Sony Alpha SLT-A77V User manual

Never miss the moment.

Unleash your full creative potential
•Ultra-highresolution24.3megapixelExmor™APSHDCMOSsensor
•World’sfastest*continuousshootingupto12fpswithFull-timeContinuousAF
•AVCHD™Ver.2.0(Progressive)FullHDMovieat60p
•World’sfirst*XGAOLEDTru-Finder™viewfinder
•World’sfirst*3-waytiltLCDmonitor
•1/8000sec.shutterspeedandapprox.150,000shutterreleasedurability
* Amonginterchangeable-lenscameraswithanAPS-CsensorasofAugust2011.
Theextraordinarynewa77empowersyoutocaptureimagesthatfullyexpressyourcreativevision.Throughrevolutionary
TranslucentMirrorTechnology,itbreaksthroughtraditionallimitationstoprovideacceleratedautofocusingandlive-
viewingonafull-timebasis—evenwhencapturing24.3megapixelimagesduring12fpscontinuousshootingand60p
videocapture.Additionaladvancesdeliverbreathtakingimagequalityinlowlightaswellaspowerfullyexpressivevideo
production.TheXGAOLEDviewfinderoffersphenomenalviewingeasetofurtherenhancetheseadvances.
2 3

70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM (SAL70400G), 1/2000 sec., F8.0, ISO 1250,Auto white balance

DT30mmF2.8MacroSAM(SAL30M28),1/200sec.,F7.1,ISO100,Daylightwhitebalance

DT16-50mmF2.8SSM(SAL1650),1/250sec.,F5.6,ISO100,Manualwhitebalance(4500K)

Approximately 0.05 second minimum release time lag
Acceleratedshutterresponseletsyou
capturedecisivemomentswithconfidence.
Aninnovativeelectronicfrontcurtain
shutterintheimagesensorslashesshutter
releasetimelagtoaclass-leading0.05
second*andproduceslessshutternoise
andvibrationthanamechanicalfront
curtainshutter.Ifdesired,amechanical
front curtain shutter can be activated
throughtheMENU.
12 fps continuous shooting (in Continuous Advance Priority AE mode)
Theworld’shighestcontinuousshooting
speed* gives you a decisive advantage
whencapturingsportsactionandfleeting
facialexpressions.Everysecond,you
cancaptureupto12imageswithclarity
andprecisionatfull24.3megapixel
resolution.Moreover,youcanenjoy
theexpressivepowerandflexibilityof
interchangeablelenseswithoutslowing
downperformance.Aswithfull-time
autofocusing,thisextraordinaryresponse
ismadepossiblebyinnovativeSony
TranslucentMirrorTechnology.
70-400mmF4-5.6GSSM(SAL70400G),ContinuousAdvancePriorityAE,1/4000sec.,F5.6,ISO1250,Autowhitebalance
Cross sensors
AFsensors
Accelerated response on a full-time basis
* Amonginterchangeable-lenscameraswithanAPS-C
sensorasofAugust2011.
Notes:
Continuousshootingspeedmaybeslowerdependingon
shootingconditions.InContinuousPriorityAEMode,the
apertureisfixedatF3.5orthemaximumapertureofthe
lens,whicheverissmaller.Continuousshootingspeed
(fps)lowerswhenhighISONRfunctionisOn.
* Speed may vary depending on shooting conditions
and memory card in use.
Full-time Continuous AF
Acceleratedfull-timecontinuousphase-
detectionautofocusingkeepsyoursubject
sharplyfocusedatalltimes.Evenat
maximumcontinuousshootingspeedand
duringlive-viewmovieshooting—thanksto
revolutionaryTranslucentMirrorTechnology—
youcanclearlycapturesportsaction
andfleetingfacialexpressionswithout
resortingtomanualfocusing.Thesupreme
speed and precision of phase-detection
autofocusing is faster and more precise than
thecontrast-detectionAFsystemsemployed
bycompetingcameras.Itletsyoueffortlessly
capturedramaticmomentsinalltypesof
situationswithprofessional-lookingresults.
