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Sony Alpha 77 Test Shots Now in the Face-Off

Franck Mée
Translator: Catherine Barraclough
September 6, 2011 3:13 PM
Sony has marked its return to the expert-level SLR market with a very ambitious camera. With a 24-Megapixel sensor, burst mode of 12 frames per second and plenty more tricks up its sleeve, the Alpha 77 looks like it could run circles round other advanced models. The good news is that this long-awaited camera is currently in the process of being tested in our lab. Plus, the first test shots are already online in the DigitalVersus Face-Off.

Sony Alpha 77 test photos example pictures
Sony Alpha 77

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Obviously, we can't judge the quality of a camera based purely on the test results from our camera lab. However, these first test shots do give us an idea of this SLT's performance. So how does the Alpha 77, equipped with the new 16-50 mm f/2.8 lens, compare with other cameras in the Face-Off?
 

First of all, it's worth comparing the Alpha 77 with the Alpha 850—a camera that boasted the same resolution two years ago but with a sensor measuring twice the size. In fact, while the Alpha 77 uses an APS-C format sensor, the Alpha 850 has a more entry-level 24 x 36 mm sensor.

Note that the new 16-50 mm f/2.8 lens we used with the Alpha 77 will sell for a similar price to the 28-75 mm f/2.8 that came with the Alpha 850, although you'll have to put up with a few compromises—notably the wider-angle frame (equivalent to 24 mm at minimum setting).
 
 
It's also interesting to compare this SLT with genuine expert SLRs—remember that the Alpha 77 doesn't have an SLR viewfinder system, hence the name Single Lens Translucent rather than Single Lens Reflex. The Barbie without flash test typically catches out SLRs, which analyse the image by dividing it up into a limited number of zones—1005 at the most, as seen in some Nikon models. In fact, compacts and hybrid cameras usually perform better than SLRs in this test, as they divide the image into several thousand zones (potentially even one per pixel) and usually have face-recognition functions too. It'll therefore be interesting to see whether the SLT design improves performance in this field.

Stay tuned for our full review of the Sony Alpha 77 coming in a couple of weeks' time.

Note that Sony has already announced a firmware update for the Alpha 77 (we tested it with firmware 1.02). We'll be sure to let you know if this brings any extra functions.

> Digital Camera Face-Off

> Digital Cameras: SLR, Micro 4/3 and Interchangeable Lens Reviews



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