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Consumer Reports rates the A77, and...

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Gil Knutson

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I was just checking what Consumer Reports thinks of the A77 and the latest generation of DSLR's.

Very surprising results!!!

Now, I don't feel that CR is the be all and end all of review sites... Lord knows I have totally disagreed with their views on speakers over the years, and they are rather harsh on what are considered high end stereo equipment... and one has to take that into consideration when they look at their opinions on things.

Sony did NOT call them DSLR, instead they called them DSLR-Like.

So, they rated the Sony A55 and A33 up there with Panasonic DMC-G2K, DMC-GH2 and DMC-GH2k at 72 (whatever THAT really means). The Lumix DMC-G10k at a 70 and the Sony A35 and A65 both scored 69.

I also noticed that the Canon T1 and T3 both scored 69 in the DSLR categories.

That left the A77 in 9th place with a 68. There were 9 cameras in the DSLR category that scored higher than the A77.

BUT, that was NOT the surprising thing, to me!!! They gave ALL the ones from the A35 up a score of Very Good as far as Image Quality was concerned (I am assuming that they compared ONLY jpgs). All the DSLR's that scored above the A77 got Very Good as well... I noticed that there were NO cameras that scored Excellent.

The A65 and A77 both got "GOOD"... which, considering they are both $1000 and $1500 respectively, and all the others were $600-$800.... and besides, they have this Latest And Greatest sensor from Sony.

This really is NOT what one wants to see Sony get in a publication as widely read, or... agruably, respected and listened to as CR, that is for sure. I would bet that it will result in loss of sales... how many, Lord only knows... but Sony really has to get on the ball in this area and wow the pants off publications that review cameras.

Anyway, I just put this "out ther" as information. I can think of a dozen reasons not to even consider CR as a source, but the fact IS that they ARE a big name in the business. They are known for regerous testing of products, no matter how sketchy that testing may be. And, besides... they MAY be right!!!

--
Gil
Sardis, BC
Canada
 
Gil Knutson said:
I was just checking what Consumer Reports thinks of the A77 and the latest generation of DSLR's.

Very surprising results!!!

Now, I don't feel that CR is the be all and end all of review sites... Lord knows I have totally disagreed with their views on speakers over the years, and they are rather harsh on what are considered high end stereo equipment... and one has to take that into consideration when they look at their opinions on things.

Sony did NOT call them DSLR, instead they called them DSLR-Like.
Click to expand...
Huh? Sony literally categorizes them as and calls them DSLR's on their website.
Gil Knutson said:
So, they rated the Sony A55 and A33 up there with Panasonic DMC-G2K, DMC-GH2 and DMC-GH2k at 72 (whatever THAT really means). The Lumix DMC-G10k at a 70 and the Sony A35 and A65 both scored 69.

I also noticed that the Canon T1 and T3 both scored 69 in the DSLR categories.

That left the A77 in 9th place with a 68. There were 9 cameras in the DSLR category that scored higher than the A77.

BUT, that was NOT the surprising thing, to me!!! They gave ALL the ones from the A35 up a score of Very Good as far as Image Quality was concerned (I am assuming that they compared ONLY jpgs). All the DSLR's that scored above the A77 got Very Good as well... I noticed that there were NO cameras that scored Excellent.

The A65 and A77 both got "GOOD"... which, considering they are both $1000 and $1500 respectively, and all the others were $600-$800.... and besides, they have this Latest And Greatest sensor from Sony.

This really is NOT what one wants to see Sony get in a publication as widely read, or... agruably, respected and listened to as CR, that is for sure. I would bet that it will result in loss of sales... how many, Lord only knows... but Sony really has to get on the ball in this area and wow the pants off publications that review cameras.

Anyway, I just put this "out ther" as information. I can think of a dozen reasons not to even consider CR as a source, but the fact IS that they ARE a big name in the business. They are known for regerous testing of products, no matter how sketchy that testing may be. And, besides... they MAY be right!!!
Click to expand...
Yeah, the odd one out can always be right..... ;)
 
TrojMacReady said:
TrojMacReady said:
Sony did NOT call them DSLR, instead they called them DSLR-Like.
Click to expand...
Huh? Sony literally categorizes them as and calls them DSLR's on their website.
Click to expand...
That may be the case but just last week I walked into a camera store; An a35 was on display in the compacts section while "real"(?) DSRL from Canon and Nikon were in separate area.

