Sony Alpha SLT- A77 Hands-on Review

[@MrThunderMonky]

I've been shooting for 8 years now on various types of cameras and I have to say by far (bang for buck) that the Sony A77 is the best camera I've ever used. Especially now that I put a Tamron f2.8 24-70mm lens on it. WOW! It's just stunning.

[@rustynugget2288]

MrThunderMonky good to hear. i have an a58 and im very happy with it

[@aarontimm]

i want to get an a58 but i think im gonna go with an a55.

[@Robellislol]

Just got my A77, its fecking brilliant! the 16-50 lens is class as well!

[@bondo31]

"this screen would kick a**, but it doesnt have feet, so it flaps a**." love it!

[@markgillum5709]

Just added this to my gear. Biggest value for the dollar. Still technologically advanced. Using a 16-105 f3.5 and producing great images. Fun and advanced enough for creative control. Loving it without having to have spent thousands more.

[@NickCasale]

love your vids, watched many and still cannot believe that voice comes from that body haha

[@Unstung]

DigitalRev made it to the front page, good job. Mission accomplished.

[@unbroken1010]

I love watching old videos on sony and Fuji 2019 they ahead if everyone...see you later Nikon and canon

[@IngoGarza]

that is so true! and I love that the get so much information in to the review, and its only 10 minutes! They also have epic background music and a nice sense of humor. :)

[@sergycm13]

Why does it have a mirror if it uses electronic viewfinder? What does it do?

[@mrflyers2009]

sergycm13 helps the lens focus easier with the light being reflected straight to a focusing sensor rather than going straight to the photo sensor then focusing or maybe the focus points are on the mirror it's self meaning it focuses before the light even reaches the sensor

[@GrimYak]

+Stephen D I think sony also realized how stupid that was and now they went mirrorless with the Sony A7 :) Whoever did the translucent thing maybe got fired.

[@mrflyers2009]

JayVan Geli Well from what I have read canon done it way back in 1965 with the Canon Pellix and for the time it was quite good as it allowed ttl metering and avoided viewfinder blackouts which is useful for shooting sports and such but for a camera with a digital viewfinder such as these Sony ones it seems rather pointless to have this as you lose a lot of the light coming in and have a digital viewfinder so a mirror isn't needed

[@GrimYak]

Hey, yeah. I think somebody realized it and said "oh yeah, we dont a mirror at all."

[@mrflyers2009]

+JayVan Geli and it only took them 11 models of these slt's to realise they didn't need it

[@brentfrancis9187]

I'm still shooting one today and, while it does have some quirks, I like it. I still love these reviews, by the way.

[@AdrianSantiago]

What is wrong with that guy I used that camera today and it was awesome

[@qingian]

dRev never fails to get the reviews of what i want.

[@VidurMalhotra]

THIS guy just cannot appreciate a SONY!!

[@soumyajitchakraborty2033]

That's why I don't like him.

[@mcrazza]

Pretty good week from DigitalRev. 3 videos in one week. :) Oh, and the A77 looks impressive too.

[@zimasfontes9509]

SONY I GOT YOUR GARBAGE A77 SITTING IN MY STUDIO SINCE IT CAME OUT STILL WAITING FOR SOFTWARE UPDATE TO BE ABLE TO TETHER BUT NO THESE F**KN ASSHOLES GO AND MAKE A77M2 AND SAY A77 WHICH CAME OUT LESS THE 2 YEARS IS DISCONTINUED… NIKON HERE I COME.. HOW I RATE SONY A77 I GIVE SONY CAMERAS 2 MIDDLE FINGER

[@eclipsegfxable]

Unlucky :\ Burn that piece of shit!

[@lol3ndir]

yes, it's in the manual. it also stated that you put it inside a zip lock to prevent condensation.

[@conory]

He's so biased against Sony, it's unreal!

[@macclesfieldman]

I dont find it too biased..Im still considering a Sony...:-)

[@orangejuli07]

It's really not that biased, I think he's being fair like everyone else towards sony. Given the status of nikon and canon, it's hard to let sony come up with these new techs without giving them a little pushing around before they strike things right. And I absolutely love my a77, it doesn't matter what other people say lol. I know there are better features in some other cameras, but it's what I wanted for my minolta lenses, and I really enjoy the DSLT tech

[@macclesfieldman]

I bought my A77 4 weeks ago and I love it!

[@RobtJude]

Professional Videographer and Photographer. I bought the A77 on its ability to Focus fast and accurate. With current Computer/Software technology, I can fix just about anything in Post. I cannot fix bad Focus. Great shots slightly out of focus are frustrating. You can sharpen them, which will help, however that adds other artifacts into the picture. Just my humble opinion.