Translucent Mirror Technology
SonyTranslucentMirrorTechnology
revolutionizesinterchangeable-lens
photographybyenablingsimultaneous
focusing and image capturing on a
full-timebasis.Unlikecompetingcameras
thatswingamirrortoeitherdirectlight
towardtheAFsensorortheimage
sensor–oneatatime,thea77continuously
directslighttobothsensorssimultaneously
viaastationarytranslucentmirror.This
breakthroughenablesleadingcontinuous
shootingspeed,acceleratedfull-time
continuousphase-detectionautofocusing—
evenwhileshootingHDmovies–and
smoothuninterruptedlive-viewingonthe
finderandrearmonitorduringsingleshot,
continuous and movie shooting. Quite
simply,TranslucentMirrorTechnology
significantlyimprovesoverallperformance
andleavesthecompetitionbehind.
Easy operation even during manual focusing
Thecameraquicklyandcomfortablymeets
yourneedsduringbothautoandmanual
focusing.Promptswitchingbetween
autofocusingandmanualfocusingis
assimpleaspressingtheAF/MFbutton.
ManualfocusingisaidedbyaFocus
Magnifierfunctionthatprovidesupto11.7x
magnification of the image at the press of
abutton,andDirectManualFocus(DMF)
settingsareselectableduringautofocusing.
AnAFMicroAdjustmentfunctionalsoallows
minutemanualadjustmentoffocusing
distance,alongwithregistrationofupto30
setsoflensadjustmentsettings.
19-point AF system with 11 cross sensors
Thenewphase-detectionautofocusing
systemspreads19AFsensorsoverawide
AFareatoincreaseyourframingfreedom
andkeepmovingsubjectsinfocus.It
includes11crosssensorsthatdelivermore
accurateandreliabletrackingthansensors
withonlyverticalorhorizontaldetection
canachieve.Additionally,thisnewAF
system improves autofocusing performance
inlowlightconditionstoensureprecision
focusingwhereverandwheneveryou
shoot.Dependingonyourneeds,youcan
selectoneoffourAFareamodes:Wide
(all19sensors),Spot(centralsensor),
Local(anyselectedsensor),orZone(right,
center,orleftzone).FourAFmodesarealso
selectablefromthefocusmodedial:AF-A
(Auto),AF-C(Continuous),AF-S(Singleshot)
andManual.InadditiontoAF(AutoFocus),
thecameraalsoprovidesDMF(Direct
ManualFocus)andManualfocusmodes.
Object Tracking Focus
Variousadvancescometogetherinthe
a77toenableswift,accuratetrackingof
fast-movingsubjects.Onceyoudesignate
yoursubjectontheviewfinderorrearLCD,
TrackingFocusutilizespowerfulpredictive
focusingalgorithmsandSony’soriginal
subjectrecognitiontechnologiestotrack
yoursubject’severymovewithspeedand
precision.Thisperformanceissupportedby
blazing-fastBIONZ®image processing and
19 autofocusing points that are spread
overawideareatobetterkeepmoving
subjectsinfocus.
10 11

Dramatically improved BIONZ®image processing engine
Sony’slightning-fastBIONZprocessor
employspowerfulalgorithmstogenerate
beautifulimagesfromRAWdata
capturedbytheExmorCMOSimage
sensor.Fullyoptimizedtomatchthe
characteristicsofthesensor,itdelivers
extremelyaccuratecolorandrich
tonalgradationsthroughouttheentire
dynamicrange.Evenduringultra-high-
speedcontinuousshootingandFullHD
movieshooting,iteffortlesslyhandles
the vast information generated by the
24.3megapixelCMOSsensoraswellas
other intensive tasks such as advanced
digitalcompositing.Moreover,RAWimage
noisereductioncomplementsdualnoise
reductioninthesensortodeliverimages
ofsuperbqualitywithextremelylownoise.
New 24.3 megapixel Exmor™ APS HD CMOS sensor
Stunningimagesbrimmingwithdetailare
yoursatanastounding24.3megapixel
resolution,thankstoSony’snewproprietary
ExmorAPSHDCMOSsensor.Thisultra-
highresolutioniscomplementedbyan
extra-largesensorsizethatraisessensitivity
inlow-lightconditionsandstrengthens
background defocusing effects. So you
canadddepthanddramatovirtually
anyscene.Dualnoisereductionalso
significantlyreducesnoiseduringanalog
anddigitalsignalconversiontoensure
smooth,crystal-clearreproductionevenin
low-lightconditions.
