Tariq Gibran
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 p.1 #14 · Mike Johnston's take on the Canon 5DII, Sony a900 and Nikon D700 | |
Lotusm50 wrote:
It think the review is actually pretty consistent with what we've been saying around here.
D700: the best body with great high ISO performance
a900: best IQ at base ISO, nice viewfinder
5D Mkll: best compromise -- almost as good as a900 at base ISO but much better at high ISO, as good as D700 at high ISO (IMHO, this is where Mike's analysis falters a bit), but not as good (slower, not as well-built) a body as the D700. I'm not sure "compromise" is the best word. But perhaps the be combination of features for market success.
And consistent with the comments above and the comments on Mike's web page, there really isn't enough in the a900 to get a significant, or sufficient, number of people to switch. The switching costs (lenses, systems, learning curves, etc.) are high for what can be seen as a marginal improvement in IQ only at 100 ISO. Even with some of the teething problems of the 5D Mkll (can't Canon produce a clean product introduction?!) it is still sold out for the next 2 months (get in line now, if you are not already), whereas the a900 is readily available at all the sources I look at (Amazon, B&H, Adorama, Calumet, J&R, Ritz, Samy's). Anecdotal, to be sure, but I think indicative. Interestingly, the price of the D700 has been dropping like a stone. It's now $2319 at Amazon. A great body, but it does seem that megapixels still sells (in spite of there being more there than needed for many customers). I suspect that it's price will continue to drop to about $1999.
Personally, I was ready to make the switch -- there is a lot to dislike about Canon. But I'm just not sufficiently compelled right now to do it. The hassle and cost of switching all those lenses really makes it tough, as it will for many others.
I suspect that Sony, in light of its competitors' new products and the response of consumers, is busily working on improving high ISO performance. How long will it be before we see an "a900 Mkll" with improved noise characteristics? I suspect by this time next year, the latest. And if they succeed (and those rumored new ZA primes make it to market), that might be enough to get me to switch. Then again, a D700 with the chip from the new D3x might be pretty compelling as well (which given how the D700 is now selling, we are almost certain to see). Isn't competition wonderful?
I further suspect that my response to this competitive rumble is not dissimilar to a sizable portion of potential customers (but certainly not all).
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Agree. Had I a substantial investment in Canon glass or alternatives that were not compatible with the a900, I would have stuck with Canon. As it was, I had to give up my 85 1.8 and plastic fantastic 50 1.8 in Canon glass and the only alt lens I was using which was not compatible at the time of my switch was the OM 24 2.8. My other primary alt lenses are M42 mount (Zeiss Flek 35, a couple of Pentax Takumars). The recent conversion of the Minolta Rokkor 58 1.2 for the a900 was a breeze. Likewise, If I shot high ISO subject matter on a routine basis, I would not have switched.
I do not own the Sony a700 myself but owners of that camera claim that a simple firmware upgrade went a long way towards improving its high ISO image quality. It may not require as much as a complete revision of the a900 body to improve high iso Image quality.
I think the Sony has been selling better than you suspect. I have noticed it go in and out of stock twice in the past few weeks at B&H and Adorama's web site is not reliable regarding stock in my buying experience(I have recently purchased items which the web site did not indicate were out of stock yet they were). It is in stock currently at B&H.
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