Sony Alpha 77 II review – Build and handling
The impressive weather-sealed magnesium-alloy body of the original Alpha 77 is retained in the new camera. It is resistant to moisture and dust, which is an advantage for those wishing to shoot sports and wildlife.
Front on, the only discernible differences between the Alpha 77 and the new model are the removal of the AF assist beam (this function is now controlled via the flash) and the restyling of the Alpha branding from red to silver. The rest of the camera is largely unchanged and features plenty of buttons for specific settings. Instead of a D-pad, the Sony Alpha 77 II uses a multi-controller joystick to navigate through menus and toggle settings. Also, like many high-end DSLRs, the camera has front and back scroll wheels.
Together with Sony’s new Alpha 6000 compact system camera, the Sony Alpha 77 II features the Quick Navi Pro menu set-up. I found that this was great for changing commonly used settings without needing to go into the menus. In general, the settings are easy to find once you’re acquainted with them.
Weighing 647g body only, the camera is fairly heavy, but this adds to the solid feel in hand. The overall size is comparable to a Nikon D800 or a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, so it’s similar to other enthusiast DSLR cameras.
