Sony's 25 megapixel Alpha A900 to arrive in August or September

We already spent some time grappling with Sony's monster full-frame Alpha A900 prototype at PMA, but the company's displaying an updated version at the Photo Imaging Expo in Japan, and reps are apparently now saying that the 24.6 megapixel DSLR will be launched during IFA in August or Photokina in September. Other than that, there's not much we didn't already know -- which means there's really not that much at all -- but there are some more shots of this nifty clear-bodied display unit at the read link for your ocular delight.

[Aguiluz @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:32AM]

At a glance, I thought that was an underwater cam.

25 Megapixels?!? Now that's large. How many shots can you take?

[andres @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:49AM]

one, to the head

[Cunthor @ Mar 22nd 2008 2:06AM]

Three.

[James @ Mar 22nd 2008 2:19AM]

A one, a two, a crunch...the world may never know.

[jman196 @ Mar 23rd 2008 2:01PM]

When will sony come out with their 50 mega-pixel OMEGA counterpart?

[UKNigel @ Mar 22nd 2008 9:10PM]

1 shot plus a melee guarantees a kill every time if done correctly.

[JuggleNuts @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:50PM]

"Hey, sweet! I like your underwater camera!"

*throws 24.6 megapixel camera in nearby pool*

[pyro @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:37AM]

so ugly

[Darkroom @ Mar 22nd 2008 4:45AM]

totally

[sinjinn @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:23AM]

noway , that thing is beautiful

[site+engadget @ Mar 23rd 2008 12:40PM]

Are you saying Canon 1D markIII, Nikon D3 are prettier? All of the full frame DSLR look very similar.

[MissUniverse @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:39AM]

This is not only a camera, it is a work of art!

Hope it also comes in tinted shades

[kidcanuck @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:46AM]

It's only transparent to act as a demonstrator model, much like they do with fountain pens. Chances are when it is released it will be black- although I do think a camera like this would be pretty cool, though.

[James @ Mar 22nd 2008 2:20AM]

Why dont all models wear see through?

[BobTurbo @ Mar 22nd 2008 6:40AM]

Why aren't all models available for purchase at a store if you have enough money. Oh wait.

[KnuxSonic @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:49PM]

Wait you're saying there are prototypes for fountain pens? Are there fountain pen conventions as well?

[kidcanuck @ Mar 23rd 2008 2:05AM]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonstrator_pen

It was just the first example that came to mind. And I wouldn't be surprised if there were fountain pen conventions.

[Noah @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:49AM]

https://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665337928

If you read the information carefully, they talk about how the flash is perfect for both "APS-C and 35mm sized sensors." I can't wait, Sony alpha-SLR cameras seem like a decent brand to buy into.

My real question is whether the lenses they currently have are compatible with the A900. Since Canon and Nikon do their DX/FX or EF/EF-s thing, where some lenses are compatible, one must wonder how much of their current lens line-up, if any, is compatible?

[geeky @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:55AM]

Its interesting that they put an HDMI port on there.

[Skorpius @ Mar 22nd 2008 2:23AM]

The Nikon D300 also has an HDMI port.

[Bryan T @ Mar 22nd 2008 2:12AM]

Does this take video as well?

[Kevyn @ Mar 22nd 2008 5:46AM]

Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera's can't take video as they use mirrors to take an accurate shot. DSLR's are aimed at the professional photographer who doesn't need a video function on their camera not the mass consumer market who does.

[RedEd @ Mar 22nd 2008 9:58AM]

The Sony Alpha A100 DSLR can take video. Why shouldn't this?

[Gustavo Estrella @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:44PM]

The a100 doesnot take video

[ehisforadam @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:07PM]

The A100 takes video!? I've had one since a few months after it was out and I've never seen anything in the manual that says how to do that. Mind explaining to me how that works?

[poulan @ Mar 22nd 2008 5:18AM]

With pixel counts getting so high...if these CCD's start getting into everyday compact cameras doesn't won't this render zooms obsolete? Cropping is acceptable when you are shooting at 25 MP, it's not like there are too many everyday devices that can display or print at 4400 x 6600 or whatever works out to be roughly.

