Sony 24.3 Megpaixels Alpha SLT-A77 Translucent Mirror Camera Review by DCI

The α65 features nearly all of the features from α77, including the sensor, the HD video, the LCD (minus the rotation), the GPS, the EVF, but without weather sealing, controls is simplified, body is smaller, and has a slower max shutter speed (1/4000 vs 1/8000). The burst rate is also lowered from 12 fps down to 10 fps. Sony also announces the new DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM standard zoom with 16mm wide angle coverage that's ideal for both portrait and everyday shooting. The lens features a dust- and moisture-resistant design, and offers a zoom range of approximately 3x range at constant wide F2.8 aperture. It comes with aspherical glass and three ED (Extra Low Dispersion) lens elements to minimize aberration at all focal lengths, as well as an internal Super Sonic wave Motor (SSM) drive enables fast, quiet autofocus. There is also an optional dust- and moisture-resistant VG-C77AM Vertical Grip for α77, housing up to two NP-FM500H InfoLITHIUM batteries. The α77 will be available in a kit with the new SAL1650 f2.8 lens for about $2000, and offered as body-only for about $1400. The SAL1650 lens will also be sold separately for about $700. The α65 will be available in a kit with a standard 18-55mm lens (SAL1855) for about $1000, and offered as body-only for about $900. Here's the summary of review of the SLT A77 by DigitalCameraInfo:

"With its coveted NEX line of compact system cameras, Sony has built a solid foundation of cameras that are great for shooting video in addition to still images. The Alpha SLT-A77 is another good addition to Sony's family, and, while still technically a "system camera", it's not exactly compact like the Sony NEX series. The A77 uses Sony's translucent mirror technology, which means it isn't a traditional DSLR, and this sensor system also enables the camera to do things in video that DSLRs can't (like use autofocus continuously while recording). If you're just looking for a simple camera to experiment with video recording, the Sony A77 probably shouldn't necessarily be on your list. It costs $1999 with its 16-50mm f/2.8 kit lens (or $1399 body only), which is roughly the same price as two high-end camcorders would run you. It's also not the best camera for video we've seen, although it did do a good job in our tests. The Canon 5D Mark III and the cheaper Sony NEX-7 both had an edge in video quality over the A77.

But the Alpha A77 offers a very good package all around. It's an impressive still image camera--that's for sure--and despite its bulk it handles decently for shooting video. It's tilting and rotating LCD is great for getting shots at odd angles, and its dual AVCHD and MPEG-4 recording options gives you flexibility in post production. The camera can also shoot Full HD video at multiple frame rates (60i, 60p, or 24p), and it has a wide range of manual controls in video mode."