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A850 manual downloaded

M

madcat207

Guest
One interesting thing of note from:
http://www.photoclubalpha.com/2009/08/01/alpha-850-24-megapixel-3fps-in-900-body/

Even at 3fps (Lo) continuous, the Alpha 900 can only shoot 12 raw frames consecutively before the shooting rate slows. The Alpha 850 – a cheaper body – can shoot 16 raw. All the capacities are increased:

RAW 16 images
cRAW 18 images
RAW & JPEG 12 images
cRAW & JPEG 12 images
Extra fine 34 images
Fine/Standard 384 images/593 images

While RAW shows a worthwhile increase, JPEG improvement is off the chart (another reason I suspect it’s the Apical/Sony bit which handled post-processing, DRO, NR and JPEG conversion which has been upgraded). The Alpha 850 manages THREE TIMES the number of Extra Fine JPEGs, it’s a mere 11 with the A900, and almost four times the number of Standard. Of course, the UDMA 300X Sony CF card now used to measure this was not around when the Alpha 900 was launched, and no mention of it is made in the 900 manual. It gets its own credit in the A850 manual.
Anyway, looking at this camera, I can't help but feel that this replaces the A900 (24MP at 5FPS thanks to dual processors could not be cheap) at around the same price, with something like an A950/A1000 being a fully "Pro" body..
 

douglasf13

New member
Maybe, although it seems odd that Sony would keep the A700 around for 2 years, and then axe the A900 after only one. Who knows? Maybe Sony will price the A850 at something insane like $1999, and bring the A900 price to $2399, and that'll leave room for more at the top end. Sony's electronics have always been a bit clustered together with price and features.

If the A850 is only $1999, then we will have one popular camera on our hands.
 

Tex

Subscriber Member
that is all great and fine but what about a few Zeiss normal to wide primes and tilt/shift lenses
 

douglasf13

New member
Agreed, Tex, although it's a lot easier to bring a derivative new camera body than it is to develop lenses. The good thing is that this is a sign the Sony is committed to a complete FF line.
 
M

madcat207

Guest
Well, we know that Sony has already developed a cheaper 28-70/2.8 (we saw it at PMA with the other new APS-C lenses which did come to fruition); the A850 may launch some new FF lenses (even if they eventually discontinue the A900, they will have two FF bodies to support, so more demand for such lenses).
 

arashm

Member
Oh, I don't really follow sony rumors, but this is a bit unexpected (for me) but welcoming. I guess they figure it's a good way to get people in to buy the lenses.
I think it's great that sony is pushing, I like the a900. (love the VF)
it's also crazy to think that sony has a mid body 24mpx (a900) or soon to be 2, and nikon still doesn't.
we'll see when this rumor comes out of the bag, but exciting none the less.
thanks for posting the links.
am
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
A sub $2,000 A850 will make a transition from Nikon to Sony very painless, at least for those who planned to spend 1,800 on the D300s anyway. Tough competition for Nikon and Canon this.
 

tom in mpls

Active member
So my new A900 arrives in 2 days. Not interested in a stripped down version, but A1000 makes me wonder if waiting a couple of weeks would have been wiser. If it's a big body like the Canon 1 series, I'm still not interested.
 

edwardkaraa

New member
The A1000 is surely not coming in a couple of weeks. You should be able to enjoy your A900 for at least 1 more year imho.
 

Eoin

Member
I couldn't care less about the 850 or 1000 for that matter. I've found nirvana in my a900's. They are not 100% perfect in every aspect of form or function but, they are so close it makes such little difference at my level of photography.

For the first time in my "digital photography" life I feel I can sit the next few new releases out. However to be fair, I'm not a super high ISO shooter or need to earn a living from photography.

Enjoy your a900 Tom.:clap:
 

edwardkaraa

New member
Fully agreed. The A900 is still the flagship of Sony and I don't see it being replaced/upgraded before at least 12-18 months. Add to that my usual 5-6 months observation period of any new camera and my A900 is still good to go for a long time :)
 

douglasf13

New member
Fully agreed. The A900 is still the flagship of Sony and I don't see it being replaced/upgraded before at least 12-18 months. Add to that my usual 5-6 months observation period of any new camera and my A900 is still good to go for a long time :)
Agreed. The A700 has lasted two years, and I see no reason to think the A900 will only last one. We may see a price reduction, though. I'd say we have a long time before a higher end Sony comes, but we'll see.
 

peterv

New member
Eoin and Edward,

I too agree that the a900 is a fine camera and won't be obsolete for quite a while. I would not be surprised though if the a1000 would come before the World Cup in South Africa (Sony is sponsor) next year. An a1000 that would probably be 'better' equipped for sports photographers and photojournalists with high ISO, fast AF and (better) wheather sealing.
 

edwardkaraa

New member
You have a point Peter, but if this is true, then we are talking about a completely different product, not a A900 replacement. I'm sure Sony will eventually release a 1Ds3/D3x competitor, but pricewise and performance wise will be too much for many people here including myself (though it's not gonna stop me wanting one :D)
 
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