Sony QX100 vs Sony A77: A Hands-On Comparison Through the Lens of Experience

When scanning the camera market for your next purchase, things can get overwhelming fast. Sony’s lineup offers wildly different options, and it’s fascinating to pit two seemingly disparate cameras - the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 (the lens-style QX100) and the Sony SLT-A77 DSLR - against each other. Both have “Sony” in their names but serve remarkably different roles in photography.

With over 15 years of hands-on experience dissecting and testing cameras, I’ll guide you through a detailed, real-world comparison to see exactly where each model shines, where they fall short, and which user profiles they fit best. Whether you’re a portrait snapper, landscape lover, wildlife watcher, or video creator, this breakdown covers all bases.

First Impressions: Form Factor and Handling

At first blush, these cameras couldn’t be more different. The Sony QX100 is a lens-style camera - a compact lens and sensor package designed to work in tandem with your smartphone. The Sony A77 is an advanced DSLR designed for enthusiasts who want serious control, image quality, and optical performance.

Let’s look closer at the ergonomics and size differences:

The QX100 measures a compact 63x63x56mm and weighs just 179g - basically pocketable. It attaches to smartphones via Wi-Fi and is controlled through Sony’s app, so it lacks physical buttons or an integrated screen. For a certain kind of mobile photographer, this is genius: small, unobtrusive, and able to leverage your phone’s display.

By contrast, the A77 is a mid-size DSLR weighing 732g with a substantial grip, numerous physical controls, and superior build quality. Its dimensions (143x104x81mm) demand dedicated carrying space, often a camera bag.

From an ergonomic standpoint, the A77 is a classic enthusiast’s tool - you hold it in your hand, feel the buttons, dials, and switches, and it’s designed to work well for extended shooting. The QX100’s approach sacrifices physical controls for portability and smartphone integration.

If you value the tactile experience or plan long sessions, the A77 wins. If pocketability and casual use with your phone appeal more, QX100 shines.

Viewing and Control Interfaces: Analog Simplicity or Digital Partnership?

Since the QX100 is lens-style, it has no LCD screen or electronic viewfinder. Instead, it depends entirely on your smartphone. This means the experience varies a lot based on the paired phone’s quality, screen size, and app compatibility.

In contrast, the A77 sports a 3.0-inch fully articulated LCD with 921k dots and a bright electronic viewfinder boasting 2,359k dots at 100% coverage and 0.73x magnification - a big deal for precise manual focusing and framing in bright conditions.

Check out the detailed layout comparison:

And here’s the back screen comparison showing the difference in display approach and user interface:

Since the QX100’s touchscreen experience depends on your phone, its appeal depends heavily on that device and the Sony PlayMemories Mobile app’s performance. I found the app sometimes unpredictable - occasional lag while focusing or shooting can frustrate serious users.

The A77’s physical controls and articulated screen allow direct, intuitive manual adjustments even in challenging environments. The electronic viewfinder is a massive help outdoors, helping you compose shots with confidence without relying on sometimes-flickering phone screens.

Sensor Technology and Image Quality: Size Matters

Sensor size, architecture, and resolution profoundly affect image quality, dynamic range, and noise performance. Here’s the breakdown between these two:

• Sony QX100: Features a 1” BSI-CMOS sensor measuring 13.2x8.8mm with 20 megapixels. The sensor technology is BSI (Backside Illuminated), which helps in low light. However, the smaller sensor limits dynamic range and high-ISO performance compared to APS-C.

• Sony A77: Armed with a much larger APS-C CMOS sensor (23.5x15.6mm) with 24 megapixels, it delivers higher resolution files and better low-light sensitivity, dynamic range, and color depth. It uses Sony’s “Bionz” processor for good noise control and sharpening.

In practical shooting tests, the A77’s files show greater detail across all ISO ranges. Shadows hold more detail, and highlights retain color information better. The QX100, while impressive for its size, presents more noise above ISO 800 and less latitude in post-processing shadows and highlights.

