The A77 thread (cont'd)

The other two buttons will be for +/- exposure compensation and drive mode.

Perhaps they implemented metering mode selection by pressing and holding the AEL button while rotating the dial (which would not be free of conflicts with other functions). I too would prefer the ring around the AEL button, because this way you could just "feel" the setting.

Other serious issues:

- no CF-card slot

- still no reintroduction of the (Minolta Dynax 3000i/3700i + D-314i/D-316i) power contacts in the hotshoe to power various accessories

- no OVF or hybrid view finder

- odd buttom layout on both the SLT-A77 and the VG-C77AM (and not the same layout on both of them)

- still the huge "gap" between camera body and vertical grip, making the VG-C77AM look like a third-party add-on, not a dedicated grip design by the same vendor. Compare this with the ergonomically and functionally perfect grip design of the Minolta Dynax 9 + VC-9.

- no eyelet for hand strap on bottom side of the camera's grip piece, so it will again be impossible to mount a Minolta HS-1 style hand-strap, that is, without using up the tripod mount, which is no option if you have to frequently mount/unmount the vertical grip VG-C77AM. The Sony STP-GB1AM hand strap (for tripod mount) is a nightmare to use, a clear after-thought not designed by someone who ever actually used it - it's inconvenient to use and does not secure the camera at all, as you have to keep the belt very loose in order to use it imposing the risk that it will "flip over" - this cannot happen with a HS-1 style hand-strap, which remains in place when mounting the vertical grip and gives a very secure hold of the camera even with a very loose grip of the hand.
Indirectly, from the lack of the bottom eyelet we can also deduct, that the VG-C77AM will again have a clumsy "smoke-stake" contact finger design (as did the VG-C70AM, VG-C90AM, VC-7D, etc.), so that you will have to remove the camera battery in order to mount the vertical grip (and fit the battery in there). This is inconvenient and it will also reduce the number of possible battery packs in simultanous use by one, since the contact finger fills up the space otherwise used for the third battery. Sony should have adopted the much superior grip design of the VC-9 for the Dynax 9 (as Nikon and Pentax have done meanwhile): It supports up to three battery packs at the same time and comes without a "smoke-stake". And it allows to mount two HS-1 hand straps (one for horizontal work) on the camera and one (for vertical work) on the grip.
Further, I guess (but cannot see it from the photos of the prototypes), that the VG-C77AM will again not support the optional use of standard AA sized batteries as an alternative to proprietary InFoLithium batteries (as other vendors do).

Greetings,

Matthias


Edited by matthiaspaul - 14 July 2011 at 07:24

A77.....To be, or not to be

flashgumby wrote: 1) it looks like a C@non

100% agree!

More I HATE the swith on/off button like Nikon cameras.

Minolta still miss to me.


Ciao,
MP

luckyduckie wrote: Is it just me, or is this looking a lot like Ca*on in shape?

Is this a Canon?

I was hoping they'd have put the VCG's battery tray door on the other end so an aftermarket L-plate would be a possibilty.

Which leaves one button, as the pop up flash button sits on the other side of the viewfinder.

Steve-S wrote: Serdar A wrote: I doubt the SS button moved up to the top, four of those should be ISO, WB, flash popup and LCD light. No idea what the other two are. HA... Found it! I knew I had recently seen all these buttons labeled ... BTW -- the close correspondence between the image shown (back on p.10) and the clear prototypes makes me think that this is pretty darned real... Even if someone just Photoshopped on a black "skin" & Sony "trade dress", using the clear samples -- it still should be pretty darned close!!! - Steve S.

Hey, same link I gave back on page 12!