Last update 04 November’09 – Review and Sample Photos @ DPExpert
Sony A850 announced on August 27, 2009 and offers most of features of the company’s full frame DSLR A900 but at a cheaper price. The A850 is a 24.6 megapixel full frame DSLR that features a 3.0 inch 921k LCD, sensor-shift image stabilization, Dual Bionz processors, 98% viewfinder coverage, 9-point AF with 10 focus assist points, and camera dimensions are 156 x 117 x 82 mm and it weighs 850 g.
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| Price & Availability
Review Index – (updated 04 November’09)
DPExpert
“If you have a lot of Minolta lenses then this camera should be high on your”must take a look at” list. What we like: Photo quality is outstanding. Because of the quality of detail you’ve got lots of room to crop. To see the advantage of the larger sensor it is only necessary to take a group photo and see the detail preserved in every face. What we didn’t like: It is a big and heavy camera.”
Photocrati
“This camera is a great bargain in terms of resolution, versatility and reasonable speed as well as the built-in image stabilizer, excellent viewfinder and high-res LCD. In my estimation, the benefits provided by Intelligent Preview make Live View unnecessary in a semi-pro camera. This DSLR may have fewer custom functions than its competitors, but it’s not lacking a single important feature.”
PhotographyBay
“From my time with this camera, I would very much recommend the A850. Fort such a low price point for full frame, it is a real tempting alternative to a crop-sensor camera like the Canon 7D or Nikon D300s.”
PhotoReview
“Buy this camera if: – You want a solidly-built, competitively-priced DSLR camera with a weather-resistant body and professional-standard controls and functions – You want the advantages of a 35mm-sized image sensor – You want effective body-integrated image stabilisation – You are prepared to pay premium prices for Sony’s G-series and Carl Zeiss lenses.”
Rating: 
Digital Trends
“It’s hard to call a $1,999 DSLR a great deal, but this is one. It’s the cheapest 24.6MP full-frame model available, $700 less than the Sony A900 and six grand less than the 24.5MP Nikon D3x. The camera requires a serious commitment in dollars. It also demands you spend the time learning its intricacies. We had it for just a few weeks and really enjoyed every minute of it.”
Rating:
LetsGoDigital
“All in all, the Sony A850 makes high-quality digital photography more accessible to an even broader public than before. And from this, the future Sony Alpha photographer benefits directly. Perhaps the Sony Alpha 850 is the first of a new generation of affordable high resolution full-frame DSLR cameras!”
Rating: 
AlphaMountWorld
“The A850 isn’t the camera for every photographer considering market choice and some lack of features, but I’m willing to bet that at this price point it will attract a lot more attention than not, especially to those who prefer a more traditional 35mm format. Simply stated, the Alpha A850 is a real winner, and will be well documented in the future as the first near pro quality full frame DSLR that broke a serious price barrier.”
Imaging Resource
“If you want the most pixels in a small package at the best price on the market, the Sony A850 is where you’ll find it. Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II beats the Sony A850 in high-ISO capability and (slightly) in size and weight, and offers HD video recording as well, but at a price point that’s $700 higher. Nikon’s D3x offers the same resolution, but at a cost literally 4x that of the A850. If you’re into landscapes or architecture, or need a studio camera with enormous resolution at a relatively budget price, the Sony A850 would make a great choice.”
Luminous Landscape (Preview)
“Sony has clearly decided that they want a major slice of the DSLR pie and are pulling out a lot of the stops to make this happen. With the new A850 they are taking no prisoners, undercutting their only real competitor, Canon’s 5D MKII, by 25% in terms of price. Few observers thought we’d see a 25MP full-frame camera for under $2,000 this soon, but I can’t see anyone complaining about it, except maybe the competition.”
