Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 review

Sony had promised to deliver a full-frame camera at the launch of its first APS-C DSLR, and prototypes had been on public display long before the A900 was formally introduced.

While we believed the sensor would most likely be a 24.6 million-pixel Cmos unit, the highest currently available, the big surprise was not the inclusion of a built-in anti-shake system or a viewfinder with a 100% coverage, but the price.

At just under £1700 for the body alone, the A900 certainly isn't cheap, but at £2700 less than the 21-megapixel Canon Eos 1Ds Mk III, the new Alpha appears to have achieved a breakthrough in pricing. Sony claims the A900 isn't aimed at professional users, but add a couple of the recently announced top-drawer Carl Zeiss zoom lenses and there can be no doubting its appeal.

In many respects though, the A900 can be more closely compared with the new 21 million-pixel Canon Eos 5D Mk II, and to a lesser extent the 12 million-pixel Nikon D700. Like these two rival cameras, the A900 lacks the vertical grip of professional level cameras, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's still not what you would call compact, and next to one of the Sony APS-C-size DSLRs, for example, it's a bit of a monster.

Nevertheless, thanks to a well-shaped handgrip, the A900 feels comfortable to hold, well-made and very solid. In part, that's due to the thixo-moulded magnesium-alloy shell. This promises the highest levels of stability, surface finish, and density of any of the metal-bodied DSLRs. Unfortunately, the intricate body shape and relatively light weight when compared with its size give the impression that the A900 is made of plastic. In spite of this, the outer case is sealed against dust and moisture.

Around the back, the Sony is fitted with a high-resolution (920k-pixel) 3in LCD display. It's easily on a par with its rivals screens in terms of detail and colour, and the coating cuts down on annoying reflections. However, like other coated panels, it's all too easily smeared by greasy fingerprints and is difficult to keep clean.

Not much has changed with the camera's menus and layout, and that should please existing Sony users, who may add the A900 to their system. While there is a small top-plate LCD displaying exposure settings, battery status and shots remaining, the rear LCD is used for all selection and playback duties. It's a tried and trusted system. Surprisingly though, the A900 lacks any Live View features, and while we can appreciate the decision, given the price, we wish Sony had included it.

Still the optical viewfinder is a revelation, and its bright and expansive view is simply breathtaking. It's so clear and full of contrast that you can easily check focus accuracy on the screen. If we have any niggles, it's the position of the ocular, which sits slightly behind the LCD screen making you push the camera uncomfortably to your face.

Another slight downside is the 9-point AF system (with 10 non-visible AF assist points), which doesn't quite seem up to that of Canon's semi-pro Eos 5D models; it's way behind that of their 51-point system, troubles and all. All nine points are tightly grouped around the centre, and we found it struggled in low light, often not acquiring subjects using the outer sensors. In fairness to Sony, the A900 is not built for sports, so most users are likely to head straight for the security and reliability of the centre AF-spot.

As you might expect at this resolution, the A900 delivers hugely detailed files, even outdoing the far pricier Eos 1Ds Mk III at low sensitivity, and colour rendition is truly excellent even up to the high ISOs. The highest ISO setting is 6400, but that's very ambitious. Sensitivity is usable up to 800 or 1600 using Raw capture, but it will very much depend on your choice of conversion software. Although the A900 has three noise reduction settings, in-camera Jpegs reveal quite heavy colour speckles, which are especially noticeable in shadow areas when the camera's Dynamic Range Optimiser feature is enabled.