 to +3 steps), Sharpness(-3 to +3 steps)) | |
| Dynamic range functions | Off, Dynamic Range Optimizer (Auto/Level), Auto High Dynamic Range: Off, Auto Exposure Difference, Exposure difference Level (1.0-6.0EV, 1.0EV step) | |
| Color space | sRGB, Adobe RGB | |
| Recording system (movie) | Recording format | AVCHD Ver. 2.0 (Progressive) / MP4 |
| Video compression | MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) | |
| Audio recording format | Dolby Digital (AC-3) / MPEG-4 AAC-LC | |
| NTSC | AVCHD Ver. 2.0, average bit rate | 1920 x 1080 60p: 28Mbps (PS), 60i: 24Mbps (FX), 17Mbps (FH) 24p: 24Mbps (FX), 17Mbps (FH) |
| MP4 , average bit rate | 1440 x 1080 (12Mbps), VGA (3Mbps) | |
| PAL | AVCHD Ver. 2.0, average bit rate | 1920 x 1080 50p: 28Mbps (PS), 50i: 24Mbps (FX), 17Mbps (FH) 25p: 24Mbps (FX), 17Mbps (FH) |
| MP4 , average bit rate | 1440 x 1080 12Mbps VGA 3Mbps | |
| Media | "Memory Stick PRO Duo" , "Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo", SD memory card, SDHC memory card, SDXC memory card | |
| Noise reduction | Long exposure NR: On/Off selectable, available of shutter speeds longer than 1 sec. High ISO NR: High/Normal/Low selectable | |
| White balance | Modes | Auto WB, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, C.Tem<2500 to 9900K>, C.Filter<G7 to M7/A7 to B7>, Custom |
| WB fine adjustment | G7 to M7, 15-step / A7 to B7, 15-step | |
| Focus system | Type | Contrast-detection AF |
| Focus point | 25 points | |
| Sensitivity range | EV0 to EV20 (at ISO100 equivalent with F2.8 lens attached) | |
| Focus mode | Autofocus, DMF (Direct Manual Focus), Manual Focus | |
| AF mode | AF-S: Single-shot AF, AF-C: Continuous AF | |
| Focus area | Multi Point (25 points) / Center-weighted / Flexible Spot selectable | |
| Other features | Tracking focus , Predictive control, Eye-Start AF (with LA-EA2), Focus lock | |
| AF illuminator | Built-in LED, Range: Approx. 0.5m - Approx. 3.0m (E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS) | |
| Exposure control | Metering type | 1200-zone evaluative metering |
| Metering sensor | "Exmor" APS HD CMOS sensor | |
| Metering sensitivity | EV0 to EV20 (at ISO100 equivalent with F2.8 lens attached) | |
| Modes | Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot | |
| Exposure modes | iAUTO, Programmed AE (P), Aperture priority (A), Shutter-speed priority (S), Manual (M), Sweep Panorama, 3D Sweep Panorama, Anti Motion Blur, Scene Selection | |
| Scene selection | Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports action, Sunset, Night portrait, Night view, Hand-held Twilight | |
| Exposure compensation | +/- 5EV (in 0.3EV steps) | |
| Bracketing | 3 continuous exposures in 0.3 or 0.7 EV steps | |
| AE lock | AE is locked when focus is locked in multi-segment metering mode. AE lock button | |
| ISO sensitivity (Recommended Exposure Index) | ISO100-16000、AUTO (ISO100-1600) | |
| Viewfinder | Type | 1.3 cm (0.5 type) Electronic viewfinder |
| Number of dots | 2359296 dots | |
| XGA OLED | Yes | |
| Brightness control | Auto, Manual (3 steps between -1 and +1) | |
| Field coverage | Approx. 100% | |
| Magnification | Approx. 1.09x with 50mm lens at infinity, -1m-1 | |
| Diopter adjustment | -4m-1 - +1.0m-1 (diopter) | |
| Eye point | Approximately 23mm from the eyepiece, 21mm from the eyepiece frame at -1m-1 | |
| Display Contents | Disp. Basic Info, Level, Histogram | |
| Real-time image-adjustment | ON/OFF | |
| LCD Monitor | Type | 7.5cm (3.0-type) wide type TFT (Xtra Fine LCD with TruBlack technology) |
| Number of dots (total) | 921,600 dots | |
| Brightness control | Auto, Manual (5 steps between -2 and +2) Sunny Weather mode | |
| Field coverage | Approx. 100% | |
| Adjustable angle | Up by approx. 90 degrees, Down by approx. 45 degrees | |
