Canon EOS
5D Mark II
 vs
Sony SLT
A77

Updated (February, 2012): Compare the Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs Sony SLT-A77

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

81

  
Sony SLT-A77

70

  

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
400 ms startup delay
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Thickness
 Thin
3"
 
Runner-up

Sony SLT A77

Reasons to buy the Sony SLT A77

Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
13.2 EV
Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
12 fps
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Panorama
 In-camera panoramas
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
 

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 1,815 ISO vs 801 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II has excellent image quality 1.2 f-stops higher ISO than the SLT A77
Startup delay Much less startup delay 400 ms vs 3100 ms
Help
 7.7x less delay when turning on
Viewfinder Has an optical viewfinder Pentaprism vs Digital
Help
 Optical viewfinders save battery life and are more detailed
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.5x15.6mm
Help
 Around 2.5x larger sensor
Lens availability More lenses available 125 lenses vs 92 lenses
Help
 Around 40% more lenses available
Battery life Longer battery life 850 shots vs 530 shots
Help
 More than 60% more shots per battery charge
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 79.0 vs 78.0
Help
 Almost the same
Thickness Significantly thinner 3" vs 3.2"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II

Advantages of the Sony SLT A77
Autofocus Video autofocus Phase detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster 12 fps vs 3.9 fps
Help
 More than 3x faster continuous shooting
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13.2 EV vs 11.9 EV
Help
 1.3 f-stops more dynamic range
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
GPS Has a GPS Yes vs No
Help
 Automatically geotags your photos when traveling
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 124 ms vs 206 ms
Help
 Around 40% less delay when taking photos
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 16,000 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The SLT A77's maximum light sensitivity is 1.3 f-stops better
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 11 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
True resolution Higher true resolution 24 MP vs 21 MP
Help
 Capture more than 10% more detail in your photos
Focus points More focus points 19 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 98%
Help
 Almost the same
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Size Slightly smaller 143x104x81 mm vs 152x114x75 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Weight Lighter 732 g vs 850 g
Help
 More than 10% lighter
Lowest price Cheaper $998.00 vs $2,069.95
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,072 cheaper (2.1x less)
Sony SLT-A77 Learn more about
the Sony SLT A77
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II
81 vs 70
Explain scores
Sony SLT A77 Sony SLT-A77
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
5D Mark II:0.71x
SLT A77:0.72x
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
5D Mark II:152x114x75 mm
SLT A77:143x104x81 mm
Lowest price Inexpensive Help
5D Mark II:$2,069.95
SLT A77:$998.00
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
25,600 ISO
Focus points Few focus points Help
5D Mark II:9
SLT A77:19
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
5D Mark II:1
SLT A77:11
Battery life Few shots per battery charge Help
5D Mark II:850 shots
SLT A77:530 shots
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
5D Mark II:79.0
SLT A77:78.0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 6D

Canon EOS 6D

Pro DSLR

$1,999 body only

$2,599 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 6D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS 6D vs the SLT A77
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,499 body only

$1,799 with 18-135mm lens
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Cross type focus points Has slightly more cross-type focus points
True resolution Takes slightly lower resolution photos
Viewfinder size Slightly smaller viewfinder
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS 7D vs the SLT A77
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,250 - $3,499 body only

$3,800 - $4,099 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the SLT A77
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available
Focus points Has slightly more focus points
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
True resolution Takes slightly lower resolution photos
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D7000 vs the SLT A77
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Screen resolution Has a significantly higher resolution screen
Viewfinder size Slightly smaller viewfinder
Compare the D7100 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D7100 vs the SLT A77
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$699 - $899 body only

$999 - $1,279 with 18-135mm lens
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Thickness Is thicker
Viewfinder coverage Slightly less viewfinder coverage
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS 60D vs the SLT A77
Nikon D600

Nikon D600

Pro DSLR

$1,997 body only

$2,397 with 24-85mm lens
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D600 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D600 vs the SLT A77

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

Sony SLT-A77 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony SLT-A65

Sony SLT A65

Entry-level DSLR

$587 - $698 body only

$798 - $1,005 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Less startup delay
Size Smaller
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the SLT A65 vs the SLT A77
Sony SLT-A99

Sony SLT-A99

Pro DSLR

$2,798 body only

$3,196 - $3,198 with 28-75mm lens
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Better image quality
3D Doesn't take 3D photos
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly slower
Compare the SLT-A99 vs the SLT A77
Sony SLT A57

Sony SLT A57

Entry-level DSLR

$460 - $499 body only

$519 - $539 with 18-55mm lens
Size Smaller
Weight Lighter
Weather sealed No weather sealing
True resolution Significantly lower true resolution
Compare the SLT A57 vs the SLT A77

appearance

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Sony SLT-A77
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Sony SLT-A77
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Sony SLT-A77

discussion

Showing 6 comments

Avatar for James Busse James Busse (9:56 PM, February 12, 2013)
Seems to me there are a lot of meaningful advantages of the A77 over the canon and most of the canon advantages seem minor. So why is canon rated highter? Sony has the same sharpness with an apc format that the canon has with the full frame. Sony takes 3 secs to start over 1. BFD, Canon shoots max 3fps which is 1/4 that the sony shoots. Through the lens viewing versus prism saves power? OK but the sony shoots from trigger push to shot in .09 sec vers a couple ice ages for the canon. Is 92 vs 125 lenses available really something to worry about? How are they counted? Old Minolta's too? I'll give the canon pluses on low light noise but the sony has algorthims to significantly reduce noise in low light that did not seem to be evaluated. Seems that the canon is not slightly more expensive either it looks like it costs 2/3 more $1K versus $1.7K. Sure I own an A77 but I did after comparing it to the canon. Frankly, there was no comparison. They are both good cameras but the A77 has the features and performance way over what the canon did. One thing I really liked was the image stabalization in the camera. I can use older AF lenses and they are stabalized. No so with the canon where the image stabalization s in the lens. Maybe that cuts down the number of useful lenses available. Anyhow They are both good cameras. but I think the ranking and what the authors consider important i stretching it a bit in favor of canon characteristics when it comes to weighting the ranking metrics. To me the points should be reversed at a minimum and maybe a few more added to the sony. Based on extensive testing and shopping I give it close to 90.
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (2:36 PM, February 15, 2012)
Hey IWilliams
You are right the viewfinder magnification is 1.1x. Snapsort takes the cameras crop factor into account when calculating the cameras real viewfinder size, this way you can compare cameras with different sensor sizes. Check our out article on viewfinder size if you want to know more.
 
Iwilliams (4:03 AM, February 15, 2012)
You have the wrong viewfinder size for the a77.  It is 1.09x, not 0.72x.  That makes it MUCH bigger than the 0.72x viewfinder size of the 5D MkII.  See this site for verification:  http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonyslta77/page2.asp
 
Terry (1:30 AM, November 30, 2011)
Haha doesnt mean much to me use the camera go take pictures that is what matters.
 
Jimmy (3:43 AM, September 28, 2011)
lol you are funny. 
 
Derkjlerl (2:42 AM, September 28, 2011)
Seriously? 1 stop better? Looking at the DPreview tests (which post ACTUAL pictures backing up their claims) I see slightly over 2 stops. Not to mention a ridiculous difference in IQ. Even when compared to a 50D, this camera can not compare in sharpness.

Think I'm being a fanboy? Check it for yourself.