Sony Alpha DSLR-A700
Sony’s flagship digital SLR costs considerably less than Nikon’s D300 and the Olympus E-3, yet packs very competitive features. Responsiveness and image quality are the paramount achievements here. Burst mode is much faster than the less expensive Sony digital SLRs. HDMI output provides full high-def pictures directly to your TV - no doubt tying in with Sony Bravia advertisements.
The camera’s screen is one of the best on any current camera, and the optical viewfinder is large and bright, a pleasure to use. The built-in flash is reasonably powerful and works well with automatic metering. Oddly, though, no top panel display is provided, which may slow down SLR veterans, and some users have reservations about the solidity of the body.
…the A700 doesn’t feel anywhere near as solid as competitors like the virtually bombproof Olympus E-3 or Canon EOS 40D…
I’d say that both Nikon and Canon have good reason to be worried. The A700 is an extremely impressive camera both in the flesh and on paper.
Like most new DSLRs, Sony’s made the jump in screen size to 3in, but fitted the A700 with a super high resolution model sporting 640×480 resolution which is four times finer than typical 230k screens.
On the negative side there are some quirky design decisions which may or may not affect you
If you’ve got a bunch of Minolta lenses waiting for a capable body to attach themselves to, then this is your camera. Even if you don’t, the DSLR-A700 is a very good midrange D-SLR that should definitely be considered.
Top rank…
…a decent choice as it handles well, is fast and responsive, but it lacks the second hand lens market…
Operating the A700 is pretty straightforward. Since it lacks a monochrome display on the top, you configure settings via a combination of direct-access buttons and the LCD.
The new Sony Alpha 700 cameras we were using were more than up to the task — and that was the problem.
The new Sony A700 is a beefy SLR with a 12.2 megapixel CMOS sensor designed for the photo enthusiast. The sensor was made by Sony specifically for this camera, according to the company.