SONY Alpha DSLR-A900 Digital SLR Camera

Weighty in feel, this camera feels the business, and instead of having a 24mm APS-C sized sensor, it has a maddening 24 megapixel on a 35mm sensor. That in itself is not only class leading, (beating the yet to be launched Canon 5D Mk2 by 3 megapixels), but likely to be class establishing. The sensor is rumoured to be put into the next range of Nikon top end cameras with effect of late 2008/early 2009. Immediately the controls feel familiar to a Minolta and Sony digital user, and indeed as the layout of the controls on cameras became almost standardised, I should expect anyone who has used a digital SLR to quickly become familiar with the controls.

Sure it is missing the additional dials for flash and exposure control like the old Minolta 7D, but flicking around the display panel using the function button and the joystick, is just as easy. Shortcut buttons on the top of the camera are well out of the way of accidental presses, giving access to exposure, white balance and ISO controls.

Other options include creative modes, including black and white, and Dynamic Range options which try and squeeze the detail out of over or under exposed areas of a picture. Another neat touch is the preview mode. Press the depth of field button at your subject and release. A preview picture is displayed on the screen and various exposure and picture control options. Fiddle with these, until the picture looks the way you want it, and hey presto, those settings are set for you to continue shooting. Don't expect to keep the preview, it is just that, and gets deleted the minute you exit to the menus or take another picture.

When you find the settings you like, there are three direct access (save) registers to save those settings. Next time you want to use that particular set of parameters, just turn the dial to the register number you saved them in, and start shooting.

In essence, from a control point of view, it is a photographers dream. With fantastic automatic settings and manual overrides for almost everything you could wish for.

The camera is fast. Fast on autofocus, fast to establish exposure, and very fast in taking a picture, with up to five frames per second in burst mode. It also has built in image stabilisation so ANY lens fitted, even if it a 20 year old Minolta 70-200 beercan, can benefit from this blur reducing feature.

So it's fast, usable and feature packed, but what about the picture quality?

Well that's partly down to you, but once I had started to get the swing of things, this camera offers unparallel speed and accuracy for its price, and detail which is scarey. Imagine being able to count pores or stubble on the skin of a group of three people in your image, or see the veins across the surface of an eye in a portrait. Yes you can! Colour rendition is fantastic and the black and white mode produces beautiful images.

Sure the new Canon 5D will have a movie mode, but it is in no way a movie camera, and the feature misses the point of buying a DLSR. To take still photographs! Until last week professional photographers only had two choices of brand for their workhorses. Nikon or Canon. If Sony can deliver the additional accessories and lenses that professionals require, (and with their partnership with Carl Zeiss, it is entirely possible), then professionals have the choice of three brands.

However, for me, it is the quality of the product, it's compatibility and image improvement it offers my old lenses (with anti-shake), and the frightening level of detail that will make anyone over 25 blush as the wrinkles start to show.

What a great, great camera, I am truly bowled over. Well done Sony.

I had the pleasure of using one of these over the last weekend. Brilliant. I am a semi-pro sports photographer and I also do event photography. Ok first things first this is not the camera for either of those activities, but it is up there with the best of them for landscape and portraits. Now I have recently decided to experiment doing HDR photography (High Dynamic Range) and this camera is the best I have used to try it. The exposure range is brilliant and with its 24.6 megapixels nothing gets near it for price.

I have given the camera 5 stars due to its unbeliveable value for money. It does have a few drawbacks ie additional cost of the battery back to the bottom of the camera (which I believe is more expensive then both the Nikon and Canon equivalents) but it feels great when attached I would urge you to buy the battery pack too.

If I was not already a Nikon user I would certainly seriously buying this camera. Be foolish not to.