Trying to get a preorder for an a77

[Mark K]

I do not believe I am doing this but I am trying to get a preorder of an a77 set. I remember I paid for a brand new A700 body in 2007 for the same price. though I　remain skeptical about the quality of 1. SLT technoclogy 2. EVF and 3. new 24MP APS-C sensor. I hope my a77 can arrive before my Bali trip at the end of this month

[KevinBarrett]

It almost certainly won't (I think it's due in mid-October), but I doubt if you'll be disappointed with the a77. I'm pretty eager to try one out myself, but I can wait until my a700 starts to give me trouble.

[Mark K]

The same feelings went with my A700. I brought it together with a Minolta 24-105D, KM 17-35D and old beercan to Scandinavia. The photos were stunning but....less comparing to what I used to take with my KM 7D and EOS 5D..
I still believe my a850 can produce much better images.thought I can't fight against my GAS.

[KevinBarrett]

Well, if you've already got an a850, what is the a77 to you? A $1300 teleconverter?

[Mark K]

Kevin: good question. A77 is meant for a lower weight. I have an NEX5 but all my alpha mount lenses cannot focus automatically. If I am bringing my A850, I have to bring both the 24-70 and 17-35, which is about 1.5kg, an extra to my luggage which will be filled by my diving gears and underwater shooting set (flash guns, housing etc etc)

[alphaomega]

I have an NEX5 but all my alpha mount lenses cannot focus automatically.

Mark K, Order the LA-EA2 converter, which has built in Phase Detection AF with screw drive. Can AF all Sony and Minolta AF lenses.

[Mark K]

That was what I thought...and LA EA2 is not even for preorder now. Have a quick look at local A77 testers images and I am quite disappointed..After all A77 is NOT a full frame camera.

[Birma]

Ooops - When I started writing this note I thought there was a compatability issue with the EA2 and the Nex 5, but I was confusing the lens adapter and the new EVF that fits the 5N - sorry

I think the LA-EA2 looks very interesting for the Nex 5. We'll have to see if the price comes down. Sony accessories don't seem to come down in price in the same way that camera bodies do.

[Atgets_Apprentice]

Why would anyone in their right mind pre-order a camera that they haven't laid hands on, particularly one that is the subject of so much controversy?

Before I bought my a580, I spent the best part of a month looking, handling, and even shooting, thanks to the staff at Jessops in Glasgow*, that camera, as well as the a55, before deciding which I was going to buy. No way would I have purchased a camera without doing this, even if it could make the tea and tuck me into bed at night!

* I got to load an SD card into both to shoot some test shots, which I assessed at home on my PC.

[pakodominguez]

Why would anyone in their right mind pre-order a camera that they haven't laid hands on, particularly one that is the subject of so much controversy?

early adopters? what doesn't mean big thing: 70% of Apple users think they are early adopters.

In ther hand, most of the times controversy doesn't come from early adopters, but from other fronts, like home-made testers...

[Mark K]

Well I have spent all my time in the past weeks studying A77's image quality. Anything other than that is acceptable to me. I can tolerate EVF and I can accept 24MP sensor because I get extra 12 FPS, good for my style of shooting. I will also get a full time video recording with phase detection automatic focusing. The cropped 24MP means a lot to me, a potential bird shooter.

[Atgets_Apprentice]

Well I have spent all my time in the past weeks studying A77's image quality. Anything other than that is acceptable to me. I can tolerate EVF and I can accept 24MP sensor because I get extra 12 FPS, good for my style of shooting. I will also get a full time video recording with phase detection automatic focusing. The cropped 24MP means a lot to me, a potential bird shooter.

And what if you don't like the handling?

Ever bought a car without a test drive?

As for "early adopters", that is just an attempt at one-upmanship. It is all about image, and saying I had my iWhatever 2 minutes after they went on sale. It won't make a bad product good, or vice versa.

[alphaomega]

I would not 'pre order' a product before I have seen a review (except as below). Looking around I am convinced that the A77 will be a fine camera producint quality images. I am not so sure that I would want one as I don't think my lenses will do justice to it and I am into lighter stuff now. Ideally I would join those people who think that Sony Should release a new NEX-6 with the NEX-7 body and controls with the NEX-5N sensor at say £700.00. I would pre-order that without a moments hesitation. That combination "would make my day".

[Mark K]

Thanks for the advice. I will try a77 first.

[Mark K]

I went to a local Sony CS today. People were queuing up for A77 testing. It is much larger than I thought. The grip is huge. With 16-50/2.8, it does feel bulky in my small hand.
The EVF is wonderful. It is bright and almost instant.
The shutter sound is not harsh. It is much silent but more electronic....I cannot say I like it but the shutter sound will be very useful in concert/meeting/church events.
12 fps is fast but not that fast comparing to A55 or even a580. I did not have the joy to press the shutter because the buffer was filled up quickly.

Overall I do not have an immediate desire to buy one but if Sony can ship me one before end of this month, I won't mind having one. Otherwise, I will save all my hopes and wish on the upcoming full frame SLT body.