A77 and Slow Sync - a step backwards??

[twm47099]

Maybe I missed it, but in the manual there is no option for setting flash mode to Slow Sync. You have to use the old Minolta method of holding in the AEL button.

I believe that Sony first offered slow sync mode (after a lot of complaints ranging back to the KM7D and earlier in the film era) in the A500 (one bright spot in that camera). It was not available earlier in either the A700 or A900 (not sure if it was added in the A900 firmware update).

The manual for the A580 shows that option, so I'm not sure why they wouldn't offer it in a 7 series camera. If anything slow sync is something that more advanced users would understand and want.

tom

[Greg Beetham]

I think you can get slow sync automatically anyway if the ambient and the ISO is low with medium-ish f-stops. I think also you can set it via the flash, on my F56 at least if I remember correctly. But I later discovered that even if HSS is shown on the camera or flash panels the system will choose to use slow sync anyway during the exposure if required. Not ideal really, I like to be able to set things myself and have em stay set, not be left wondering what the outcome will be etc.
Greg

[twm47099]

I think you can get slow sync automatically anyway if the ambient and the ISO is low with medium-ish f-stops. I think also you can set it via the flash, on my F56 at least if I remember correctly. But I later discovered that even if HSS is shown on the camera or flash panels the system will choose to use slow sync anyway during the exposure if required. Not ideal really, I like to be able to set things myself and have em stay set, not be left wondering what the outcome will be etc.
Greg

Generally the a-mount cameras, before the A500, set a shutter speed that resulted in a darker background. In low light ambient conditions the shutter speed would not drop below 1/60 (maybe 1/45 on some cameras), resulting in a (almost) black background. Minolta did this to prevent camera shake from low shutter speed. The shooter had to take specific actions to reduce the shutter speed. You could get a lower shutter speed sufficient for ambient lighting of the background by using the "night" scene mode (with all of the downsides of an auto mode - and with a warning in the manual about slow shutter resulting in blurred backgrounds if hand held), or by holding the AEL button during the shot.

There were a couple of problems with using the AEL for this. If you were shooting in a studio or other constant lighting situation you could set most of the cameras to AEL -toggle and just keep AEL on all the time. But if lighting was changing that wouldn't work.

If you were in a situation working on a tripod, you had to press the AEL button each shot and could get shake just from that. If you were working an event where 1/30 or a little slower was sufficient to get enough ambient, you had to remember to press the button each time.

For an advanced camera, it should be expected that the users know when they want slow sync and let that be a menu item (as well as allowing AEL for one off shots.) The strange thing is that starting with the A500 up to and including the A65, Sony did fix the issue by making slow sync a flash mode. The A77 is the odd one out.

I was notified on dpreview that there is at least one error in the manual regarding this.

On page 60 where it has a list of functions selected by the fn button, slow sync is included under flash mode. But the pages that entry refers to as well as on page 80 do not show slow sync as one of the flash modes, and slow sync is described as being used through the AEL button.

It would be very nice, if an owner of an A77 could confirm if the Flash Mode in Recording Menu 2 actually has slow sync or not. - fingers crossed.

tom

[Dr. Harout]

I guess we have to wait David for a detailed review.

[Dusty]

I believe that Sony first offered slow sync mode (after a lot of complaints ranging back to the KM7D and earlier in the film era) in the A500 (one bright spot in that camera). It was not available earlier in either the A700 or A900 (not sure if it was added in the A900 firmware update).

tom

Slow sync is a flash menu option an my A350s, as well as on the 300s. So it was available well before the 500.

Dusty

[twm47099]

I believe that Sony first offered slow sync mode (after a lot of complaints ranging back to the KM7D and earlier in the film era) in the A500 (one bright spot in that camera). It was not available earlier in either the A700 or A900 (not sure if it was added in the A900 firmware update).

tom

Slow sync is a flash menu option an my A350s, as well as on the 300s. So it was available well before the 500.

Dusty

Thanks,
I wasn't aware they had done that so early.

tom