February 8th, 2008Review Of Sony A700 Digital Camera
The Sony A700 is the next DSLR camera from Sony, a more complex model than the unique A100 that is aimed at the prosumer photographer. The Sony A700 bears more than a passing similarity to the Konica Minolta Maxxum / Dynax 7D DSLR, which is maybe no surprise given that Sony successfully inherited Konica Minolta’s camera business a couple of years ago.
The list of make new features is certainly imposing. There’s a 12.24 megapixel CMOS sensor, replacing the 10 megapixel CCD sensor of the A100, a 11 point autofocus system, extensive ISO range of 100-6400, 5fps continuous shooting (up to 17 shots in RAW mode), a fantastic, high resolution 3 inch LCD screen, magnesium body with dust/moisture resistant seals and a fastest shutter speed of 1/8000th.
The A700 builds on the existing Maxxum / Dynax lens mount with the re-christened Alpha mount, with the majority of Konica Minolta lenses being supported. As with the A100, the new A700 incorporates several Konica Minolta technologies, most notably an anti-shake system that’s built into the camera body, and the eye-start auto-focus system which makes the camera continuously focus when you hold the viewfinder up to your eye.
The Sony A700 also inherits the anti-dust system, Dynamic Range Optimiser and Bionz Image Processor from the A100, though all of then have been significantly upgraded. The Sony A700 is taking on the Nikon D300, Canon EOS 40D and Olympus E-3, all excellent cameras in their own right. Mark Goldstein took the A700 all the way to Dubai to find out if it can beat the rivalry.
