Sony announced its high performance DSLR last year after many rumours and much anticipation. The Alpha A700 features a new CMOS sensor with 12.24-megapixel resolution, faster image processing, and a 3.0-inch high contrast LCD monitor.
“With the A700 we aim to provide a high performance solution that meets all of the diverse, sophisticated demands of high-end enthusiast and professional photographers alike,” says John Wallace, Sony Australia’s Business Development Manager for the Digital SLR Division.
The body design of the A700 features contoured grip for comfortable handling and thoughtful control layout for visibility, fast and accurate autofocusing and accurate exposures. Dual slots are provided for Memory Stick PRO Duo and CompactFlash cards, which can be supported simultaneously and users can select which card to record to.
The A700 introduced a new ‘Quick Navi’ interface that enables key camera settings to be accessed via a joystick plus icons on the screen. The 3.0” LCD monitor with 921,000 dots of resolution boasts a hybrid structure and anti-reflective coating to provide better viewing in sunlight. Furthermore, the HDMI terminal allows viewers to experience images in Full HD.
Under the skin, the Alpha A700 boasts Sony’s custom-designed CMOS sensor. The integrated 12-bit A/D conversion and Dual Noise Reduction Circuit enables the camera to read out the image signals at high speed with reduced image noise. The image data is then passed to the new and more powerful BIONZ image processor (capable of 5 frames/second at 12 megapixels) that further reduces noise before the image data is compressed into JPEG files. An all-new shutter mechanism offers a maximum speed of 1/8,000 second with flash synch at 1/250 second without SuperSteady Shot.
The Alpha A700 body is available for $2,249, an extra $150 for the single lens (18-70mm) and $2,999 for the A700 body plus 16-105mm lens.