The D800 thing just didn't work out for me I guess I am just a Sony shooter for life. With that this is as out of camera as it gets. I did add just a touch of clarity in Lightroom and straightened the horizon. I did use a two stop ND grad filter but have never kept the highlights under control as easy as this. I think it's up there with the D800. The D800 may have a small advantage at high ISOs but up to iso3200 the a99 does a wonderful job. Just guessing i think the DXO marks will probably put it in the upper 80s.
I love the EVF, articulating screen, the quietness of the shutter ect. You can't go wrong with this one I do believe it is quite the technical marvel. If you are thinking about pulling the trigger you won't be sorry.


Old Christmas Tree by Cosmonaut's, on Flickr

Woooow

First and foremost fantastic image. I love the composition and colors. The salmon pink in the foreground
contrasting with drifting branch is very pleasing. Other than two AF systems and HD VIdeo, is iso performance
only differentiating factor over A900 in your experience? Could you have gotten the same image with A900 if you
had one at point of time? Just curious.

Sury

Sury, do I get the feeling you want to sell your a900 and buy an a99?

Doc,
Oh no!!! I have no desire to part with my A900. I am curious. My list (or lust) for acquiring
camera gear is to get that 24/f2 first. My query was to find out if there is a compelling reason
to buy the A99. For my needs so far, the lower iso performance of A900 has not been a vexing
problem. I would rather spend the money on upgrading my lenses than on a new body. At least
that is what I am thinking. A nex 5/6 is more attractive for its compact size and convenience for
the boss lady.

Sury

Yes Sury I could. I would have had to under expose it a little preserving the highlights and bring up the shadows in post. The a850/900 have nice dynamic range.

Thank you. I should probably look at CZ lenses then....
May be next year should revisit a new body subject.

Sury

Very nice sunset cosmonaut, the reflection is what really makes I think.
Greg

Admirable!

Thanks for sharing,

Yildiz

I remain skeptical about the dynamic range of A99 with the claim that it has an edge over D800. My D800 has a lot to squeeze....much more than, say Canon 5D3. I guess A99 has a similar dynamic range with D600, not far behind D800

Should be interesting to see how it compares on DR with the NEX-7, which trounces the Canon DSLRs on the DxOMark scores.

However, I think the FF NEX, which is bound to arrive sooner rather than later, may turn out to be the answer to the landscape photographer's prayer if Sony can keep its DR competitiveness up because the E-mount allows the use of so many fantastic landscape lenses - such as the great Canon TSEs, Olympus and Zeiss 21s and Leica 35-70/4 - unlike the A-mount, which requires major lens surgery for their use. Of course, these can also be converted for Nikon use but not straightforward as on the NEX or EOS mounts.

Of course, one can always use graduated filters to adapt to a lower DR but it would be nice not to have to do this.

Yes it be interesting to finally see DXO marks but I can tell you the D800 maybe has an overall better image quality but in dynamic range they are close. The a99 is a big improvement over the a850, a77 and NEX7. I have used all three.

Poor me living with the a65 admiring all the a99 owners! Maybe I can get one someday when the a499 comes out! LOL My wish list is only time to take pictures!! Still a great shot cosmonaut

And then of course there is the rx1