Sony A77 Comparison Review

The Sony Alpha SLT-A77 is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was officially introduced in August 2011 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 24 megapixel.

Is the Sony A77 a good camera? The A77 has a Camera Elo of 1961. This rating puts the A77 among the top 40 percent of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the A77 ranks among the top 50 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3.5-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Sony A77 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Sony A77 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Sony A77	143 mm	104 mm	81 mm	732 g	470	Y	Aug 2011	1,399	ebay.com
2.		Canon 6D	145 mm	111 mm	71 mm	770 g	1090	Y	Sep 2012	2,099	ebay.com
3.		Nikon Z6	134 mm	101 mm	67 mm	675 g	310	Y	Aug 2018	1,999	ebay.com
4.		Nikon D600	141 mm	113 mm	82 mm	850 g	900	Y	Sep 2012	2,099	ebay.com
5.		Panasonic GH5	139 mm	98 mm	87 mm	725 g	410	Y	Jan 2017	1,999	ebay.com
6.		Sony A7 III	127 mm	96 mm	74 mm	650 g	610	Y	Feb 2018	1,999	amazon.com
7.		Sony A9	127 mm	96 mm	63 mm	673 g	650	Y	Apr 2017	4,499	ebay.com
8.		Sony A7 II	127 mm	96 mm	60 mm	599 g	350	Y	Nov 2014	1,999	ebay.com
9.		Sony A77 II	143 mm	104 mm	81 mm	647 g	480	Y	May 2014	1,199	ebay.com
10.		Sony A99	147 mm	111 mm	78 mm	812 g	500	Y	Sep 2012	2,799	ebay.com
11.		Sony A850	156 mm	117 mm	82 mm	895 g	880	Y	Aug 2009	1,999	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Sony A77 was launched in the US market at a price of $1,399. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check A77 offers at
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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Sony A77 features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Sony A77 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Sony A77	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.0	13.2	801	78
2.		Canon 6D	Full Frame	20.0	5472	3648	1080/30p	23.8	12.1	2340	82
3.		Nikon Z6	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/30p	25.3	14.3	3299	95
4.		Nikon D600	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	1080/30p	25.1	14.2	2980	94
5.		Panasonic GH5	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.9	13.0	807	77
6.		Sony A7 III	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	14.7	3730	96
7.		Sony A9	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.9	13.3	3517	92
8.		Sony A7 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.9	13.6	2449	90
9.		Sony A77 II	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.4	13.4	1013	82
10.		Sony A99	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	25.0	14.0	1555	89
11.		Sony A850	Full Frame	24.4	6048	4032	none	23.8	12.2	1415	79

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The A77 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the A77 can use is 1080/60p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the A77 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2359k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.73x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Sony A77 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Sony A77	2359	Y	3.0 / 921	full-flex	n	1/8000s	12.0/s	Y	Y
2.		Canon 6D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	fixed	n	1/4000s	4.5/s	n	n
3.		Nikon Z6	3690	Y	3.2 / 2100	tilting	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
4.		Nikon D600	optical	Y	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	5.5/s	Y	n
5.		Panasonic GH5	3680	n	3.2 / 1620	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
6.		Sony A7 III	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
7.		Sony A9	3686	n	3.0 / 1440	tilting	Y	1/8000s	20.0/s	n	Y
8.		Sony A7 II	2400	n	3.0 / 1230	tilting	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	Y
9.		Sony A77 II	2359	Y	3.0 / 1229	full-flex	n	1/8000s	12.0/s	Y	Y
10.		Sony A99	2359	Y	3.0 / 1229	full-flex	n	1/8000s	6.0/s	n	Y
11.		Sony A850	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/8000s	3.0/s	n	Y
Notes: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Sony Alpha SLT-A77 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is multi-hinged and can be tilted both vertically and horizontally to enable odd-angle shots in landscape and portrait orientation. The LCD thereby offers a lot of flexibility to adjust and use the rear screen in a diverse set of situations.

One convenient feature of the A77 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Sony Alpha SLT-A77 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Sony A77	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon 6D	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
3.		Nikon Z6	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	-	Y
4.		Nikon D600	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Panasonic GH5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
6.		Sony A7 III	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	Y	Y
7.		Sony A9	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
8.		Sony A7 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
9.		Sony A77 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
10.		Sony A99	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Sony A850	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

It is notable that the A77 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the A77 can be found in the free online Sony A77 Manual or on the Sony support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the A77. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is why expert reviews are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Sony A77	5/5	91/100	..	81/100	..	5/5	Aug 2011	1,399	ebay.com
2.		Canon 6D	5/5	+ +	..	83/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	2,099	ebay.com
3.		Nikon Z6	5/5	..	5/5	89/100	4.5/5	5/5	Aug 2018	1,999	ebay.com
4.		Nikon D600	4/5	+ +	..	87/100	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	2,099	ebay.com
5.		Panasonic GH5	4.5/5	+ +	..	85/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2017	1,999	ebay.com
6.		Sony A7 III	..	+ +	4.5/5	89/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2018	1,999	amazon.com
7.		Sony A9	5/5	+ +	4.8/5	89/100	5/5	5/5	Apr 2017	4,499	ebay.com
8.		Sony A7 II	5/5	+	4/5	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	Nov 2014	1,999	ebay.com
9.		Sony A77 II	4/5	..	..	80/100	4.5/5	5/5	May 2014	1,199	ebay.com
10.		Sony A99	5/5	..	..	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	2,799	ebay.com
11.		Sony A850	3/5	..	..	75/100	..	4.5/5	Aug 2009	1,999	ebay.com
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

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Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make your choice using the following search menu. Alternatively, you can follow any of the listed hyperlinks for comparisons that others found interesting.

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