Keep me from making a mistake! Sony A77ii

I have a Sony A77 and a A300 plus several lenses, flash etc. In time, the A mount Sony's may well "go the way of the dodo" but I'm more than happy with the results these cameras provide and have never had any reason to consider changing brands. My best friend also has an A77 (both of our are first editions). He too is very happy and has subsequently found good deals on several lenses and another A body (can't remember the specific model).

If I was just beginning to get into photography it would be Canon or Nikon - but I see no need to change ships now. Everything I can imagine I will need I have, or can readily get for the Sony platform. If they do move away from the "A" platform, there may be some great deals on "outdated" equipment...YMMV

I have used an A700 and now an A77 and keep lusting after the A77II. If I wasn't building a new photo processing PC this year and needing to upgrade my cell phone and having to pay for a kid at university I'd have bought an A77II body.

Low light performance is just fine, far better than the A37, as the in camera processing of JPEGS and white balance accuracy is far ahead of your A37 so you'll see an improvement. Plus you have RAW to work with as well which can be beneficial for low light. Compared to mirror slappers and mirrorless, the SLT mirror only results in a 1/3 stop loss of light, not a deal breaker for most of us.

My A77 was so much better than my A700 for white balance and JPEG quality. I only bought the A700 because I had found a hot deal on a Sigma 50-500 and wanted optical stabilization which Sony offered in the body of the camera. In body stabilization is desirable for many of those old great lens and "low light" conditions. From what I've seen I would expect an incremental but noticeable improvement with the A77II over my A77 in JPEG quality, low light, and quite a bit with focus tracking subject to the lens I have on the body.

For sports, your greatest benefit is going to be with something like a modern 70-200 f/2.8 with high speed motor in the lens - fast focusing and quiet for videos. If you don't have one of these already, and your current investment in glass is minimal, then maybe it would be a good time to switch. Otherwise, get the A77II - it is a fantastic body for the price and buy a Sigma or Tamron f/2.8 70-200 when they go on sale for around $1400-1600 (used to be $1200 before $CAD sunk).

The one area you will lose in is with the flash. The A77II uses a flash mount different from the A77 and A37 but there are adapters out there.

Another reason I held off buying the A77II is I think the A77III is just around the corner. Why? Just from what I have seen of Sony's pricing modus operandi with mature bodies coming to end of life over the last 7 years. They discount for about 6-12 months before the new model comes in.

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Buy it...

Actually heard Sony may getting more serious about the professional market to battle with the other two, pretty sure the dumping of A Mount rumor is more a dream by Nikon / Canon fan boys than anything else. If I have to guess, either of the two would be killed off by Sony down the road, if Sony keep on leading on the sensor tech.

http://www.thephoblographer.com/2015/11 ... mUC4mSrS2w

hdom wrote: ↑If I have to guess, either of the two would be killed off by Sony down the road, if Sony keep on leading on the sensor tech.

I don't see Sony wiping out Canon or Nikon any time soon, unless they manage to get some more affordable lens options. Until then, Nikon and Canon will likely still win over many a consumer. Hell, Nikon already uses Sony sensors in many of their DSLRs, so Sony being a leader in sensor tech won't have that much effect on them.

Bought the A77 II earlier this year and loving it - replaced it with the A700. Primarily using it with the kit lens (16-50mm f/2.8 Lens) that came with it and produces great pics and decent video. Don't do much low light photography but when I do, I use the Sony HVL-F58AM which is a pain since it requires an adapter to use. Might be upgrading to the newer Sony F60 model this Christmas. I've been told to look at the A7 series before I bought the A77 II but didn't like the small form factor due to having larger hands.

I had the A77 and the A850, sold both and was in a fix on what to buy, a77ii or the a7. Didnot like the a7 form factor much plus had a lot of A mount glass. Got the a77ii and absolutely love it. Downside being the changed hot shoe but I use the adapter so I'm ok.

Although I ended up buying another a850( was getting it cheap cheap cheap), with two cams in hand I find myself using a77ii more.

Go for it.

Recently found out that Phase One has recently rolled out version nine of their Capture One Software. They have an "Express" version which is free for owners of Sony digital cameras. It seems to get pretty good reviews and may be worth a look. They also offer an upgrade from the "Express" version to the "Pro" version (again - only for Sony cameras) for $50 U.S.

Here is a link to their page with info on the "Express" for Sony software:

https://www.phaseone.com/en/Products/So ... press.aspx

bvit6667 wrote: ↑Recently found out that Phase One has recently rolled out version nine of their Capture One Software. They have an "Express" version which is free for owners of Sony digital cameras. It seems to get pretty good reviews and may be worth a look. They also offer an upgrade from the "Express" version to the "Pro" version (again - only for Sony cameras) for $50 U.S.

Here is a link to their page with info on the "Express" for Sony software:

https://www.phaseone.com/en/Products/So ... press.aspx

Nice find. Powerful tools, especially at the price. I'm fortunate in that I have a Creative Cloud subscription with access to Photoshop. Just which it did batch processing easier.