A900

[godzilla60]

Agreed.
Think of a Ferrari; it's built light to run, and really run fast. But if you add passenger seats behind to take 3 passengers - it would subtract from its performance delivery. I think that's why there are WRXs... :bsmilie:

Your comparison is good. :thumbsup:

however, Ferrari is still considered practical. Why have radio, aircon and other amenties in the Ferrari? in fact why have the front passenger seat? Because of the practicality...most owners of Ferrari dun want to arrive at the destination feeling hot and flustered....and aircon takes away about 10 hp from the engine performance....so why have it there? In fact rally cars and real sporting cars do not have aircons or even windows (they just have unmovable plastic for windows) for that matter...

but the aircon is there for practical reasons and when the driver needs that extra speed boost (i wonder why will he need in sg?), he can always turn off the aircon and gain that 10hp. Likewise for the LV feature in camera.

I think the A900 is not the pro-level camera, it is rumoured to have a better one (though not confirmed, i think...) so i guess it was targetted at market of D700 and 5D? In this market segment, LV is quite popular, judging from the way they have aggressively put LV into their models....

That being said, before this argument escalates into bitterness, there is no right answer. However, it was just my opinion that LV will be a useful feature for a FF, so I hope that Sony does come out with one lower-end model with 12MP FF, LV and that sexy pentaprism for the queer guy like me. :sweat:

 

[godzilla60]

Hmm... Mainly because of overlap... I have the 50mm and the 135mm as well. Not too sure if I still "need" the 85. I'll think about it.

wow... u have lots of overlaps in the lens too...:sweat:

 

[koolbeep]

haha... i think u misunderstand my point....when i meant to compose with LV, it is not on a comfortable eye-level, which i can just use fingers and thumbs from both hands to form the necessary frame. What i meant is when u wanna take a shot from really low level that is very close to the ground (say, maybe 1 mm from the ground?) and it is inconvenient to lie down prone position? or composing a shot over the heads of the crowd in front (have u noticed that usually people standing in front of u always are taller..sigh..)?

LV is really not for frequent usage...it is really good for the odd shots at the odd angles...just like nuclear weapons..they are not frequently used (just once so far..) but they are a good-to-have when the need arises...

frankly, i have played with my friend's A350's LV, another friend's 40D's LV and yet another D300's LV...they are good to have when framing almost impossible shots but on frequent usage, it is like the bayonet exercises where we have to hold the weight of the M16 with extended arms....highly unstable....

but if the A900 price is good, i dun mind getting the 3rd party attachment that attaches to the VF to emulate LV without sapping the main batt's juice...

on the point of the pentaprism...yeah...i love it.....so manly...:lovegrin:

i totally agree with you... there are times that you would like to be creative and looking at the viewfinder if not possible is difficult to do so what you do is trial and error. :bsmilie: Anyway, I dont like either to compromise the camera functionality just in case it can be implemented but you dont have this.. blah blah!

Like a350 that has great LV but with small view finder...

 

[Agetan]

mmm. funny? maybe because the photographer looks unprofessional composing shots on a professional camera? :think: haha

true...LV sucks up LOTS of juice.....but I would really rather that the function is there when i really need it at the odd angle then to go for trial and error. In fact, i am not a LV fanatic...i can't shoot with PNS that uses only LV....my hands shake too much when extended...:sweatsm:

Its not how we use the camera... but as working professional in most discipline, they will prefer more frames/charge than LV... also there are a lot of factor to consider.

Anyway, you think why Sony is so quite about the A-900 as well as labelling the camera "Flagship" rather than Professional FF DSLR? There must be a good reason right?

Sony understand what it takes to be in the pro market and they are still building up their portfolio to do that... I would expect more stuff coming before Sony makes another grand opening to Alpha line.

but only time will tell.

Hart

 

[alvino]

but the aircon is there for practical reasons and when the driver needs that extra speed boost (i wonder why will he need in sg?), he can always turn off the aircon and gain that 10hp. Likewise for the LV feature in camera.

totally agreed with you. most ppl somehow think if LV is present as a function, IT HAS TO BE USED ALL the time.

they missed your point on using it when necessary or convenient for awkward shots or some pre composed framing.

but you have to understand where some ppl are coming from, they've used film camera to old dslr without LV. it's not easy for them to appreciate LV, most of them love squinting their eyes to shoot pictures(perhaps more wrinkle makes ppl look more mature and wise). it has become a habit, or a nature way how things should be done(in their way).

 

[Andies]

live view is definitely useful and though you may not use it everyday, you will love it when the situation doesn't allow you to peep thru the view finder to compose ur shots..

anyway tried out the A900 at IMM sony galleria.. very very huge but feelings a tad too blocky compared to A700 or A350! but the functions accessibility and built are really top notch..

 

[godzilla60]

live view is definitely useful and though you may not use it everyday, you will love it when the situation doesn't allow you to peep thru the view finder to compose ur shots..

anyway tried out the A900 at IMM sony galleria.. very very huge but feelings a tad too blocky compared to A700 or A350! but the functions accessibility and built are really top notch..

it is out officially already?? how much and what is in the package?

 

[alvino]

it is out officially already?? how much and what is in the package?

yeah its out officially. i just laid my hands on the unit at Junction 8 outlet. about 4200 price tag. no lens. didn't see any freebies mentioned. I didn't ask since its not in my budget at all

agreed with binxuan, it's big, cannot imagine with a HG it's like humongous. personally i prefer the A700's size. YMMV

 

[Agetan]

I think A-900 with wide angle lens is nice...

