If you would have told me last year that I would write about a Sony camera, I would have laughed a bit and mentioned that I photograph professionally. However, times have changed and I have to step back and admit it, Sony has made a great step into the ring of pro bodies with the new Alpha 850.
With the new 850, no longer can we refer to Canon and Nikon without a nod to Sony. In an economic climate that sees photographers tightening up on budgets, a camera that is affordable is a breath of fresh air. Some may say it is ugly, however those worried about the aesthetics of a camera over it’s quality probably spend their days working on peoples teeth or reviewing court cases.
At just under $2,000, the Alpha 850 offers a strong 24MP sensor, magnesium alloy body, and one of the brightest viewfinders on the market. Lenses at this stage are sparse compared to Canon and Nikon, but the main bases are covered, with options to use some beautiful Zeiss glass (i.e. 135mm f/1.8).
At this point these are just specs that are openly available on the internet, as I have yet to even hold a Sony platform camera. However, I am hoping to test this system soon, not to switch away from Nikon, but to see if there really is a new kid on the block.
Hi Blair. Thanks for sharing your work and your images. I’ve got you in my RSS feed so as to never miss a beat.
It sounds like we have similar feelings about Sony cameras. While the announcement of the new 850 has raised a lot of eyebrows, I think it’s important not to get overly excited before we see how noisy/clean its images are. High ISO performance is an area that Sony has been traditionally (and appallingly) weak in.
On the other hand, it’s great to see a full-frame sensor camera come in under $2k as this will undoubtedly put pressure on other manufacturers to lower their prices as well. Yay competition!
Gavin,
Thanks for adding me to the feed
I agree with the noise issue, and hope that it resolves closer to the Nikon chips, but hey doesn’t everyone? In all honesty, I don’t care if it is a little noisier than the Canon or Nikons, as long as it is a manageable pattern and not that of the 5D2