Photoclubalpha

Javelin wrote:... of course I would have both if available.

That means you're asking for a camera body with a prism hump twice as big as it currently is.

The A900 could have saved at least four or five millimeters of prism housing height by just replacing the expensive (in terms of space and money) condensor lens with a cheap Fresnell lens, as virtually all SLR cameras since the mid-'60s do. I am glad Sony, in a truely Minoltian twist of mind, opted for the deluxe version of an SLR viewfinder (much like Nikon D3 and D3X), even though most customers will neither notice nor appreciate---instead those fools badmouth the prism housing's "ugly shape".

With the Dynax 7D I have learned to appreciate a built-in flash. Still I gladly give it up for a better viewfinder. So from a sales manager's point of view, Sony possibly may have made a mistake. From a photographer's point of view, the decision definitely was perfectly right. And after all, I have seen two A900 bodies in the hands of---most likely ambitious ---amateurs (besides mine) in the wild but no Canon EOS 1Ds Mk III and no Nikon D3X yet.

-- Olaf

No need to mention the film 9 has an "awesome" massive VF and also manages to include a built in flash.

At this stage, I really don't see the argument for VF being compromised for the built in flash, holding up any water at all.
Clearly a design choice by Sony. IMO they missed the spirit of what Minolta were doing, aka wireless flash wise.

The only "mistake" Sony did wa introducing the new HVLF20AM sixt month after they put the A900 on the shelves. They must give this flash as a part of the package, "in the box" of the A900 and nobody will notice the camera doesn't have an on-board flash.

The HVLF20AM looks like a quick fix for the lack of onboard flash.

If the camera had one in the ist place, you would not need it! I bet most serious users use external dedicated flashguns for flash work..that's not the point..wireless flash, that is the reason it was there on the 9.

This is what is so frustrating about Sony at times, yes they can do great things, but they have an annoying habit of missing the obvious. This is one example, Bionz raw was the other, far from a deal breaker..but Sony really "don't get it" at times

bfitzgerald wrote:No need to mention the film 9 has an "awesome" massive VF and also manages to include a built in flash.

At this stage, I really don't see the argument for VF being compromised for the built in flash, holding up any water at all.
Clearly a design choice by Sony. IMO they missed the spirit of what Minolta were doing, aka wireless flash wise.

Also, Nikon D700 has good FF vf with flash.