Hey guys,
I have truly enjoyed using my a900 DSLR for some time now, but it seems like I am limited. I have personally tested 3 different SLT cameras such as a65, a77, and a58 and have really enjoyed them as well.
Well the question that I am getting to is, should I switch to SLT camera? Im gaining video and I honestly don't believe I will have a loss in quality in my stills because the tech is definitely there with good stills in lower iso even though its APS-C sensor...
I do understand that im losing full frame, but never noticed in my photography a difference really.
What to do? maybe this should of been a thread over a question...but oh well sorry
Until very recently, I had an a850, and a good complement of (mostly, but not exclusively pre-Sony) FF lenses. I also have an a77, with a good complement of APS-C lenses, and found myself using them more and more. Recently, my major "style" of photography has led me to use manual focus lenses more (such as the Samyung/Rokinon 14mm, 24mm, and 85mm)--I'm not doing sports or (for the most part) "people that move" pictures all that much. As I turned to these lenses, the a850 began to show weaknesses. The auto-focus revolution started by Minolta with the 7000 and 9000 (I had both) was, in its time, a complete game-changer. But--again, recognizing that for sports, action, and fast-moving people nothing will replace the increasingly sophisticated AF bodies and lenses--recent sensor-based technologies (such as focus peaking and magnification--have revitalized MF lenses for a lot of purposes. The a850, unfortunately, can use neither, as it doesn't have sensor-based focusing (essential for both focus peaking and magnification).
So, despite my love of the a850's quality (build and picture wise), it increasingly couldn't compete with my a77 for "action" and was not great at nailing focus on manual focus lenses. I sold it, not for an a99 (although the recent prices might have made a difference...) but for an a7, with an LA-EA4 adapter for my FF lenses. Some might miss IBIS with the auto-focus lenses, but in my view--and, again, for my particular use--that is outweighed by the hugely superior ability of the a7 (which would be essentially shared by the a99 as compared to the a900) with respect to manual focus lenses. So, one other FF option to throw into the equation.
If you move to APS-C, the a77 II sounds great (my a77 certainly is and the a777 II clearly has upped the game with respect to AF), but a lot of the "difference" (FF vs. APS-C) won't be in terms of quality (although there is some if you pixel peep) but in terms of the wholly different field-of-view when mounting a FF lens on an APS-C sensor. For wide angle, an APS-C disadvantage; for long telephoto, perhaps an APS-C advantage.
