Photoclubalpha

Notwithstanding the fact that I am very definitely in the camp of hands-on photographers, does the a77 really justify its premium pricing over the a65 for the amateur enthusiast who s not bothered by weather-proofing? It seems to me that the main advantage of the former is the dual control-wheel arrangement. I always shoot aperture-priority, so need to be able to adjust this, but also like to adjust EV on the hoof if necessary and presumably the exposure compensation button will allow over-ride of the control wheel when depressed. Can anyone confirm this because I've not been able to get hands on experience. If so, the a65 may well do the trick for me.

The main differences on paper seem to be:
http://www.cameradebate.com/2011/sony-a ... omparison/

For a hands on you'll have to wait for another post

Having been able to briefly try both an A77 and an A65 this week, I have to say my more positive initial reaction came from the A65.

The A77 was basically what I'd expected as a progression from the A700, in terms of feel/interface. The A65 to me though is leaps and bounds above the A580 or A55 in this regard. It reminded me more of my KM5D than any other midrange Sony has previously.

I will still most likely get an A77 — more physical controls, more advanced AF incl. fine-tuning, ISO adj. in 1/3 stops — but the A65 was certainly enough to make me stop and think that I could be happy with it.

And to answer your question, yes the Exposure button overrides the function of the control wheel.

Actually looking now at the retail price the A65 is not as cheap as initially expected. At that price the A65 you would expect certain things missing, but no camera on the market at that price point does not have dual control dials.
Sony have done some obvious chopping such as AF fine tune (again questionable at this price possibly not a deal breaker if the AF accuracy is generally good) bracketing is very limited if that matters (something that should not be crippled IMO) AF system less cross points is fair enough though. Non customisation of the ISO auto range is again something that should not be limited on the A65. (DK should take note on that one!)

What they didn't do but could have is use a lower resolution sensor and that would have been a very easy way to separate the models. I've felt for some time Sony has a very strange way of differentiating between models at times, these latest 2 models re-enforce that view. Difficult choice

IMO, the best way to separate the models is by hardware alone; the direct controls, the speed of the shutter, and the AF module. Let the software of every camera wring as much from these components as they can.

Barry, nothing Canon sells under $1000.00 has dual controls (that I can see) and the only Nikon is the D90 which has had big drop in price since it's entry price
what disappoints me in the A65, is lack of VG, which the 300/350/500/550/560/580 had and the dual memory slots which the 500/550 (not sure about the 560/580) and I agree Sony should have the customisation of the ISO auto range, again this is not available on Can?Nik at the same price point. (that I can see)

The 580 has the best slot drive - the dual SD/MSP with switch. It's a pity the A900/700 didn't have a hard switched dual slot. The ideal would have been, at one time, a CFslot plus a multi-function MS/SD slot with a switch...

David

stevecim wrote:Barry, nothing Canon sells under $1000.00 has dual controls (that I can see) and the only Nikon is the D90 which has had big drop in price since it's entry price
what disappoints me in the A65, is lack of VG, which the 300/350/500/550/560/580 had and the dual memory slots which the 500/550 (not sure about the 560/580) and I agree Sony should have the customisation of the ISO auto range, again this is not available on Can?Nik at the same price point. (that I can see)

Not sure about USA prices but the Canon 60d is under £700 UK price wise and it's got the back rear wheel that Canon have. 600d does not but it's a cheaper model. K-5 and D7000 have dual control dials so at the A65 entry price it's something it should have IMO. Not that a rear dial was ever a massive issue to me, nice to have not a problem on lower priced bodies. VG point noted maybe they didn't want to bother for one model seems a bit strange.

Canon addressed their Auto ISO non user adjustable issue from the 450/500d etc etc so now the 600d even allows a user set max auto ISO. Seems like a small thing and mocked by many as a no big deal. Reality is it's hugely useful esp for changing light and even more so for low light users having to manually change ISO at a wedding is not very fun I can assure you

Km5d annoyed on this only up to ISO 800..A200 a laughable ISO 400 in Auto ISO (pretty much useless) And it's such a simple thing yet they even missed it on the A580 (Auto goes to ISO 1600 more tolerable but still) Very handy you can set it low if you want to stop it ramping up or set it as high as you want for low light. Small things can sometimes mean a lot even if some think they're not that important.

I agree with the setable auto iso, I'll also add I would have liked 1/3 iso steps, I seriously thinking about getting a grey import A77, which I can pickup online for a little more that the A65 in Australia. Australian pricing just sucks..... In Aus the D7000 is like 1500+ so you can't lump that in with the A65

but even in Australia at AUD$1100 odd for the A65, I still think it's the best valued buy you can get (for the features I like ). (sony sold the A55 for AU$900 odd)

What about Hong Kong? I've had some pretty good deals from there.
Not sure what the tax situation is but that's easily avoided if you hunt around.
I've heard Australia is expensive I'm not sure why that is do you have some kind of nasty sales tax or something?
The UK isn't exactly great price wise, though it beats the hell out of Eire prices. Down under seems a bit poor for deals and stuff.

yer, looking to buy my next pieces from Hong Kong

After using my A77 for a week and then playing with the A65 (we got two at the school where i teach photography) I realized how different these cameras are. The A65 is very nice, especially when set to any auto mode. But for the photographer who wants full control over exposure, autofocus/focus, etc., I find the A77 with an extended menu system worth the extra money. Add weather sealing, and the A77 is the winner for photographers like me.