autofocus speed with Sony A-700? (1 Viewer)

I have owned a Sony A-100 since August 2006, and am happy with image quality and image stabilization. However, I use a Tamron 200-500mm lens, and generally must manually focus to catch birds in flight. The AF is too slow. The question is, for anyone using the A-700, has the AF capability improved?~

Hi, first let me say I feel your pain, I too love my a100, but I know the autofocus likes to hunt a lot if conditions and lens choice aren't perfect. Being that the a700 is new, there isn't too much first hand experience out there to go by. But I did find this information on dpreview:

"Faster focusing
Sony has also redesigned the focus mechanics, AF algorithm and microprocessor to offer faster AF. The target, apparently, was the fastest AF in any SLR, and to match Minolta's Maxxum 7 film SLR. "

According to dpreview, the whole autofocus system has been re-tooled.

You can read the article for yourself here:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydslra700/

This camera looks like a beast! Let us know what your thoughts are if you do end up buying this camera!

Valzuniga

Hi, I upgraded from a Minolta 5D to an A700 a few months ago and use the Tamron 200 - 500 on both cameras. The auto focus on the A700 is much faster than the 5D although in poor light it still tends to hunt but I find the eye-focus is good for quick hand held shots and I am pleased that I upgraded.

You should also know that MANY users reported that the autofocus on the a100 seemed a lot more decisive when they upgraded to the latest firmware. This has also been my experience. If you haven't tried it out yet this could give you some relief until you decide on your next purchase.