andreasoesch
Themenersteller
Erstes Review auf Imaging-Resource gefunden:
PRO:
* Extraordinary resolution, nothing touches it at its price point
* Built-in SteadyShot image stabilization
* Surprisingly fast, given the amount of data the camera is pushing around
* Good color rendering: Natural without seeming flat
* A lot of nice user interface touches, well thought out controls
* Intelligent Preview feature is a real time-saver for determining best camera settings
* +/- 2 EV steps on auto bracketing is nice for HDR (High Dynamic Range) shooters
* Sony finally made their RAW files be truly RAW! (Able to turn off high-ISO noise reduction in the RAW files)
* True 100% pentaprism viewfinder
* Huge viewfinder image, really hearkens back to the days of film SLRs (in a good way)
* User interchangeable focusing screens
* Lighter than the only other full-frame in its resolution class (Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III)
* Rugged magnesium alloy body
* 3.0-inch, high-resolution LCD
* Top panel LCD (albeit a small one)
* Dramatically low price for a full-frame camera with this much resolution
* HDMI output
* Good battery life
* Dual memory card formats
CON:
* Some image noise even at ISO 200
* At anything above ISO 200, noise limits maximum print size before resolution becomes an issue.
* High-ISO performance doesn't match that of Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III (Which is also 2.6x as expensive though)
* Dynamic range less than that of many current models
* Noticeable delay when switching from record to playback mode is annoying
* Despite being much lighter than its's only competitor, still a big, heavy hunk of metal and glass (not the camera's fault, just a fact of life with full-frame.)
* No built-in flash (not unusual for a pro model though)
* APS-C mode does not improve burst speed
* Exposure accuracy may suffer with DT lenses in APS-C mode
* No Live View mode
Sony started the year promising a lot for their flagship camera. We didn't have a name, nor a long list of features, but we did know that the sensor would be a 24.6-megapixel design that was expected to impress. It certainly has done that.
The Sony A900 is a formidable camera. It's big, which won't work for everyone, but I found it more than bearable with my medium-sized hands, and even my daughter had no trouble hefting the A900 with the 24-70mm f/2.8 attached and firing off a few frames.
If you want the most pixels in a small package, the Sony A900 is where you'll find it. It's bulky, but less so than the more expensive 1Ds Mark III, and that makes it easier to bring along. I enjoyed shooting with the 24-70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss so much that I recommend it if you can afford it. I recently attached the 18-70mm kit lens that comes with the A200, and the A900 felt quite a bit more bearable, though I can only imagine that high-res sensor would reveal all the flaws in that less-expensive lens.
Image quality is Sony's best so far; not just in terms of resolution, but also in controlling their impulse to squelch all noise at the expense of detail. You can even turn off the high-ISO noise suppression that was once inaccessible.
Not only is the viewfinder so big and beautiful that you think you might fall in, the image quality has the same effect when you view the images on your computer. With the ability to capture full frame images at a high clip, the Sony A900 is one impressive image maker, and a certain Dave's Pick.
PRO:
* Extraordinary resolution, nothing touches it at its price point
* Built-in SteadyShot image stabilization
* Surprisingly fast, given the amount of data the camera is pushing around
* Good color rendering: Natural without seeming flat
* A lot of nice user interface touches, well thought out controls
* Intelligent Preview feature is a real time-saver for determining best camera settings
* +/- 2 EV steps on auto bracketing is nice for HDR (High Dynamic Range) shooters
* Sony finally made their RAW files be truly RAW! (Able to turn off high-ISO noise reduction in the RAW files)
* True 100% pentaprism viewfinder
* Huge viewfinder image, really hearkens back to the days of film SLRs (in a good way)
* User interchangeable focusing screens
* Lighter than the only other full-frame in its resolution class (Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III)
* Rugged magnesium alloy body
* 3.0-inch, high-resolution LCD
* Top panel LCD (albeit a small one)
* Dramatically low price for a full-frame camera with this much resolution
* HDMI output
* Good battery life
* Dual memory card formats
CON:
* Some image noise even at ISO 200
* At anything above ISO 200, noise limits maximum print size before resolution becomes an issue.
* High-ISO performance doesn't match that of Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III (Which is also 2.6x as expensive though)
* Dynamic range less than that of many current models
* Noticeable delay when switching from record to playback mode is annoying
* Despite being much lighter than its's only competitor, still a big, heavy hunk of metal and glass (not the camera's fault, just a fact of life with full-frame.)
* No built-in flash (not unusual for a pro model though)
* APS-C mode does not improve burst speed
* Exposure accuracy may suffer with DT lenses in APS-C mode
* No Live View mode
Sony started the year promising a lot for their flagship camera. We didn't have a name, nor a long list of features, but we did know that the sensor would be a 24.6-megapixel design that was expected to impress. It certainly has done that.
The Sony A900 is a formidable camera. It's big, which won't work for everyone, but I found it more than bearable with my medium-sized hands, and even my daughter had no trouble hefting the A900 with the 24-70mm f/2.8 attached and firing off a few frames.
If you want the most pixels in a small package, the Sony A900 is where you'll find it. It's bulky, but less so than the more expensive 1Ds Mark III, and that makes it easier to bring along. I enjoyed shooting with the 24-70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss so much that I recommend it if you can afford it. I recently attached the 18-70mm kit lens that comes with the A200, and the A900 felt quite a bit more bearable, though I can only imagine that high-res sensor would reveal all the flaws in that less-expensive lens.
Image quality is Sony's best so far; not just in terms of resolution, but also in controlling their impulse to squelch all noise at the expense of detail. You can even turn off the high-ISO noise suppression that was once inaccessible.
Not only is the viewfinder so big and beautiful that you think you might fall in, the image quality has the same effect when you view the images on your computer. With the ability to capture full frame images at a high clip, the Sony A900 is one impressive image maker, and a certain Dave's Pick.
