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Steven,Yikes a 36mp FF sensor?? OMG, Besides the 85mm and 135mm Sony Zeiss lenses, I'm not sure if any of the the other Sony lenses will do the camera any justice also to add precise focus and either very high shutter speed or a tripod.
I still struggle with my MF 33MP Leaf Back in regards to getting a sharp image, and thats using MLU, Tripod and release, yet when I get one, it's for sure with the extra effort .
Jono, so far it sounds like you are pleased with the A77, in comparison to your A900 at base ISO, I am thinking about getting one myself, since I am not a WA shooter or a high ISO shooter, the A77 maybe just the ticket.
Steven
I'm kind of in a wait and see pattern with gear right now. If they use the 36 mp as a reason to skip the AA filter, this could be quite a camera. If the A99 is the A77 with more pixels I may just pickup an A77 or another A900 as a backup. That said, I have been watching the rumors on the Nikon D800, and if it turns out to be a Sony A900 with 36 MP, I could be very interested.I seriously doubt that there will be that big of a difference in sheer resolution between the current 24 meg A900 and a 36 meg A99. How that additional data is handled is another story ... and frankly, is the core question yet to be answered.
Don't these two comments seem to contradict each other?...while it is a great camera, it doesn't seem to do as much with its 24 MP as I would expect.
The A900 is already at the point that I can tell which tripod I shot an image on based on sharpness...
No. You clearly know what I am saying as you readily admit the M9 does more with it's 18 than the Sony does with 24. As for the tripod, 24 MP is enough to show errors in technique -- whether focus or stability -- pretty clearly. Of course stability becomes moot at higher shutter speeds.Don't these two comments seem to contradict each other?
Excellent question and I don't know enough about optics to answer intelligently.All this talk about the AA filter, while there is actually a piece of plastic, called translucent mirror, in the optical path. That would be more detrimental to the IQ than the AA filter. Actually the mirror may be playing the role of an AA filter, partially at least.
I don't see how a solid polycarbonate block is going to act like an AA filter. That's just not going to happen. As it ages it may yellow somewhat though. An AA filter is a deliberate construct made from a sandwich of (usually) quartz half wave plates. Each plate is a stop filter (with a peak at a particular frequency), and a series of plates in progression is needed to get a low-pass filter. A clear piece of optical plastic isn't going to act as one.All this talk about the AA filter, while there is actually a piece of plastic, called translucent mirror, in the optical path. That would be more detrimental to the IQ than the AA filter. Actually the mirror may be playing the role of an AA filter, partially at least.
I think my a850 and the M9 are comparable in the sense that they output roughly the same amount of image. The M9 files are slightly easier to work with and more robust. Once I got LR3 set for the M9 I've found very few surprises, mainly due to I think the excellent optics. Post proc is mainly interpretive/expressive rather than clean-up. I've never had a dust spot with the a850; while my M9 right now is a bit dirty and in need of a cleaning (procrastination alert).I do agree that the a900 is a little less than it could be... If they used a very light AA filter, it would have produced a sharper image and better contrast overall. The 18MP M9 simply smokes it for pixel-level sharpness, using comparable lenses, etc. That wouldn't happen but for the AA filter, all things created equal.
I didn't mean it as an exact scientific term, but rather that it softens the image and creates halos around high contrast subjects, so it does more damage to image quality than the AA filter. By the way, what do you mean by solid PC block? The mirror is very thin and flexible piece of plastic glued to a metallic frame.I don't see how a solid polycarbonate block is going to act like an AA filter. That's just not going to happen. As it ages it may yellow somewhat though. An AA filter is a deliberate construct made from a sandwich of (usually) quartz half wave plates. Each plate is a stop filter (with a peak at a particular frequency), and a series of plates in progression is needed to get a low-pass filter. A clear piece of optical plastic isn't going to act as one.
Edward,...so it does more damage to image quality than the AA filter.
This is pure conjecture, but the images I have seen from the A77 at 100% view are not quite the equal of the A900, so I assume it does have an AA filter.BTW, does the A77 have one? That would also be a strong indicator.