ISO6400ISO1600 ISO12800
Breathtaking image quality in any lighting
* SAL1650,SAL1855,SAL55200-2andSAL18250.
Firmwareupdatesareplannedtoexpandthe
numberofsupportedlenses.
70-400mmF4-5.6GSSM(SAL70400G),1/15sec.,F5.6,ISO200,Manualwhitebalance(3700K)
High sensitivity with ISO 100–16000
(expandable to ISO 50)
Mastervirtuallyanylightingconditionswith
extremelyhighISOsensitivityandwide-
rangingsettingsfrom50(expanded)to
16000—arangeofeight1/3steps.Capture
themoodofacandlelitweddingceremony
withahighsensitivitysetting;theflowof
ariverwithalowsensitivitysettingand
slowshutterspeed;orathletescompeting
indoorswithahighsensitivitysettingand
highshutterspeed—allwithextremelyhigh
qualityandlownoisecourtesyofSony’s
ultra-sensitiveExmorAPSHDCMOSsensor
andadvancedBIONZimageprocessor.
Inregularshootingconditions,youcan
takefulladvantageofanAutoISOmode
thatautomaticallychoosestheoptimal
ISOsettingbetweenISO100and1600or
betweenanyavailablerangeyouchoose
tocustomize(from100to12800)for
creativeresults.
SteadyShot INSIDE™
image stabilization
Advancedimagestabilizationletsyou
enjoyhandheldshootingwithminimal
camera-shakeblur.SinceSteadyShot
INSIDEutilizesasensor-shiftimagestabilizer
withinthecameraitself.Itprovideseffective
imagestabilizationforanyA-mountsystem
lensfromwide-angletotelephoto.Italso
letsyoucapturesharpimagesatshutter
speedsupto2.5to4.5stepsslowerthan
otherwisepossiblewithoutatripodor
flash,aswellastakeadvantageofvastly
increased photo opportunities.
New lens shading and aberration
compensation
Toensureoptimalshootingresults,
the a77automaticallycompensatesfor
the shading and aberration characteristics
oftheparticularlensyoumount.This
includesvignetting(peripheralshading),
lateralchromaticaberrationandoptical
distortion,whichcaneachbemanually
activated or deactivated as desired.
Embeddeddatawithinthecameraon
supportedA-mountlenses*ensures
optimalcompensationeverytime.
12 13

F2.8F2.8
Unrivaled resolution, contrast and response
Cameratechnologytakesamajorleap
forwardwiththeintroductionoftheworld’s
first*OLEDviewfinder.Thisextraordinary
newXGAOLEDTru-Finder™EVFdisplays
yourscenewithincrediblecontrast,clarity
andcoloraccuracy.SinceTranslucent
MirrorTechnologycreatestheviewfinder
imagedirectlyfromtheimagesensor,you
canviewexactlywhatwillappearinyour
photo,includingdefocusingeffectsthat
faithfullyreflectyouraperturesettings.You
can therefore perfect the background as
wellasyourmainsubjectwhencomposing
photos.Moreover,viewingissupremely
easyinanytypeoflighting—adistinct
advantageoveropticalviewfindersthatare
hardtoviewinthedarkandLCDmonitors
thataredifficulttoviewinbrightsunlight.
Thisviewingeasemakesitmucheasierto
concentrate on the scene.
Thebacklight-freedesignofOLED
technologydeliversincrediblecontrast—
upto10timeshigherthanconventional
electronicviewfinders—thatbroadens
thedynamicrange.AcceleratedOLED
responsealsovirtuallyeliminatesboth
motionblurandresidualimageswhen
trackingmovingobjectsordisplaying
recordedmovies.Slimunitdimensionsgave
Sonyextrafreedomtoachieveadvances
likeawide33.3°viewingangle,high27
mmeye-pointand100%framecoverage.
Ahigh-precision2,369Kdotresolution
allowsfine-adjustmentoffocusviaFocus
Magnifier,whichenlargespartoftheimage
so you can fine-tune the focus and then
zoomouttocapturetheshot.
The world’s first*XGA OLED viewfinder
for supreme comfort and ease
* Amonginterchangeable-lenscameraswithan
APS-CsensorasofAugust2011.
