Hello All,
I've had my A77 for about 4 years...about two years ago I started noticing significant image quality issues and defects in my photos. The image quality is directly related to the metering, IMO, and the defects are products of using the camera in "panorama" and "HDR" modes. The licensed Sony repair depot had my camera for 5 weeks and were "unable to replicate the issues", even though I provided specific sample images and a long message detailing my complaints.
I've attached four specific photos. The lens used is a DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM. These are un-retouched, with the exception of reducing the size. FWIW, the only filter on the lens was a UV filter.
Photo 1: 1/250 f6.3 Normal program ISO 200 I can't put this down to "operator error" as Sony claims. I basically put the camera in automatic mode, stepped out on to the balcony, and took the photo. Although the camera does expose many images correctly, this photo is a very common example of those that are not.
Photo 2: 1/250 f11 Normal program ISO 100 Panorama Mode. Note the significant stitching error. The Sony repair depot said this was "obvious use of a polarizing filter". I don't even own any filters for that lens other than a UV.
Photo 3: 1/500 f6.3 Aperture priority ISO 400. This is the second photo in an HDR set (i.e., the one the camera produces as its "final" image after interpretation of the dynamic ranges of the two images exposed). Significant artifacting.
Photo 4: 1/100 f6.3 Aperture priority ISO 400. Again, this is the second photo in an HDR set, except this time the camera produced a final image that did not interpret the dynamic ranges at all. This is a much more poorly exposed image, and for some reason a significant amount of noise has been added.
I don't know which way to go after this. I have a substantial investment in glass, so I'm not crazy about the idea of abandoning the brand - in fact, my A100 was a fantastic camera, and I thought I was taking a step up in quality by buying the A77. Any suggestions on how to move forward are welcome.
Thanks,
Doug
