Episode 37: Sony A77 – Not It’s Time.

January 13, 2012

in Podcast Episodes,Sony

First off I have to apologize for taking so long to get this review up. I had this camera in for review the same time Dave Dugdale did and he posted his quite a while ago. Check out his review below as well. Unlike Dave, I did not shoot a lot of footage with this camera. Sure I dinked around with it but whenever I reached for a camera to shoot something I chose the 7D, or the Sony 5n. That should say a lot about what I think about this camera.

My general synopsis is this: Cool new focus and EVF tech, slow camera, ISO cap at 1600 ain’t cool, the cropped sensor turns me off. These things may have been accepted back in the “dark ages” when we didn’t expect better video features from DSLRs but that time is no longer. Think I am totally off? Whats your opinion?

If you are seriously considering getting this camera for video use please watch the whole review.


Quicktime File.

Dave Dugdale’s Video Review

Check out his post here for more info.

Gear mentioned in this video

Sony A77 with Kit Lens

Sony 24-70mm F2.8 Zeiss Zoom

Sony 50mm F1.4

Related content:

  1. Episode 50: Sony NEX-VG900 Camera Review
  2. Dan Chung Gets His Hands on the Sony NEX-EA50
  3. Sony A99 Limited Stock
  4. Episode 31: Friday News – Canon Special Event, New Sony Cameras And a Article on the FS100

Tagged as: A77, Camera, Review, Sony

  • Rodney

    I
    tried 10 times to recreate the crop your showing in video mode all
    manual and could not get my cam to reproduce what you show with
    cropping. What firmware is on your camera as well on the front were you
    in mf. Thanks sorry for all the questions its just i’ve seen in M mode
    but can not recreate in video mode.

  • http://dslrvideoshooter.com calebpike

    Use the Manual mode on the dial not in video mode. Confusing I know.

  • Greg15000

    Nice Rewiew…
    One simple question: Do you smoke some joints? haha
    Sorry for de question dude, but your eyes was very very reds in this video hahah
    Awsome post!!!!

  • JS

    Does this mean the 5n doesn’t have the crop? Because the original nex 5 does, and it’s been driving me crazy (or, if you prefer “towards the panasonic gh2″). If the crop is caused by the image stablization it seems like there’s no reason for it in the nex cams.

    Really good review; this looked like a pretty great camera for my needs on paper, and apart from the crop it still does. 

  • http://dslrvideoshooter.com calebpike

    Correct it does not. Love that little camera! (NEX 5n NOT NEX 5).

  • http://dslrvideoshooter.com calebpike

    Uh… No I don’t. I just don’t get a lot of sleep. But I do need to work on looking more alive when I shoot these shows.

  • Widmark1776-fb1

    I have seen/read/watched most reviews out there on the a77. This one is by far the most usable and thorough. Thank you for not just blessing the spec sheet as oters do. I am astonished none of the other reviewers have brought up this 1.86 crop on the video mode… A huge problem! It sounds also like Sony has been very slow to get the firmware to a Canon or Nikon standard… It seems like some of the other issues like menu lag can be helped in a firmware update. This a77 is really compelling. I suppose no chance the crop issue would be improved with firmware… Perhaps at the expense of some loss of image stabilization. Or at least the stabilization should have the option to be turned off so that the additional video cropping goes away… Seems like that is a firmware fix.

  • JS

    That’s great news. Looks like Sony will get some more of my money after all.

    I’m still on the fence about the A77. It has so many things going for it: the screen, it’s weather sealed, and some of those lenses. Oh, well, I’ll have plenty of time to think about it while my bank account recovers from the 5n.

  • Attomo1

    what happens with the crop if the stabilization is turned off?

  • http://dslrvideoshooter.com calebpike

    Nothing sadly. Tried it.

  • Widmark1776-fb1

    Does this make sense Caleb?  Thinking about the stabilization, the longer the focal length/zoom the more stabilization is needed.  So in wide angle/short focals while I would like the stabilization, its less necessary than in longer focal lengths.  So it really seems strange that Sony forces the stabilization on us by indirectly “zooming the lens” (i.e., big crop factor), and bypassing the short focal lengths where it isn’t needed much anyway.

    Again, it has to be fixable with firmware but there are so many bugs and issues with the a77 that are firmware fixable (e.g., reports that the Sony flashes aren’t working well, jpeg rendering is poor)… its a bit concerning that so much time is passing with what seems to be beta-grade firmware in otherwise decent albeit imperfect hardware.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_WWDHO7KEPFM7UGQ2PRVQJBHWUQ Alex

    I think you’re overplaying the crop issue.  Let’s not forget that any Canon APS-C camera already has an additional crop to start with over their 1.5x counterparts, so the difference is not THAT significant.

    While the A77 may have additional crop over the 7D (16%), the ability to stabilise ANY lens you attach is a major benefit over the 7D or any other DSLR without IBIS.  I’d much rather have the crop than shaky handheld video with Canon primes and non-stabilised zooms.

    If crop is that much of an issue, why would you ever consider using a 7D at all, considering an NEX-5N has less crop factor and can take pretty much any lens ever made with an adaptor?

  • http://dslrvideoshooter.com calebpike

    First off the stabilization isn’t that awesome. Lens IS is still better.
    Second, when you put a 16mm fast lens on this thing the results are shameful. Yes the 7D isn’t full frame but its a hell of a lot better when you put it side by side with the A77. If the A77 was cheaper maybe I could let it go. But for half the price you could pick up a cam with more video features and more lens options.

