Thursday, March 06, 2008

Mark Your Calendars for the A900

A long while back, when Apple was more or less at its low point in sales, I told many people: they're starting to do things right, and they're making the right choices, and they get it. And they did get it, and the products got better and surprised a lot of doubters, and the situation turned around.

Well, in the world of professional cameras, you've got amazingly entrenched Nikon and Canon camps -- and laughter is heard whenever Sony is mentioned.

I like Nikons, I like Canons; I've shot both. But I'm telling you: Sony is starting to get it. The Alpha 100 had issues -- but its strong points were better than the equivalent Nikons or Canons. The Alpha 700 made the case that Sony can match the mid-level capabilities of the old guard, and the latest releases show Sony starting to innovate.

David Pogue gets it:

Revolution in Single Lens Reflex

"Just by looking at it, you’d never guess that Sony’s new Alpha A300 digital camera represents a huge technical breakthrough. To discover what it is, you need a tour of its innards. Keep hands and feet inside the tram at all times."

1 comment:

Travis said...

Yes, the Live View that Sony invented is a real winner. When the A300 comes out I'll be first in line to buy it for its in-body stabilization, it's nice kit lens, its Live View, and it's articulated LCD. If I had one wish for the A300 it would be that the LCD also flipped left and right, not just up and down. Why not buy the A350? Who needs to burden their computer with 14.4MP of weight in post production?

I need two things: a release date and confirmation that the camera feels good in my hands. The A100 failed the latter test and so I never bought it. I'll be making my determination using the A200 which is out this week and is the same size/shape as its upscale siblings. This will confirm my purchase.