Though originally announced in 2007, and shown off in prototype at PMA 2008 earlier this year, Sony's much ballyhooed, full-frame Alpha DSLR-A900 was officially announced by Sony today.
Though originally announced in 2007, and shown off in prototype at PMA 2008 earlier this year, Sony's much ballyhooed, full-frame Alpha DSLR-A900 was officially announced by Sony today. Sony continues to insist that it's not a professional camera, saying it's "aimed at serious photo enthusiasts" but you have to be pretty damned enthusiastic to plunk down the required $3,000 (body-only), though you do get a lot for the price tag. With a 24.6-megapixel, full 35mm size sensor, not only is the A900 Sony's first full-frame digital SLR, it's also the highest-resolution dSLR available today, and the first full-frame dSLR to use sensor-shift image stabilization. Fans of Sony's Alpha A700 will appreciate the A900's very similar layout and design, but the A900 is poised to compete directly with the Nikon D700 and the much-rumored (and recently advertised?) successor to Canon's EOS 5D. Check out Lori Grunin's hands-on preview (with a nice D700/A900/5D comparison chart and a video) at CNET Crave and DPReview's typically in-depth hands-on preview here. Sony plans to ship the A900 in November and will follow along with two new full-frame lenses in January.
