Sony A77 release very soon - is this the 5D/7D/GH2 killer?

As far as I can tell, that's the "crop" EOSHD is talking about…that it "crops" the 3:2 sensor to 16:9. Which, if true, would be a ground-breaking development in the way DSLR sensors work. :D
 
Doesn't the GH2 crop the 4/3 sensor the same way? The A77 brochure says that you can shoot stills 3:2 at 24 MP and 16:9 at 20 MP. Actually cropping 2 megapixels from the top and the bottom.
 
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The GH-2 sensor image area changes width when you change the format you are shooting in.
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It crops an 16:9 image from the 4:3 sensor. Just as it does on the 3:2 sensor which is the one A77 has. Nothing new there. Is that the crop EOSHD is referring to?
 
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I think the crop EOSHD is referring to is because the A77 has electronic image stabilization. So it has to crop in from the main sensor size to be able to shift the image forming part around the sensor to compensate for movement. It seems to indicate that the NEX-7 doesn't crop like this, because it doesn't have this electronic image stabilization, and is a simple 16:9 crop from the 3:2 sensor. Although it's probably best to wait for reviews of the final versions to be available to know for certain what this means. If this is correct in video mode the NEX-7 will have a wider diagonal angle of view than the A77. As TheDingo states above the GH2 has a multi aspect sensor, so 16:9 uses a wider horizontal portion of the sensor than 4:3. This is because the GH2 sensor is bigger than a conventional 4/3 sensor, so the diagonal angle of view is the same for 16:9, 3:2 and 4:3.
 
John Caballero said:
It crops an 16:9 image from the 4:3 sensor. Just as it does on the 3:2 sensor which is the one A77 has. Nothing new there.
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Actually, if you checked the link to the GH-2 sensor cropping diagram, you would see that it actually is doing something different...

GH-2 4:3 sensor area = 17.3 mm x 13.0 mm

GH-2 16:9 sensor area = 18.8 mm x 10.6 mm ( 1.5 mm WIDER than 4:3 area crop )

My understanding is that most other cameras DO NOT do this, but rather simply crop in to the 4:3 image area. The A77 might do this too, but I haven't heard anything about it.
 
TheDingo said:
Actually, if you checked the link to the GH-2 sensor cropping diagram, you would see that it actually is doing something different...

GH-2 4:3 sensor area = 17.3 mm x 13.0 mm

GH-2 16:9 sensor area = 18.8 mm x 10.6 mm ( 1.5 mm WIDER than 4:3 area crop )

My understanding is that most other cameras DO NOT do this, but rather simply crop in to the 4:3 image area. The A77 might do this too, but I haven't heard anything about it.
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Yes, that's it. As far as I'm aware the GH2 is the only present system camera with an oversized multi aspect sensor. So whatever aspect ratio is selected, never uses the whole sensor. It actually uses different parts of the same sensor. This is so the diagonal angle of view always stays the same. As a consequence the same focal length is the always the same equivalent on all aspect ratios except 1:1. I think the GH1 was similar. It maybe that some compacts have done this, and I know Pansonic ones have had different aspect ratios for longer than most. So it might be that Panasonic have done it with fixed lens compacts.