[Ayman @ Mar 22nd 2008 5:58AM]

Don't mix optical zoom with digital zoom
with Optical zoom you can zoom in and still have a 25MP resolution
with digital zoom you are zooming in the 25MP so you have much less the 25MP

Now imagine you are taking a picture from far, (Lets say a bird) which one would you prefer if you wanted high resolution of that bird

[Eddiettr @ Mar 22nd 2008 6:30AM]

I think what he meant is that you can afford to lose some of that resolution in many cases, that you can zoom at least 2x and still have a 12.5 mp image. Of course there's the added grain to consider, but yeah...

[Leoedin @ Mar 22nd 2008 7:43AM]

No.

2x 'zoom' (by cropping) throws away 3/4s of the pixels. Crop a 25Mpx image to get the equivalent of 2x zoom, and you'd have a 6 1/4Mpx image.

[Sam Winter @ Mar 22nd 2008 3:48PM]

WRONG. I hate how this misconception spreads around! ITS like the damn megahertz myth from earlier!

Listen now... professional D-SLRs have LARGE sensors, either APS size(smaller than 35MM) or 35MM size. Usually anything over ~12 megapixels is going to be a 35MM sized sensor. Whether the sensor is APC or 35MM size, ALL D-SLR SENSORS ARE 5-10X BIGGER THAN COMPACT CONSUMER CAMERA SENSORS! Literally, most consumer cameras have tiny dime sized sensors. If you try and pack 24 megapixels into such a thing, the pixels will be so small that anything but perfect lighting conditions will come out a noisy mess. Hence the reason why an 8Mpixel DSLR takes much better pictures than an 8Mpixel compact consumer camera. They are in a completely different leagure. Similarly, decent 8Mpixel consumer cameras will take much better pictures than a 8Mpixel cellphone camera. Cellphone camera sensors are even smaller, like the size of a fingernail.

See http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Camera_System/sensor_sizes_01.htm for some good info about this. Remember, if you want great photos, avoid 8,000,000 megapixel consumer cameras, and use the money for a real DSLR.

[Za @ Mar 22nd 2008 4:13PM]

You'd need a bigger lens because the sensor is physically a different size. APS-C sensors and 35mm sensors are significantly larger than those used in pocket-sized units. And the lens would be cost prohibitive, since you'd have to use a much higher quality lens because a higher resolution sensor requires a significantly better lens.

[Ingen @ Mar 22nd 2008 8:36PM]

I like cheese!!

[thiel @ Mar 22nd 2008 7:18AM]

re Kevin - Well SLR's could take video now that Live View is possible. The mirror is locked up. The new Pentax K20 almost does it with a 20fps burst at lower resolution than normal, but still good for video. It's true manufacturers may not see this as a desirable feature in a top range camera, but it's an interesting possibility.

[Ken @ Mar 22nd 2008 7:33AM]

Reminds me of my old Minolta 70-210 beercan that is clear on the mount end, it's a salesman model.

[SOOPERGOOMAN @ Mar 22nd 2008 9:02AM]

Sure 25 mp is great and all but my one BIG question is:

WILL IT BLEND?

[Genyus @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:41AM]

Why don't you jump in with one and let us all know?

[Alex @ Mar 22nd 2008 2:36PM]

I think tat te Will it Blend gags are getting old now unless they are ACTUALLY funny and put into context with the article.
But yeah, go ahead and buy one and blend it yourself.

[RedEd @ Mar 22nd 2008 9:57AM]

All other Sony Alpha cameras use the Konica Minolta AF mount for lenses so this one probably will too.

[SomeGuy @ Mar 22nd 2008 11:14AM]

Damn that thing is even more ugly than a Canon!! (hehe, I know that will get some people angry =). Seriously though, was it designed by some blind monkey with arthritis?

It says on the marketing rubbish that this can take advantage of any Alpha lens @ 24.6mp... really? so none of those lenses use smaller optics for APS-C? I'd be really surprised if that was the case. Also it doesn't flip up the mirror for live view but instead uses an EVF-like second sensor... what the hell? Are they completely stupid?!!!

I can't wait for this to come out though. If it's a typical Sony price pusher it will bring the price of the Nikon D3 down so yay! Bring it on Sony =)

[ehisforadam @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:05PM]

You Nikon folks really are full of yourselves, aren't you?

Why the hell does it matter what a Pro-Level SLR looks like? It's all about how it works.
A lot of those lenses are for full frame, they're just rebadged Minolta lenses, not to mention the fact that any Minolta mount lens will work on it.
Not locking the mirror up makes way more sense, because then you don't have to flip it back down to focus and then the main sensor isn't on all the time, which will cause it heat up and that results in more noise.

