Camera Labs

Im just wondering if there is much dfference with focusing with the a700?

Is the focusing motor in the a700 better and quicker?

Does the a700 focus, track and lock on to moving objects quicker and more reliably than the a100?

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Tobywuk personal website || My Flickr
Gear: Sony a700! || CZ 16-80mm! || Sony 75-300 || bag: Crumpler PB xxxl / Lowepro slingshot 200

From various reviews and such the A700 is faster than the A100. In fact the A700 has been measured the fastest in it's class.

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Minolta primes: 2.8/20 2.8/24 1.7/50 2.8/135
Minolta zooms: 28-135 35-70 70-210(beercan) kit
Minolta cameras: Dynax 5D 7000
M42: Pentax Asahi S-M-C Takumar 1.4/50 and 2.8/105 Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 2.4/35 Industar-61L/Z Kiron 2.8/105 Macro

Please Toby, change the title! 1700?

I've read at Dyxum that some lenses perform much better on the A700 than the A100. People would say:
"The focussing of my whatever-lens is good on the A100, but on the A700 it's way better!"
As you'd expect from newer, higher-end models (after all: the A700 is targeted at the semi-professional market), the motor has more torque and the components that are required for AF, will also be improved.
However, I haven't ever compared the AF of the A700 against the A100's, so I can't go into details. But to answer your question whether it's better and quicker: Yes, it is. More torque means more speed, and more speed is better.

- Bjorn -

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Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Blog | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux

The dedicated AF assist (red lamp) on the A700 has already proven itself useful here. I didn't expect the lamp to hit in so soon, but in difficult lighting situations the lamp did its job. The advantage may be small, but it is an advantage over the (imho somewhat annoying) flash strobe system found on other cameras.

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Fujifilm X-E1 - XF 18-55mm - XF 14mm - Lowepro Rover AW II - Think Tank Retrospective 5

That's what Sony uses for the A200, A300 and A350, isn't it? I've used an Olympus camera once (my cousin's) which had the same system, and it annoyed everybody I tried to take a picture of. AF Assists lights, on the other hand, aren't annoying at all (unless they shine straight into your eyes, especially AF Assist lights on external flashes, they're more powerful than those on the camera).

- Bjorn -

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Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Blog | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux

what are you guys talking about, what is AF red lamp and flash strobe?

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Tobywuk personal website || My Flickr
Gear: Sony a700! || CZ 16-80mm! || Sony 75-300 || bag: Crumpler PB xxxl / Lowepro slingshot 200

Allow me to explain: your camera needs to focus on a subject, but it needs light to do that. Now, if your indoors, with very little available light, there's not enough light for the camera to focus. Some camera, like the A700 for example, have a red focus assist light that shines on the subject to allow the camera to focus. This system is fast, not annoying for your subject and others around you, and there's a better chance of getting some candid shots, since the subject may not be aware of the camera.
The flash strobe is a different approach, that fired a burst of small flashes to provide light and allow the camera to focus. All those flashes are annoying for you subject, candid shots are pretty much impossible (with little light at least) and it will cost more battery life too!
Best option if you have a camera without AF assist light: buy an external flash, like the HVL-F42AM I have. This has an assist light build in to it, so you won't have to fire those bursts of flashes anymore!

- Bjorn -

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Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Blog | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux

ah yes I understand now, thanks.

another +1 for the a700 lol

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Tobywuk personal website || My Flickr
Gear: Sony a700! || CZ 16-80mm! || Sony 75-300 || bag: Crumpler PB xxxl / Lowepro slingshot 200

When I was messing about with the A350's flash, I was surprised at the strobe illumination as I thought that would eat batteries. But since I don't use flash normally it didn't matter to me...

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

I wish the HVL-F42AM flash could fire bursts of flashes. A friend of mine used his father's D80 + flash to shoot a pen falling, which seemed like a cool idea to me. But burst firing the flash manually is impossible...
Maybe I should get the HVL-F58AM .

- Bjorn -

_________________
Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Blog | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux