As you may have heard, Sony just announced their new 24mp Alpha 77 DSLR and it is really pushing the limits of technology. I've been a Nikon shooter my whole life and I don't plan to switch any time soon but I still enjoy seeing all of the brands compete. It's also a well known fact that Sony supplies Nikon with their sensors so this chip may show up in the D400 that we are all hoping will be announced the in the next few months.
FYI, you will have to read subtitles to make it through this video.
![[Editorial] Can Sony's Digital Imaging Division Restore Profits?](https://cdn.fstoppers.com/styles/small-16-9/s3/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/SONYoped2.jpg)
I am most excited about 60fps video at 1080p. I hope Nikon picks that feature up!
maybe that nikon mirror-less camera that has been the object of several rumors in the past couple weeks. I'd love to see 1080p60 on the 5dMiii, but if you're going to be shooting those kinds of frame rates, a RED would probably be well worth the rental cost to do it right.
Looks to have some good features, but it still isn't quite enough to give up on the old 5DMKII yet. They are getting better and better all the time though!
The pictures look great! The video looks like it has yet to be desired. I'm with Martin on this one not given up on the 5dmkII yet
eh, it's a Sony
yup.. so far there's still nothing that can compete with the 5d as far picture quality for video (as far as dslrs).. the biggest improvement with this particular camera for me, would be that the image stabilization is built into the camera, and works with all lenses. that's one thing these type of cameras have desperately needed, which normal video cameras already have. put the IS in the camera, because most of the lenses i use don't have it
While it is a pain and a major expense, IS/VR works much better in lenses than the body. This is especially true on longer telephotos.
there's a chance you're right about this, but for some reason the image stabilization in a normal video camera (like the Sony EX1) works way better than my 5d with an IS lens on (like the 70-200 IS). i don't know about the technical reasons for this, so you could be right, but it would still be really nice to have good IS in camera either way, as i have some really nice (expensive) lenses which don't have it. i hate the 'micro-jiggles' you sometimes get with these slrs in video mode
Wow, I was going to dive in and comment "Great specs, I'll take the Nikon version please", and y'all already beat me to it! What is it about Sony that makes their compact cameras quite cool and their upper-shelf cameras make you feel like you've just caught yourself looking at your grandmothers bum?
Very nice, im a sony shooter and seeing stuff like this gets me excited. I really like the full features of plugs they have put on this camera. the A77 has every plug anyone would every need.. like the sync port which opens the doors big time for a Sony since I think the only bodies that have sync ports or tethered capability are the A850 and A900. The video and image quality looked great, I'm seeing more and more Sony's out and about, however its still not catching on with more serious shooters since I've yet to run into a single person who uses other than the kit lens. I use Minolta or zeiss prime lenses only on my Sony.
I don't see the need for serious canon or Nikon shooters to switch over, however I think with prosumer moves like the A77 I think we'll see more pro grade accessories (pocket wizard being one) and more pro shooters will be carrying Sony in there bag very soon.
Specs are wonderful. Puts other manufacturers on notice.
What I don't get is really how poor the quality of the video in full screen mode on a computer... how come we now have high APS-C sensor at 24MP and when you play a video in full HD mode full screen, the quality still sucks? Nothing against Sony here, more of a global question...
When "HD IS ON" it's still a lower bit rate than it's capable of doing. Not to mention the video is 720 not 1080. The bit rate of the video matters more than the size. You can have a high bitrate 720 and it will look better than a low bitrate 1080 on a full HDTV
Not saying it's better than the 5DmkII+L lenses, nothing I've seen so far has been, but I'm just saying I wouldn't bet on footage you see from the internet.
Dont understand why Sony is makin these cameras with translucent mirror... i mean that viewfinder in these cameras are just small displays but their size isnt much smaller than in usuall DSLR. Only pros is speed of their burst shooting. Or these cameras with translucent mirror is just the way to get Sony to norman financial state.
I will admit I am skeptical after the foul taste left in my mouth by my father's Lumix GH1, however many people that have had hands on previews with the camera say it's very, very good. A couple I've seen said they sometimes forget they're looking through an EVF. They say its almost the size and on par with the FF Alpha 900 which has one of the best view finders in DSLRs.
Igor: It comes down to auto focus while shooting video. Nobody else can do fast phase detect Autofocus in video mode. Since the mirror in a traditional DSLR flips out of the way when shooting video, it must use the much slower contrast detect AF during video. The translucent mirror solves this problem as it never has to move out of the way when shooting video. The side benefit is the ultra fast frame rates (12 fps) as now you don't have to move the mirror out of the way to activate the shutter.
Igor, the size of the screen you get to look at is similar to what you would see in there FF camera, much bigger than what you would get with an apcs mirror/prizim.
For video the EFV will be good as you can use it as another point of contact unlike an Ovf which is cut off when using video.
They are not for everyone but they have the good points :).
is the sync-speed for flash-firing shorter than 1/160 of a sec with that translucent mirror? I shoot with 640 ws-heads and in some cases they are still not strong enough against the sun. With my 5D MK II only 1/160 sec sync-time is possible. It would be so great if shorter sync-times would be possible.
Sometimes that's not the camera or the strobe's fault. Sometimes it's the wireless/wired trigger system you are using.
but not in my case
If you geek over every new camera with a new spec and you are not rich but an average (not making 6 figures take home), you are better off just mastering what you have and then when you can advance.....do so. There will be tons of 5dmk2 owners upgrading their equipment but not their work. This camera looks nice but then again every new dslr looks nicer than the previous because it is suppose to. I have a buddy who keeps dumping his gear to get new gear because of one simple update. The mega pixels are not going to land you more work. These cameras today or pretty capable of producing some GREAT images, the problem is not the camera limitations, its the photographer limitations.
I can't count how many times I see L glass producing stupid, dead images. People running around with 2 camera bodies, a vest, a huge speedlite on top of a 5dmk2 with a grip, and hardly any of them can show you a striking image that has style.
This is a very nice camera as are most of the new ones. There isn't much more you can do besides higher res and better ISO, but when you send it to a magazine, your image is only as good as what its printed on. For most its, the web. After shooting for a while now, they camera specs are not a big deal as much as the feel of the camera and its specific purpose. I love the x100 and M9 because those cameras produce a shot few others can and they have great IQ. You can't shoot in certain places with a big fat dslr without permission. With an m9 you can. Thus the m9 is the better camera because the dslr could not have taken the shot in the first place.
The 5dmk3 will probably smoke this, then nikon will make something super awesome, then Panasonic will make something, then Hasselblad with make something insane that few of us can afford.
They need to make a camera that CAUSES people to take better photos.
Besides...............WHO SHOOTS SONY ANYWAY? EWWWW
This is not the same technology as the EVF in the Alpha 35, 55 and Lumix cameras. It's a decent amount better.