[@OmarAli-vd8nt]

this guy really sick me ....what a horrible facil expression

[@photojoe66able]

This camera is outstanding. I am having a lot of fun and enjoyment learning its many options. My photos have greatly improved.

[@monsterfishman]

He looks like a piece of SHIT!

[@thebadmanreturns]

You miss the point, Translucent Mirror main feature is Quick AF Live View. Its great stuff

[@jannikmeissner]

Thanks! That is the video I was waiting for!!!!

[@KanoDailyThePhilippinesandMore]

I couldn't believe that Canon let Sony beat them to the translucent thing. The EOS 1nRS was so cool, I always expected Canon to do it with a digital body.

[@trier4952]

How well is the video quality with your camera? Because that's what I would use it for mostly.

[@mssissyphancypants]

I just love your videos. Funny and informative! I've watched vids that have NOTHING to do with anything I'm working on just for fun. :) Keep'em Koming Kai!

[@Eliehbk]

I think your videos are cool, very enjoyable to watch, thank you, is there a reason you don't review Pentax, like the K5 for example? cheers

[@airsoftrockerjin]

I use the A55 and the K-5, great cameras for different situations, the A77 looks like a tempting upgrade

[@stevey500]

Weather sealing is awesome. My pentax SLR's I've had the past many years are literally rinsed off in my sink after dusty dirty photo adventures.

[@DanielOrtegoUSA]

I love humor and direct approach. The on 'fly on a turd' reference was rich.

[@gundamwang]

@MrMika2020 I understand sticking with the brand you know, absolutely. Canon, as well as any other DSLR brand, is just as capable of capturing images as anyone else. Sorry if I came across blunt, but calling Sony cameras "Toys" just rubbed me the wrong way. It's still Minolta on the inside, just under a new name, with more money. I started with the A200, which was pretty much the same camera as the Minolta 7D. :) Minolta is not dead! they just have a rich daddy now lol

[@nAcolz]

EVF is pretty good. Have you tried it?

[@dan110024]

You're like the Asian version of Jeremy Clarkson in the camera world....Love it haha

[@Vamp898]

Same for me, really. I switched from the A77 to the 5D Mark III and i missed a very lot of things. I now changed the 5D Mark III for a Sony A99 and the luckiest guy ever :D

[@ModdyDhoo]

the translucent mirror is HOW you get the EVF and it also makes for faster shutter speeds when you take multiple photos in a row.

[@NICKLASFARFAR]

yup, i have the Sony A77, and i love it! I was a bit afraid of buying it in the first case, since some people have told bad stories about Sony. One of my friends have the 7D, and im REALLY happy, that i bought the A77! :)

[@KlaXonDenmark]

Good review. I like the point about the semi translucent mirror losing some of the light. I've been wondering about the technology and if it had any impact on the amount of ligt reaching the actual sensor, so it was great that Kai touched on that issue!

[@oscarcll]

This is my dream camera and lens kit.

[@pmipjv]

Great review Kai! First of all, pretty amazing camera from Sony. Robust construction and weather sealing, great LCD display, Mind-blow capture rates give competitors a run for their money. Too bad it robs you of half a stop of light and about half a second for start-up/adjustments, both spelling the difference between getting the shot or missing it entirely. Also, I prefer the sound of mirrors flipping up kinda like the rev of a V12 engine.

[@Vi3ver1]

I think I'll be buying a SONY DSLR, I'm inlove with these cameras now

[@cletotirabassi]

A rather entertaining review - thoroughly enjoyed it!

[@burubura]

i like Kai's sense of humour

[@Dreadfultime]

this camera its extremely impressive, aaaand i like the design to be honest

[@Enidan1111]

I think the A 77 and the EOS 60D have similar good image quality. But which one is better for action/animal photographers? I´m still not sure which one to buy...

[@Drinapropriatetouch]

It's important to note that having the translucent mirror does not mean the exposure settings will be different, the camera gain is adjusted so that it matches the exposure setting. It's exactly the same principal as changing the ISO. The loss in image quality or extra sensitivity is only about 1/3rd of an f stop so it would be like the camera is set to iso 130 (very roughly) instead of 100.

[@rdaffon23]

I was thinking of getting this to start a sports videography service. Is this a good product or should I purchase another brand/model, or stay with video recorders not DSLRs or SLTs?

[@57bslester]

Do you think the EVF delay is because you have glasses the distance between your face and the camera is greater, thus letting in more light than when normally putting your face to the camera?

[@ad78]

i just got my A77 and it came with 1.04 firmware. no delay on EVF now and the 1.05 firmware is just around the corner.. looking forward. this camera is F$%#%! amazing!

[@capo1062]

Kai neglected to mention that you can switch the evf to be on all the time instead of eye activation. Not worth complaining about as its easy to fix.

