Is it a know fact that it is going to be called A900... I think it is...! I just received a chat stating that the VG- C90AM is in a Brochure.... a few other stuff.... but as everybody agreed.. lets wait and see.

B

Oops - I commented on your 50D news saying the same as you did in your Nikon post. (I hadn't read this post yet)

Anyway, I agree - yeah Competition!

No question the D90 will be a hot seller for nikon..and with the 50d being a lot more expensive, it could attract other non nikon users too.
Spec wise pretty much spot on for the price. If sony update the A700...they should bring a model out like this one, covering the mid range. Very popular segment. I hope nikon sorted out their matrix metering, that was the major weak spot on the D80, otherwise a nice camera.

The Nikon D90 as a D80 replacement is not intended to go head to head with Canon's D50. I would think that Canon saw the D40 was losing market share to Nikon's D300 and Sony's A700 so they rushed out the D50 to compete with these two. Now I wouldn't be surprised to see Sony update the A700 quicker than intended as Nikon & Sony seem bent on bracketing each Canon model to break up the market. Consumers are facing a bewildering set of wonderful choices as we are certainly living in what will be called the golden age of digital cameras.

I know the D90 is not meant to be a 50d equivalent..the D300 is that.

But the EOS 40d did sell very well, and was..still is a huge seller for canon. It no question outsold the A700 in the uk, probably by a massive degree. Canon cut the price early on, leaving the sony looking expensive.

The 50d is needed because they are lagging behind in higher end semi pro cameras, this model meets that need. D90 class will compete with the 40d (canon say it will remain in production) and the A700, all are priced near to each other. DP say the D90 is £699 odd at ist release, pretty much identical to what the A700 is now. IMO sony should update the A700 to match rivals top end semi pro cameras, and release an A500..which will be similar to this new D90 features wise. But I think they should be a little bit cheaper ;-)

should be to immediately drop the price of A700 and come out ASAP with A800 to replace it and match the Nikon D700. I agree the A350 will have to be beefed up to match the D90. Now where does that leave the A900? I think it will be in it's own niche for at least 6 months before Sony lets Nikon get its sensor.

I assume the A900 will go head to head with the D700 and 5D. Based on what we do know, I don't think it would be reasonable to price the A900 at D3 or 1dmkIII levels.

Sony should update the A700 and release a true A100 replacement(call it the A500) to get the ball rolling again. I think the A200, A300, and A350 safe for now.

:)

Carl

I meant the Sony A700 should go head to head with the D300 but its life cycle should only be another 6 months. But who cares? I've taken and will continue to take great pictures with it. Although I certainly will get the A900 because I'm totally committed to A mount glass, the tyranny of choice starts to settle in. After the A900 I'll probably have to get a new computer, update my lenses and consider a new pigment fine art printer. So I think most of my discretionary income is spoken for for awhile.

Every single launch seems to meet with oversubscription. Want a D3, sign up for the waiting list, by the way, would you like to join the D700 list while you're here? Have they the factory capacity to hit the numbers they'd need to sell? Most complaints I've read on various multi-format forums all say the same - when will the camera be in stock!

One of my cousins was surprised to be put on a waiting list after purchasing a D3. She got the camera a couple months ago and is still a bit overwhelmed by the it last I talked to her. She was somewhat underwhelmed with her Fuji S2 pro and wanted the D3 badly enough to wait however long it took.

Nikon have always tended to have supply problems. Not sure why that would be, you might think they would gear up their capacity..

Still, better than having stock gather dust!