Earlier this year, Sony previewed the follow-ups to its first DSLR - the A100 - by showing two prototype bodies and the PMA (Photo Marketing Association) Expo in Las Vegas. The A700 is the first of those under-glass concept designs to make it into production, with the larger professional level DSLR still in development.
The new DSLR-A700 is a 12.2 megapixel camera featuring Sony's new 'Exmor' CMOS sensor. This uses what Sony calls its 'column-parallel' digital conversion technology, claimed to produce images faster and with lower noise and better image quality. This is coupled to Sony's 'Bionz' image processor, which has also been upgraded to help raise speed and lower noise, the company suggests. These two combine to deliver a maximum ISO 3200 sensitivity.
Sony's A700 uses a three-inch, 920,600 pixel rear LCD and a pentaprism optical viewfinder, an 11-point AF system and weathersealing. The new camera now includes 14 'Creative Style' settings, which are preset shifts in contrast, colour saturation, brightness and zone matching, with names like 'Autumn Leaves' and 'Vivid'. It even features HDMI output with full remote control for connection to a HDTV. Naturally, the anti-dust and in-camera anti-shake systems are retained and the DRO (dynamic range optimiser) has been enhanced to support five shadow and highlight recovery settings. The camera has two memory card slots for Compact Flash and Memory Stick Duo cards.
Accompanying the DSLR-A700 are two new lenses - the DT 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 and DT 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 - as well as a new vertical grip for the A700. The DT 16-105mm zoom is expected to form part of a kit with the DSLR-A700.
The UK price of the DSLR-A700 has not been fixed as yet, but US pricing puts the camera at around $1,400, which suggests it will cost roughly twice the current cost of the DSLR-A100. The product is expected to be in the stores by November this year.
