Milt26 Loc: Chattanooga, TN

I'm shooting wildlife/nature with the D7100 and D600, unsatisfied with the D600 features. I shot with the Maxxum for about twenty years before they sold out and now the size and weight of the new Sonys is appealing. No, I only have one Minolta lens, the 35-105. Opinions pro or con? Thanks.

cntry Loc: Colorado

I can't speak for Nikon, but I have the Sony a77ii and I love it! 12fps, 79 focus points, and focus tracking that works like a charm. This camera was made for wildlife/nature/birds. Pair it with a Sony 70-300g lens and you've got a combo that's hard to beat! Your Minolta lens with also work.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

Regarding the Sony's, the A77 is a crop sensor and the A7 is a full frame. I have the Sony A57 and the Sony A99, the first being a crop sensor and the second being a full frame. For wildlife, I prefer the crop sensor since I most need to get closer to the subject.

For nature shots, I prefer the full sensor.

Now one other consideration. Once you get longer lenses, the A77 provide stabilization in the body which means any lens you couple it to receives this stabilization. In the case of the A7, it uses lens stabilization. There aren't a lot of lenses released for the A7 yet. That will change in time. But this would be a concern when hand holding.

As for which method is actually better, tests I have seen show the lens stabilization being slightly better than body stabilization. But the downside is that only lenses with stabilization, and designed for that camera, have stabilization and all others go without. And by the way, the way body stabilization works is by wiggling the mirror to compensate for camera movements.

And I also have a Minolta 35-105mm lens like the one you mentioned. If used on the Sony A77, it would perform like a 52-157mm lens (no wide angle at all). I mostly use the 35-105mm lens on the A99 full frame camera, that is when I'm not using the 24-70mm Tamron or the 70-200mm Tamron. The 35-105mm offers a choice in the middle.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Maybe you could expound upon the features you are dissatisfied with. The D600 is literally a full frame version of the D7100 so I have to assume you are dissatisfied with the features on it as well.
As for the Sonys, the A77 and A7 have absolutely nothing in common beyond the brand name that is on the faceplate, they are totally different cameras from each other in every respect.

Milt26 Loc: Chattanooga, TN

The D7100 allows a 5 shot bracket, the D600 only 3 shot, not sufficient for the HDR brackets I like to shoot. I'm familiar with in camera and in lens autofocus. I'm interested in users overall experience and satisfaction(or not) with the Sony cameras. If I stay with Nikon, I'll upgrade to the D750 or D810. Changing is expensive due to lens investment. Attachment conversions for Nikon to Sony is not desirable for me due to function loss.

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

Well, if you like HDR, the Sony cameras you mention have HDR built into the camera.

It's actually pretty good, though the effect is not as dramatic as some of the software based HDR programs available. Still, they are quite usable in most situations, and you can adjust the quality to your liking.

Both the A77 and the A7 allow you to shoot multiple shot exposure bracketing for old fashioned HDR.

But here's the thing; if you have a big investment in lenses for your full frame Nikon, then jumping ship wouldn't make financial sense if your funds are limited.

I can tell you that as a former Minolta shooter, I am TOTALLY satisfied with what Sony has done with the line of products since taking over the brand.

Sony gear is easy to use, produces EXCELLENT image quality, and is completely reliable. IF you made the switch to Sony, you would NOT be unhappy... ;)

Milt26 Loc: Chattanooga, TN

Thanks for the comments, guys.

redrocktom Loc: Sedona

Just tried out the new Sony a7mkII and loved it. Unlike the other a7's it as 5 axis image stabilization and appears to work great. But i shoot mostly landscape where smaller size and full frame sensor are my priorities, and not auto focus performance. From all the reviews I've read, AF performance on mirror less cameras in general including the a7's has not caught up to the good Dslr's, so if wildlife shooting and AF performance were a priority, I would lean away from the a7m2.