Curtain were finally lifted on the long-awaited 'high end' Alpha digital SLR. The new
model sports an impressive specification including magnesium alloy construction, 12MP CMOS sensor, 5fps shooting and a wealth of features and customization options, though interestingly no live view option. There's also a couple of new lenses and a new vertical shooting grip. Its called the Alpha A700 D-SLR.Like Sony’s mainstream DSLR-A100 model, the new A700 unit incorporates Super SteadyShot® Inside image stabilization in the camera body and is compatible with most Minolta Maxxum® mount lenses in addition to Sony lenses.
The camera’s new 12.2-megapixel Exmor™ CMOS sensor conducts analog-to-digital (A/D) signal conversion and dual noise reduction right on the sensor itself. Noise reduction is applied to analog signals before A/D conversion and the resulting digital signals are then subject to a second round of noise reduction.
Other niceties include a 5 FPS burst mode, an 11-point wide-area auto-focusing system, 3" LCD screen (922,000 pixels), aluminum chassis/magnesium body, 1080i HDMI output, CompactFlash and Memory Stick Duo media slots and a wireless remote control standard.The Sony Alpha A700 body will be available in October for $1,400. An Alpha A700K kit with 18-70mm lens and an Alpha A700P kit with 16-105mm lens will be available in November for $1,500 and $1,900 respectively.
Here is the exclusive video of the Alpha A700 D-SLR from Sony