Found a rare Sony camera
p.1 #1Found a rare Sony camera
So, my photography has taken a hit as my kids have gotten older. I find I don't care so much about the latest and greatest. I love my Minolta 100/2. Still awesome. Added a rare Minolta 70-200/2.8 G. I added a Sony CZ24-70/2.8.
So, what did UlI do? Sold my a7IV e mount lenses, and picked up a 2008 Sony a900. So I checked it out and found it was in remarkably good shape. Today, I ran the shutter count tool. It gave back a shutter count of 2.905! And this is a model famous for its shutter's endurance and an average shutter failure of over 100,000 actuations, with one model hitting over 2 million! Anyway, I am well satisfied with my 17 year old 2k shutter count.
So, what did UlI do? Sold my a7IV e mount lenses, and picked up a 2008 Sony a900. So I checked it out and found it was in remarkably good shape. Today, I ran the shutter count tool. It gave back a shutter count of 2.905! And this is a model famous for its shutter's endurance and an average shutter failure of over 100,000 actuations, with one model hitting over 2 million! Anyway, I am well satisfied with my 17 year old 2k shutter count.
Feb 10, 2026 at 06:09 PM
p.1 #2Found a rare Sony camera
The a900 is such a nice camera to shoot. Kind of wish I'd held on to mine.
Feb 10, 2026 at 07:37 PM
p.1 #3Found a rare Sony camera
So many great A-mount lenses out there, too. At one point or another, I've had all of Sony's A-mount full frames, and I have a soft spot for all, especially the A99. Enjoy!
Feb 10, 2026 at 07:52 PM
p.1 #4Found a rare Sony camera
Look for the Zeiss 135 in the ZA mount. It's cheap and fantastic and there are several on ebay.
Feb 11, 2026 at 08:03 AM
p.1 #5Found a rare Sony camera
I have owned it. Great lens. Wish it wasn't a screw driven lens, but it's excellent. I may end up parting with my Minolta 70-209/2.8 and going for a 200mm and 135mm. Maybe. That's a lot of primes. And then there is the STF...
campy wrote:
Look for the Zeiss 135 in the ZA mount. It's cheap and fantastic and there are several on ebay.
campy wrote:
Look for the Zeiss 135 in the ZA mount. It's cheap and fantastic and there are several on ebay.
Feb 11, 2026 at 10:24 AM
p.1 #6Found a rare Sony camera
Those A mount lenses like the 135 will make the new lenses look cheaply built, metal lens hood with internal flocking etc. They are optically great, needing no software corrections, plus little added touches like a polorizing drop in filter with the 300f2.8 & 500f4.
Feb 11, 2026 at 03:13 PM
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p.1 #7Found a rare Sony camera
Great camera, I love mine that I got within the last year. It’s a camera I had always wanted. Looks great, takes great photos, and has that nice viewfinder.
I have the ZA 50/1.4 and the (I think) Tamron 28-70/2.8, both of which are great lenses. Oh! And also the Minolta 50/1.4. Much smaller than the ZA but not as nice.
I have the ZA 50/1.4 and the (I think) Tamron 28-70/2.8, both of which are great lenses. Oh! And also the Minolta 50/1.4. Much smaller than the ZA but not as nice.
Feb 12, 2026 at 11:00 AM
p.1 #8Found a rare Sony camera
The most desirable feature of the a900: It does not do video.
I think Sony would be shocked by how popular a mirrorless, stills-only camera would be.
I think Sony would be shocked by how popular a mirrorless, stills-only camera would be.
Feb 12, 2026 at 12:24 PM
p.1 #9Found a rare Sony camera
Congrats on your find of a truly mint copy, @TheEmrys! The A900 was the first digital camera with enough detail capture on landscapes that I was able to wean myself off of my medium and large format film cameras at the time. I loved the Minolta 100/2 and 200/2.8 APO. My only issue I had was shutter shock giving slightly soft frames in a certain shutter speed range with the 200/2.8 (solved with later cameras having EFCS). The ergonomics of the body, and the overall simplicity, made it a joy to shoot.
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DSLR-A900 100mm F2 lens 100mm f/20.0 1/10s 100 ISO 0.0 EV
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DSLR-A900 100mm F2 lens 100mm f/10.0 1/100s 125 ISO -0.3 EV
Feb 12, 2026 at 12:53 PM
p.1 #10Found a rare Sony camera
Just found out it was on firmware 1.0. crazy. Taking it out a bit this weekend. Will see what it's like. I haven't used an OVF for 10 years.
Feb 14, 2026 at 06:27 PM
p.1 #11Found a rare Sony camera
TheEmrys wrote:
Just found out it was on firmware 1.0. crazy. Taking it out a bit this weekend. Will see what it's like. I haven't used an OVF for 10 years.
If you're going to go back to an OVF now, it's a great choice,
Just found out it was on firmware 1.0. crazy. Taking it out a bit this weekend. Will see what it's like. I haven't used an OVF for 10 years.
If you're going to go back to an OVF now, it's a great choice,
Feb 14, 2026 at 10:18 PM