Sony Alpha A77 Digital Camera Review

Dynamic Range

The A77 handles wide dynamic ranges very well. At ISO 100, it can capture upwards of 7 EV stops without crossing a signal-to-noise ratio of 10:1. It dips slightly below 7 stops at ISOs 200 and 400, and then below 6 stops at ISOs 800 and 1600, but those stats are all very impressive. It can still capture over 3 stops at ISO 12800. (This chart may or may not be displaying the results accurately; defer to the text if there's a discrepancy.)

It's worth noting that we test JPEGs, so raw files will have even more headroom to work with. More on how we test dynamic range.

The A77's dynamic range performance is bested only by the NEX-7. It uses the same sensor as the A77, but doesn't lose light to a translucent mirror. It actually captures an entire extra stop at the base ISO setting. But otherwise, the A77 outclasses the D7000, K-5, and smaller-sensored OM-D E-M5.