| Display | Graphic Display, Display All Info, Big Font Size Disp, No Disp. Info, Live View Priority, Level, Histogram, For viewfinder | |
| Real-time image-adjustment display | ON/OFF | |
| Focus check | MF assist (5.9x, 11.7x), Peaking (Level setting: High/Mid/Low/Off, Color: White/Red/Yellow) | |
| Face detection | Modes | On/On (Regist. Faces)/Off Face registration, Face selection; Max. number of detectable faces 8 |
| Other features | Smile shutter (selectable from 3 steps), Shooting Tips, Help guide | |
| Digital zoom | Precision digital zoom, 1.1x-10x | |
| Shutter | Type | Electronically-controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane type |
| Shutter speed | 1/4000 to 30 sec, bulb | |
| Flash sync. speed | 1/160 sec. | |
| Electronic front shutter curtain | Yes (ON/OFF) | |
| SteadyShot INSIDE (image stabilization) | Type | Not supported (image stabilization supported on lens) |
| Flash | Type | Built-in flash |
| Guide No. | 6 (in meters at ISO 100 equivalent) | |
| Flash coverage | 18mm (focal-length printed on the lens body) | |
| Control | Pre-flash TTL | |
| Flash compensation | +/- 3EV in 0.3 EV steps | |
| Flash modes | Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync. | |
| Recycling time | Approx. 4 sec | |
| External flash | Compatible with Auto-lock Accessory shoe | |
| Wireless control | Supported on External flash | |
| Drive | Drive modes | Single-shot, Continuous shooting, Speed priority continuous shooting, Self-timer (10/2 sec delay selectable), Self-timer (Cont.) (with 10 sec delay 3/5 exposures selectable), Bracketing, Remote Cdr (with separately sold remote commander RMT-DSLR1) |
| Speed (max., approx.) | 10fps in Speed priority continuous shooting, 3fps in standard continuous shooting *Varies depending on shooting conditions and memory cards | |
| No. of frame recordable (approx.) | Fine: 10 frames, Standard: 10 frames, RAW: 6 frames, RAW & JPG: 4 frames *Varies depending on shooting conditions and memory cards | |
| Playback | Single (with or without shooting information RGB histogram & highlight/shadow warning), 6/12-frame index view, Enlarged display mode (L: 11.8x, M: 8.8x, S: 6x, Enlarged display mode (L: 16.7x, M: 11.8x, S: 8.3x, Panorama (Standard): 25.6x, Panorama (Wide): 38.8x), Auto Review (10/5/2 sec, Off) ,Image orientation (On/Off selectable), Slideshow, Panorama scrolling, Folder selection (Still), Forward/Rewind (movie), Delete, Protect | |
| Interface | PC interface | Hi-speed USB (USB2.0): Mass-storage, MTP |
| HD output | HDMI mini connector (Type-C) , BRAVIA Sync (link menu), PhotoTV HD | |
| Auto-lock Accessory shoe | Yes | |
| Compatible OS (USB connection) | Windows XP* SP3, Windows Vista** SP2 , Windows 7 SP1, Mac OS X (v10.3-v10.6) *64-bit edition and starter edition not supported. **Starter edition not supported. | |
| Audio | Microphone | Built-in stereo microphone or ECM-SST1 (optional） |
| Speaker | Built-in, monaural, Volume settings in 8 steps between 0 and 7 | |
| Compatible standards | Exif Print, Print Image Matching III, DPOF setting | |
| Custom function | Custom key settings | Available |
| Power | Battery | One rechargeable battery pack NP-FW50 |
| Still images | Viewfinder :Approx. 350 images LCD Monitor :Approx. 430 images （CIPA standard） | |
| Movies | Approx. 29 min., MP4 format movie for up to Approx. 2 GB. | |
| External power | AC Adaptor AC-PW20 (optional) | |
| Weight | With battery and Memory Stick PRO Duo included | Approx. 350 g Approx. 12.3 oz |
| Body only | Approx. 291 g Approx. 10.3 oz | |
| Dimensions | mm (W x H x D) excluding protrusions | Approx. 119.9mm x 69.9mm x 42.6mm Approx. 4 3/4 ×2 3/4 ×1 11/16 in. |
| Minimum thickness mm | Approx. 25.3mm / Approx. 1 in. (without grip and mount) | |
| Operating Temperature | Operating temperature | 32 - 104 degrees F / 0 - 40 degrees C |