Nearly two years after Konica Minolta transferred its camera division over to Sony, and over a year after Sony’s first DSLR (the A100), today is the day that the curtain is finally lifted on the long-awaited ‘high end’ Alpha digital SLR (in principle the replacement for the Konica Minolta 7D). The new model sports an impressive specification including magnesium alloy construction, 12MP CMOS sensor (with on-chip A/D conversion), 5fps shooting and a wealth of features and customization options, though interestingly (given the recent spate of announcements) no live view option. There’s also a couple of new lenses and a new vertical shooting grip.
Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 digital camera specifications:
| Format | SLR |
| Price (street) |
$863.78
|
| Also known as | |
| Release Status | |
 Max resolution |
4272 x 2848 |
| Low resolution |
3104 x 2064, 2128 x 1424 |
| Image ratio w:h |
3:2, 16:9 |
| Effective pixels |
12.2 million |
| Sensor photo detectors |
13.0 million |
| Sensor size |
23.5 x 15.6 mm (3.66 cm²) |
| Pixel density |
3.3 MP/cm² |
| Sensor type |
CMOS |
| Sensor manufacturer |
Sony |
| ISO rating |
Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, (up to 6400) |
| Zoom wide (W) |
|
| Zoom tele (T) |
|
| Digital zoom |
No |
| Image stabilization |
Yes, Sensor shift |
| Auto Focus |
Yes, 11 area |
| Manual Focus |
Yes |
| Normal focus range |
|
| Macro focus range |
|
| White balance override |
7 positions, plus manual |
| Aperture range |
|
| Min shutter |
30 sec |
| Max shutter |
1/8000 sec |
| Built-in Flash | Yes, pop-up |
| Flash range | 12 m |
| External flash | Yes, hot-shoe |
| Flash modes | Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off |
| Exposure compensation |
-3 to +3 EV in 1/3, 1/2 or 2/3 EV steps |
| Metering |
40 segment, Center weighted average, Spot |
| Aperture priority |
Yes |
| Shutter priority |
Yes |
| Focal length multiplier |
1.5 |
| Lens thread | Sony Alpha mount, Minolta A-type mount |
| Continuous Drive |
Yes, 5 / 3 fps |
| Movie Clips | No |
| Remote control | Yes, Wire (Optional) |
| Self-timer | Yes, 2 or 10 sec |
| Timelapse recording |
No |
| Orientation sensor | Yes |
| Storage types |
Compact Flash (Type I or II), Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo |
| Storage included |
None |
| Uncompressed format |
Yes, RAW |
| Quality Levels |
Extra Fine, Fine, Standard |
| Viewfinder |
Optical (Pentaprism, 95% coverage, 0.9x magnification) |
| LCD |
3 “ |
| LCD Dots |
920,000 |
| Live View |
No |
| USB |
USB 2.0 (480Mbit/sec) |
| HDMI |
Yes |
| Wireless |
No |
| Environmentally sealed | No |
| Battery |
Lithium-Ion (NP-FM500H) & charger |
| Weight (inc. batteries) | 768 g (27.1 oz) |
| Dimensions | 142 x 105 x 80 mm (5.6 x 4.1 x 3.2 in) |
| Notes | |
| Resolution Chart | |
| Colour Patches |
[dpreview]