FocusMagnifierenlarges
part of the image so you
can fine-tune the focus.
Theviewfindercandisplay
theeffectsofyouraperture,
exposure,WBandother
settings.
GraphicDisplay DigitalLevelGaugeDisplayShootingDataDisplay
HistogramDisplay SimpleDisplay
Variable information display
TheOLEDviewfinderclearlydisplays
detailedshootinginformationathigh
XGAresolutionforquickandeasy
reading.Youcandisplaythedatainyour
choiceoffivedisplaymodes(Shooting
Data,Graphic,DigitalLevelGauge,
HistogramorSimpleDisplay)by pressing
theDISPbutton.TheDigitalLevelGauge
indicateswhetherthecameraislevelin
thehorizontalandfront-backdirections.
TheHistogramdisplaystheluminance
distributionofpixelsintheimage,which
canbeadjustedthroughexposure
compensation.AndtheGraphicDisplay
showstheshutterspeedandaperture
valueasgraphs,whilealsoclearly
illustratingtheexposure.
Do it all from the viewfinder
Theviewfinderissoinformativeandeasy
toviewthateverystepinthephotographic
process—includingsettingupshooting
parametersandpreviewingtheireffectsin
real-time,framingyoursubjectandfine-tuning
thefocuswiththeEnlargementfeature,
shootingphotosandmovies,andchecking
finalresults—caneasilybehandledfromstart
tofinishwithoutremovingyoureyefromthe
viewfinder.Thisistrueeveninbrightoutdoor
lightingandduringsports,portraitandmacro
photography.Soyoucanfullyconcentrateon
capturingspectacularimages.
Smart Teleconverter provides a clear
and precise enlarged image
Thisconvenientalternativetozooming
makesiteasytocapturedistantsubjects
whileviewingthefinder.PresstheSmart
Teleconverterbuttononcetoenjoythe
equivalentof1.4xmagnificationortwice
for2xmagnification.Whenyou’repleased
withthecompositiondisplayedonthe
high-resolutionXGAOLED,pressthe
shutter button to record the image at a
minimum12megapixelresolution.
High visibility in bright and
dark scenes
Sincetheviewfinderimageisjustasdim
orbrightastheactualscene,viewingis
remarkablyeasyinanytypeoflighting—a
genuineadvantageoveroptical
viewfindersthataredifficulttoviewindark
settingsandrearLCDmonitorsthatare
hardtoviewinbrightsettings.
Three grid displays
Wheneveryoudesireassistancealigning
thehorizonorachievingabalanced
composition,youcanoverlayoneofthree
typesofgridsintheviewfinder.Theseinclude
a3x3gridthatfollowstheruleofthirds,a
4x4gridthatincludestwo45-degreelines
passingthroughthecenter,anda6x4grid
thatsimplifiesthealignmentofmultiple
visualelements.
14 15

Powerfully expressive movie production
Estimated continuous movie shooting time
• HDmovieshootingcancausethetemperatureof
internalcomponentstorise,ascanhighambient
temperatures.Increasedinternaltemperaturescanresult
inrecordingtimesshorterthantheestimatesshown.
1 Amonginterchangeable-lenscameraswithanAPS-C
sensorasofAugust2011.
2 Records in 29 minute segments. Model AmbientTenperature Shooting time
a77
68°F/20°C Approx.29min.
86°F/30°C Approx.29min.
104°F/40°C Approx.13min.
Large image sensor
Cinema-likecreativeexpressionisyours
toenjoythankstolargeAPSHDCMOS
sensor.Thisexpandedsensorareaenables
beautifulbackgrounddefocusingeffectsfor
acinematicsenseofdepthanddrama.It
alsocontributestoextremelyhighrecording
sensitivitythatempowersyoutoeffectively
shootinverydimlighting.Furthermore,when
teamedwithmanualfocus,thesensorlets
youtakefulladvantageofP/A/S/Mmodes
tomanuallyadjustexposureandachieve
desired brightness and dynamism.
24p cinematic expression
Hollywoodfilmsaretraditionally
capturedat24fps,creatingasubtle
butunmistakablelookthatmovielovers
everywhereassociatewiththecinema.
