Nikon D800
Winner
Nikon D800

97

vs
Sony SLT-A77

72

Sony SLT A77
Runner-up
 
 
 
 

Reasons to buy the Nikon D800

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
2,853 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
95.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
25.3 bits
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
14.4 EV
 

Reasons to buy the Sony SLT A77

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
 
Differences | Recommendations | Similarities | Competitors | Appearance | Discussion

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D800
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 2,853 ISO vs 801 ISO
Help
 The D800 has excellent image quality 1.8 f-stops higher ISO than the SLT A77
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 95.0 vs 78.0
Help
 More than 20% better image quality
Startup delay Much less startup delay 200 ms vs 3100 ms
Help
 15.5x less delay when turning on
True resolution Much higher true resolution 36.2 MP vs 24 MP
Help
 Capture more than 50% more detail in your photos
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.2" vs 3.0"
Help
 Around 10% larger screen
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 35.9x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.5x15.6mm
Help
 Around 2.5x larger sensor
Focus points Significantly more focus points 51 vs 19
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Color depth Better color depth 25.3 bits vs 24 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.3 more bits of color
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 1,040k dots vs 921k dots
Help
 More than 10% higher resolution screen
Dynamic range More dynamic range 14.4 EV vs 13.2 EV
Help
 1.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Lens availability More lenses available 121 lenses vs 92 lenses
Help
 More than 30% more lenses available
Battery life Longer battery life 900 shots vs 530 shots
Help
 Around 70% more shots per battery charge
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 15 vs 11
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Nikon D800 Learn more about
the Nikon D800

Advantages of the Sony SLT A77
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 4 fps
Help
 3x faster continuous shooting
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
Autofocus Faster video autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Shoot videos without worrying about focus
GPS Has a GPS Yes vs No
Help
 Automatically geotags your photos when traveling
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 124 ms vs 209 ms
Help
 More than 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
Size Smaller 143x104x81 mm vs 146x123x82 mm
Help
 Around 20% smaller
Weight Lighter 732 g vs 1,000 g
Help
 Around 30% lighter
Lowest price Cheaper $898.00 vs $2,796.95
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,899 cheaper (3.1x less)
Thickness Slightly thinner 3.2" vs 3.2"
Help
 Almost the same
Sony SLT-A77 Learn more about
the Sony SLT A77
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D800 Nikon D800
97 vs 72
Explain scores
Sony SLT A77 Sony SLT-A77
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D800.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
0.72x
Dynamic range Good dynamic range Help
D800:14.4 EV
SLT A77:13.2 EV
Color depth Good color depth Help
D800:25.3 bits
SLT A77:24 bits
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
True resolution Capture very high resolution images Help
D800:36.2 MP
SLT A77:24 MP
Movie continuous focus Focus continuously recording movies Help
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Viewfinder coverage Above average viewfinder coverage Help
100%
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
External flash not needed
Thickness Quite thick Help
3.2"

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
25,600 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D600

Nikon D600

Pro DSLR

$1,997 body only

$2,397 with 24-85mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D600 vs the D800
Compare the D600 vs the SLT A77
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,250 - $3,299 body only

$3,800 - $3,899 with 24-105mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Cross type focus points Has much more cross-type focus points
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the D800
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the SLT A77
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Viewfinder size Slightly smaller viewfinder
Compare the D7100 vs the D800
Compare the D7100 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
Thickness Is thinner
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the D800
Compare the D7000 vs the SLT A77
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,299 - $1,725 body only

$1,499 with 28-135mm lens
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Thickness Is thinner
Weight Is slightly heavier
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D800
Compare the EOS 7D vs the SLT A77
Canon EOS 6D

Canon EOS 6D

Pro DSLR

$1,899 - $1,917 body only

$2,399 with 24-105mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Light sensitivity (boost) Significantly higher boost light sensitivity
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Compare the EOS 6D vs the D800
Compare the EOS 6D vs the SLT A77
Sony SLT-A99

Sony SLT-A99

Pro DSLR

$2,798 body only

$3,196 - $3,198 with 28-75mm lens
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the SLT-A99 vs the D800
Compare the SLT-A99 vs the SLT A77

Nikon D800 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$5,997 body only
Battery life Much longer battery life
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the D4 vs the D800
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$3,400 body only
Continuous shooting Shoots faster
Battery life Slightly longer battery life
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Compare the D700 vs the D800

Sony SLT-A77 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony SLT-A65

Sony SLT A65

Entry-level DSLR

$587 - $648 body only

$748 - $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

appearance

Nikon D800 Sony SLT-A77
Nikon D800 Sony SLT-A77
Nikon D800 Sony SLT-A77

discussion

Showing 0 comments