It looks to me like Sony made a branding mistake.
 
I gave up on Consumer Reports long ago. Long before their stupid iPhone 4 stunt, where they admitted that the iPhone 4 was better than the 3GS in every way -- including reception -- but they still couldn't recommend the 4 because of the antenna problem. Whatever.

They're good at mechanical things, like cars and washing machines, perhaps. But if you've ever paid attention to their electronics ratings or discussions, they simply have no clue.

I remember a few years ago that they said that a certain P&S had "best image quality" through ISO 1600, while all of its competitors were at 200, or maybe 400. I went crazy trying to verify whether this camera was better than the competition, even if not quite that good. From all other reports, it was a mediocre low-light camera -- not even as good as some others in its class. Since then, I've started looking at their ratings on electronics that I own or know something about, and have noticed how extremely inaccurate they are.

A couple of years ago, I signed up for a long-term subscription. Five years, I think. Once it runs out, I'm not renewing.
 
I think you make a good point that lots of consumers will check CR and that that's not good news for SONY.

Can't believe they can't improve the JPG image quality on the A77. I've got to believe that a large percentage of people with that camera don't regularly do raw workflows.
--
http://www.pbase.com/jprny
 
I doublt many people who are in the market for the A77 or A65 or a Nikon D7000 or Canon enthusiast / semi-pro models are going to check Consumer Reports. On the other hand, point and shooters looking to upgrade to an A55 just might and so it is good news.
 
I am a very long-time subscriber to CU and they provide a wonderful and dedicated function to consumers for many products but on things like cameras (and I suspect stereos as indicated above) they really shouldn't be even trying they are so off base many/most times. Detergents, household appliances, and autos (where they have a long-time dedication and very frequent reviews), etc. is where they do very well.
--
http://rogerrex.zenfolio.com/
 
Maybe. But you always always have to read why they downrated something. Much of the time those reasons are not important at all to me. You have to read more than the rating...
RogerRex said:
I am a very long-time subscriber to CU and they provide a wonderful and dedicated function to consumers for many products but on things like cameras (and I suspect stereos as indicated above) they really shouldn't be even trying they are so off base many/most times. Detergents, household appliances, and autos (where they have a long-time dedication and very frequent reviews), etc. is where they do very well.
Click to expand...
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Judy
http://nichollsphoto.com/
 
I very much agree with those of you who have stated you had problems with CR rating on high level audio and photo equipment in the past.

That siad, a great many comments have been made on this very forum among Sony owners concerning the image quality, especially JPEG, of the SLT models having issues so is it any surprise that CR would see it that way as well.
--
Dave
 
Well... no not really. BUT, I would think that the Sony should get a Very Good.... just like all the rest. If nothing else, it should be equal to everyone else.

I really don't expect "the best"... since so many use Sony's sensor. It should pretty much give the same ballpark results... I would think.

--
Gil
Sardis, BC
Canada
 
RogerRex said:
I am a very long-time subscriber to CU and they provide a wonderful and dedicated function to consumers for many products but on things like cameras (and I suspect stereos as indicated above) they really shouldn't be even trying they are so off base many/most times. Detergents, household appliances, and autos (where they have a long-time dedication and very frequent reviews), etc. is where they do very well.
Click to expand...
That is my take on the thing too... they are fine at cars... well, better than a lot of others... but they don't seem to have a clue with anything electronic in nature... or sound, such as a speaker. At least they are somewhat smart... they rate Grado headphones highly, and those ARE exceptional sound reproducers. Every other review magazine who has tested them have been totally impressed with the value for the money. CU concurs. Maybe it is luck on their part, or they cleaned the wax out of their ears that day..... :)

--
Gil
Sardis, BC
Canada
 
dlkeller said:
I very much agree with those of you who have stated you had problems with CR rating on high level audio and photo equipment in the past.

That siad, a great many comments have been made on this very forum among Sony owners concerning the image quality, especially JPEG, of the SLT models having issues so is it any surprise that CR would see it that way as well.
Click to expand...
Perhaps you are correct.

It is just that the rating is very different from almost all of the other cameras.

From what they rate the image quality, you would be smart getting almost any other camera model...

--
Gil
Sardis, BC
Canada
 
for two reasons, image quality and weight.
 
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