I cannot provide a thorough user report as of yet since my time has been limited and I had not been able to shoot enough with the A900 to fully understand it. I hope that will change in the coming weeks. But I have some first impressions and comments to make:
Ergonomics, button and menu layout:
Being a long-time Nikon user of 17 years, I was pleasantly suprised how well done the A900´s body is.
In a breeze I understood the main functions, checking the manual only once or twice so far. Even in low-light was I able to find all the buttons when I still hunt for the right ones on my D3.
The body is ergonomic and I think it looks quite nice, too.
Resolution:
The AA-filter in this camera is very weak, so acuity and per-pixel-sharpness can only be described with: WOW!
(I will post some samples in my next post). Cropping becomes a breeze. Details on faces from people far away can be seen.
Noise:
The A900 is a noise machine. I know, some will disagree, but I don´t like using anything beyond ISO400, even though if lighting conditions are good, even ISO 1600 looks terrific, nice film-like grain. But - hey - who wants to produce 24 Mpix of so-so pictures? If I use the A900 I want the utmost best IQ it can deliver at ISO 100 and 200 in good light. If I want high ISO miracles, I use the Nikon D3.
Lenses:
I have seen great samples from excellent vintage Minolta lenses, but the ones I bought at Ebay, a 24/2.8 and 50/1.7 just don´t cut it. So I ended up buying the Zeiss 24-70/2.8 and 135/1.8, two lenses which paired with that 24 Mpix sensor give image sharpness unprecedented in a 35 mm DSLR. Image rendering is typical for Zeiss lenses, slightly cool, contrasty, razor-sharp at wide apertures, yet slightly troubled by CAs, corner sharpness is good, yet not miraculous.
To be continued with samples!
The A900 - a camera not for everyone
Moderator: Stany Buyle
Re: The A900 - a camera not for everyone
Here is a studio shot at f13 and a crop from the eye.
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Re: The A900 - a camera not for everyone
Hi Pamela,
Thanks for posting your impressions on the A900. Very interesting. The detail is really stunning...
Thanks for posting your impressions on the A900. Very interesting. The detail is really stunning...
kindest regards,
Stany
I like better one good shot in a day than 10 bad ones in a second...
http://www.fotografie.cafe
Stany
I like better one good shot in a day than 10 bad ones in a second...
http://www.fotografie.cafe
Re: The A900 - a camera not for everyone
Hi Stany,
yes, absolutely stunning acuity. I wonder if this is all you will ever get in a 35 mm system or if it will be possible to even push it further.
There is one limiting factor, though: camera shake. The body anti-shake system seems to be quite effective, yet images blur easily.
Using a tripod is mandatory when shooting out in the field, and sometimes even in a studio . I found that even with studio strobes and anti-shake to be the case at 1/125 s. I need to switch anti-shake off and use 1/200 s next time and see what happens.
I will keep you posted.
yes, absolutely stunning acuity. I wonder if this is all you will ever get in a 35 mm system or if it will be possible to even push it further.
There is one limiting factor, though: camera shake. The body anti-shake system seems to be quite effective, yet images blur easily.
Using a tripod is mandatory when shooting out in the field, and sometimes even in a studio . I found that even with studio strobes and anti-shake to be the case at 1/125 s. I need to switch anti-shake off and use 1/200 s next time and see what happens.
I will keep you posted.
I think that is pretty good, but...
I have shots from my D300's that are even sharper and more detailed. I will post if you want. The D300 has a higher pixel density, and therefore my point is if you want absolute resolution/sharpness you can get it better from a higher density sensor (albeit with different FL needed and different field of view). I think a lot of what the high MP FF sensors offer is a bit overrated, unless you plan to blow up huge for print. I think the MP war that is waging in the lousy P&S market is getting back into the DSLR market like it used to be. Look at Canon's silly 15MP 1.6x 50D - not bad photos, but really pushing the density limit for decent DR and IQ
(NPS, WPPI, PPA)
Re: The A900 - a camera not for everyone
Hi David,
just feel free to post your D300 samples. It would be most interesting to see how they´ll compare.
Pixel-density-wise, I think there should not be much of a difference between the A900 and the D300, though.
I tend to conclude that lens and diffraction limit sensors most.
I will post new samples when I have shot at wider apertures and on a tripod.
I think I have not been able to fully use the camera´s abilities yet. It is the most unforgiving camera I´ve ever shot ;)
Pam
just feel free to post your D300 samples. It would be most interesting to see how they´ll compare.
Pixel-density-wise, I think there should not be much of a difference between the A900 and the D300, though.
I tend to conclude that lens and diffraction limit sensors most.
I will post new samples when I have shot at wider apertures and on a tripod.
I think I have not been able to fully use the camera´s abilities yet. It is the most unforgiving camera I´ve ever shot ;)
Pam