- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Nikon D600
- Nikon D5100
- Nikon D90
- Canon EOS 60D
- Nikon D5200
Rated 82% by by c|net (Jan, 2012)It refreshes fast enough for comfortable continuous shooting as well.
Rated 80% by by DPReview (Nov, 2010)The camera produces great image quality in most shooting situations, and it shines in low light, providing (just about) useable images right up to its ISO ceiling of 25,600 (equivalent).
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Sony SLT A77 compared to the Nikon D7000
MP24
APS-C
Rated 100% by by Photography Blog (Dec, 2011)The Sony A77 can shoot full-resolution 24.3 megapixel pictures at up to 12fps whilst maintaining continuous auto focus and auto exposure, an impressively fast rate for such a relatively inexpensive camera.
16.1 MP
APS-C
megapixels
| 0 MP | 24 MP   | 30 MP |
SLT A77 by zemesIn reality, a clean 12 megapixel photograph is capable of producing excellent poster size pictures.
D7000 by R.-Wandrei--social_bunny (Nov, 2010)RAW format uses full 16.2 megapixels so files are huge (would be nice to see an option that allows you to choose how many megapixels you want to use when shooting RAW).
sensor size
SLT A77 by David-Pierce (Apr, 2012)The A77 uses the exact same 24.3-megapixel APS-C sensor as the NEX-7, and to similar effect: its photos look fantastic.
D7000 by DPReview (Nov, 2010)With its APS-C sensor the Nikon D7000 cannot quite produce the very shallow depth-of-field footage that the Nikon D3s or other full-format DSLRs offer but it still gives you much more control in this respect than most consumer video or digital compact cameras.
viewfinder size
SLT A77 by David-Pierce (Apr, 2012)Colors are accurate and clear (even though they don't always look it in the viewfinder), and details are remarkably well-produced — even shadows and reflections in windows came out crystal clear.
D7000 by Edubya-in-Texas (Jun, 2011)It doesn't affect me because I don't shoot much action, but heavy sport shooting could be difficult in NEF.-SD cards still aren't as fast as CF cards.-Viewfinder is a nice size for DX, but it's still nowhere near the size of an FX viewfinder.-I think I prefer the AF selector on the D700 by a hair.
body size
143 x 104 x 81 mm
132 x 105 x 77 mm
SLT A77 by G.-Perez--Always-having-fun (May, 2012)On a personal note, I have been using this camera for the last few days to get a better feel for it and I love it, I love the 12 frames per second, I love the huge screen, I love the way it feels in my hands, I love the image quality, I even love the weight of it.
D7000 by B.-Fuller (Oct, 2010)Smaller weight and size is becoming much more important to me and this camera is a very good trade off of features for size and weight.
focus points
| 0 | 39 | 40 |
SLT A77 by Photography Blog (Dec, 2011)The shutter-release has a definite half-way point, with the focus points (a choice of 19 with with 11 cross sensors to maximize precision for both vertical and horizontal subjects) rapidly illuminating green in the viewfinder and a confirmation bleep signaling that focus and exposure has been determined and the user is free to go on and take the shot.
D7000 by val (Sep, 2011)I loved the feel, the speed, the metering, especially for flash photography, the ease of use, the focus points (and accuracy) and the controls.
Performance Real world tests of Sony SLT A77 vs Nikon D7000
DxOMark image quality
SLT A77 by PA-PA-Jossey (Nov, 2011)I first test all my cameras in low light conditions because I love using natural light for most of my photo's when I can.
D7000 by Emil--EmilImage quality (wealth of details, sharpness, color rendition), performance, design, ergonomics, usability, fill-n flash - it's a pleasure to shoot with this camera.
DxOMark low light performance
SLT A77 by Lucio-Reiner (Sep, 2012)In low light the quality of the image is far from accurate and you better switch to the main viewer.
D7000 by Daniel-Gray--Dirty-Gears (Dec, 2011)In low light it focused very quickly and I was very happy with everything except especially the improved flash metering (metering in general actually, you often have to baby sit the d700 meter in tricky light if you use it).
shutter lag
| 0 ms | 124 ms | 200 ms |
SLT A77 by David-Pierce (Apr, 2012)The shutter lag is so low that I actually had trouble only capturing one frame if I was in a continuous shooting mode — by the time I’d pressed and released the shutter, I’d taken more like three or four frames.
