Sony has unveiled its next installment for its Alpha digital SLR system. The newly released DSLR-A700 digital camera features advanced imaging technology, ultra-responsive operation, dust and moisture resistance, and Super SteadyShot Inside image stabilization. The camera has a 12.2-megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor that performs analog-to-digital signal conversion and dual noise reduction. The lightweight, magnesium alloy camera is compatible with most Minolta Maxxum mount lenses and Sony lenses.

The camera boasts a new autofocus system with a total of 11 wide-area sensors and has a shutter speed of 1/8,000 second due to its high-performance vertical traverse shutter. The user can take advantage of the camera's continuous shooting abilities of up to 5 frames per second; up to 18 frames can be captured in RAW.

An updated version of Sony's Dynamic Range Optimizer has been added to this camera, allowing the user to choose the level of detail recovered in areas of shadow. The camera also features 14 creative styles, customization options and 28 adjustable settings. Hands-free control of the camera is available with a remote-capture application that can be controlled from a compatible PC via USB, and the A700 model has an HDMI output that allows for easy connection to a HDTV set.

For convenient viewing, the camera has a 3-inch LCD screen with ultra-sharp resolution (921K). Two lenses come with the A700: the DT 16-105mm f/3.5-5.6 and the DT 18-20mm f/3.5-6.3. The camera can use either the Memory Stick Pro-HG high-speed data transfer standard or the CompactFlash Type I/II media card.

The DSLR-A700 camera body sells for an estimated $1,400. The DT 16 lens is $580, and the DT 18 is $550.