Simplybycapturingyourmoviesatthe
sameframerate,intheprogressive24p
format,youcanrecreatethislookand
endowyourmovieswithanaddedsense
ofqualityanddrama.
Heightened creative potential
YoucanuseCreativeStylesand
PictureEffecttoexaggeratethemood
orcompletelytransformthelookof
yourmovies.Forexample,ToyCamera
createsarough,amateurishlookwhile
Posterizationmakesaboldstatementwith
highcontrastandvividcolors*.
Interchangeable lens freedom
Interchangeablelensesgreatlyexpand
yourmoviemakingfreedom.Likea
Hollywooddirector,youcancreatively
usewhateverlensmosteffectivelybrings
outthemoment.Whetherfisheye,super
wide-angle,telephoto,macro,fixedfocal
lengthorzoomlens,thea77letsyou
takeadvantageofalmostanyasystem
A-mountlenseverproduced.Andbecause
youcanenjoythebenefitsofhigh-speed,
high-precision,phase-detectionAFwith
virtuallyalloftheselenses,youcan
exerciseyourcinematiccreativitywithout
worryingaboutdifficultfocusingproblems.
Full manual movie shooting
Fullmanualoperationgivesyouthe
freedomandpowertorealizeyour
creativevision.Usingmanualfocusand
P/A/S/Mmodes(Program,Aperture
Priority,ShutterPriorityandManual),you
canflexiblyadjustbackgroundblurand
manuallycontrolexposuretoachieve
desiredbrightnessanddynamism.On-
screen prompts provide assistance to
makefullmanualoperationquick,easy
andcomfortable.
Audio noise reduction
Exceptionalmoviequalityiscomplemented
byoutstandingaudioqualitywithminimal
noise.Thisaudiorecordingqualityismade
possiblebyahigh-performancestereo
microphone on the mirror housing and
advancednoisereductionthateffectively
suppressesAFlensdrivenoisevianewly
developedNRalgorithm.
One-touch movie access
WithonepressoftheMoviebutton,thea77
isreadytoroll.Thecameraimmediately
entersmovierecordingmoderegardlessof
whetheryouwereshootingphotographs
continuously,insingle-frame
modeornotatall.It’sthequick
andeasywaytocaptureevery
moviemaking opportunity.
Quick AF Full HD Movie
Mostinterchangeablelenscameras
employstandardcontrast-detection
autofocusingwhenshootingmovies.But
the a77deliversthesuperiorspeedand
precisionoffull-timecontinuousphase-
detectionautofocusing,evenduring
HDmovieshootingat60p—thanksto
the breakthrough advantages of Sony
TranslucentMirrorTechnology.Thisnewly
enhancedQuickAFFullHDMoviefeature
alsomakesabigdifferencewhenfocusing
onfast-movingsubjects.Youcanshoot
moviesandenjoywider-rangingcreative
possibilitiesthaneverbefore.
AVCHD™ Ver. 2.0 (Progressive)Full HD
60p movies—a world first1
Fortheultimateinsmoothmovie
playback,youcancaptureFullHD
moviesat60fpsusingthenewAVCHD
Ver.2.0(Progressive)format.This
powerfulcapabilityismadepossibleby
thelargeAPSHDCMOSsensor,which
capturesbeautiful1920x1080pixel
moviefootageatanacceleratedrate:
ThesameresolutionandrateasHDTV
broadcasts2.Moreover,TranslucentMirror
TechnologyenablesFull-timeContinuous
AFduringmoviecreationforfast,high-
precision focusing and precise tracking
ofmovingsubjects.
* NotallPictureEffectscanbeselectedformovierecording.
16 17

TruBlack display
Reflectionsareeliminated
Generic LCD monitor
withunwantedreflections
Resinfilling
Reinforcedglass
Anti-reflectivefilm
Clearprotective
cover
LCD
Shot Result Preview
Beforeshooting,youcanpreviewhow
yourphotowilllookwithmajorsettings
applied.Theall-newShotResultPreview
functionshowsnotonlytheeffectsof
yourselectedaperture,butalsothe
effectsoftheselectedshutterspeed
andDynamicRangeOptimizer(DRO)
settingsintheviewfinderandLCDdisplay.