Owner Feedback
Coming soon…
Sample Photos
[Sample Photos @ LetsGoDigital]
[Sample Photos @ AlphaMountWorld]
[Sample Photos @ Imaging Resource]
Specifications & Camera Profile
| Body material | Magnesium Body |
|---|---|
| Sensor | • 35.9 x 24.0 mm CMOS sensor ‘Exmor’ • RGB Color Filter Array • Built-in fixed low-pass filter |
| Image sizes [Still] |
• 6048 x 4032 (24M 3:2) • 6048 x 3408 (21M 16:9) • 1984 x 1320 (2.6M APSC) |
| File qualities / formats | • RAW (.ARW 2.0)
• Compressed or uncompressed RAW option |
| Dust reduction | • Charge protection coating on low-pass filter • CCD-shift dust reduction mechanism |
| Lenses | • Sony Alpha lenses (also compatible with Minolta A-type bayonet mount lenses) • Can be used with DT (1.5x crop) lenses in APS-C mode |
| FOV crop | 1.0 x |
| Image Stabilization | • CCD-Shift ‘ SteadyShot INSIDE’ system
• Five level LED shake indicator in viewfinder |
| Auto Focus | • TTL CCD line sensors (9-points, center dual cross types + 10 assist sensors)
• EV 0 to 18 (ISO 100) detection range |
| AF area selection |
• Wide AF area • Spot AF area (center) |
| Focus modes | • Single-shot AF
• Direct Manual Focus |
| AF assist illuminator |
• Yes (built-in LED lamp) • Range approx 1m – 7m |
| Eye-start AF | No |
| Shooting modes |
• Auto • MR (memory recall) / Custom |
| Sensitivity |
• Auto (200 – 1600) – upper/lower limit selectable * • ISO 200 • ISO 100,ISO 125,ISO 160, ISO 4000, ISO 5000, ISO 6400 (expanded range) |
| Metering modes | • Multi-segment (40 segment Honeycomb pattern) • Center-weighted • Spot |
| Metering range | • TTL metering • 40-segment honeycomb-pattern SPC • EV 0 to 20 (Multi-segment / Center-weighted) |
| AE Lock | • AEL button (customizable) • Half-press shutter release |
| AE Bracketing | • Single or continuous bracketing
• 3 or 5 frames |
| Exposure compen. | • -3.0 to +3.0 EV • 0.3 or 0.5 EV steps |
| Shutter | Electronically-controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane Shutter |
| Shutter Speed | • 30 to 1/8000 sec • Bulb |
| Flash X-sync | • 1/250 sec • 1/200 sec (with SteadyShot INSIDE on) |
| Aperture values | Depends on lens, 0.3 EV steps |
| DOF preview | Yes, dedicated button |
| White balance |
• Auto • Cloudy • Manual (Custom) – 3 memories |
| White balance fine tuning | • Auto (none) • Preset WB: -3 to +3 • Fluorescent WB: -2 to +4 • Color temperature WB: G9 to M9 (19 step Magenta / Green compensation) |
| White balance bracketing | • 3 frames • Hi or Lo steps |
| Dynamic range optimizer |
• Off • Advanced |
| Color space | • sRGB
• Adobe RGB |
| Color modes | • Standard • Vivid • Neutral • Landscape • Sepia |
| Image parameters | • Contrast (-3 to +3) • Saturation (-3 to +3) • Sharpness (-3 to +3) |
| Noise reduction | • Long exposure for exposures longer than 1 second (User controllable: On / Off) • High ISO NR High/Normal/Low/Off at ISO 1600 or higher |
| Viewfinder |
• Eye-level fixed optical glass pentaprism • Dioptric adjustment (-3 to +1.0) |
| LCD monitor |
• 3.0" ‘Xtra Fine’ TFT LCD • Brightness setting -/+ |
| Flash compensation | -3.0 to +3.0 EV in 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 2.0 EV steps |
| Flash Mode | Auto, Fill-Flash, Rear sync , High Speed Sync |
| External flash (optional) | • Sony HVL-F58M • Sony HVL-F56M • Sony HVL-F42M • Sony HVL-F36M • Macro Twin Flash Kit HVL-MT24AM • Ring Light HVL-RLAM |
| Drive modes | • Single-frame
• Continuous (H/L selectable) • Mirror Lock-Up |
| Continuous shooting * |
Approx 3 fps max • RAW: Up to 16 frames • cRAW (compressed): Up to 18 frames • RAW+JPEG: Up to12 frames • cRAW+JPEG : Up to 12 frames • JPEG (XFINE): Up to 34 frames |
| Self-timer |
• 10 sec • 2 sec |
| Orientation sensor | Yes, for shooting, playback and control panel display |
| Connectivity | • USB 2.0 Hi-Speed (mass storage, Multi-LUN or PTP) • Video out (NTSC or PAL) • HDMI type C mini jack |
| Remote control * | • Wired: with optional RM-S1AM or RM-L1AM • Wireless: with optional RM-DSLR1) |
| Video out | • AV (Selectable NTSC or PAL) • HDMI (1920 x 1080i, 1280 x 720p, 720 x 580p, 720 x 576p) • ‘PhotoTV’ HD settings applied with BRAVIA. |
| Storage | • Compact Flash Type I/II, UDMA Mode 5 compliant • Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, PRO-HG Duo • Supports FAT12 / FAT16 / FAT32 |
| Power | • NP-FM500H Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery (1650 mAh) • CR2025 Wireless remote • Battery charger included • Optional AC adapter |
| Vertical grip | • Vertical Grip VG-C90AM
• One or Two NP-FM500H batteries with auto switchover for power (additional battery is optional). |
| Dimensions | 156 x 117 x 82 mm |
| Weight (body) | 850 g |
Owners Manual
Coming soon…
Press Release
Weybridge, 27th August 2009: The new DSLR-A850 from Sony offers serious photo enthusiasts a step up to the creative possibilities of full-frame imaging at a compelling price.
