My thoughts on the new Sony Alpha 900

Today Sony has announced it’s new full frame digital SLR, called Alpha 900. The full details of the new camera can be viewed at dpreview.

The full frame sensor with 24.6 megapixels sounds impressive and puts Sony at the top when it comes to resolution in digital SLR cameras (except medium format). Of course than could change pretty quickly and it’s expected that both Nikon and Canon will introduce a new full frame camera soon.

The new Sony Alpha 900 can shoot 5 frames per second, which is not bad for such a high resolution. It has AF micro adjustments and weather sealing.

All in all the new features are not bad, but also not too impressive except for the 24.6 megapixels. But what I think is pretty impressive is the announced price of US $2999.99.
That’s really a very competitive price for a 24.6 megapixel full frame camera and puts a lot of pressure on Canon and Nikon.
And this is why the Alpha 900 is great news not only for Sony photographers but also for Canon and Nikon shooters. I expect to see a serious drop in prices for full frame cameras in the next 12 to 24 months.

The first images taken with the Alpha 900 that were published at the above mentioned preview at dpreview are not bad, but not very impressive either. There is a lot of noise in the images with higher ISO like 1.600. What I can see, it does not reach the quality of the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III. But this is just a preview and we should wait until more detailed reviews of a production model are available.

Many expect Nikon to use this sensor in an upcoming full frame sensor with a higher resolution than their current Nikon D3 and Nikon D700. If this is really the case, I can’t say. There is so much rumor on the internet that it’s hard to really say anything before the final camera will be released.

Does it make sense switching brands and go to Sony?
No! If you’ve already been shooting with Sony or still use Minolta film cameras, the A900 might be just what you want.
On the other side, if you are a Nikon or Canon shooter, I don’t see any reason to change brands just because the A900 has the highest megapixel count (for now). Sony does not offer the huge selection of lenses Nikon and Canon do - although Sony is constantly adding new lenses and they may be in a more competitive position here in a few years.
For now, I miss - among others - a 4/500 from Sony. This alone makes Sony not very interesting for bird and wildlife photographers as a 4/500 is the most popular choice for many bird and wildlife photographers.

Conclusion:
I think the introduction of the Sony Alpha 900 is great news for all digital photographers. More competition will result in better (and cheaper) products for all of us. Let’s see what follows from Canon and Nikon. Exciting times!

More Information about the Sony Alpha 900:
Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 Preview at dpreview.com
Sony Alpha 900 at photographyblog.com
Sony Alpha A900 Digital SLR at letgodigital.org
Sony Alpha A900 - 24MP Full Frame DSLR at bobatkins.com