Sony Alpha A700 Summary

12 Megapixels12 MegapixelsSingle Lens ReflexSingle Lens ReflexStabilization: Compensates for tiny involuntary movements of the camera.Stabilization: Compensates for tiny involuntary movements of the camera.Continuous DriveContinuous DriveManual Controls: Both fully-manual (M) and semi-automatic modes (T and V).Manual Controls: Both fully-manual (M) and semi-automatic modes (T and V).Custom White-Balance: Specifies exactly what should be white to the camera.Custom White-Balance: Specifies exactly what should be white to the camera.Action Photography: Shutter speeds of 1/1500 or more.Action Photography: Shutter speeds of 1/1500 or more.Night Photography: Reaches shutter-speeds longer than 4 seconds.Night Photography: Reaches shutter-speeds longer than 4 seconds.Hotshoe: Allows external flash units to be attached.Hotshoe: Allows external flash units to be attached.Spot MeteringSpot MeteringDepth-Of-Field Preview: Improve perception of DOF before shooting.Depth-Of-Field Preview: Improve perception of DOF before shooting.Accepts Compact Flash memory.Accepts Compact Flash memory.Accepts Memory Stick Duo memory.Accepts Memory Stick Duo memory.Neocamera detailed reviewNeocamera detailed reviewDiscontinued: No longer produced by the manufacturer. May still be in stock or found used.Discontinued: No longer produced by the manufacturer. May still be in stock or found used.

Sony Alpha A700 Assessment

With the Alpha A700, Sony continued to build on its Minolta heritage and produced another great digital SLR with good ergonomics and a rich feature set aimed at advanced photographers. It also does not hurt that Sony delivered to themselves what appears to be their best sensor yet.

DSLR manufacturers keep improving image quality with each new generation despite also increasing sensor resolutions. The Sony Alpha A700 is no exception as it delivers excellent image quality with good control over noise and image details. This digital camera is a fast one too.

At this point, there are tons of reasons to choose the Sony Alpha A700 and very little reasons not too. Its feature set includes body-based stabilization, hardware dust-reduction and tone-mapping. With body-based stabilization, all lenses automatically benefit from stabilization, even ultra-wide-angle and prime lenses. One feature that separates this DSLR from professional ones is that it is not really weather-sealed. The A700 is designed to keep dust out but the lens-mount is not sealed and the user manual clearly states that the camera should never get wet.


We can easily recommend the Sony Alpha A700 for any type of photography. There are faster or higher resolution cameras but those are much more expensive and do not feature built-in stabilization. For ultra-low-noise images, the full-frame Canon EOS 5D is worth considering. In terms of features and price though, the Sony A700 is significantly ahead. For a full weather-sealed digital SLR, the Pentax K10D is a great option, plus it preserves more details in very low light. It remains to be seen how the Nikon D300, which presumably uses the same sensor, will compare to the A700.

Neocamera detailed reviewNeocamera detailed review Read the full Sony A700 review here.

PROS CONS
Extremely low image noise. Usable until ISO 6400 in good light Poor white-balance performance under artificial light
Low image noise in low light until ISO 800 Inconsistent metering when light is very low
Natural image colors Images on the LCD are overly yellow
Effectively stabilizes all lenses at no extra cost Too much sharpening applied to LCD display
Extremely fast focusing system with good focus accuracy Long shutter noise-reduction destroys details at all ISO
Very fast and responsive
Eye-start and grip sensor
Ambient and flash-based exposure compensation
Hardware dust-reduction
Good ergonomics
Efficient interface and auto-rotating display
Large viewfinder
High-resolution LCD
Excellent build quality
Precise battery meter
ExcellentExcellent Excellent

Sony Alpha A700 Related Information

Sister Models
Sony Alpha A100 - 10 Megapixels, ISO 100-1600, -2..+2 Exposure and flash compensation, 3 FPS continuous drive, 9-point auto focus (vs 11-point), 3-frame bracket (vs 5-frame), 1/4000 Max shutter-speed, 2.5" LCD 230K pixels

Sony Alpha A700
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By Neocamera on 2007-11-04

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Sony A700 Highlights

Sony Alpha A700
SLR digital camera

Sensor-Size: 24 x 16mm

APS-C Sensor

Actual size when viewed at 100 DPI

12 Megapixels DSLRISO 100-6400
Sony A Mount
1.5X FLM
Shutter 1/8000-30s
2-Axis Built-in StabilizationFull manual controls, including Manual Focus
95% Coverage
Medium Viewfinder
Custom white-balance with 1 axis fine-tuning
Automatic Eye-Start sensorSpot-Metering
Built-in Dust ReductionHot-Shoe
5 FPS Drive, Unlimited ImagesLithium-Ion Battery
3" LCD 920K PixelsCompact Flash, Memory Stick Duo
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