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 think it is all relative. An increase in meg count on its own isn't quite the "linear leap" that many people seem to think it is ... which is the mis-informed fuel that keeps the meg race engines accelerating forward. MFD has been at this "man up" game longer than 35mm DSLRs have, and it is there that you can see just how big of a leap is really needed to realize any sort of eye popping difference based solely on meg count ... 16 to 22 to 33 to 39/40 to 50 to 60FF to now 80FF .... (and even 200 meg for some applications.)
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.
What plays into the equation are advancements in both proprietary processing engines and post software. Those sort of differences can be illustrated by looking at the Nikon D3X and Sony A900 which use the same base sensor/meg count. Beyond those base fundamental similarities, they are very different imaging devices delivering visibly different results.
Chief amongst the software opportunities are profile driven lens corrections ... primarily pioneered by MFD to keep legacy lenses abreast of the increased resolution that magnifies any flaws when under the watchful eye of the pixel peepers. While every one of my Hasselblad lenses and Leica S optics have full lens corrections in LR ... none of the Sony ZA optics do ... yet. Lord knows that the 24-70 could benefit from a LR lens profile, and most certainly the ZA85's CA could as well. Frankly, I think THAT is more important than whether you can hand-hold a 35mm DSLR camera with 36 meg verses 24 meg.
I also asked the question regarding the A77 as to whether they included the ability to correct each lens' focusing point like the A900 has ... and I'll ask the same question regarding the A99. As the meg count increase, the accuracy of the AF become more critical, and the ability to zero in every lens to make up for manufacturing anomalies increases in importance. My first ZA24/2 was so off, that I had to use near maximum corrections to get it zeroed in, so I returned it for a second one that only needed a very little tweak.
Lastly, it would be interesting to know if Sony has worked on improving the anti-shake technology for these cameras.
-Marc