I think many are upset with this price on the D3x (an D3 with a larger sensor.)

I think this will help Sony. Never hurts to want!

http://www.bythom.com/nikond3xcomments.htm

I think this may be a much harder sell than the D3, I am sure the D3x will be fantastic, but so too is the A900 (at considerably less cost) and EOS 1DsMK III which itself was criticised for it's high price.

It had better produce images that are out of this world to justify that price unless they drop the cost. Given the current climate perhaps it's slightly misjudged?

What will really help Sony is if when Michael Reichmann does his comparison of the A900 and EOS 1dsMK III and D3x the A900 stands up well. He is a highly regarded source and if he really rates it then I am sure they will sell many more A900s than they currently are- it certainly cannot hurt.

Whilst the A900 isn't exactly "cheap" it's looking much more affordable than the new Nikon, which is a horrible price for anyone without Bill Gates funds. The review/hands on, at the luminous landscape, looks pretty good to me, it was objective, but mostly positive. Have to say, I do respect MR, also, though I strongly disagree wtih his conclusions about film, but we won't go into that one ;-)

So, maybe the A900 will do pretty wel, it should be a pretty interesting 18 months for A mount users, across the board.

is selling extremely well considering this markets economy. I think lots of pros are adding this to a C or N setup they arleady have, many are probably quiet about it because they don't want to be percieved by peers as "sellouts" to the brand they live by.

Its too good of a camera to pass up for pros for a lot of applications.

C

It makes me want to run out buy one. The fact that if I was in Canada I could get one for 600 USD less than it will cost me in the US makes me hesitate. I wonder if this is true for lenses and flashes as well. If I lived closer to the Canadian border I would be thinking real hard about a shopping trip.

Dave

for only 12 more mega pixels. Sony and Canon should be happy campers.

Michael has announced on his site that he has now ordered a second A900 and another Zeiss prime. This is good news for Sony, Michael is someone I've respected for several years now and I've come to judge his opinions on camera gear as well thought out and accurate.

it became apparent what Sony's strategy with the A900 was, at least I think so.

Lure in the pro market with a bare bones pro model that gives pros a high percentage of what they need in a pro camera, fit it with glass that is leading the market in quality, and walla..... a way to get pros to use a camera that is one of the finest on the market.

The A700 was to pro-am what the A900 is to pros.

Carl

Yes Carl the A900 is definitely one of the better cameras on the market at the moment and Sony's pricing is good. In a way they were right to make the A900 the camera it is, with a lack of pro support you are unlikely to get people completely abandoning an existing system, but you may get people like Michael adding it to their kit.

Now with the full range of cameras they need to concentrate on 2 main things,

1- ensuring they have a good pro support system in place. If a camera or lens goes down and you need it for a shoot then you need to be able to a) rent one and b) have it fixed very quickly.

2- concentrate on filling some of the gaps in the lens line up and yes that does include making a couple of tilt and shift lenses. Tilt and shift lenses are indispensable for architecture work and they also play a big role in product photography. I also think Sony need to revise some of the older designs with SSM (others may disagree) and make a couple of long primes.

Lastly they should also bring back some of the high quality f4 lenses that were very well regarded by amateurs who didn't want to or couldn't buy the pro glass.

It seems Michael Reichman has ordered a second A900 body with Zeiss prime lens. If this is not a vote of confidence by one of the leading landscape photographers and educators, I don't know what is. Obviously no camera is perfect. But Sony has made a value proposition that is ideal for the economic times. Many of the professionals on the Luminous Landscape forum are adding the A900 with one or two lenses to their kit rather than abandoning all their expensive glass. Especially for Nikon owners, until a more reasonably priced D700x is released this becomes the more reasonable route to get added resolution. Of course, Canon users can go the 5DMkII route. Sony has achieved credibility in the professional ranks