[Shaocaholica @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:17PM]

This Sony doesn't have LV. Sony has clearly stated that their current LV implementation is for the consumer market, not the professional one and it makes sense. Consumers want fast AF at the cost of focus precision when using LV. Most pros and advanced amateurs don't use LV for composition but rather for fine focusing in a zoomed in LV which requires the use of the main sensor.

[Jesse S @ Mar 22nd 2008 12:27PM]

It's not going to actually be 24.6 megapixels. More like 12.2 megapixels. Or even less.

It's counting every red, blue, and green subpixel as one whole pixel.

[Shaocaholica @ Mar 22nd 2008 1:11PM]

Just like every other bayer sensor camera on the market. Sony isn't alone in that marketing standard. Hell, Foveon counts each color sensor as a pixel which multiplies its visual and luminance resolution by 3.

[Kevin @ Mar 23rd 2008 11:13PM]

Why does everyone think Nikon is better than Sony Nikon has burrowed Sony's sensor. Nikon built the body around the Sony sensor The sony Alpha will shoot just as good and fast maybe faster and have more creative controls than a D-3 sonikon or nikson wathever...

[Za @ Mar 22nd 2008 4:16PM]

Um...red, blue, and green=3 different colors. I think you're math is rather off? Furthermore, I actually think that this is 24.6MP based on the same conventions that all the other camera manufacturers use.

[kb2zuz @ Apr 16th 2008 12:29AM]

CFA interpolation of the Bayer filter counts a pixel at every intersection of 4 pixels. Because green doesn't always have to be on the left of red, so you can move between each photosite and get a new pixel. This is the way "Effective MegaPixels" are counted for nearly every digital camera (effective megapixels are always just bearly smaller than the number of actual pixels, actual pixel count being the count of every photosite, so effective loose the count of the very outside pixels.) The only cameras that do not count this way are the Sigma cameras (DP-1, SD14) based around the Foveon chip which does not use a Bayer filter and capture light on every pixel, Better Light scan backs that scan the image in a 4x5 camera and have no interpolation, and the currently theoretical prototype Kodak sensor with white or Luminance photosites added into the mix.

Think before you speak of things you know not of.

And to the others out there: No it will not do video, no the A-100 does not do video, the sensors are not made to handle that kind of data well for long periods.

It will not be as fast as the Nikon D3, because the D3 has less data to get out to the buffer between shots. Note the difference in fps for the Canon 1D Mk III (10 fps, 10 MP) compaired to the 1Ds Mk III (5fps, 21.1MP), also Nikon has been making cameras for a few decades longer than Sony, so their shutter technology is a little better, and that will lead to faster shutter speeds.

And finally if you really need the megapixels I must recommend Phase One's P-45 back or the Hasselblad H3DII at 39 megapixels, and the mother of them all the Better Light Super 10-K (10200 x 13600 pixels with NO Bayer interpolation, so lets just say the resolution is as good as 416 Megapixels, only problem is it takes at least 2 minutes to make a capture.)

[aegisknight @ Mar 22nd 2008 3:45PM]

I still use film

[pscs @ Mar 22nd 2008 7:07PM]

oh my soul...

it would take like a minute to write the file, another 2 to copy it to your computer and open it. but hey, DSLRs last for a long time and you'll want it to still work nicely in 10 years time (but I'd buy a cheaper one and upgrade by then).

and also I'd hope this thing "records videos" - the burst mode frame rate they'll have to make it really fast :)

but it's great. not bad. I have an alpha100 and I'm seeking an upgrade, not soon, of course. I hope this Live View will also have recording ability. Canon's planning on making that.

[pscs @ Mar 22nd 2008 7:10PM]

forgot to mention:

you'll seriously be needing some bright light to fill up these pixels and make them effective... otherwise a 6mp will also do in dull lighting conditions...

and I hope the so-called 25mp will be effective for each pixel, that is, they will display clear images when zoomed in.

i have 3 sony cameras and i think they're absolutely great.

[NickS @ Mar 22nd 2008 10:48PM]

I think the most exciting thing about this camera is that if Sony has a 24mp sensor, it may soon end up in a Nikon body. As a professional photographer, I can't really even consider a Sony due to the lack of true professional level lenses on the Minolta mount.