The Alpha 900 represents in a nutshell the almost schizophrenic nature of Sony's digital camera division, which can market compact cameras with smile detection and a Playstation style user interface at the same time as this, perhaps the most pared-down, frill-free and unashamedly 'serious' DSLR we've seen in a long time.
You can't help feel that Sony's long-held worry that as a consumer electronics giant it will never be totally accepted as a serious camera manufacturer has been instrumental in shaping a flagship camera that studiously avoids the creeping 'gadgetization' of DLSRs and concentrates on old fashioned stuff like picture taking.
And hey, for the most part this is no bad thing; the Alpha 900 is uniquely approachable for a camera in this class, has the best viewfinder on the market and produces, as long as you don't venture into the higher reaches of the ISO range range too often, very appealing output indeed. It feels and acts like a camera - in stark contrast to many of Sony's compacts, which seem to be designed to act like a cross between a camera phone and a games console - without offering the utility of either. Looking through the huge viewfinder you get the full advantage of the full frame format; the engulfing view makes you feel totally involved in the picture taking process.
No doubt about it, there is much to like about the Alpha 900 - from the quality of images it produces to the extensive control over image parameters and, as I've already mentioned, the excellent, intuitive and uniquely user-friendly handling. The built-in image stabilization is a real boon and makes the Alpha 900 a no brainer purchase for anyone with a sizeable Minolta 35mm camera lens collection. The only 'frippery' I found myself missing was live view (we do a lot of work in the studio where magnified live view, when done well, can be a real time saver), though not everyone will care.
Simon Joinson
more : dpreview
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment