Help from A77 users

[ksunshiner]

Hi everyone! I bought my a77 4 months ago, it all started perfectly, 2 months ago I was testing it for video and had trouble with it (when we were filming it appeared to all go perfect and smooth but then when we tried to edit the audio and video were off and there were distortions and errors) I was shooting pictures yesterday and it stopped working in the middle of the job, I was shooting normally and suddenly it just said camera error, it sounded like it got stock, I shut it down and when I turned it on again, it sounded like it released the sensor or something I'm really new to all of this terms parts and everything.

Not only am I very worried but also kind of disappointed, I have been taking really good care of it, I'm going to send it to service today, but I just wanted to know if anyone has had any trouble with it, I've been getting comments from friends that I should just sell it and switch to Canon or Nikon... My biggest disappointment is that I'm leaving for LA in two weeks and I won't be able to take it with me (a trip that I have been planning for 8 months :cry:sniff).

Also a friend told me that they were taking a class doing studio work with a model and that a girl with an a55 couldn't get the work done because the camera's sensor is digital and it's not a real reflex??? any advice on this? is it true? I mean I really doubt that the cameras specially the a77 won't work for studio and portraits, that just sounds ridiculous.

Thanks, everyone!

 

[cosmonaut]

Well I have the a77 and have used flashes and off camera flashes I don't know why it wouldn't work in a studio as long as you have a transmitter that will work in the Sony hot shoe. Maybe check out YouTube and watch how the a77 works in the studio. There are dozens of videos.
As far as the camera shutting down the first thing I would look at would be the battery. I have had issues with third party batteries not working. But make sure your battery isn't bad and update the firmware if need be.

 

[Kolia]

How's the memory card ?

From what I understand, the a55 didn't have the option to turn the preview mode OFF. Making studio work difficult.

 

[skieur]

Firmware should be version 1.05. What your friend told you was ridiculous. The A77 or A55 for that matter, can shoot anything that any reflex camera can shoot and some things faster and easier.

skieur

 

[gsgary]

Firmware should be version 1.05. What your friend told you was ridiculous. The A77 or A55 for that matter, can shoot anything that any reflex camera can shoot and some things faster and easier.

skieur

The A55 is garbage in the studio, i did a studio workshop at our club and 1 memeber had an A55 we messed with everything to try and make the veiwfinder brighter only when i went on the web did i find out the problem Re: A55 and studio lights: Sony Alpha SLR/SLT Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

 

[skieur]

The answer to the A55 in studio is to lift up the built-in flash and cover it with a piece of tape. The viewfinder will automatically brighten accordingly. That problem does not exist on the A77. The latest version is 2.0/2.01 for the A55.

skieur

 

[gsgary]

The answer to the A55 in studio is to lift up the built-in flash and cover it with a piece of tape. The viewfinder will automatically brighten accordingly. That problem does not exist on the A77. The latest version is 2.0/2.01 for the A55.

skieur

Then how do you fit a trigger

 

[cosmonaut]

Sony a55 Black Screen Workaround - YouTube

 

[jfrabat]

I've been getting comments from friends that I should just sell it and switch to Canon or Nikon...

Typical behaviour; I'll bet those same friends own Nikon and Canons, right? You tend to defend what you know and own... It's normal psycological behaviour. Yes, there are some advantages to owning a Nikon or a Canon, but there are also advantages of owning a Sony as well... It all comes down to what's better FOR YOU.

My biggest disappointment is that I'm leaving for LA in two weeks and I won't be able to take it with me (a trip that I have been planning for 8 months :cry:sniff).

That DOES suck; no argument there!

Also a friend told me that they were taking a class doing studio work with a model and that a girl with an a55 couldn't get the work done because the camera's sensor is digital and it's not a real reflex??? any advice on this? is it true? I mean I really doubt that the cameras specially the a77 won't work for studio and portraits, that just sounds ridiculous.

ALL DSLR's are in fact, digital sensors. My guess, though, is that they were taking not about the sensor but rather the EVF (Electronic View Finder). All of Sony's current cameras are NOT reflex cameras; they are Single Lens Translucent, in that instead of a mirror that moves down (so that you can see through the optical viewfinder) and up (so that it gets out of the way of the sensor so the sensor can "see" the light and record it) like the rest of the brands, Sony uses a translucent mirror that lets most of the light through to the sensor (which is what you see in the EVF as well!) but reflects some of it to the AF sensor (located where the pentaprism would be on a regular SLR camera). This has a few advantages and disadvantages.

In the plus side, the viewfinder gets 100% of coverage even in the A33 (the first generation entry level camera). Also, you can superimpose information (like a level to make sure your horizon is not eskew). Also, by not having a mirror to move up and down, you can shoot and focus at the same time, which is great for moving objects. Also, it is not necesary to lock your mirror up for exposures to be tack sharp, like you would on other cameras. And because you do not have to wait for the mirror to move, you ussually have more frame rates than competing models.

on the down side, you are looking at a screen that is drawing up what the sensor is seeing (basically, live view on a small screen inside the viewer). Some people claim that this is not good enough to shoot action shots, as there is lag time in the refresh ratio of the screen, and that IS true on cameras like the A55, as it has an LCD screen (so what you are seeing in the screen as a couple of miliseconds of lag from what is REALLY happening), but in the case of your A77, this is not the case, as the screen is actually an OLED screen, which has a enourmeously faster reframe rate (to the point where the human brain cannot detect it in any way). In case of the A55, the firmware asumes that if the flash is off, the scene will be dark, and it will show you nothing bu black in the screen (EVF) if you shot the flash down (and the camera does not detect a flash). This has been fixed in the new generation of cameras, including your A77, on which, in my experience, the EVF will actually be BRIGHTER than most other pentaprism models (except MAYBE for the top tier cameras like the D4 and such).

I have shot my A77 with studio lights, both wired to the camera and with my flash as the trigger, and have never had any issues. I have not tried wireless remotes (except for the built in option using the on-board flash), but I see no reason for them not to work.

Now, as for your issues, I assume you are ussing an original battery? I have heard of issues with third party batteries... Also, update to the latest firmware. You can look for it online (version 1.05).

As for the video issues, the problem can be a slow computer or the program you are using to run the video; some codecs are not so good and will cause this issue you are mentioning...

Oh, and by the way, my understanding is that all the issues mentioned for the A55 were resolved in the A57...

 

[ksunshiner]

Hi, everyone! thanks a lot for the replies I am back from my trip and although I did miss having my camera, I sent it to the dealer and they are looking at it right now, I should hear back from them next week.

The battery I used was always the original, and the firmware was updated.

They actually tried all the options in the manual to look for a possible way to fix it, but we couldn't so I sent it.

Thanks for the advice on the studio work, I will be going to the workshop next week and I hope to have my camera back then.

I will update what I find out

Thanks a lot everyone! I feel a lot better now, and I agree, it depends on what equipment works for you.