Something old, something new... (gear, that is!)

[KAT4DISNEY]

I think I might have brought it up once as an example that FF doesn't necessarily mean lower noise - it's more about the pixel density. (You can argue that the extra pixels make it easier to hide noise, but I think you will still see the higher noise levels on resizing.) As for cost, the D700 is the problem - being available for not much more than the A850 and less than the A900. I think the A850/A900 would be more exciting if they were sporting 12-16mp for lower noise rather than 24.5mp.

Agreed that the D700 is a very appealing camera. And especially for the Disneyfile where low light shots abound. The main comment you made that I was referring to, as you said, was relative to FF but put in a comparison to APS. Here's the quote: "Sony has a FF camera that doesn't get that much attention - and I think a big part of the reason is that the high ISO performance is no better (and maybe worse) than your average APS-sensor DSLR.", and I know why you would think that. Every review I saw gave me the same impression. Real life use isn't as poor as that although it isn't the same as the D700, but not much is. The price does seem to be attracting at least a few people from other camera lines and is quite exciting for a person who is already shooting with the alpha mount. And - it is getting attention. I can now mention Sony in my local camera shop and they are aware of and impressed with the A850. I used to almost get the boot before!

I think the price of the D700 has been bumped up and is now equal to the A900 so that makes a $700 price difference between the A850 and the D700. That's a nice amount to put towards high quality lens. And, if Sony follows it's normal trend the A850 will most likely be decreased by Christmas. It will be interesting to see if nudges a few more towards the Sony. Hard to say.

I was interested in your comment about the importance placed on the jpg images. I've had a hard time understanding that with reviewers- other than the problems they have with time requirements. DPReview is fanatic about it! It seems that always the raw file has the ability to be processed better than in camera jpgs for those difficult photography conditions. It's so helpful to find the reviews where they've actually done that to best see the camera's capabilities.

Anyhoo - reviews are just that - not the end all. I always enjoy looking at your images and can't wait to see some from your new gear!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I think you have to take reviews with a grain of salt. (That's why I loved Groucho's comment.)