DSLR Reviews

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The Sony A77 II is the replacement for the A77, which made its debut in 2011. The A77 II uses a new image sensor with 6000x4000 pixels (same resolution as the A77) that, while sharing the same resolution as its forerunner, does have a new micro lens system that captures more light on each single pixel/diode of the sensor. This helps raise the maximum ISO to 25,600 and to 51,200 as a “push.” In contrast to some other new advanced cameras, the APS-C sensor in the Sony A77 II uses a low-pass filter to prevent moiré effects.

The camera’s SLT system uses an electronic viewfinder with a fixed and semi-translucent mirror for the additional AF sensor. This arrangement combines the advantages of a CSC (Compact System Camera) with the fast AF response of an SLR camera. Indeed, the new AF system of the A77 II is very fast and flexible with 79 AF sensors (15 of them being cross-type sensors). Compared to other mid-range SLR systems, the AF area is larger and covers a wider area of the image. There are numerous AF modes like “wide zone,” “flexible spot,” and an “expanded flexible spot,” and more that allow the user to customize their focusing setup. Of course, the camera offers manual focusing with a focus magnifier function and focus peaking.

The Sony A77 II offers numerous exposure and scene modes. Main modes are chosen with the mode dial on the top, which also allows access to a high-speed burst mode for shooting up to 12 frames per second. The frame buffer in the new camera has been expanded and allows the photographer to shoot up to 60 frames in high-speed mode. (Note: In the 12 frames per second mode, exposure settings revert to automatic mode. In additional burst modes, which support P, S, A, and M exposure modes, the Sony A77 II allows the user to shoot up to 8 frames per second. Even so, this is a very high rate considering that the camera delivers 24 megapixel images.) The camera also offers scene modes and special effects filters, including a panoramic option.

The camera offers handling similar to a professional SLR. It has many function elements and two setup dials near the shutter release button on the back to change aperture and shutter speed simultaneously. A small joystick on the back allows the user to change image parameters via the LCD menu very quickly and efficiently.

The camera’s high-resolution viewfinder has 2.36 million RGB dots and displays a sharp and crystal-clear image. It also shows a lot of additional information and therefore can look a little “overloaded,” especially when the very fast-changing AF sensor indicators show the currently active sensors in continuous AF focus mode.

The camera has a swivel LCD in addition to the EVF. The swivel LCD has a somewhat unusual pivot joint, allowing the user to flip the screen up- and downward, to the side, and even to the front, although we suspect that those who buy a sophisticated camera such as this may rarely use it for selfies. The LCD screen is large (three inches) and has a high resolution of 1.3 million RGB dots.

The camera offers a multitude of individual settings for handling customization. The photographer can change the function of the setup dials, define the color and intensity of focus peaking, and much more.

Comments On Image Quality
Color: The Sony A77 II showed very good color reproduction of the test chart. The automatic white balance system caused a slightly cool look, thus the gray patterns of the test chart show a tendency into the blue color area. This is also noticeable in the portrait shot, which has a bluish background. The mean saturation is very good (slightly oversaturated with 105.7 percent) but red nuances are boosted and have a high yellow rate. This is also noticeable in the portrait shot. Skin tone reproduction is excellent.

Sharpness: The Sony A77 II showed only good performance in the resolution test. It reproduced the ISO 12.233 chart with 3129 of 4000 lines, which is a little lower than the results achieved by cameras that do not use a low-pass filter. The Sony’s images have a naturally sharp look without over-sharpening effects created by the image processor. We did note that the structure of the hair in the portrait shot showed a minor tendency toward aliasing or moiré effects, but the standard test box shows a softer look.

Noise: Even though the pixel density on the APS-C-sized sensor and 24-megapixel resolution of the A77 II is very high, it showed a very good performance in our noise tests. The luminance noise stays below 1.0 percent even in images taken at ISO 12,800; only at ISO 25,600 does it cross the 1.0 line. Color noise becomes visible in images taken at ISO 1600. In images taken at ISO 3200 we noticed anti-noise filtering effects and color clouds in homogeneous areas of the gray pattern of our test chart. However, the effects are minimal and acceptable in images taken at ISO 3200 to ISO 6400. At ISO 12,800 and ISO 25,600 they become clearly visible and at ISO 25,600 they become quite annoying. The dynamic range results achieved a maximum of 11.8 f/stops, which is very high for a mid-range SLR.

Comments On Video Functions
The camera allows the user to shoot video in Full HD resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. It offers AVCHD and MP4 files as video formats and allows for high frame rates up to 60 frames per second. It offers PAL and NTSC standard modes (25 or 29.97 frames per second) and a 24 fps mode in the cinema-style recording option.

The AVCHD 2.0 format can be used with high data rates. The user can change the bit rate in the menu and choose a maximum of 28 Mbit/s for videos. The MP4 file format is used for a more compact video size (1440x1080 scaled to 16:9 aspect ratio). The videos are saved as MTS (AVCHD) or MP4 files. This allows the user to work with the most recent editing software.

The camera offers a second shutter release button to start video recording at any time. The user can also use a special movie mode, which is activated by the mode dial on the top. The Sony allows the user to work with fully automatic exposure and focus settings as well as exposure modes (A, S, and M). The ISO can also be set by the photographer. The speed setting in movie mode is limited to a top sensitivity of ISO 3200.

The camera allows for use of an external microphone for better sound recording. It has a manual sound level control and offers an additional audio filter mode for higher sound quality when recording, for example, in windy conditions.

Comments On Video Quality
The Sony A77 II showed excellent results in our video resolution test. In 1080p mode it reproduced the ISO 12.233 chart with 916 lines per picture height, which is an excellent result. Even though the camera showed extremely crisp video images we didn’t notice aliasing or moiré effects.

The color reproduction is a bit different than the color reproduction in photo mode. The videos have medium saturation (noticeable in the reds) and the white balance system showed less of a tendency toward bluish colors. The noise results are very good: The luminance noise stays on a low level and color noise only gets visible in videos taken at ISO 1600 and ISO 3200.

The dynamic range in video isn’t as good as in photo mode. The camera had a maximum of 11.1 f/stops in lower ISO speeds, but at higher ISO speed settings the dynamic range is about 8-9 f/stops.

Scorecard
Pro
+ Very fast AF system
+ Many AF modes and individual AF settings
+ High-resolution viewfinder
+ Robust body
+ Swivel LCD
+ Full HD videos with high frame rates

Con
- Somewhat bulky design
- Electronic viewfinders (EVF) are notfor everyone

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Lab results and test images by BetterNet,our TIPA-affiliated testing lab.

The Sony Alpha 77 II (body only) has a list price of $1049.99. For more information, visit www.sony.com.