Sony Tweaks A77 with A77 II

Sony A77 II with DT 16-50mm f/2.8 Lens Minolta lovers, Sony’s still not totally given up on the Alpha mount yet, and while the A77 II does not add much, the changes are likely to be welcome. The sensor is now a 24 megapixel sensor that will probably be best-in-class if not for the “translucent” mirror robbing about half a stop of light, thus making the sensor having to work that little bit harder. The autofocus is improved now, and features a 79 point autofocus sensor with 15 cross type sensors with additional options. I remember when having more than one autofocus point was something great, and now we have 79! Will we break 100 before 2020?

Other upgrades include a new LCD, which uses Sony’s newfangled “White Magic” screen that adds another bunch of white sub-pixels (resolution should still be VGA), and there is also Wi-Fi now, though GPS was lost in the process. The rest of the camera is still pretty much the same, including that rather nice EVF. It is not a bad upgrade, but I still think the overall concept is flawed; giving up half a stop of light hitting the sensor just for live view. Half a stop might not seem like much, but that means you are getting dangerously close to Micro Four Thirds level performance, while Canon and Nikon pull away with their more traditional designs.

The A77 II will be available in June for a body-only price of US$1200.

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