D7000 by TrustedReviews (Nov, 2011)So from the off we were expecting response times from the camera that were almost instantaneous.
continuous shooting
SLT A77 by Joe-Stealthmode (Nov, 2011)I've checked timestamps and have a couple of bursts that were 12 per second.
D7000 by Mark-Fitzpatrick--Math-Teacher (May, 2012)Even when set to highest file size and optimal quality, I click off rapid fire shots of say a receiver as he is catching the ball.
battery life
530 photos
1,050 photos
SLT A77 by Photography Blog (Dec, 2011)On the bottom of the camera is a compartment for the lithium-ion battery that supplies an impressive life-span of 470 images with the viewfinder or 530 images in Live View mode, plus a metal tripod socket that's in-line with the centre of the lens mount.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the Nikon D7000
| Image stabilization | Sensor shift | vs | None |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supports image stabilization | |||
| Much faster rapid fire | 12 fps | vs | 6 fps |
| 2x faster continuous shooting; Take photos in rapid succession to capture motion | |||
| Create realistic 3D images | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Create 3D photos to view on a 3D TV | |||
| Has a flip out screen | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Great for recording movies | |||
| Significantly less delay taking photos | 124 ms | vs | 238 ms |
| Around 50% less shutter lag; Avoid missing spontaneous moments | |||
| Significantly higher resolution | 24 MP | vs | 16.1 MP |
| Around 50% higher resolution; Capture more detail, good for large prints | |||
| Supports HDR | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Combines multiple photos together to capture both bright and dark areas | |||
| Includes a GPS | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Records the location of your photos automatically | |||
| Bigger viewfinder | 0.72x | vs | 0.62x |
| Around 20% bigger viewfinder size | |||
| Automatic panorama | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Stitches together multiple photos into a single ultra-wide view | |||
| Marginally more recently announced | Aug, 2011 | vs | Sep, 2010 |
| Announced date 11 months later | |||
| More color depth | 24.0 bits | vs | 23.5 bits |
| Almost the same | |||
Advantages compared to the Sony SLT A77
| Much less startup delay | 400 ms | vs | 3,100 ms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.7x less startup delay; Be ready for anything | |||
| More photos per charge | 1,050 | vs | 530 |
| 520 more shots; Longer battery life | |||
| More phase-detection focus points | 39 | vs | 19 |
| 20 more phase detection focus points; Faster autofocus in reasonably lit settings | |||
| Better dynamic range | 13.9 ev | vs | 13.2 ev |
| Around 10% better dynamic range | |||
| Less noise at high ISO | 1,167 ISO | vs | 801 ISO |
| Around 50% higher low light performance | |||
| Thinner | 77 mm | vs | 81 mm |
| Almost the same | |||
| Smaller | 132 x 105 x 77 mm | vs | 143 x 104 x 81 mm |
| More than 10% smaller | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Sony SLT A77 | Nikon D7000 | ||
 | 
| 
| |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 
|
| |
 |
|
| |
 | Rated by 110 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by RogerB (Dec, 2011) Rated 80% by by Robert-E.-Newsome (Jan, 2012) Rated 100% by by David-L.-Griffin (Feb, 2012) | Rated by 567 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Toolman (Jan, 2011) Rated 100% by by Marius-David-Yaish (Jul, 2012) | |
sensor
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 80% by by IlyaOn the other hand in-body image stabilization often allows to take sharper images at lower ISO than, say, D7000 due to longer exposure - due to the image stabilization.
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 100% by by Photography Blog (Dec, 2011)The A77 offers a 24.3 megapixel sensor, 12fps burst shooting, 1080p Full HD movies, high-resolution OLED viewfinder, 3-inch free-angle LCD, 19-point auto-focus with 11 cross-sensors, built-in GPS and an ISO range of 50-16000.
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 80% by by zemesBy my standard, even K-5 and D7000 are still shy of giving truly excellent quality ISO 3200 performance, although they are getting close.
iso
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 80% by by zemesFor those who believe the ISO performance of A77 is good enough, that's great.
