Nikon
D700
 vs
Sony SLT
A77

Updated (December, 2011): Compare the Nikon D800 vs Sony SLT-A77

Nikon D700

84

  
Sony SLT-A77

70

  
Winner

Nikon D700

Reasons to buy the Nikon D700

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
2,303 ISO
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.72x
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
400 ms startup delay
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Pentaprism
Focus points
 Many focus points
51
 
Runner-up

Sony SLT A77

Reasons to buy the Sony SLT A77

Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.72x
Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
True resolution
 High true resolution
24 MP
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
16,000 ISO
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
12 fps
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
 

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D700
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 2,303 ISO vs 801 ISO
Help
 The D700 has excellent image quality 1.5 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
Focus points Significantly more focus points 51 vs 19
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Battery life Longer battery life 1000 shots vs 530 shots
Help
 Around 90% more shots per battery charge
Lens availability More lenses available 121 lenses vs 92 lenses
Help
 More than 30% more lenses available
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 80.0 vs 78.0
Help
 Almost the same
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 15 vs 11
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3.2"
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D700 Learn more about
the Nikon D700

Advantages of the Sony SLT A77
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 60fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
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
True resolution Much higher true resolution 24 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
 Capture around 2x more detail in your photos
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster 12 fps vs 5 fps
Help
 Around 2.5x 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
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13.2 EV vs 12.2 EV
Help
 1 f-stop more dynamic range
GPS Has a GPS Yes vs No
Help
 Automatically geotags your photos when traveling
Viewfinder coverage Much better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
 Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
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
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 124 ms vs 197 ms
Help
 Around 40% less delay when taking photos
Color depth Better color depth 24 bits vs 23.5 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.5 more bits of color
Weight Significantly lighter 732 g vs 1,074 g
Help
 More than 30% lighter
Size Smaller 143x104x81 mm vs 147x123x77 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Lowest price Cheaper $998.00 vs $3,499.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $2,502 cheaper (3.5x less)
Sony SLT-A77 Learn more about
the Sony SLT A77
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D700 Nikon D700
84 vs 70
Explain scores
Sony SLT A77 Sony SLT-A77
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D700.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
0.72x
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
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
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1

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
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available
Storage slots Has more storage slots
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Viewfinder size Slightly smaller viewfinder
Compare the D7000 vs the D700
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 D700
Compare the D7100 vs the SLT A77
Nikon D600

Nikon D600

Pro DSLR

$1,997 body only

$2,397 with 24-85mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly 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 D700
Compare the D600 vs the SLT A77
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,797 body only

$3,187 with 70-300mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D800 vs the D700
Compare the D800 vs the SLT A77
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,499 body only

$1,699 with 28-135mm lens
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Thickness Is thinner
Viewfinder size Slightly smaller viewfinder
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D700
Compare the EOS 7D vs the SLT A77
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,479 body only

$2,699 - $3,000 with 24-105mm lens
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D700
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the SLT A77
Nikon D5200

Nikon D5200

Entry-level DSLR

$697 body only

$797 with 18-55mm lens
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available
Size Is slightly smaller
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D5200 vs the D700
Compare the D5200 vs the SLT A77

Nikon D700 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,270 - $1,697 body only

$2,227 with 85mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the D300S vs the D700

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

Nikon D700 Sony SLT-A77
Nikon D700 Sony SLT-A77
Nikon D700 Sony SLT-A77

discussion

Showing 1 comments

David Garmont (3:36 PM, November 05, 2011)
I don't see why the subjective comment that an optical viewfinder is deemed to be better than a digital one - they are different.  I have both and I would use them under differing circumstances but I find that the EVF is becoming my first choice on most occasions.