First Few Hours with Sony A77 DSLR

It's different. That has to be the best way to describe the Sony Alpha 77 DSLR. This high-end DSLR has great build quality and an orange branding that sets it apart from the all-black rivals. Even with a 16-105m lens, the camera does not feel all that heavy.

Another differentiating feature has to be the viewfinder, which is OLED and electronic. This also means that you cannot see anything until the camera is on. The camera is 24.3 mega pixel with a Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor. While clicking, it is hard not to notice the shutter sound that is unlike other DSLRs - it is more of a spraying sound that the actual clicking motion we are used to.

The 3-inch LCD monitor comes with three-way tilt and swivel, making it easy to compose some tricky shots. You will also notice that both the viewfinder and screen are live and tell you exactly how the final image will look, changing as you adjust the settings.

There are control dials at the front and rear and a pop-up flash. Plus, the DSLR also packs a lot of point and shoot features like smile detection. The menu dial on the left lets you select the shooting modes, among them a 3D panorama and HD video. The HD video can be started by a separate record button just below the LCD information display.

The results of the camera are good. You also notice that the camera is very fast, locking on to subjects in a jiffy. Even while shooting Full HD video the camera does not lose focus even if you zoom in and zoom out. There is a burst mode where the camera shoots up to 12 shots a second.

The Sony A77 (with 16-105 Lens) will cost Rs 99,990.

Read the full review in the next issue of Gadgets & Gizmos