Sony A77 vs A77 II

The Sony Alpha SLT-A77 and the Sony Alpha SLT-A77 II are two enthusiast cameras that were revealed to the public, respectively, in August 2011 and May 2014. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are equipped with an APS-C sensor. Both cameras offer a resolution of 24 megapixels.

Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Headline Specifications

Sony A77		Sony A77 II
Digital single lens reflex		Digital single lens reflex
Sony A mount lenses		Sony A mount lenses
24 MP – APS-C sensor		24 MP – APS-C sensor
1080/60p Video		1080/60p Video
ISO 100-16,000 (50 - 25,600)		ISO 100-25,600 (50 - 51,200)
Electronic viewfinder (2359k dots)		Electronic viewfinder (2359k dots)
3.0" LCD – 921k dots		3.0" LCD – 1229k dots
Fully flexible screen (no touchscreen)		Fully flexible screen (no touchscreen)
12 shutter flaps per second		12 shutter flaps per second
In-body stabilization		In-body stabilization
Weathersealed body		Weathersealed body
470 shots per battery charge		480 shots per battery charge
143 x 104 x 81 mm, 732 g		143 x 104 x 81 mm, 647 g

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Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Sony Alpha SLT-A77 and the Sony Alpha SLT-A77 II? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors, their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison

An illustration of the physical size and weight of the Sony A77 and the Sony A77 II is provided in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

In this particular case, the Sony A77 and the Sony A77 II have exactly the same width and height, and, thus, have identically-sized bodies. However, the A77 II is markedly lighter (12 percent) than the A77. In this context, it is worth noting that both cameras are splash and dust-proof and can, hence, be used in inclement weather conditions or harsh environments.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses that both of these cameras require. Hence, you might want to study and compare the specifications of available lenses in order to get the full picture of the size and weight of the two camera systems.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you would like to visualize and compare a different camera combination, you can navigate to the CAM-parator app and make your selection from a broad list of cameras there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Sony A77	143 mm	104 mm	81 mm	732 g	470	Y	Aug 2011	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
2.		Sony A77 II	143 mm	104 mm	81 mm	647 g	480	Y	May 2014	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
3.		Canon 6D	145 mm	111 mm	71 mm	770 g	1090	Y	Sep 2012	US$ 2 099	ebay.com
4.		Nikon D7100	136 mm	107 mm	76 mm	765 g	950	Y	Feb 2013	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
5.		Panasonic GH5	139 mm	98 mm	87 mm	725 g	410	Y	Jan 2017	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
6.		Pentax K-3	131 mm	100 mm	77 mm	800 g	560	Y	Oct 2013	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
7.		Sony A7 II	127 mm	96 mm	60 mm	599 g	350	Y	Nov 2014	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
8.		Sony A9	127 mm	96 mm	63 mm	673 g	650	Y	Apr 2017	US$ 4 499	ebay.com
9.		Sony A58	129 mm	95 mm	78 mm	492 g	690	n	Feb 2013	US$ 599	ebay.com
10.		Sony A68	143 mm	104 mm	81 mm	610 g	540	n	Nov 2015	US$ 699	ebay.com
11.		Sony A99	147 mm	111 mm	78 mm	812 g	500	Y	Sep 2012	US$ 2 799	ebay.com
12.		Sony A6500	120 mm	67 mm	53 mm	453 g	350	Y	Oct 2016	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
13.		Sony A6600	120 mm	67 mm	69 mm	503 g	810	Y	Aug 2019	US$ 1 399	amazon.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

Any camera decision will naturally be influenced heavily by the price. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The A77 II was launched at a somewhat lower price (by 14 percent) than the A77, which makes it more attractive for photographers on a tight budget. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down.

Sensor comparison

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature an APS-C sensor and have a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the review cameras among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

The two cameras under review do not only share the same sensor size, but also offer an identical resolution of 24 megapixels. This similarity in sensor specs implies that both the A77 and the A77 II have the same pixel density, as well as the same pixel size. It should, however, be noted that the A77 II is much more recent (by 2 years and 8 months) than the A77, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time.

