a77 video

A while ago, I posted a thread asking about a77 for use in video. I had been using a set of GH2s at work, and didn't want to have a duplicate set of lenses at home for similar work. I ended up deciding to buy:

• Sony a77

• Beachtek audio adapter

• My existing assortment of lenses

• Fancy microphone

People wanted to have a follow-up about the combo ( http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1037&message=40493501 ).

Overall, I'd say the combo is performing adequately. Key issues are:

• Whenever you turn it on and off, you lose focus. With screw drive lenses, the camera will engage the lens, defocus it for you. and then disengage. I have to refocus for every shot. This is a pain in the butt. GH2 has the same issue, but,

• Manual focus on the a77 is a pain in the butt in video mode. Focus zoom automatically engages on the GH2. On the a77, it not only doesn't engage without pressing a button, but the zoom button doesn't work in video mode. Each time I turn it on, I have to switch to manual, press focus zoom, focus, and switch back.

• Beachtek battery life sucks. It'd be a great device if it was powered by something other than a 9V battery. This issue is common to the GH2 setup, where I use the same adapter to power my phantom power mike.

• Even with the Beachtek, the audio on the A77 is substantially worse than on the GH2, although it's still good enough.

• Setting audio levels is slightly easier on the GH2, which shows bars, rather than with the Beachtek (which flashes green or red), but it's fine both places. Beachtek is not as good as bars, but better than expected.

• The crop factor with video is pretty bad.

• Touch screen and general ergonomics are much better for video on GH2.

• Weird bug: On some videos, I get some relic that looks a bit like CA (it's not CA -- the lenses are fine). I'm not sure where this comes from, and it hasn't happened recently, so I can't give a screenshot.

Upsides:

• A77 pivot LCD completely blows away the GH2 pivot LCD for video work.

Conclusion: Overall, I'm happy with the purchase. While the a77 is only barely adequate for what I do, it is still adequate. If I were buying a dedicated video camera with no legacy, the GH2 would be a much more natural choice. Given legacy, I'd much rather have the a77 than clutter up my place with two photography systems.

Sidenote: Unexpected upside over a700: Battery charger doesn't require a cord.

I haven't had time to shoot photos with the a77, so I'm still holding out judgement about how good it is for still use.