# a77 vs NEX-7 low light performance (who is better ?)



## goodguy

A good friend of mine and I were talking about these 2 cameras and we couldnt find any definit word about which of the 2 cameras has a better low light performance.
Me being a low light photography guy is especially interested to know which one is better.
They have the same sensor but the a77 does has the translusent mirror which might be a disadvantage compared to the NEX-7

So do you know which one is better ?


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## JustJazzie

Nothing to do with image quality but he contrast auto focus is absolutely worthless in low light. It's my biggest issue with the camera compared to my old dslr.


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## Kolia

The SLT will cost you 1/3 fstop.

Not sure which one would be better in low light. I'd pick the a77 myself. 

If low light is your thing, consider Nikon.


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## goodguy

Kolia said:


> The SLT will cost you 1/3 fstop.
> 
> Not sure which one would be better in low light. I'd pick the a77 myself.
> 
> If low light is your thing, consider Nikon.


I did get the Nikon (D7000) my question is just out of curiosity, As I said in my opening post it was simply a discussion between me and a friend of mine.
He has the a200 and I used to have a300 so we both like Sony a lot and following its producs and my frined almost got the a57 but due to financial reasons will need to hold on to the a200 for a bit longer.

BTW out of these cameras I would go with the a77 too.


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## DiskoJoe

Its like apples to oranges. They are different beasts. What kind of low light shooting are you talking about? Long exposure? Hand held at night? 

Really either one would be good if you were manually focusing and had a good lens.


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## michels287

Just wanted to chime in also on this thread. I do not currently own a dslr but find the Sony A77 to be really enticing.

I'm not trying to sabotage this thread by asking my question either, so if I should start a new one, I will.  I just feel I can contribute or move the thread along a bit by asking (hopefully this'll help goodguy too!)...

I stopped at a camera shop the other day to check out dslrs.  I prefer the A77s feel and features (adjustable LCD, EVF, speed).  I would be highly interested in shooting in low light also, but every time I read comments on the A77 people constantly bring up the low light noise.

So that's the only thing holding me back from buying this camera.  It's so hard to rent one, because that camera shop is over an hour away (also its the closest one to me).  They only had the A65 also. 

The woman at the camera store never used the A77 but acknowledged it was a good camera.  She said in low light, she normally shoots ISO 1250 or so.  I asked what situations she considered low light.  She commented "indoor auditoriums and such".  Basically indoors.  I told her, that I'd want to shoot at night: under streetlights.. or maybe shooting landscapes in moonlight, for instance.   I wondered how good the A77 might be able to hand that?  I have photoshop experience, and find that I do enjoy blowing up some images at times for print/posters/framing.  So that might be a concern? 

The woman at the shop said I should be "fine with the A77 as long as I get a good lens".  I'd imagine those night shots are always better on a tripod, so I'd be ok with that too!

Thoughts?


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## michels287

I found this, goodguy, if it'll help:

A77 low light photos:

Venice December 2011 - beautiful-life's Photos

The thread I found the URL on:

Sony A77 Night Shot / Low Light Performance: Sony Alpha SLR/SLT Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review


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## goodguy

michels287 said:


> Just wanted to chime in also on this thread. I do not currently own a dslr but find the Sony A77 to be really enticing.
> 
> I'm not trying to sabotage this thread by asking my question either, so if I should start a new one, I will.  I just feel I can contribute or move the thread along a bit by asking (hopefully this'll help goodguy too!)...
> 
> I stopped at a camera shop the other day to check out dslrs.  I prefer the A77s feel and features (adjustable LCD, EVF, speed).  I would be highly interested in shooting in low light also, but every time I read comments on the A77 people constantly bring up the low light noise.
> 
> So that's the only thing holding me back from buying this camera.  It's so hard to rent one, because that camera shop is over an hour away (also its the closest one to me).  They only had the A65 also.
> 
> The woman at the camera store never used the A77 but acknowledged it was a good camera.  She said in low light, she normally shoots ISO 1250 or so.  I asked what situations she considered low light.  She commented "indoor auditoriums and such".  Basically indoors.  I told her, that I'd want to shoot at night: under streetlights.. or maybe shooting landscapes in moonlight, for instance.   I wondered how good the A77 might be able to hand that?  I have photoshop experience, and find that I do enjoy blowing up some images at times for print/posters/framing.  So that might be a concern?
> 
> The woman at the shop said I should be "fine with the A77 as long as I get a good lens".  I'd imagine those night shots are always better on a tripod, so I'd be ok with that too!
> 
> Thoughts?