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 80% by by zemesApparently, if you don't take photos beyond ISO 800, and if you don't mind handling larger file sizes whether or not you need the large files, A77 it is hard to beat.
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 80% by by Shinebox (Jan, 2013)The quality is actually pretty good, it came extremely close to the High ISO picture quality king (D7000).
lens
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 100% by by D.-Pierce--pierce324 (Nov, 2011)Since I already own a very nice Minolta 28-75 f/2.8 standard zoom, I passed on ordering the A77 with the new 16-50 f/2.8 SSM "kit" lens.
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 100% by by Anthony-Kosobud--Anthony-KosobudI couple the a77 with the Sony SAL70400G 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G SSM Lens, Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 SSM Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera or the Sony 24 -70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar lensSony 24 -70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Cameras.
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 73% by by David-Pierce (Apr, 2012)Sony has good lenses — I tested the A77 with a 50mm f/1.4 macro lens and a 70-300mm f/4.5 zoom, and liked both — but they’re expensive, and there aren’t nearly as many available as you’d get with Nikon or Canon.
video
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 100% by by Photography Blog (Dec, 2011)The A77 can record 1080p HD 1920 x 1280 pixel movies at either 50fps or 25fps (PAL), or 60fps and 24fps (NTSC) in the AVCHD format, or 1440 x 1080 pixels at 30fps/25fps in the MPEG-4 format, useful as this format can currently be shared more easily.
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 60% by by Romana-Larsoneo--Framer (Jun, 2012)I will say that the video quality is outstanding on the a77, that's just not what I was looking for.
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 100% by by D.-Pierce--pierce324 (Nov, 2011)The A77 is the first DSLR I've owned that can do movies and in addition to a full movie mode on the mode dial, there is a record-it-now movie button that lets you start a recording of that unexpected UFO encounter with your default settings at a moment's notice.
size
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2012)The A77 is built around an APS-C sized (23.5 x 15.6mm).
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 73% by by David-Pierce (Apr, 2012)Many people have waited eagerly for it, though, and with good reason: the 24.3-megapixel APS-C sensor (the same one that does so well in the A77’s smaller cousin, the NEX-7) promises huge, beautiful images, and Sony claims the camera can shoot 12 frames per second.
Sony SLT A77 | Rated 100% by by Gregory-King (Sep, 2012)The A77 does everything an APS-C camera can do for you, and then some.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Nikon D600 Largest sensor |
 | 2 | Nikon D5100 5-way tie: Has a flip out screen |
 | 3 | Nikon D90 2-way tie: Fastest to start up |
 | 4 | Canon EOS 60D Most shots per battery charge |
 | 5 | Nikon D5200 Lightest |
 | 7 | Nikon D7100 Highest resolution screen |
 | 8 | Canon EOS 650D Has a touch screen |
Popular Questions
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Sony SLT A77
73% of users recommend the Nikon D7000 over the Sony SLT A77
Sony SLT A77
WaterlooAlex 
Intermediate III
Hi Kyle, these are both awesome cameras. Personally I love Nikon, but Sony is doing a better job at adding new fun features to their cameras, I think the Sony would suit you well. At a high level... View WaterlooAlex's recommendation
- 0 comments
- April 5, 2012
- Reply to: Kids, family and motocross.
Nikon D7000
Darwa
Beginner II
I ended up renting all 3 for a weekend and went with the D7000. View Darwa's recommendation
- 0 comments
- October 26, 2012
- Reply to: Looking for advice on next camera after a580
mezopia 
Intermediate I
You should go with D7000 because of its ability of handling high iso situations (result of low light). But I should say this isnt all you should be worried about because you can not push a camera... View mezopia's recommendation
- 0 comments
- October 30, 2012
- Reply to: Image Quality, Speed, Low light performance
mezopia
Intermediate I
Actually D7000 was the record holder for best high iso performance among other cameras until late 2010, So there is no way that sony can beat it. If you wanna take low light pictures go with... View mezopia's recommendation
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- October 30, 2012
- Reply to: Low Light?
