SONY make.believe

Finally took the plunge....

Pros: All this and full frame too....

Cons: Not yet.

I've owned and enjoyed using my A700 since the day they were released, and kept telling myself there was no need to change. Then, I had the opportunity to handle and play with an A900, and "POW!" that was it. The viewfinder! What an utter delight. The styling, while not one of my top five reasons for making this purchase carries me back to my beloved Minoltas of days gone by. Features and option controls, I don't know where to start; controls that my fingers simply fall into place on. The logical control layout is a subject of its own. Today was my first field use at a water polo tournament, and all the surprises were pleasant. I used it with the vertical grip which I also had on my A700. I was able to get each shot I wanted, using the 24-70Z or 135 f1.8Z. In all a sign of much great shooting yet to be done! Thank you Sony.

Smart Camera, Simple To Use, Has What You Need

Pros: Not Overloaded With Useless Features

Cons: Just Needs A Wider Selection Of Lenses

Sony is very smart building a camera for the photographer and not the videographer. They should keep working on improving things like ISO noise reduction, Frames per second, adding more lenses and mirror lock-up. Basic things that a photographer needs for taking a STILL PHOTOGRAPH. Leave all of the live view, video etc. to the amateur cameras. The viewfinder is beautiful (due to no live view and video). Menus are simple to use. Now that they are bringing prices down, it is great to be a full frame photographer again. Maybe the next model will be even lower . Hint Hint. Overall the camera is excellent. Keep 'em coming Sony!

a perfect camera

Pros: 5-6fps burst, quick nav, memory settings, versatility

Cons: havent come accross any yet

I took a jump from the a350 (I bought the 350 only 9 months ago as a bump up from a canon reb xti, the 900 wasn't out yet, if it had been I would not have bought the 350) The a900 is probably the most technologically advanced camera out there right now. If you include the advanced DRO there are MORE THAN 50 CONTRAST SETTINGS!! This camera doesnt just take pictures, it makes art! And with the preview one can adjust a shot perfectly, making a single shot look as though it was manipulated into an HDR. I truly dont think there is a better camera on the market today, as I probably would have paid twice as much as retail. I take nature shots for an internationally known firm, using 3 different cameras for different types of shots, with this camera I will never have to switch cameras again

JUST BUY ONE

Pros: IT'S ALL GOOD

Cons: NEEDS A BETTER EYE CUP

YOU CAN CROP THE HECK OUT OF A PICTURE AND STILL HAVE A GREAT SHOT LEFT IF NEED BE. IF ONLY IT HAD VIDEO AND LIVE VIEW..

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Sony DSLR-A900 Camera

Pros: High Reliability, Great Design and performance

Cons: None

The A900 Flagship camera is at the top of my list on cameras I have used over the years. Excellent design and reliability, Sony has certainly hit the mark. Despite what many Canon and Nikon camera users are saying, this camera ranks right up there with both of them and in some ways out performs several cameras I've used in the past from Canon and Nikon.

dropped the ball here

Pros: build

Cons: High grain past ISO 200, Auto Focus Issues, and use the feature's

I just bought this off a friend that did not like it, were both pro photographer's and I hate to say it, but I had to sell it to another person. Build quality is about the best thing going, but who cares if you can't shoot over ISO 200 without heavy grain. The metering is not quite there and the auto focus is very fubbly or inconsistant. The sony Raw file format is very hard to work with.

Full Frame

Pros: Image Stabilization

Cons: Frames per Second

Still one of the Hotties; Image Quality with good glass is astounding. The good glass is expensive. Faster shooting would help in sports shooting, but 5 fps is no slouch.

Fantastic Camera

Pros: Profesional features

Cons: None

I originally bought the A100 several years ago. Next I upgraded to the A700 as soon as it came out. Both cameras fit my needs at the time and performed excellently. I purchased the A900 in September of 2009 along with the grip and two lenses, Ziess 16-35mm f/2.8 and Zeiss 24-70mm f/2.8. I also grabbed the HVL-58 Flash. This camera has been a dream to use. I?m old school so I don?t miss the liveview and I didn?t want video. If I want to take movies I?ll get one of Sony?s very fine HD movie cameras. I love that this feels and acts like a real professional still camera. I have used this camera in the -10 degree snow covered canyons of Utah and the very humid marshes of Florida without any issues. As everyone already noted, the viewfinder is awesome. The controls are well placed and the grip is very well designed. Some folks say the camera is a bit heavy. Most cameras reaching the pro level are heavy. That is why specialty straps are available to get the weight off your neck. If the camera was any lighter folks would complain that it feels like a toy. I myself love the heft of the camera. It feels durable and ready to go out and experience the ever changing environment of the real world. I?m one who goes off the beaten path to get pictures of things many folks would otherwise never see and I need a camera that?s ready when I get there. Not enough lenses? How many do you need? With 3 of the lenses in my small collection I have a range of 16mm-200mm at f/2.8. When I use the 2x Teleconverter with the 70-200 G SSM I have a high quality 140-400mm f/5.6 lens. I?m set for everything from landscape to nature photography. I do agree that I?d like to see a 24 or 28mm tilt-shift lens for architecture. Sony and Zeiss offer what I consider the best prime lenses available for those really low light occasions and I will eventually pick up one of those. The 24.6MP Full Frame sensor is wonderful. I love the rich details available in my images. Some folks like all the pixels for the cropping ability. I however, love to use all the pixels. I fill the entire viewfinder when shooting. I love seeing my images printed very large so all the details captured with this camera are visible. Customers appreciate the details as well. I also really like the depth of field control one gets with the full frame. Is this camera perfect for everyone? Nope. But it does fit me at the time. Any improvements I?d suggest? Maybe a bit better High ISO performance and add selectable autofocus points closer to the rule-of-thirds points in the viewfinder. Otherwise I?m very satisfied with this camera.

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