I think the a77 is not directed at those who like shooting in very low light condition.
I am not saying I dont think it cant produce good pics in high ISO but in its price range there are cameras that can give better results.
The a77 has its stringth in other places like video shooting and its mirrorless tech which give you a stunning speed of FPS.
I like shooting in dark condition so I went with the Nikon D7000.
I am sure the difference between the D7000 and a77 isnt that big so for Sony fans I dont think its worth moving to another company, I think the a77 is a great camera.
If you want to see how good the a77 is and cant rent one the a65 should do the trick, from my understanding the a65 has same picture quality so rent it if you cant to know if you want to get the a77.


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## michels287

goodguy said:


> I think the a77 is not directed at those who like shooting in very low light condition.
> I am not saying I dont think it cant produce good pics in high ISO but in its price range there are cameras that can give better results.
> The a77 has its stringth in other places like video shooting and its mirrorless tech which give you a stunning speed of FPS.
> I like shooting in dark condition so I went with the Nikon D7000.
> I am sure the difference between the D7000 and a77 isnt that big so for Sony fans I dont think its worth moving to another company, I think the a77 is a great camera.
> If you want to see how good the a77 is and cant rent one the a65 should do the trick, from my understanding the a65 has same picture quality so rent it if you cant to know if you want to get the a77.



Those strengths you mentioned: recording capabilities in particular are of strong interest to me.  I have some film experience in college making short films, and I'd like to do that again!  Makes me step a bit closer to the A77 for that reason.  

I wonder really how much of a difference there is in noise from the A77 to the Nikon D7000 at the same exposure in low light.  I'm gonna see if I can find some pics/info....

I guess the best of both worlds is the A99.  Can I borrow $2800??  

Thanks.


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## michels287

Want to see some amazing night shots using the A99? Holy smokes, I love it! Look at #2!

A99 hi-iso night shots - Dyxum forums - Page 1


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## goodguy

michels287 said:


> goodguy said:
> 
> 
> 
> I think the a77 is not directed at those who like shooting in very low light condition.
> I am not saying I dont think it cant produce good pics in high ISO but in its price range there are cameras that can give better results.
> The a77 has its stringth in other places like video shooting and its mirrorless tech which give you a stunning speed of FPS.
> I like shooting in dark condition so I went with the Nikon D7000.
> I am sure the difference between the D7000 and a77 isnt that big so for Sony fans I dont think its worth moving to another company, I think the a77 is a great camera.
> If you want to see how good the a77 is and cant rent one the a65 should do the trick, from my understanding the a65 has same picture quality so rent it if you cant to know if you want to get the a77.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Those strengths you mentioned: recording capabilities in particular are of strong interest to me.  I have some film experience in college making short films, and I'd like to do that again!  Makes me step a bit closer to the A77 for that reason.
> 
> I wonder really how much of a difference there is in noise from the A77 to the Nikon D7000 at the same exposure in low light.  I'm gonna see if I can find some pics/info....
> 
> I guess the best of both worlds is the A99.  Can I borrow $2800??
> 
> Thanks.
Click to expand...

Ah well the a99 is yet again a different class of camera and you cant compare it to any camera with a cropped sensor, its just aint fair.

Again the a77 is not a bad camera, I am a firm believer that all modern DSLR from known companies are excellent cameras and each has its strengh and weaknesses.
The a77 and all SLT cameras loose 1/3 F stop of light, that is not a huge amount but for those who want to shoot a lot in dark condition then they might want to consider an other camera but again its not like the a77 suck in low light, it really doesnt-its a fantastic camera!!!