Soyoucanconfirmthedepthoffield,
motionbluranddynamicrangewith
ease.Itproducesmoredynamicresults
thantheconventionalopticalpreview
function,whichonlyshowstheeffects
oftheaperturesetting.FromtheMENU,
youcanchoosewhetherpressingthe
Previewbuttonneartherightbottomof
thecameraactivatestheconventional
opticalDepthofFieldpreviewfunctionor
newShotResultPreview.
Comfortable VG-C77AM vertical grip
Operationisextremelycomfortableduring
verticalframing,thankstotheoptional
verticalgripandflexiblyadjustable
LCDdisplay.Optimizedcontoursfityour
handcomfortablyandcontributetoa
steadygripthatminimizesaccidental
slips.Thebackofthegripiswideenough
tofirmlysupportyourthumb,and
essentialcontrolsarebuiltin,including
aconvenientshutterbutton.Thegrip
canalsohouseoneortwoNP-FM500H
rechargeablebatterypacks(sold
separately)toapproximatelydouble
batterylife.Dustandmoistureresistanceis
thesamehighlevelasthecamerabody.
Customizable buttons
Toenhanceshootingconvenience,you
cancustomizethreebuttonstosatisfy
personalpreference,providequickaccess
tothemostfrequentlyusedfunctions,or
bettermatchparticularusageconditions.
TheAEL,ISO,andAF/MFButtonscan
be reassigned to activate any of 24
assignablefunctions,includingExposure
Compensation,DriveMode,FlashMode,
FocusArea,FaceDetection,SmileShutter,
ISOSensitivityandMeteringMode.
Memory function
Whenyoufindanidealcombinationof
camerasettingsforaparticularshooting
situation,youcanregisterthemasa
setinmemory.Thenthenexttimethat
situationarises,youcaneasilyrecall
andapplythesettingstosavetimeby
turningthemodedialtotheMRposition.
Uptothreesetsofcomprehensive
shooting settings can be saved.
Convenient Xtra Fine LCD™ display with 3-way tilting
Whethershootinghorizontallyor
vertically,youcaneasilytiltandswivel
thenewLCDmonitortothemost
naturalpossibleviewingangle.Even
whenusingatripod,the3-waytilting
design—theworld’sfirst*ofitskind—
enablesextra-flexibleadjustment
thateasilysupportseverythingfrom
extremelylowtoextremelyhighcamera
shootingangles.Moreover,this3"Xtra
FineLCDdisplaywithcrisp921,600dot
resolutionandTruBlack™technology
offersoutstandingperformanceinalmost
anykindoflightingcondition.Sony’s
exclusiveTruBlack™technologyfills
thegapbetweentheprotectiveouter
glassandunderlyingLCDwithresinto
significantlyreducesurfacereflections,
improvevisibilityfromwideviewing
angles,maintainhighcontrastandmore
accuratelyreproducedeepblacks.
Reflectionsarefurtherloweredbya
specialanti-reflectivecoatingandmulti-
coating.Wheneverchallengingshooting
environmentsrequireextra-clearviewing
andunrivaledflexibility,thisinnovative
newLCDwillsetyoufree.
New quick-access controls
Youcaneasilyoperatethecamerawhile
keeping your eyes on the scene because
thecontrolsarespeciallydesigned
forswifttactilerecognition.Frequently
usedcontrolsareplacedwithinnatural
reachofyourfingersandareclearly
differentiatedinsizeandheight.Main
buttonsareplacedwithineasyreachof
yourthumb,anddialsinthefrontand
rearofthecameraenablecomfortable
adjustmentofmajorandminor
parameters,respectively.
LCD data display
Confirming main camera settings is
alwaysquickandeasy,thankstoanew
LCDdatadisplayfavoredbyenthusiasts.
Simplyglanceatthetop-mounted
displaytoconfirmshutterspeed,
aperture,ISOvalueandmore.Evenin
darkenvironments,thedataiseasyto
readthankstolargeLCDdimensions
andcinnabarbacklighting.Moreover,
the top-mounted position means you
cannaturallyshiftyoureyesfromthe
scenetoglanceatthedisplaywithout
moving the camera and having to
readjustframing.
Unrivaled comfort and shooting flexibility
* Amonginterchangeable-lenscameraswithanAPS-C
sensorasofAugust2011.
18 19