The Optics Review

Sony’s new a700 (officially known as the DSLR-A700) displays the evolution of the Maxxum SLR camera line after Sony’s acquisition of Konica-Minolta technologies in 2005. The a700 is based on the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D yet expands that camera’s capabilities with a myriad of new ideas from Sony. I suspect Sony and Minolta fans will be very excited by this camera.

The a700 dSLR (that “a” is the Greek letter alpha) features a 12.24 megapixel Exmor™ CMOS sensor, Sony’s “Creative Style modes”, high-speed shooting, Super SteadyShot® image stabilization, Eye-Start® Autofocus system and Sony’s innovative Anti-Dust Technology to provide the photographer abundant new technology packed into a familiar, durable, magnesium alloy body that is dust and moisture resistant.

The alpha 700 accepts Minolta a-mount lenses, Sony’s “G” Series lenses with motorized auto focusing and Sony’s wide-aperture zoom lenses. A new APS-C size, CMOS imager with on-chip noise-canceling provides the quality you need to make the most of all those high-performance lenses. Sony’s line of accessories include a new vertical grip. Equipped with buttons and switches to control most functions, it offers the same ease of operation as when shooting vertically. It even houses two InfoLithium® batteries. And you can choose from a long list professional-quality flash units and system accessories to suit every photographic requirement.

Sony’s Super SteadyShot® stabilization technology moves the image sensor in response to camera shake, enabling every lens to benefit from automatic blur reduction. This technology can facilitate sharper images even in lower light or hand-held shots that would normally require a tripod. And the 40-segment honeycomb sensing system provides multi-pattern measuring for superior exposure control accuracy in a wide range of lighting conditions.

The alpha 700 uses the Sony Bionz™ Image Processor. Utilizing hardware-based Large Scale Integrated (LSI) circuitry, Bionz improves camera response time, handles Dynamic Range Optimization processing and prolongs battery life. The combination of the Bionz engine, a quick-response coreless motor to drive the shutter, and dual mirror stoppers to prevent mirror bounce all enable the alpha 700 to capture scenes at 3 - 5 fps, even shooting at full 12 megapixel resolution. Sony has optimized the Bionz processor to quickly process picture information and reduce noise in the RAW data stage, before final image compression and encoding. The results are high-resolution, detailed images with rich tonal reproduction.

A newly developed, auto-focus system features 11 wide-area sensors, including a center dual cross sensor comprised of two horizontal and two vertical line sensors for exceptional AF precision. An F2.8 line sensor leverages the brightness of fast aperture lenses for even greater precision. The alpha 700 utilizes both a static-free anti-dust coating on the imager’s filter and a anti-dust vibration system that automatically shakes the sensor to dislodge dust each time the camera is turned off.

The a700 uses Memory Stick Duo™ media cards compatible with the Memory Stick PRO-HG™ high-speed data transfer standard, and CompactFlash™ Type I/II media cards. The memory slots are compatible with the Ultra Direct Memory Access standard for up to 300x write speeds. Sony has introduced new 300x high-speed CompactFlash™ memory cards, ideal for high-end photographers requiring fast write speeds. The new models, available in 2GB or 8GB capacity, expand Sony’s current line of CompactFlash cards that also include 66X and 133X speeds, with capacities ranging from 1GB to 4GB.

On the subject of image preview, Phil Lubell, director of marketing for digital cameras at Sony has said “We … expect that this new camera will re-define the post-capture experience with HDMI™ output for high-quality playback of images on high-definition televisions.” Imagine viewing your 12 megapixel images in full resolution on a HDTV! You don’t have to wait, Sony provides this ability right now. You can even use the included Wireless Remote.

The DSLR-A700 camera body’s MSRP is $1,399.99.

DSLR-A700 Features:
Rugged Magnesium Alloy Body
Sony a Alpha/Minolta-A bayonet lens mount
12.24 MP Exmor™ Imaging Sensor
Bionz™ Image Processor
Super SteadyShot® Image Stabilization
Continuous 5 Frames-Per-Second Advance at 12.24 MP
Eye-Start® Autofocus System
11-Point Center Dual Cross AF Sensor
Easy-to-Use Exposure Mode Dial
Anti-Dust Technology
XtraFine™ 3.0”1 LCD Screen with 921k Pixels
PhotoTV HD Viewing with HDMI™ Output
Wireless Remote Control
Powerful Supplied Software
Dynamic Range Optimizer
Advanced Pentaprism Viewfinder
40-segment Honeycomb Sensing System
Up to 650 Shots with NP-FM500H InfoLithium® battery
Uses CompactFlash™ Type I/II media, Memory Stick Duo™ or Memory Stick PRO Duo™
Exif Print, Print Image Matching III, PictBridge, DPOF compatible