[@denniskeller3928]

Love your reviews ,keep them coming

[@sdas86]

It sounds like a positive review. I am a Sony fans. Thumbs up for Sony for another great DSLR.

[@theHomer85]

Hey Kai, the lens is 2.8 not only in theory. Max aperture tells you how much light is coming out of the lens into the camera. So you get the amount of light and the dof on this lens as you;d get form any other 2.8 lens on any other camera. The difference is in how much light is reaching the sensor and it is compensated by the sensor (iso is a relative value, you know that right?), so saying that "in reality you get f3.3 lens" is just stupid or ignorant.

[@gundamwang]

@bwinn10 Nope, everyone's completely misunderstanding this. Yes, the mirror cuts some light, but the sensor is sensitive enough to compensate for it. it's not changing your shutter speeds at all. it shoots exactly like every other camera.

[@rjidris9102]

i really this guy,, he knows well all the basic dslr brand.

[@Ktranphoto]

I would suggest the A77 only because I have it and love it. Great quality for a kit lense. The 24 mp is also great for portrait too, as the images holds alot of good detail(also good for cropping too). the 12 fps is also useful for action shots. the kit lense is really great(16-50mm) i use it for portraits when im too lazy to switch to my 50mm. Ultimately, I think it comes down to your budget, and what your willing to spend.

[@rick67hou]

As an owner of an A55 (You can see the resulting videos on my channel), the switch from screen to eye viewer CAN be a little annoying, but to conserve battery power, I just turn off the auto-detect and use the button on top to select between the two views and its almost instant. I would expect the same thing would be for the A77.

[@owenchuarbx]

I ain't sure if I should buy this or the newer a77 mark 2. Now it's getting cheaper and still a camera I'm looking for 6 years

[@AlcoholicPapi]

Thanks man. I didn't actually know any of that. Thanks for the info!

[@DistrictDRIVE]

for video should I buy this or the 7d, gh3, or 60d? I like the 60 fps and focus about this camera

[@lolcat23]

A quick question. If its a electronic viewfinder, isnt it false to call it a SLR, since it doesnt reflect anything, except internally. Isnt this rather an advanced bridge?

[@missterry2009]

@ Kai,do you think for video,this is way much better compared to other dslr brand like canon &D?

[@airfixman1234]

@Xynomavro the mirror is for the phase detection autofocus sensors - the same type found in dslrs. Phase detection autofocus is quicker than contrast detection autofocus - the type found in compacts and mirrorless cameras (compact system cameras)

[@Superbustr]

Shucks can't wait for digital revs review of the Nex 7, now that will be something. The Nex 7 is so good that it even compares to the 60d.

[@DraculaNosferatu123]

@Cezar18Banan it has a electronic view finder because the mirror reflect the light to a phase detection auto focus sensor do not reflect to the viewfinder.... and for that the A77 have continuous autofocus in video and when the camera shooting at 12 frames per sec.

[@gundamwang]

@infantryethan I feel like you might be talking about something you have very little experience with. Have you experienced the viewfinder personally? Not only are it's pixels beyond smaller than the human eye can distinguish, making it incredibly clear, but it also gives you real-time exposure and white balance, which no other DSLR can possibly do. Don't get me wrong, I was horrified about the idea of an EVF.. but the A55 has swayed me, and the A77 is vastly expanding on that.

[@TechInspected]

@eizlez Simply put, Phase detection is a ton better (faster and accurate) than contrast. It does traditionally need a mirror beaming light into the phase sensor to work.

[@thePowerPlant]

Does this camera have a dual core processor? As I think it would benefit greatly with one.

[@smokimon]

OMG that flip screen owns all other flip screens!

[@chris-love]

just got my A77 with F2.8 kit lens -- I hope it's good. Charging battery now....

[@XiangJi]

They're very different, k-5 is still a photographer's camera in my opinion, more mechanical, more responsive in operation over all (start-up for example), better control placements and functions, and their Limited lenses are top notch. I shot k20d and k-7 before moving to alpha 77, one reason is that I need to shoot at an angle often so not having to move my eyes to the optical viewfinder is very useful. The alpha 77 phase detection autofocus with live-view is superb.

[@ryan651]

@Faxondad no its a SLT but your description of a DSLR is wrong, its not how you look through it but how the mirror flips up, the mirror doesnt flip on this but lets the light pass through it making it a SLT

[@Glasseh]

Wouldn't you be able to somehow remove the translucent mirror to be able to let more light through?

[@meh-hair-Vaughn]

When can we expect reviews for the more reasonably priced A65? And the NEX-7?

[@dtz1000]

My Sony A33 is coming up with exactly the same exposure readings as my Canon Eos 450D for the same shot. Can't see any loss of half a stop due to the translucent mirror as claimed in the video.