Ruggedly built for unflinching pro-style handling and performance, the A850 shares the same 24.6 megapixel sensor and virtually all features of the flagship DSLR-A900, introduced last year. Like its full-frame sibling, the A850 fully exploits the creative possibilities of the ? family of lenses that includes premium full-frame optics from Carl Zeiss, plus five high-performance G Lens models.
At the heart of the A850 is a full frame 24.6 effective megapixel Exmor™ CMOS sensor that captures flawless, detail-packed images with vibrant, lifelike colours and fine textures.
The purity of high-resolution image data captured by the full-frame sensor is optimised by two-stage noise reduction in both analogue and digital domains. Noise reduction is first applied as the full-frame sensor converts light to electronic signals. Dual BIONZ™ image engines process large amounts of digital data, applying finely-tuned noise reduction during image processing to deliver pictures with extremely high level of sharpness and minimal noise level. This combination of high native sensor resolution and powerful noise control techniques ensures superlative image quality, even at high sensitivity settings up to a maximum ISO 6400 (with expanded ISO range).
The camera’s optical glass pentaprism viewfinder aids accurate shot composition, offering an extremely bright view with minimal distortion and a generous 98% field coverage.
Serious enthusiasts will also prize the camera’s fast, high-accuracy autofocus system that provides excellent framing freedom while making it easier to achieve optimum focus with moving subjects. The 9-point AF system is supplemented by 10 focus assist points to assist subject detection, improved out-of-focus detection to reduce focus hunting and a dedicated F2.8 sensor for enhanced AF accuracy with wide aperture lenses.
Shots can be viewed on the large, high contrast 3.0-inch Xtra Fine LCD that offers an exceptionally high resolution (921k dot) for critical evaluation – even outdoors or in bright ambient light.
For greater creative control, an Intelligent Preview function indicates the effects of exposure, white balance, and D-Range Optimiser adjustments prior to shooting. This Preview is invaluable when composing complex scenes that may typically combine multiple light sources with different colour temperatures.
Touching the Fn button switches the display to Quick Navi mode, allowing convenient one-handed adjustment of key shooting parameters. A secondary backlit LCD panel on the top of the camera body gives useful confirmation of major settings, even when the main LCD is turned off.
In common with all other DSLR cameras from Sony, the A850 features SteadyShot INSIDE™. This in-body optical stabilisation system delivers up to 4 steps of anti-shake correction with all compatible lenses, opening up even greater creative possibilities when shooting handheld.
Like its full-frame sibling, the A850 is ruggedly built for dependable performance in gruelling conditions with a high-tensile aluminium chassis and all-magnesium alloy body shell. Viewfinder, card slots, controls and other sensitive areas are protected from dust and moisture by rubber seals. In addition, a dual anti-dust system guards the full-frame sensor from the effects of dust entering the body during lens exchange.
The supplied high-capacity InfoLITHIUM™ Battery Pack (NP-FM500H) delivers power for up to 880 shots (approx.) per charge. Battery levels can be monitored in precise 1% increments, cutting uncertainty about remaining shooting time.
The camera can be connected to your BRAVIA™ or any HD TV (requires optional HDMI cable) for a big-screen view of your shots. On-screen image quality is optimised for superbly lifelike reproduction on BRAVIA™ models supporting PhotoTV HD. On-screen playback can be controlled via an optional remote commander.
The choice of full-frame lenses to complement the A850 is enhanced with the new 28-75mm F2.8 SAM. This compact, easy-to-carry lens is ideal for photo enthusiasts looking to add a bright, general purpose zoom to their collection of full-frame optics. Delivering excellent imaging quality at an accessible price, it’s the first zoom for the Alpha range offering a wide F2.8 aperture over its entire zoom range. Ideal for day-to-day shooting tasks, its bright maximum aperture makes the 28-75mm F2.8 SAM particularly valuable for interior scenes and available-light portraits.
The DSLR-A850 full-frame digital SLR camera is available from September 2009 and the 28-75mm lens will be available from November 2009.