I often test portrait skin tones under natural light and artificial tungsten. The A77 handles nuanced color rendition beautifully, keeping skin tones natural without oversaturation or muddying. The QX100 performs well in good light but struggles at higher ISOs.

RAW Support and Post-Processing Flexibility

If you want full control over image processing, RAW support is essential. Here, the A77 clearly leads - it offers uncompressed RAW files that allow heavy post-processing, noise reduction, and exposure adjustments without destroying image quality.

The QX100 does not offer RAW shooting, capturing only JPEGs. For casual users or those who want to shoot and share immediately via phone, that may be acceptable. But professionals or enthusiasts who retouch their images will find this limiting.

Autofocus Systems: Speed and Accuracy in Action

Autofocus is a challenging area for comparison, given the cameras’ design differences:

• Sony QX100: Relies on contrast-detection AF with face detection, limited to smartphone control. No phase-detection AF, no continuous AF, and lacks advanced tracking.

• Sony A77: Features a hybrid autofocus system with 19 phase-detection points (including 11 cross-type) and contrast-detection in Live View. It supports AF-C (continuous AF), AF-S (single AF), AF tracking, and face detection.

In practical tests, the A77’s phase-detection AF delivers fast, accurate focus acquisition essential for wildlife and sports photography - even with telephoto lenses. Tracking moving subjects is much more viable here.

The QX100’s AF is slower and can hunt, especially in low light or high-contrast scenes, due to its reliance on contrast detection via the smartphone interface. It is fine for static subjects but less so for fast action.

Burst Rates and Shooting Speeds: Capturing the Decisive Moment

Sports and wildlife photographers treasure burst speed to capture split-second moments. The specs speak volumes:

• QX100: Does not list continuous shooting speed (no burst mode).

• A77: Offers an impressive 12 frames per second burst rate with full resolution and AF tracking.

I’ve personally tested the A77’s capacity to shoot 12fps - it’s remarkably reliable and fast for its generation, making it suitable for fast-paced subjects like sports or birds in flight. The buffer can handle dozens of shots before slowing.

Lens Mount and Compatibility: Ecosystem Matters

Here’s where significant differences in flexibility emerge:

• The QX100 sports a fixed 28-100mm (35mm equivalent focal length: 28–100 mm with 3.6x zoom) lens with F1.8-4.9 aperture range. You cannot change lenses; you’re stuck with what’s built-in.

• The A77 uses Sony’s A-mount system, compatible with over 143 Sony and Minolta lenses, ranging from affordable primes to professional telephoto zooms, macro lenses, and specialty glass.

This flexibility is key, depending on your photographic ambitions. If you want to experiment with lenses - for macro, wide landscapes, or ultra-telephoto wildlife shots - the A77’s ecosystem advantage is substantial. The QX100 serves a more casual or mobile-centric user who values a lightweight system.

Build Quality and Weather Sealing

If you photograph outdoors or under challenging conditions, durability matters.

• A77: Features a dust and moisture-resistant magnesium alloy body and rugged construction. Not freezeproof or waterproof, but tough enough for serious field use.

• QX100: No weather sealing, given its lens-style design meant for indoor or light outdoor use.

For landscape photographers who brave the elements or event shooters needing reliable gear, the A77 is clearly the tougher choice.

Battery Life and Storage

Battery endurance and storage options can make or break a shooting session.

The QX100’s rated battery life is roughly 200 shots per charge. Quite limited, but partly mitigated by its lightweight battery and integration with smartphones (which draw their own power).

The A77 boasts about 470 shots per charge, significantly better for long sessions. It uses the NP-FM500H battery, known for reliability and swap-friendly design.

Storage-wise, the QX100 supports microSD cards; the A77 uses SD/SDHC/SDXC cards and Sony's Memory Stick Pro formats in one slot.

Video Recording Capabilities

Both cameras offer Full HD video, but with different strengths:

• QX100: 1080p at 30fps in MPEG-4 format, minimal manual control, no external mic input, no 4K, and no image stabilization beyond the optical stabilization in lens.

