Ergonomically, some users may not favour the joystick directional multi selector on the A700 over the more commonly used larger four-way directional pad, although this of course is subjective and with continued use, users are likely to become perfectly familiar with the joystick’s somewhat finicky operation.
The A700 camera body (including battery and card) weighs approximately 768g, which is lighter than its equivalent models from Nikon: the D300 at 925g and Canon: the 40D at 822g. It houses a 3-inch LCD with 921,600 dots (267ppi resolution), which well exceeds Canon’s 230,000 dots in the 40D.
As a result, the previewed picture quality is exceptionally pleasing to the eye: it’s contrasty, sharp, and offers true-to-life colours (if not slightly hyper-saturated at the default setting which can be easily altered) with fine detail that doesn’t reveal any pixelation. Once users visually experience a DSLR LCD like this one, they simply will not be able to revert to anything less!
The anti-reflective coating helps to ensure good visibility across a variety of lighting conditions although unlike Nikon, Sony don’t provide a clip-on LCD protective cover and as such, the A700’s screen is highly susceptible to make-up and oil from the face, condensation from breathing through the nose, and fingerprint smears.