Personally I'm not too bothered by cropping, as my subjects use mainly macro or telephoto ranges. However, I wished the Sony's had a crop feature or zoom like the GH2 and Canon 600D/T3i. It's why I'm still thinking of the GH2. Plus I've got a load of 4/3 lenses I can use on it. But I do like the potential of the Sonys. Both the viewfinder and peaking feature are really attractive to me. I do quite a bit of handheld high magnification photography, optical viewfinders get pretty dim at higher magnification and it's all about DOF placement for stills. There's a sort of magic angle where the DOF covers the most of important part of the subject. I can see that peaking would be very handy for this. It's tricky trying to simultaneously compose and keep an eye on the plane of focus at the same time. So you either end up with a badly composed shot with great DOF placement, or a well composed shot, with the DOF in the wrong place. The DOF is so shallow, that even a fraction too far in or out, makes all the difference between a great shot, and a complete failure. So I'm going to have to have a think about what to do. I can get the GH2 and hold onto my Canon system to see what happens with them. But I don't see any EVFs off Canon yet. As I've got some long term video projects an EVF camera would probably be best for me. The reports on the A77 viewfinder are very positive. I think stills photographers are a bit hung up on optical viewfinders. They are a means to an end, and what they look like doesn't matter, if you can anticipate what the final image will look like and it's potential. Being able to see information such as a histogram or highlighting clipping is very useful, to me anyway. A lot of my field macro photography involves getting close to stuff, and when you are in position you can't take your eye from the camera or get your head further enough back to see the controls, or top LCD. So it's tricky to judge exposure via the view finder and to know when to compensate. That's why I think the Sony's are a positive step forward. Even if I don't get one, at least it should should influence other manufacturers to take these steps forward. I know a lot here are moving towards more video specific large sensored cameras, but I think there will always be a place for more stills orientated cameras with good video. It's important to me because my first interest is stills. But I also want to get more into video. So I need a system that does both. It's interesting times anyway.
 
Don't know about A77, but I have here Nex 5n, and before that Nex 5. In video mode Nex 5 cropped sensor vertically AND horizontally - so crop was around x1.85 (full 35mm frame wise). New Nex 5n crops only top/bottom in video mode - crop is about x1.61 - 26.80mm diagonal (for 3:2 stills x1.54 crop - 28.12mm diagonal). So, it's an improvement, imho...
 
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New Nex 5n crops only top/bottom in video mode - crop is about x1.61 - 26.80mm diagonal (for 3:2 stills x1.54 crop - 28.12mm diagonal). So, it's an improvement, imho...
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There you go. Have you shot any footage yet?
 
John from the what I've seen the 16Mp sensor is far superior to the 24Mp sensor for stills and video. The 24Mp just looks like a marketing gimmick to try to compete with full frame DSLRs. I ordered the NEX-5N after close inspection of RAW files on imaging resource comparing them to the 5D, D700, and D3s. The NEX-5N came close enough to the pro bodies for me to decide to give it a go. The A77 wasn't as good as the Nikon and Canon APS-C bodies (I'm talking specifically about sharpness and noise at 1600 ISO). THe EVF is a great idea (I shoot stills on my 5D with a z-finder) but I'm going to wait for the new full frame and APS-C bodies from Nikon and Canon. It's a real shame that the A65 doesn't have the 16MP sensor, it would have been very tempting. The extra video crop on the A77/A65 is also an issue as is the loss of light with the mirror.

This is sexy...just needs an iscorama on the front!
productmain.jpg

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2011/09/05/the-sony-nex-5n-digital-camera-review-a-monster-full-of-features/

 
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Something like the Nex 7 or Nex 5 would just not work for me.
I want all the ergonomics of a DSLR body plus weathersealing and great stills form factor.
I also want decent autofocus with a bright standard zoom.
So that means the GH2 is out of the race as well as all Canons and Nikons.
So Sony so far has the edge on all of them.
I'm not gonna be a brand whore tho and say any brand is better than any other,
I just want a DSLR that fulfills all these roles simultaneously (it's hard I know)
If Sony's A77 does the job without too many compromises then I'd go for it.
If Canon/Nikon come out with something better then by all means I'd get that.
As people have said before in other threads, I've got to stop letting the gear (or lack thereof) get in the way of me and my story :)
 
Losing a full stop of light is an issue for me. That's why I'm waiting for the actual release of the A77 with release firmware before making a decision.
 
John from the what I've seen the 16Mp sensor is far superior to the 24Mp sensor for stills and video.
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I downloaded a couple of jpegs taken with an A77 of a model shot on a studio, worked on them on Photoshop a bit and they look fantastic! Also seen a couple of other tests done from very competent photographers and look excellent. No doubt in my mind whatsoever that the A65 is going to look pretty good for stills as well.
 
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