Why I Love The Sony A700

Sony DSLR-A700 Ergonomic Body

The Camera That Left A Lasting Impression

Once in a while, we will find a DSLR model that changes the game and leaves a lasting impression and the Sony DSLR-A700 is one such camera.

In April 2006 Sony took over the DYNAX business from Konica Minolta and changed the brand name to ‘alpha’ (symbol) and released the A700 as their flagship model back in 2007, on top of the then entry-level A100 & A200. I got a loaner from a friend in Sony and got to play with the A700 for a couple of months and while I didn’t have much time to fully push it to its limits, my experience with the DSLR has made an impression.

Minolta X-700

I started my photography hobby way back with the Minolta X-700 while film rules the industry and I loved it as one of my very favorite model ever! The A700 brings back that nice memory of yore and rekindled my photography spirits with a passion. You see, before I got my hands on the A700, my first digital SLR was the entry-level Canon 400D and once I played with the A700, nothing seemed the same anymore. I just cannot look at an entry level model without lamenting for features that made me long for an A700-like model (mid market/serious amateur/prosumer) that produces images of so much better noticeable quality.

Sony DSLR-A700 Rear

What the A700 brought to the industry is a beautiful hi-res 3″ LCD with 921,000-dots, Eye-Start AF activation & grip sensor, a functional Quick Navi interface for intuitive operation and HDMI port, which, to me, were what changed my game and benchmark that were important to me (not counting the rest of the other features in a then modern DSLR like the Exmor CMOS sensor, BIONZ engine, Super SteadyShot Inside, anti-dust, 11-point autofocus, 5 fps continuous shoot, moisture resistant magnesium alloy body, etc).

The hi-res 3″ LCD made reviewing images with such accuracy and joy has made such an impact that from that day onwards, I can never accept any camera with anything less than a 920K-dots LCD resolution. Good thing is that all mid to high end models all comes with such display, which has become a mainstay with the exception of the lower end models.

The Eye-Start and Grip Sensor were an innovation from the Minolta days and even my old X-700 has a touch-sensitive metering activation, which I believe was the precursor to the said technology. Something I had adored and longed for. They are really convenient and makes the camera more responsive to aslmost every photo opportunity.

The Quick Navi is Sony’s own implementation of a control user-interface on the back LCD, which automatically and smartly changes to a horizontal/vertical orientation depending on how I hold the A700. I find the Quick Navi easy to use and control and the fact that it orientates automatically to how I shoot very intelligent and something no other camera does and that’s one big feature Sony is ahead of the pack.

And the HDMI port allows me to connect to a HDTV to showcase all my images in their full glory, which is something you won’t miss until you find another camera that has the standard connection that shows crappy blur images on the big screen (even though you now for a fact that the images are way higher resolution than that).

I won’t go through the rest of the features that makes the A700 such a great camera as by now, they are no longer much of a comparison due to how fast the technology improves and get upgraded with every generation of new models. Well, maybe except the fact that it’s really well built with a very solid feel and very ergonomic and takes really nice images (I even think it has better noise handling than the newer Canon EOS 50D), handles beautifully and quite intuitive to use. It has arguably the best ergonomics for any good DSLR ever, same goes to its vertical grip, and I have a healthy respect for their G and Carl Zeiss lenses.

The APS-C format A700 has been around for ages (in technology terms) and Sony has yet to replace it. And even with the newer full-frame models like A900 and A850 which are higher end models (and not a replacement), I couldn’t help but feeling that value-for-dollar-wise, I would bet on the good-olde A700. If you are considering buying a new DSLR now, I may not recommend the A700 but hold on a bit longer to see what Sony comes up with to replace this venerable model, but if you can find one in the pre-owned market which is still in great condition and reasonable price, I can heartily recommend that.

It boils down to this, I will admit that I love the A700 even though it lacks many standard features like Live View, HD video recording etc, which probably post-dated the A700, and would love to own one, even though my main system is the Canon EOS 5DMkII. I don’t really like their higher end models for value-benchmark, nor their low end models where they use their consumer products mentality on the DSLR range, making their product-range confusing and messy, IMHO (but hey, what do I know!). But the A700 stand alone as one of the best DLSR out there.

For a historical account of the transition from Dynax to Alpha, you can go to Sony’s Alpha Resource Portal at http://bit.ly/3gy0AT. The award-winning A700 Microsite is at http://bit.ly/jrmju. And the Sony’s Alpha Gateway Portal is at http://bit.ly/10b0V9.

Disclaimer:
The information on my copyright & disclaimer page applies. I do not represent Sony in any way nor am paid by them so say good/bad things about Sony’s products (though I generally like Sony products like their Bravia HDTV, PS3, VIAOs, etc). This is my personal opinion and in no way have any effect on Sony’s marketing/communication decisions. This is a simple blogpost. Enjoy.

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