    The beauty of all these DSLRs is lens options on big sensors. I want to use a 24mm because of lens distortion NOT because my camera crops the image so Im forced too.

    Why would I use the 7D at all? Simple:
    It monitors at HD resolution and without all the menu nonsense that the 5n outputs.
    Its has a body that can take quite the beating.
    And unlike ALL the sony options at the moment, its response time is super fast. I can’t be messing around with slow menu/record response times when shooting what I do.
    ISO range isn’t capped.
    I use a little support gear so body only isn’t necessary.

    That said I’ve shot on all three cams and own the 7D and the 5n. Both rock for different uses. The A77 doesn’t fit into my shooting situations.

  • http://dslrvideoshooter.com calebpike

    Hopefully this will be addressed with a firmware update. But Seeing as this is also the case with the NEX 7 I wonder if it will…

  • Widmark

    He’s hardly overplaying it… that’s just laughable.   Sony and other reviewers hold up the in-cam stabilization in the a65/a77 as a way to eliminate needing to buy lenses with IS built in at extra cost.  Sounded sensible to me too, also because in-lens IS is one more thing that can break on a lens.  

    This is one of the only reviews to unearth the true specs and trade-off of the a77 in-cam IS in video mode.  The a77 IS cannot be turned off and it results in a *major* alteration to the advertised 1.5x crop factor of the sensor to 1.86x for all video.  If there is any overplaying, its Sony and other reviewers who claim the a77 has a 1.5x cropped sensor (a slight advantage over the equiv Nikon and Canon sensor) when it is absolutely not for video use… its a 1.86x crop (which is a significant disadvantage of the equiv Canon at least… I don’t know about Nikon).  

    This review stopped me from buying the a77 and rightly so. Perhaps Sony will update the a77 firmware to at least allow a toggle of the IS returning to a 1.5x sensor crop for video albeit without IS.  At least then technically it can claim a 1.5x crop sensor in video and photo mode.  

    If IS could be disabled, then perhaps in-lens IS with capable lenses could be activated to preserve the 1.5x crop.  Although at that point, you really have to question whether the a77 is worth the price with all that fuss.

  • http://dslrvideoshooter.com calebpike

    Keep in mind this whole stabilization crop thing is just my theory. The crop could be there just because its somehow easier for sony idk. Also YOU CAN turn off the stabilization but it still doesn’t change the crop.

  • Widmark

    Interesting.  Strange that it has no impact on the crop.  Seems a little more likely that the added cropping for video can be fixed/removed via firmware then.  Please Sony… do it if you can…. as soon as you can.

  • dustinash

    The video mode on the a77 seriously dissapointed me.  Without having the ability to go past iso 1600 and access any aperature below 3.5 in af the cam is relatively useless for me in low light because mf is just too hard on a normal dspr without a kit.
    Im actually seriously wishing I would have gone with the nex7 and a 50mm f1.8 stabalized.  Kills the a77 as a videomachine.

  • Mats Lillnor

    Thanks for a very good review!
    You asked for comments, so here goes.

    The Canon’s “so called” APS-C is actually smaller than Sony’s by 10%, so the additional extra crop-faktor you seem annoyed with on the Sony is really marginal if any issue at all. Also the pretty good silent kit-lens goes to 16 mm wide-angle on the Sony instead of 18 mm on Canon (which of course doesnt make the sensor bigger, but still…).

    Unfortunately the lagging and slow on-off, strange noise etc. where problems with early models, but that is fixed now with firmware updates.

    I am also confused that you don’t emphasize the focus peaking feature of the A7 more than you do. To me it seems that this is THE killer feature to be able to set correct focus in manual mode when filming and the absolute most valuable feature in this respect.

    Setting focus on the 7D with only the small rear screen that cannot be tilted seems almost impossible when using really large apertures, doesn´t it? Also the stabilisation is not just a choise between in-body vs. in-lens. There ARE no IS-lenses with large apertures at all, så on Canon with ie. an F/1.4-lens there is no option to have stabilization at all.

  • Mats Lillnor

    “First off the stabilization isn’t that awesome. Lens IS is still better.”
    Sorry to disagree, but that is a subject surrounded by so much myths and FUD, but it is simply not true. Both systems have their pros and cons, but I don’t get into the details here.

    However, the issue is not lens-vs-body, but rather stabilization vs. no stabilization!

    If you use large aperture high-end lenses, THERE ARE NO stabilized versions at all! Please list all F/2 and larger stabilized lenses… I love to use my AF Zeiss 135/1,8 on my Sony and have stabilization!

  • Steve S

    Unbelievable!!!

    Its so funny that you guys manage to find so many faults with a a STILL camera that happens to shoot video and beat it up because it’s not the best $1300 video camera you’ve ever seen!!!

    These cameras are hybrids! They do both stills and video, pretty damn good! You would probably review the Arri Alexa or the Sony F65 and say they suck because they don’t shoot stills very well! Geez!

    Just the fact that the Sony has the ability to shoot video while the auto focus is active is very cool, compared to Canon… Yeah I’ve fought with keeping the Canon in focus while shooting b-roll… it sucks! The Sony auto focus while shooting video is very cool! So it crops… buy one that doesn’t crop. You bitch about the crop and then talk about the other 24 to something lens, that basically has the crop built in to the lens on non full frame sensor, like the one you’re raggin on.

    Go back to shooting your Hollywood feature film, the rest will get by.