Sony has always prided themselves with making beautiful, stylish cameras as well as being at the top of the photography game. It for that reason I was surprised when I first saw the Sony A850–it looks like plastic, the buttons and dials seem to be stuck to whatever surface Sony found for them, and overall, the design gets an F. Still, the features were spot on, and in the end, that’s all that really matters.
If you’re interested in purchasing this 24.6 megapixel behemoth, then read on to get the scoop on this little Sony beast’s features.
Features
To start, the A850 DSLR has a 3″ Xtra Fine LCD display, 921k colors, which is about the length of your index fingers, and quite large enough to see anything blurs, distortions, or color issues. In addition, there’s a 9-point auto-focus, 10 assist points, and SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilization that Sony likes to boast about, all of which will help guarantee that all but the most chaotic of shots will come out quite sharp and clear.
The sensor in this camera is an Exmor CMOS, and the image processing is completed via two BIONZ processors, that allow max resolution continuous shooting at a rate of three-frames-per-second. Sony’s press release hints that the sensor is equal to 35mm film, but doesn’t explicitly say that it is. For those who like to shoot at high ISO, the Sony A850 comes with a noise-reduction algorithm to keep your pictures smooth and grain free.
The camera features DRO (dynamic range optimizer), and EV bracketing with +2EV, both nice features for those who like to make HDR images. There are slots for both Memory Stick Duo and CompactFlash.
Price
At approx. $2000USD retail, it’s not the most expensive DSLR in the high-megapixel range (the Sony 900 is $500 more expensive), but it most certainly isn’t cheap, and you’d really need a megapixel lust affair going on to find a use for 24+ megapixels.
Conclusion
This camera has promise and a few spot-on features, but with the ugly body and features that we’ve seen in similar cameras, the A850 just doesn’t inspire the joy that Sony was surely hoping for. When the first images are released, we’ll get a better idea of what this camera can do, but now the features aren’t so spectacular, while the price is.
The one shining light of this camera is the full-frame, which will undoubtedly be the reason many buy it, and the excellent image processing for fast speed is a nice addition. If you like having that number of megapixels under your belt, then this camera is one to keep an eye on.
by Blair Mathis