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Advice needed on purchasing A900

Gaetan

New member
Hello all. I am new to the forum (as of today). I have been looking for a while now to replace my Nikon D200 (which was used along with my Hassy V series) I first looked at Nikon D3/700 and liked what I saw then I went to Canon 5D Mk II and liked what I saw. Then someone told me to have a look at the A900. Have read everything I could get my hands on it and yes...I like what I saw. So I went to a photo shop in town and fooled around with the A900. I definitely like what I felt so I put it on hold. Now I have come across rumours that SONY is replacing the 900 with a 950 or 1000? So once again I jump back on the fence and start thinking do I buy or not if the camera becomes superseded in a month or so? Any suggestions would be welcomed by this August body.

Thanks

Gaetan

www.photostudiodery.com
 
Now I have come across rumours that SONY is replacing the 900 with a 950 or 1000?
Yep, guaranteed to happen. I also can promise that there is a Nikon D700x and Canon 5D mkIII coming to, but as is usually the case, anyone who knows when can't say and anyone will say doesn't really know. The Sony A700 will be replaced very soon with the A850. You might do a little research and see when the A700 was introduced and about what the life cycle is, see when the A900 was introduced and try to guess at a replacement date.

Playing the waiting game with DSLR manufacturers is a bit dicey. If you are happy with the A900 as it sits now, buy it and you will still be happy with it when the new model comes out. If you are not happy with it, you might wait and see what the new model looks like as it may or may not address your concerns.

Read through the Sony threads here. I would say that it's pros and cons have been pretty well hashed out.
 

douglasf13

New member
I agree with Bill, although I believe the A5xx series is going to be closer to a replacement for the A700. If you can stand a 98% VF (versus 100%) and only 3fps, I'd wait a few weeks for the A850 announcement. If not, I'd go ahead with the A900, as I don't think we're close to a higher end model, yet. The beginning of September should have things sorted. Ahhhh....speculation. :)

BTW, if you go with fullframe Sony, I can recommend trying a Hassie V to Sony adapter for your Hassie lenses. It works rather well (although only in M mode.) :thumbup:
 

edwardkaraa

New member
Sony seem to have longer cycles than Canon's 18 months. I think the A900 still has at least 1 year before getting replaced. Sony might release a pro body before that, but it will not be an A900 replacement.
 

Gaetan

New member
Never thought of that option of a SONY adapter for the Hassy lens as I have 6 Zeiss Hassy CF lens. Will search the internet for where I can find one. Thanks for the tip. About ready to plunge again.
 

MoJo

Registred Users
Go for it. It is so much better (subjective i know) than Canon. Wait till you see those natural looking files!
 

Gaetan

New member
OK. Thanks for all your support. I plunged. Now have an alpha 900 with grip and the 24-70 Zeiss and Sony flash unit. Figuring out how it works. AMEX card suffering from meltdown.

Would anyone know where to go to obtain a " tripod quick Release" for the 900 which if left on, will not hamper the use of the grip in the vertical position?

Thank you

Respectfully

Gaetan Dery

www.photostudiodery.com
 
Congrats on the purchase. On the whole, the A900 is the best camera I've ever owned. Not the fastest, smallest, lightest, or best image quality, but it has been good enough so far which is pretty high praise for a camera I am asking to do everything.

I added a cheap zoom lens I bought off eBay to it and the combo is always with me. For years I have been saying that I just want a digital F3 and this is as close as I have seen.

As far as using your Hassy V lenses on it, I will say that aside from a Pentax 645 and Mamiya RZ, the Sony A900 is simply the best manual focus camera I have used. Just buy the M focusing screen now, don't wait. It makes the camera better.

Now, where I am not totally happy is on the image processing. I have yet to find a raw converter that really does it for me. So far I am having the best luck with C1 Pro, it has a couple features over C1 that IMO are necessary on the Sony. If absolute quality matters more than speed or convenience, there are better options.
 
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