Here is one I took last Saturday....

Hart

 

[alvino]

I think A-900 with wide angle lens is nice...

Here is one I took last Saturday....
Hart

nice!! what lens is that? hmm 13mm? 11-18 lens? i want that too.. i think FF body maximises the wide-ness! :thumbsup:

 

[Agetan]

Just a quick review..... (my personal view) after 1 full day of using the camera in various lighting conditions and locations.

A-900 is very accurate with the AF focussing as compared to A-700.

Viewfinder is bright and clear makes MF very easy with manual rokkor lens.

With FF and MP this beast provide, it make use of every bit of the full frame lenses.... Old lenses from Minolta days perform extremely well... 28mm f2, 35mm f1.4, 85mm f1.4, 80-200 f2.8 perform a lot better on A900 than on A-700. Suddenly feel 35mm is really wide.

However, I feel that the AF speed of the camera is slightly slower than A-700, but please remember this is actually my gut feeling when using both cameras.

Reliability wise, A-700 has never fail after since day 1 but A-900 shut off 4 times in 1 day... faulty unit? or reliability problem? Makes me wonder..... however, it could be just plain bad luck with the unit? or something serious that needs firmware update?

AS seems to work very well and flash with 56 flash work very very well... it is more reliable than A-700 so to speak.

When the LCD off, no flash, and 1 charge lasted 650+ shots per charge... so I think it works really well... but not as good as some Nikon and Canon camera which lasted 1000+ shots per charge...

Intelligent preview works really well as I shoot only in M mode. Takes a lot of guess work out of equation. Do I wish LV to be incorporated... NO thanks...

However, with FF, it really test the limit of the lens wide open, there are quite a bit of vignetting with some prime at wide open but it is a look I prefer.... so its not a problem for what I do. But people who don't like vignetting might need to shoot a stop or two down.

Anyway, is the money well spend for $4+k A-900? Only you can determine that.

Hope for those who are considering A-900 will find the personal viewpoint helpful.

Take care and happy shooting...

Shall post more review after I put through more frames....

Regards,

Hart

 

[Agetan]

nice!! what lens is that? hmm 13mm? 11-18 lens? i want that too.. i think FF body maximises the wide-ness! :thumbsup:

Hate to say that but its Sigma 12-24... its ok lens... How I wish there is a 12mm f2.8 G HS rectilinear Lens....

Hart

 

[alvino]

However, I feel that the AF speed of the camera is slightly slower than A-700, but please remember this is actually my gut feeling when using both cameras.

oh yeah i tot i was just too demanding or thinking too much. I tested out the display unit just now at J8 Sony gallery. It does feels mildly slower than A700.

 

[godzilla60]

manhandled the A900 at imm sony gallery recently.....

another personal opinion:

Well-built. The bulk is ergonomic...fits nicely into my hands. One thing i like is the secondary lcd panel at the top of the body.

AF is fast too, even on kit lens (18-70)

Agreed with agetan....it is really wide....18mm REAL WIDE....but vignetting is visible but the effect is quite nice....somewhat translucent

Intelligent Preview is good...lets u adjust the WB on the fly. also allows adjustment of aperture value and ISO (i think) but see no effect on the picture....:think: And yes, i still prefer if LV is incorporated as a practical option.

time from shot to preview is fast too, even when taking at RAW format...the benefit of twin-engine....:sweatsm:

 

[godzilla60]

I think A-900 with wide angle lens is nice...

Here is one I took last Saturday....

Hart

this is swee :thumbsup:

 

[Knighthunter]

Sony didn't incorporate flash compensation level (not indicator) and ISO in A900 viewfinder , this is the wish list from my A700 if I am planning to upgrade.
Try to adjust ISO and flash compensation without chimping, just not possible. Another thing is the display lit when adjusting parameter when viewing from viewfinder, is quite annoying and blinding for shooting a night.

 

[Rashkae]

Sony didn't incorporate flash compensation level (not indicator) and ISO in A900 viewfinder , this is the wish list from my A700 if I am planning to upgrade.
Try to adjust ISO and flash compensation without chimping, just not possible. Another thing is the display lit when adjusting parameter when viewing from viewfinder, is quite annoying and blinding for shooting a night.

Ever tried pressing the ISO button? It then shows in the viewfinder.

 

[zcf]

Ever tried pressing the ISO button? It then shows in the viewfinder.

yup, it can be view with a press on ISO button, ISO also allowed to be changed and shown, it's there since KM5D time.

 

[Knighthunter]

I never notice it because everytime I need to check my current ISO I have to chimp and adjust, it will great if it has permanent display.
I just feel Sony viewfinder information display is bare minmum no different between A900 & A700

 

[synapseman]

Reliability wise, A-700 has never fail after since day 1 but A-900 shut off 4 times in 1 day... faulty unit? or reliability problem? Makes me wonder..... however, it could be just plain bad luck with the unit? or something serious that needs firmware update?

Most likely it's a firmware thing. I remember my A700 getting "stuck" a few times in a day soon after I bought it. The firmware fixed all that. Let's hope the A900 fix comes out soon.

Is there some sort of "APS-C" mode in the camera, whereby you can still continue to use APS-C lenses on it? I thought I read about it somewhere, but am still not sure about it?