[@dan110024]

Interesting review. My girlfriend has the A33 which I recommended for her purely because of the feature per dollar factor, and also because it's quite easy for complete novice to use and learn. With the electronic view finder problem, if you might have to quickly shoot subjects, then it could be better to have the electronic view finder selected, rather than on auto. This way, it will constantly be on.

[@gundamwang]

@MobiusCoin I would REALLY have to disagree with you there bro, I use 7D's constantly at work, but I took a leap of faith and grabbed an A55 when it came out. I have to admit, I have a REALLY hard time going back to the 7D's. The ISO performance on the A55 is amazing, even with the light loss, but the viewfinder, although "different" at first became SO convenient. I feel limited when I use anything BUT my A55. and since the A77 completely kills the A55, I'm SO Excited! If you can, give it a try!

[@rab236]

You share the same mannerisms and way of speaking with another great reviewer. You're like the Jeremy Clarkson of cameras.

[@sajkostrutz]

Which one would you recommend Kai? The Sony a77 or Canon 70D? And could you give some examples. I would appreciate if you took some of your time to answer :) Thanks!

[@spankos]

Love the "commitment ring" Kai...

[@ronaldl911]

How would this camera's video mode compare to similar priced camera's, such as the Canon 60D ?

[@MrPhCore]

Kai your's reviews are great.! But I'd like to see reviews about old cameras like Nikon D2H, D2X... Thumbs up to see that kind of reviews..

[@victorrosevideos]

Your professional advice please. For mainly video which camera is better sony A77 or the GH3? HELP PLEASE!!

[@rhinoboyy]

snapsort.com/compare/Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-GH3-vs-Sony-A77 look up all the things you need to know about both camera's... A77 is better in the majority of the specs but there are some pros to the dmc-gh3. good luck.

[@Crlarl]

One could put an adapter on the mount to both adapt other lenses as well as add spacing for the mirror.

[@xc1427]

when mentioning the size, the image quality, the power consumption, the shutter delay, the focus speed, the noise control, and etc, I dont find any improvement in the SLT camera. The only benefit I think is no shake coming from reflector when the shutter pressed.

[@jj9k]

good review. and interesting. not sure you'd want it as your only body! can you get adapters to set aperture on canon glass? or better still do you think anyone would hack sony firmware to use canon's autofocus and aperture code? - they've typically been reverse engineered by third parties anyway. cannot imagine buying a sony body if i had to use sony glass exclusively. cheers.

[@icetom77]

Hey Kai, if you had to choose between A77 /16-50 f2.8 and Canon 60D/16-35 f2,8L which one would you choose ,which set does better photos for private use???please reply because I am standing before buying and now I do not know what will be a better choice for a few years

[@hydrox24]

@ConnersTutorials No, normal DSLR's have normal mirrors in them that reflect the light coming through the mirror into the eyepiece and then flip up upon a shutter press to allow the light to hit the sensor. Transluscunce in the mirror allows for autofocus during video and lots of other fancy stuff (modtly to do with video and autofocus)

[@JoeSAShaffer]

It's the Minolta hotshoe. They had to keep it per the contract when they bought out them out. As of this year they're going to be going back to a standard hot shoe, the A99 did already.

[@angelisone]

Hi Kai, Did you test the camera out to see if it can shoot tethered?

[@kevvz95]

Wouldn`t it cool when there is camera with a screen you can take out of the camera? Nice video

[@JanneFlinck]

Does the camera still have problem with delay, when looking through eye "screen"?, or did they fix that with later models?, if not can it be fixed??

[@1979ApocalypseNow]

Sony fixed it with a firmware update.

[@mynameisdrpat]

waiting for this vid was the same as waiting for a77 release

[@gundamwang]

@SteU4IA Which flaws are you talking about? (Aside from the delay in the settings display on the top?) I too am VERY worried about the delay in that display delay on top.. I hope that's ONLY for that display, and not the internal one in the viewfinder. If this turns out to be a genuine problem, I'll be mighty upset. but aside from that, I don't see any other problems here.

[@Fordgasm]

Was this review done with pre production or final hardware? Final firmware might speed things up with the aperture settings and evf response times.

[@perplexedsheep]

@Glasseh I think the translucent mirror transfers light to the electronic viewfinder. Correct me if I'm wrong anyone.

[@ad78]

Bring it on! 1.05 improves dramatically. High ISO images really improves!

[@aumkar2]

Amazing work Kai n lok

[@mcm111able]

without you would use the aps-c sensor for a viewfinder and that will bring heat to the sensor with some problems you should know about dslr.

[@MrLouisBrooks]

Wouldn't it make sense just to have mirror lock up in burst so that you don't need a translucent mirror to get that speed?

[@robbielogan]

Would I be correct in thinking you can switch the lcd off and just have the EVF on? To avoid the lag? I used to have an A250 or something and I think that was an option