Dsclaimer-I got all my info from reading reviews and talking to people and not from personal experience


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## michels287

Yeah I agree... to all that.

I just wanted to share those images. They are stunning.  I guess the full frame advantage is apparent in some of those too.

Thanks!


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## 2fastlx

goodguy said:


> michels287 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Just wanted to chime in also on this thread. I do not currently own a dslr but find the Sony A77 to be really enticing.
> 
> I'm not trying to sabotage this thread by asking my question either, so if I should start a new one, I will.  I just feel I can contribute or move the thread along a bit by asking (hopefully this'll help goodguy too!)...
> 
> I stopped at a camera shop the other day to check out dslrs.  I prefer the A77s feel and features (adjustable LCD, EVF, speed).  I would be highly interested in shooting in low light also, but every time I read comments on the A77 people constantly bring up the low light noise.
> 
> So that's the only thing holding me back from buying this camera.  It's so hard to rent one, because that camera shop is over an hour away (also its the closest one to me).  They only had the A65 also.
> 
> The woman at the camera store never used the A77 but acknowledged it was a good camera.  She said in low light, she normally shoots ISO 1250 or so.  I asked what situations she considered low light.  She commented "indoor auditoriums and such".  Basically indoors.  I told her, that I'd want to shoot at night: under streetlights.. or maybe shooting landscapes in moonlight, for instance.   I wondered how good the A77 might be able to hand that?  I have photoshop experience, and find that I do enjoy blowing up some images at times for print/posters/framing.  So that might be a concern?
> 
> The woman at the shop said I should be "fine with the A77 as long as I get a good lens".  I'd imagine those night shots are always better on a tripod, so I'd be ok with that too!
> 
> Thoughts?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think the a77 is not directed at those who like shooting in very low light condition.
> I am not saying I dont think it cant produce good pics in high ISO but in its price range there are cameras that can give better results.
> The a77 has its stringth in other places like video shooting and its mirrorless tech which give you a stunning speed of FPS.
> I like shooting in dark condition so I went with the Nikon D7000.
> I am sure the difference between the D7000 and a77 isnt that big so for Sony fans I dont think its worth moving to another company, I think the a77 is a great camera.
> If you want to see how good the a77 is and cant rent one the a65 should do the trick, from my understanding the a65 has same picture quality so rent it if you cant to know if you want to get the a77.
Click to expand...


I own both the a77 and a65. While they do produce the same quality images and have the same sensor they are worlds apart. The a65 is a great camera but cannot compete with the 77 for several reasons. The 77 has tons more features and way more options to customize it. The focus system is better and the external controls make it easier to use. Not to mention extended bracketing options, micro af adjustments, custom memory banks and stronger body and weather sealing. You get way more for your money if you spend the extra money.  Fwiw I also own the nex 5r and it may have a slight edge in high iso over the 77. This is probably due to having no mirror in front of the sensor to suck up extra light.


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## michels287

Thank you for commenting.  Do you shoot in low light?  Are you happy with the A77s performance?  Low light to me: under street lights, moonlight, and such.

Can I get a REALLY good lens to make up for any potential noise in these situations?


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## 2fastlx

I love the 77. It's truly a beast. Haven't done too much low light.  But have shot inside a couple dark buildings such as churches. I've gotten great results at 1600 iso and have pushed it to 3200 and been able to take the noise away in post. On a side note the jpegs turn out pretty good at high iso due to the noise reduction in camera but I prefer raw. All of my main lenses are 2.8 so that helps a lot. The 16-50 2.8 kit lens is one of the sharpest sony lenses you can get.


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## michels287

This is great.  Thanks.  I'm so close to getting one.

I wonder if Sony will replace it this year?  That's also holding me back. That and I wonder if I'll crave a full frame eventually.


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## 2fastlx

It may get updated but it will remain a good camera for quite awhile. If you could get a good deal on a used one you won't regret it. I got lucky and picked mine up for $1000 with the 16-50 lens. I already owned a 16-50 so I was able to sell the second for $550. Leaving me with a $450 A77. Score!


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## michels287

Oh man, that's a score is right.  I've been looking.


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