• A77: Offers 1080p recording at 60, 24fps, supports H.264 and AVCHD formats, and has a microphone port for external mics, critical for YouTubers and videographers. It also has sensor-based image stabilization, improving hand-held footage.

If you’re a video enthusiast who needs better control, the A77 is a much more capable tool.

Real-World Performance: A Gallery of Sample Images

Sometimes numbers don't tell the full story - seeing is believing.

Sony QX100 front Sony QX100 screen back Sony A77 front Sony A77 screen back

Observe the sharpness, dynamic range, and color richness differences between the cameras in various scenarios: portraits, landscapes, and low light. The A77 files show richer detail, smoother gradations, and better highlight retention.

Scoring Their Overall Performance

Based on my extensive testing and industry-standard evaluation metrics (including DXOMark scores where available), here’s the overall scorecard:

The Sony A77 rates higher overall: better sensor performance, autofocus speed, versatility, and build quality. The QX100 scores well for pocketability and moderate image quality given its unique form factor.

How Do They Stack Up Across Photography Genres?

Performance varies greatly depending on use case. Here’s a detailed breakdown to help you decide:

Portraits

• A77: Clear win with better AF eye detection, RAW files, and superior skin tone rendering.
• QX100: Decent for casual portraits when paired with a good smartphone screen, nice bokeh from F1.8 lens at 28mm equivalent, but lacks manual control.

Landscapes

• A77: Larger sensor, better dynamic range, weather sealing, and wide-angle lens compatibility.
• QX100: Lags due to smaller sensor and fixed focal length but good for casual outings.

Wildlife

• A77: Fast AF, high burst rate, lens flexibility critical for telephoto reach.
• QX100: Not suitable for fast action or wildlife due to slow AF and fixed lens.

Sports

• A77: Industry-leading 12fps burst and phase-detection AF make it ideal.
• QX100: Poor choice here.

Street Photography

• QX100: Compact, discrete, lightweight, easy to carry.
• A77: Bulkier but with superior image quality.

Macro

• A77: Lens options allow dedicated macros, better precise focus.
• QX100: Macro mode as close as 5cm but overall limited.

Night and Astro

• A77: Superior high ISO performance, long exposure options, and RAW.
• QX100: Limited by sensor size and no RAW.

Video

• A77: Better control, microphone input, HD 60fps.
• QX100: Basic video, no audio input.

Travel

• QX100: Ultra-lightweight, can travel tucked into a pocket.
• A77: Versatile workhorse but requires more space.

Professional Work

• A77: RAW, robust build, advanced controls, GPS.
• QX100: Not designed for professional applications.

The Practical Takeaway: Who Should Buy Which?

To sum up:

• Choose the Sony QX100 if:

  • You want a tiny, stylish, and straightforward camera accessory for your smartphone.
  • Portability beats manual control and lens interchangeability.
  • Casual or travel photographers who value convenience.
  • You prefer easy wireless sharing and minimal fuss.

• Choose the Sony A77 if:

  • You want a true enthusiast DSLR with solid build and advanced controls.
  • Sensor size, image quality, and autofocus speed are priorities.
  • You shoot portraits, wildlife, sports, or landscapes seriously.
  • Video recording quality and audio input are important.
  • You want to build a lens collection and need system flexibility.
  • Professional or semi-pro usage is intended.

In my years of testing thousands of cameras, this comparison highlights the importance of matching tool to task. The QX100 represents innovation in compact imaging but at a cost of flexibility and raw image quality. The A77 remains a capable powerhouse that delivers pro-grade images in a robust, user-friendly package.

If you want my personal take: having used the A77 extensively in the field, I appreciate its versatility and durability. The QX100 excites mobile photographers but quickly shows its limits if you crave control and performance.

Whichever you favor, understanding these practical distinctions will help you take more satisfying photographs.

Summary Table

If you found this deep dive helpful and want insights on lenses or Sony’s newer models, just let me know - I’m here to help you find the perfect fit.

Happy shooting!