Sony A77II Digital SLR Camera Review

I upgraded from Sony a57 which I love to use in the past 2 years. Now it’s time to upgrade and I grab Sony a77 ii for its fast focusing system since I use it to take pictures of my kids in most case. Otherwise I may get Sony a7 for better image quality and smaller lighter body. I have the Sony a77 ii for about two weeks now and I’m not disappointed.

Pros (Sony A77II Digital SLR Camera Review):

1. Fast and accurate focusing system with more options. You get 79 focus points with 15 cross-type covering about 40% of the total image area. The focus is fast and accurate with a good lens (e.g. Sony 16-50mm F2.8 in my hand.). You also have more options such as Lock-On object tracking and eye focus. I like the eye focus function so you can shoot your kids’ portrait with sharp eye focus using wide open aperture lens. It’s very useful if you are a pixel-peeper.

2. The exposure and color are accurate. It has been significantly improved compare to my Sony a57.

3. When I take picture outdoor with strong sunshine, I use high dynamic range to obtain more detail from dark area. Sony a57 used to give me a lot overexposure on the high light area while Sony a77 ii handles it very well.

4. LCD screen is the same size as Sony a57 but it is a 1.23m dot White Magic LCD screen, another nice improvement. You also have more options to pose the LCD with fully articulated design. Now you can take a self portrait with the LCD facing you.

5. The viewfinder is the same as Sony a77 and it’s better than Sony a57.

6. The Wifi and NFC connection is a good plus.

7. Customer defined auto ISO. It’s a welcome feature though I thought it should come with every single digital camera in 21st century.

Cons (Sony A77II Digital SLR Camera Review):

1. There is no IR remote control and it’s really annoying when you need to take group pictures. I really do not understand why Sony took away this function. I know that you can use your cell phone but the IR remote control is so straight forward and just make it simple. Yes, someone may think handle a big cell phone and click the screen to get a picture is cool, but it’s not practical everywhere. In some cases it looks silly.

2. The remote control app is very disappointing. It only allow you to pressure the button without any tiny control! It’s much worse than a simple IR control. Sony released the remote app has more control options for Sony a7/a7R. I do not understand why Sony release such a crappy app for the latest Sony a77 ii.

3. The NFC connection with my note II is a joke. the connect will last no more than 2 seconds, while luckily the wifi connection is OK.

4. The hot shoe is been replaced by Sony multi-interface shoe, which comes with much more functions than original hot shoe. However, I do not know why Sony could not design the adapter that is compatible with old hot shoe flashes. Now you have to buy another adapter to use the old flash. OK. I have t o accept it but when I went through the reviews of the adapter online and it sounds a crappy product with poor design and quality. At the end I decide to buy Sony F43M to fit it. Another $300-$400 invest. Congratulation! Sony

5. I hope the image quality could be better but it’s only a little better than my Sony a57.

6. GPS. I did not use this function, but it would be good to have it and you have the option to turn it on/off.

Overall I like this camera, love to use it and make Sony A77II Digital SLR Camera Review. It’s hard to find another competitive camera in its price range. I got the body only for about $1000 after discount. However, I expect more from a $1000 camera than my two more years old Sony a57, which is about $300 in market now. I prefer to give it a 4.5 stars but there is no such a option. Four stars is definitely low so I give a 5 stars. I’ll update my review if I find new things.

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