The Sony Alpha SLT-A77 has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 16000, which can be extended to ISO 50-25600. The corresponding ISO settings for the Sony Alpha SLT-A77 II are ISO 100 to ISO 25600, with the possibility to increase the ISO range to 50-51200.

Technology-wise, both cameras are equipped with CMOS (Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor) sensors. Both cameras use a Bayer filter for capturing RGB colors on a square grid of photosensors. This arrangement is found in most digital cameras.

For many cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. Of the two cameras under consideration, the A77 II has a markedly higher DXO score than the A77 (overall score 4 points higher), which will translate into better image quality. The advantage is based on 0.4 bits higher color depth, 0.2 EV in additional dynamic range, and 0.3 stops in additional low light sensitivity. The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Sony A77	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.0	13.2	801	78
2.		Sony A77 II	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.4	13.4	1013	82
3.		Canon 6D	Full Frame	20.0	5472	3648	1080/30p	23.8	12.1	2340	82
4.		Nikon D7100	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.2	13.7	1256	83
5.		Panasonic GH5	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.9	13.0	807	77
6.		Pentax K-3	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.7	13.4	1216	80
7.		Sony A7 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.9	13.6	2449	90
8.		Sony A9	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.9	13.3	3517	92
9.		Sony A58	APS-C	19.8	5456	3632	1080/60i	23.3	12.5	753	74
10.		Sony A68	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60i	24.1	13.5	701	79
11.		Sony A99	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	25.0	14.0	1555	89
12.		Sony A6500	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.5	13.7	1405	85
13.		Sony A6600	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	23.8	13.4	1497	82

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. Both cameras under consideration have a sensor with sufficiently fast read-out times for moving pictures, and both provide the same movie specifications (1080/60p).

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The A77 and the A77 II are similar in the sense that both feature an electronic viewfinder, which is helpful when framing images in bright sunlight. Moreover, their viewfinders offer an identical resolution of 2359k dots. The table below summarizes some of the other core capabilities of the Sony A77 and Sony A77 II in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Sony A77	2359	Y	3.0 / 921	full-flex	n	1/8000s	12.0/s	Y	Y
2.		Sony A77 II	2359	Y	3.0 / 1229	full-flex	n	1/8000s	12.0/s	Y	Y
3.		Canon 6D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	fixed	n	1/4000s	4.5/s	n	n
4.		Nikon D7100	optical	Y	3.2 / 1229	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.0/s	Y	n
5.		Panasonic GH5	3680	n	3.2 / 1620	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
6.		Pentax K-3	optical	Y	3.2 / 1037	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.3/s	Y	Y
7.		Sony A7 II	2400	n	3.0 / 1230	tilting	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	Y
8.		Sony A9	3686	n	3.0 / 1440	tilting	Y	1/8000s	20.0/s	n	Y
9.		Sony A58	1440	n	2.7 / 460	tilting	n	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	Y
10.		Sony A68	1440	Y	2.7 / 460	tilting	n	1/4000s	8.0/s	Y	Y
11.		Sony A99	2359	Y	3.0 / 1229	full-flex	n	1/8000s	6.0/s	n	Y
12.		Sony A6500	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	Y
13.		Sony A6600	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	n	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

Concerning the storage of imaging data, both the A77 and the A77 II write their files to SDXC or Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. Both cameras can use UHS-I cards, which provide for Ultra High Speed data transfer of up to 104 MB/s.

Connectivity comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Sony Alpha SLT-A77 and Sony Alpha SLT-A77 II and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Sony A77	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Sony A77 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
3.		Canon 6D	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
4.		Nikon D7100	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Panasonic GH5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
6.		Pentax K-3	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
7.		Sony A7 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
8.		Sony A9	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
9.		Sony A58	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Sony A68	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Sony A99	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
12.		Sony A6500	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
13.		Sony A6600	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	YES	2.0	Y	Y	Y

It is notable that the A77 II offers wifi support, which can be a very convenient means to transfer image data to an off-camera location. In contrast, the A77 does not provide wifi capability.

