What do you think about Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 Digital Camera

The Alpha A700 is the highly anticipated second DSLR from Sony and the first to be entirely designed by Sony itself. Announced in September 2007 it fills a gap above the original A100 body, targeting serious enthusiasts and semi-pro photographers with higher resolution and more powerful features.

The A700 features a jump in resolution to 12.2 Megapixels with a new CMOS sensor, making it the highest resolution Alpha body, and a step-up from existing rival 10 Megapixel DSLRs. The sensor measures the same size as the existing APS-C chip in the A100, so rumours of a 1.25x crop or larger didn’t emerge for this particular model. On the upside though, this makes the A700 compatible with the full range of Alpha lenses including DT models, and like the A100 before it, all effectively become stabilised thanks to the built-in – and improved – Super SteadyShot.

What's in the Box?

The A700 is available in three kits: one with just the camera body ($1400), another with a 18 - 70 mm lens ($1500), and a third with a 16 - 105 mm lens ($1900). Here's what you'll find in the box for all three of these kits:

The 12.2 effective Megapixel DSLR-A700 camera body
F3.5 - 5.6, 18 - 70 mm Sony DT lens [DSLR-A700K kit only]
F3.5 - 5.6, 16 - 105 mm Sony DT lens [DSLR-A700P kit only]
NP-FM500H lithium-ion rechargeable battery
Battery charger
Wireless remote control
Body cap
Shoulder strap
USB cable
Video cable
CD-ROM featuring Picture Motion Browser, Image Data Converter, Image Data Lightbox, and Remote Camera Control software
19 page Read This First guide + 179 page camera manual (both printed)