PhotographySony Alpha SLT A65 vs. A77 - a comparison
There has been a lot of talk about the new Sony flagship SLT camera, the Alpha SLT-A77. It takes so much spotlight, one could easily forget it also has a more budget friendly sibling: the A65. Considerably less expensive, the A65 has the same image quality and the same incredible XGA OLED viewfinder. I plan on getting the A77, but couldn't dismiss the A65 so easily. So I made a table with all the small and big differences between the two. While the A77 holds a clear advantage, is that advantage worth the substantial premium?
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| SLT-A65 | SLT-A77 | |
   | ||
| Price (body only) | $900 €875 | $1400 €1300 |
| User manual | Sony SLT-A65 user manual | Sony SLT-A77 user manual |
| Dimensions | 132 x 97 x 81 mm | 143 x 104 x 81 mm |
| Weight (with battery) | 622g | 732g |
| Body material | Plastic | Magnesium alloy weather sealed |
| File formats | RAW RAW+JPG JPG - standard JPG - fine | RAW RAW+JPG JPG - standard JPG - fine JPG - extra fine |
| Creative styles | 6 | 13 |
| Pop-up flash guide number | 12m @ 16mm | 10m @ 18mm |
| AF assist | Popup flash | Dedicated beam |
| ISO range | Manual: 100-16000 Auto: 100-1600 | Manual: 50-16000 Auto: fully selectable range |
| Exposure compensation | +/- 3 EV 1/3 EV steps | +/- 5 EV 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps |
| Flash exposure compensation | +/- 2 EV 1/3 EV steps | +/- 3 EV 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps |
| AE Bracketing | 3 frames 1/3 or 2/3 EV steps | 3 or 5 frames 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 2.0 or 3.0 EV steps |
| Shutter | Bulb 30s - 1/4000s X-sync 1/160s | Bulb 30s - 1/8000s X-sync 1/250s |
| High speed mode | 10 frames/s | 12 frames/s |
| Main LCD | Tilt / swivel 2 hinges | Pull-out / tilt / swivel 3 hinges |
| AF unit | 11 focus points total of which 3 cross type | 19 focus points total of which 11 cross type 3 focus point groups |
| Memory slots for settings (MR) | - | 3 |
| Freely assignable buttons | 2 (AEL, ISO) | 3 (AEL, ISO, AF/MF) |
| Optional vertical grip | No | Yes |
| AF micro adjust | No | Yes |
| Main controller | Directional pad | Joystick |
| AF mode selector | Switch AF, MF | Dial MF, AF-C, AF-A, AF-S |
| AF/MF thumb button | No | Yes |
| Direct Manual Focus (DMF) option | No | Yes |
| Release priority option | No | Yes |
| AF speed option | No | Yes |
| AF point selection | Requires extra keypress, dismissing other direct buttons | Direct |
| Top LCD | No | Yes |
| Control dials | 1 | 2 |
| PC sync socket | No | Yes |
| Neck strap connectors | Lugs | Triangles |
In the end, some deal breakers made me decide for the A77. In particular:
- weather sealed magnesium body
- extra hinge on the LCD
- 3 MR memory slots
- larger number of (cross) AF points
- ability to take a vertical grip
- AF/MF thumb button
- AF micro adjust option
These differences were, to me, worth the substantial premium. Furthermore:
- ISO 50 option
- fully adjustable auto-ISO range
- freely assignable buttons
- faster shutter
- dedicated AF beam
...are all nice bonuses that will most definitely see some use. I hope this comprehensive list will aid you in making the same decision I was faced with, and maybe you'll decide on the A65. It's your call!
So now I am patiently waiting for the need to actually upgrade from the A700, and at the same time justify spending €1300 on yet another camera I don't really need... because let's face it: it isn't that much of an improvement over the A700. Sure, there's the live view and full time continuous AF, but what the heck does one need 24 megapixels for, and there's only about 1 stop of high ISO improvement. I had hoped for a 12 MP, acceptible 8000 ISO sensor, I feared it would be 16 MP 6400 ISO, but in the end it became 24 MP 3200 ISO. Then there's the many compromizes: no stabilized viewfinder (although technically feasible), cropped view in movie mode, no audio control in movie mode, no tethering, 12 fps mode is very limiting, limited frame buffer, and so on. All in all, not worth spending €1300 on at this moment.
Fuzzcraft.com comment system 1.1
2012-05-06 Joel
Thank you for posting this in a nice, easy to read format. I agree with your conclusion as well and will be getting the a77 soon.
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