Both cameras feature a PC Sync terminal to control professional strobe lights, which will be appreciated by studio photographers.

Travel and landscape photographers will find it useful that the A77 has an internal geolocalization sensor and can record GPS coordinates in its EXIF data.

Both the A77 and the A77 II have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used on ebay. The A77 was replaced by the Sony A77 II, while the A77 II does not have a direct successor. Further information on the features and operation of the A77 and A77 II can be found, respectively, in the Sony A77 Manual (free pdf) or the online Sony A77 II Manual.

Review summary

So what is the bottom line? Which of the two cameras – the Sony A77 or the Sony A77 II – has the upper hand? Is one clearly better than the other? Below is a summary of the relative strengths of each of the two contestants.

Reasons to prefer the Sony Alpha SLT-A77:

• Easier geotagging: Features an internal GPS sensor to log localization data.
• More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in August 2011).

Advantages of the Sony Alpha SLT-A77 II:

• Better image quality: Scores markedly higher (4 points) in the DXO overall evaluation.
• Better low-light sensitivity: Can shoot in dim conditions (0.3 stops ISO advantage).
• More detailed LCD: Has a higher resolution rear screen (1229k vs 921k dots).
• Less heavy: Has a lower weight (by 85g or 12 percent) and is thus easier to take along.
• Easier file upload: Has wifi built in for automatic backup or image transfer to the web.
• Easier device pairing: Supports NFC for fast wireless image transfer over short distances.
• More affordable: Was released into a lower priced segment (14 percent cheaper at launch).
• More modern: Reflects 2 years and 8 months of technical progress since the A77 launch.

If the count of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a measure, the A77 II is the clear winner of the contest (8 : 2 points). However, the relevance of individual strengths will vary across photographers, so that you might want to apply your own weighing scheme to the summary points when reflecting and deciding on a new camera. A professional wildlife photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges from the perspective of a family photog, and a person interested in architecture has distinct needs from a sports shooter. Hence, the decision which camera is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Sony A77 and the Sony A77 II place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest Best DSLR Camera listing whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.

In any case, while the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it says little about, for example, the shooting experience and imaging performance of the A77 and the A77 II in practical situations. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate.

Expert reviews

This is why expert reviews are important. The following table reports the overall ratings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge, reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

Expert Camera Reviews

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Sony A77	5/5	91/100	..	81/100	..	5/5	Aug 2011	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
2.		Sony A77 II	4/5	..	..	80/100	4.5/5	5/5	May 2014	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
3.		Canon 6D	5/5	+ +	..	83/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	US$ 2 099	ebay.com
4.		Nikon D7100	5/5	+ +	..	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2013	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
5.		Panasonic GH5	4.5/5	+ +	..	85/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2017	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
6.		Pentax K-3	4/5	..	..	83/100	5/5	5/5	Oct 2013	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
7.		Sony A7 II	5/5	+	4/5	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	Nov 2014	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
8.		Sony A9	5/5	+ +	4.8/5	89/100	5/5	5/5	Apr 2017	US$ 4 499	ebay.com
9.		Sony A58	3/5	..	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2013	US$ 599	ebay.com
10.		Sony A68	3/5	..	..	..	4/5	4/5	Nov 2015	US$ 699	ebay.com
11.		Sony A99	5/5	..	..	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	US$ 2 799	ebay.com
12.		Sony A6500	5/5	+ +	3.5/5	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2016	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
13.		Sony A6600	4/5	+	4/5	83/100	4.5/5	4/5	Aug 2019	US$ 1 399	amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

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Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you are interested in seeing how other cameras pair up, just make your choice using the following search menu. As an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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