SONY a (alpha) DSLR-A900 Digital SLR camera

SONY a (alpha) DSLR-A900 - Park Cameras Preview: It’s been 18 months since we first got wind of Sony developing a ‘Full Frame’ 35mm based digital SLR. The anticipation has been building s (...) See more See less

teadily from Sony Alpha users and the Nikon and Canon system users alike. It’s not a great surprise to most that Sony have chosen Photokina 2008 to launch their new flagship camera, which happens to be the highest resolution DSLR to date other than medium format. The pixel count is going to be the headline at an impressive 24.6MP, but this is not the only key feature of this camera. The A900 will quite clearly sit at the head of the Alpha range but the most interesting thing about this camera is where it will sit in relation to the professional offerings from the other manufacturers, specifically the Canon EOS 1DsmkIII, Canon EOS 5D (and it’s rumoured replacement), Nikon D700, Nikon D3 and the speculated Nikon D3x or D4. With such a high pixel count the obvious camera to compare it to would be the EOS 1Ds MK III with 21mp. The Canon has sold well to studio photographers working in fashion, beauty and product photography as well as landscape and architectural photographers for whom detail is crucial. As with the professional bodies from Nikon and Canon, the Sony A900 has an environmentally sealed magnesium alloy body to protect it from dust and moisture ingress. The frame rate of the A900 is again comparable to the EOS 1DsmkIII at 5 frames per second, as is the 100% viewfinder, interchangeable focusing screens and a host of other features. With Canon and Nikon so firmly established as the choice for professional photographers Sony were going to have to do something special to get a share of this market. Sony have traditionally priced their products slightly higher than the competition, always with the attitude that they are the performance leaders whether it be in LCD TVs or home HI-FI equipment. It may come as quite a surprise then to find that the suggest retail price for the A900 body in the UK is £2099.99 The Canon 1DsmkIII which appears to be so simila (Description excerpted from: Park Cameras)