And now, for my first proper shots from the Sony Alpha 900! All EXIF data is included.

Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan at 210mm F8. I always shoot plants with Daylight WB to give the green its color. DRO Level 3 helped, too.

Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX at 17mm F2.8. Note how shallow the depth of field is… even my watch is out-of-focus. I love the natural light fall-off at the edges, and I waited for the sunlight to hit my hands to pull extra attention to it.

Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX at 17mm F16. This is with DRO Level 3. Hmm wait what’s that on the second floor?

Right, it’s a person.

Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX at 17mm F2.8. This is with DRO Level 5. Did I mention that I love the light fall-off?

Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX at 17mm F2.8. This is with DRO Level 5.

Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan at 210mm F4. This is a 50% crop! Despite the A900 having only a 10.58 megapixel APS-C crop mode, it is actually advantageous when tracking – the AF assist sensors spread around do a much better job than the center double-cross AF sensor of the A700 (which packed 12.2 megapixels in APS-C) or the A350 (which packed 14.2 megapixels in APS-C). Also, the AF sensors of the A900 are only in the APS-C area, so you know if your subject is off the frame. Being able to see outside your APS-C area, when APS-C capture mode is selected, is very useful for fast-flying birds.

Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan at 210mm F4. This is a 100% crop.

Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan at 210mm F4. This is in APS-C capture mode.

Minolta 70-210mm F4 beercan at 130mm F4. This is in APS-C capture mode, regrettably; if I had quickly switched back to full-frame capture mode, I could zoom in at 210mm and get a shallower depth of field. But I still like this picture, the car was glowing and begging me to take its picture! DRO Level 3 boosted the background.

On the LRT, I tweaked my Creative Style: Vivid to -3 Contrast, -3 Saturation, +3 Sharpness, -2 Brightness and -1 Zone. This gave a muted look to the pictures that will follow (but they also decrease noise dramatically.)

Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX at 35mm F4. My friend asked if I was afraid to whip out my camera – I said no, knowing the location and the conditions. In this case I wasn’t brandishing a battery grip (though I wish my Minolta 50mm F1.4 was on, for ultimate stealth.)

Oh, and what’s he going to do, get up? That would’ve made a more interesting picture…

Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX at 17mm F3.2, cropped. Later at Tarita Low Yat, a photographer (who has a food book coming up with pictures from his A350!) checks out the A900 + F58 + battery package. I gave him a few pointers but I had to go so I didn’t see the deal through. 🙁

Yes, that’s the kit lens on it. Told him how to bypass auto-APS-C mode, too!

Minolta 50mm F1.4 at 50mm F1.4, ISO1600, WB set at 3200K M4. Gotta love how F1.4 throws everything else into defocus. That’s a wonderful camera by the way, the Canon Ixus 870 IS… 28mm wide and pretty darn good macro! Of course, the Panasonic LX-3 was all sold out…

Minolta 50mm F1.4 at 50mm F1.4, ISO1600, WB set at 3200K M4. This alone granted the setting memory slot #2!

This is what I’ve been looking for all this while – INSPIRATION! And the A900 renewed it. If the solid rubber grip, 100% bright viewfinder and pump-action shotgun mirror slap don’t inspire you to shoot some magical pictures, I don’t know what will.