billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

My first post. Take it easy guys. I have been a Nikon guy since 1968 with over 40 bodies used professionally. Two years ago I bought a Sony A77, I was so impressed I bought the new Sony A77ii. I shot wildlife with the Sony, the A77ii has over 75 focus points, more than anyone else, it also has a focusing program called lock-on flexible spot which basically once focus is locked on, it tracks your pray no matter what crosses ahead on behind your subject. But the best thing I like about the camera is that my two Minolta lenses, 400mm f4.5 and 600mm f4 work on the camera with the lock on system. The lenses also work well with the Minolta 1.4 extender. I also like the fact that the camera has a build in focus limiter I can use on any lens, even the old Minolta glass. Thanks to the Hedgehogs I now have a dedicated back focus button so I don't have to hold the shutter button down half way to focus. By the way, the lens limiter is great on the 600 as it cuts down on lens searching. The lens stabilizer is build into the camera so the old Minolta glass works well with that too. As a guy who still loves his Nikons the Sony A77ii and A99 cameras work very well.

SonyA580 Loc: FL in the winter & MN in the summer

I also switched from Nikon to Sony, several years back. I'm curious, could you could tell me how you have adjusted to the EVF. I've used my friends A77 a few times and the EVF still looks strange to me. Is the A77II, or A99's, EVF any better? Do you feel the camera's other benefits more than outweigh the EVF low light shortcomings? Thanks for posting!

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I believe your talking about EVF, or electronic view finder. The new Sony A77ii has a new and improved one over the A77. I personally still shot my Nikons and Sony at the same time and have had no problems adjusting to either. I am paying so much attention to expressions, exposure, framing, that I guess I just don't notice any difference. The Sony is brighter and also in Manual mode the Sony shows you what your final shot will look like, I think this is a big + for the EVF in the Sony camera.

SonyA580 Loc: FL in the winter & MN in the summer

Thanks Bill. Currently use the A580 (love it!) but seriously considering the A99. Any thoughts?

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

The A99 is a very nice full frame camera that is currently on sale for about 1900 and I believe they are throwing in a grip? Sony.com and BHphotovideo.com.You will find the reviews on U Tube to be of help in making your decision. Many of the reviews go into great detail on the functions of the camera. Good hunting.

Effjayess Loc: NE,Pennsylvania

Can I use my Nikon crop lenses with this camera? I have been thinking about this same camera.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I do not know. There are companies that make adapters for most camera crossovers. Call B&H camera department, they will know if there are adapters to allow Nikon lenses to fit Sony products. You can always Google it, there are many sites offering that service.

brian43053 Loc: Buffalo, NY

I own an A99 and absolutely love it. The color reproduction is outstanding. It's very easy to use and pretty light weight.

LRH Loc: Peosta IA.

Good to see that people are finally starting to realize that there are great cameras that do not have the name Canon or Nikon on them.

frozenhermitphoto

I was almost ready to pull the trigger on the a77 so foul weather wouldn't keep me inside, but then they announced the a77II and I climbed right back up onto that fence. Are the improvements worth it? Will the mark I a77 price go even lower? Is the 16-50 f2.8 worth it? AAAARRRRGgghhh!

Should I skip the DSLR and buy the a7R with the LA-EA4? Should I chuck it all and buy a new (used) car with the money? The only thing I know for sure is that I will stick with Sony, unless someone is giving away a high end Nikon with their lens collection. Please excuse me while I go bang my head in the usual spot.

lloydl2 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

i love my a99 best camera I've ever owned. Also have a few old Minolta Maxxum lenses that work great and I picked up the zeiss 2470 f2.8 which is my walk around lens. I love the EVF. I've gotten to the point where I can look through it and know if the exposure is right and can easily adjust it without talking my eye off the subject... I also just picked up the sony DSC rx 100 m3 and that is one hell of an amazing camera and can fit in my pocket...so no excuse for not having it with me...

Desert Gecko Loc: desert southwest, USA

I'm obviously not Bill, but I am an a77 owner and I recognize the many reasons to choose Sony over CaNikon. You might consider waiting on the a99, as I am. Though I am tempted to buy an a77ii, I've heard rumors of an a99ii next year that will have similar updates like improved focusing and buffer, and even a rumor that it will have the a7R 36MP sensor. There's even wild speculation that Sony will release three or more versions of an updated a99, a la the a7 series. Take a look at this site for the best Sony rumors: http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/

Also, note that Sony released the a77ii less than a year after dropping the price on the a77. Well, Sony just dropped the price of the a99 by about $800 and threw in a $300 grip and two batteries. It seems they are clearing out inventory for an update.

As another poster said, EVF is superior to OVF, though there is perhaps an adjustment phase (I believe all cameras will one day use EVF, as one day they will all be mirrorless. Don't count out my prognostications - in '98 I predicted cloud computing and that a browser company would take down Micro$oft!)

Desert Gecko Loc: desert southwest, USA

The improvements may be worth it. Much improved focusing and a much larger buffer make it perhaps the best crop camera for action. Low-light sensitivity improved by about 1/3 stop, which is huge. IQ still rivals many ff sensors, and surpasses most in dynamic range & color depth. My only reason for not upgrading yet (though I still might) is that the a99ii is rumored to be forthcoming next year.

You can look at dyxum.com to read what hundreds of owners have to say about the 16-50 2.8, but I'll tell you what I think, which is also the consensus: It is the best lens I've ever owned, and it's IQ is better than many primes. It is only a 3x zoom, so it's able to maintain quality that's lost on lenses with longer range. [edit] I forgot to mention that the lens is also weather sealed, so while I wouldn't take it & the a77 out unprotected in the rain, I don't worry about incidental splashing or sandy, dirty outdoor environments.

The a7 series is tempting, but lens selection is minimal. For $350 you can adapt alpha-mount, or even CaNikon with full electronic function, but for the alphas you will lose image stabilization as the a7 bodies have none - it's in their lenses, which are very scarce (of course, how many lenses does a person really need?) Rumor is Sony is making a major effort to release a slew of new e-mount lenses next year because Canon is rumored to be working on a new mirrorless line with a new mount (as reported on sonyalpharumors.com)

cntry Loc: Colorado

Sony A77ii :thumbup: :thumbup: As much as I love my A65, I kept getting the feeling I'm going to wake up some morning - probably next Feb/Mar - and see it has morphed into the A77ii...I can hardly wait! :-D

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

I got delayed in my purchase of the A77II (had to replace a 20 year old HVAC in the middle of the summer. :x ) but plan to buy one within the next couple of months.

Initially I thought the upgrades over the A77 were minor... but that's not the case.

79 autofocus points, 19 of them cross type, a much larger buffer and an improved image processor. And as mentioned earlier, improved EVF (faster refresh rate) and a better LCD.

I hate the loss of the GPS... and I don't particularly care for NFC... but yeah; it's a SERIOUS machine and I AM going to buy one. :thumbup: