Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Reviews

9.4 out of 10

Sony Alpha DSLR-A850

First seen: 10 july 2009

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from 48 sources in 18 countries.

Great Deal: $1,669.00

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User Score (37)

9.5
Expert Score (4)

8.8
Value for money (3)

9.8
Performance (3)

8.6
Picture quality (4)

9.6

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PrimoCameras	Check Availability	(S)	$1,669.00	SEE IT
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Willoughbys Est.1898	In Stock	(CS)	$1,999.00	SEE IT
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Pros & Cons

full frame, excelent pictures, good battery life, great image quality, nice features and settings

still expensive, no built in flash, poorly positioned preview button

Manufacturer's Description

No manufacturer description available.

Specifications

Format

Interchangeable lens camera, SLR
Max resolution

6048 x 4032
Low resolution

4400 x 2936, 4400 x 2936, 3024 x 2016, 6048 x 3408, 4400 x 2472, 3024 x 1704, 3924 x 2656, 2896 x 1928, 1984 x 1320
Image ratio w:h

3:2, 16:9
Effective pixels

24.6 million
Sensor photo detectors

25.7 million
Sensor size

35.9 x 24 mm
Pixel density

2.9 MP/cm²
Sensor type

CMOS
Sensor manufacturer

Sony

Release Date

First seen

10 July 2009

WikiFreak Description

Sony Alpha A850

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Sony Alpha A850

The Sony Alpha A850 is a 6.2 x 4.6 x 3.2 in. (156 x 117 x 82 mm)/30.0 oz (850 g) digital SLR that utilizes a Sony CMOS (approx. 1.70 in. diagonal) with 24.60 megapixels (effective) output and 3:2 / 16:9 aspect ratio. It supports up to 6048 x 4032 (24.4 megapixels) pixel resolution images, captures up to 2.5 frames per second for 22 frames (Continuous: 3.0 frames per second for 23 frames), and supports a SLR type; eye-level pentaprism with 98% coverage, 0.74x mag., 20mm eyepoint, -3 to +1 diopter viewfinder, 3.0 in. diagonal LCD display with 921,600 dots (307,200 pixels) support, Sony Alpha (Minolta A) mount interchangeable lens with Image Stabilization, 9-point TTL phase detection with 10 assist points, center dual-cross at f/2.8, ISO Sensitivity up to 6400, 30 - 1/8000 second shutter speed, Exposure Modes (Aperture, Shutter, Manual), Metering Modes (40-segment Honeycomb Pattern, Center-weighted, Spot), White Balance adjustments, built-in flash, supports CompactFlash Type I or Type II, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo, and Microdrive recording media, input and outputs such as HDMI, NTSC / PAL switchable standards, USB 2.0 High Speed, DC input, Multi-connector, Sync termimal, Remote terminal, and HDMI Type-C minijack.

Features

The Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 is similar to the A900, with 24.6 megapixel resolution, nine-point AF with ten supplemental assist points, shutter speeds to 1/8000 second, ISO sensitivity to 6,400 max., a 3.0-inch LCD display, and CompactFlash / Memory Stick Duo storage. The Alpha A850 features a continuous-mode frame rate of three frames per second with a reduction in burst speed has allowed some cost saving in the mirror / shutter cocking mechanism. The optical viewfinder of the Sony Alpha A850 also has slightly reduced coverage, with a 98% field of view versus the 100% view through the A900’s finder. It also doesn’t include an infrared remote control in the product bundle, with this instead being available as an optional extra for A850 owners should they have a need for it. The SLR is powered by a NP-FM500H Lithium-ion rechargeable battery and comes with Image Data Converter SR, Image Data Lightbox SR, Remote Camera Control (all Windows & Macintosh) and Picture Motion Browser (Windows only) software. It is a Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) compliant and PictBridge Compliant device.

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Expert Reviews

Reviewer: AlphaMountWorld
8 September 2009
Sony Alpha DSLR A850 Review - Just Think Alpha A900September 2009, Carl Garrard (Update 9-27 See Additional Commentary, Page 6) Review - Just about a year ago today Sony announced the Alpha A900 DSLR, and nearly a year later its near twin cousin the hits sales floors at 1/3rd less cost than the Alpha A900. The Alpha A850 is the worlds first full frame digital SLR to break the stubborn 2K sales price at release. There is no question about it, the Alpha A850 represents... Read more
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 (body only)

Reviewer: CNET
5 September 2009
Specifications: Digital camera type: SLR ; Resolution: 24.6 megapixels ; Display type: 3 in LCD display See full specs Read more
Sony DSLR-A850 review

Reviewer: Let's go digital
3 October 2009
Sony A850 SLR camera review : One year after Sony forced a price-breakthrough for full-frame DSLR cameras by introducing the Sony Alpha 900 at a sharp price, it seems that Sony is about to pull the very same trick again. The new Sony Alpha 850, introduced to the world on the eve of the IFA 2009 in Berlin, also comes with a very sharp price tag. Suspicious as we are, we still expect to find significant differences between the two Alpha DSLR cameras, and we are thus truly... Read more
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850

Reviewer: PCPhoto
29 October 2009
Sony’s Alpha DSLR-A850 is the first camera to bring full-frame digital photography under $2,000. Sony has accomplished this benchmark by paring down the feature set of its flagship A900 model. For $700 less, the A850 offers almost everything that the A900 does, including a 24.6-megapixel Exmor CMOS full-frame sensor, Dual BIONZ image processing, multi-stage noise reduction (including analog noise reduction on the Exmor sensor itself) and SteadyShot image stabilization,... Read more
Sony alpha DSLR-A850 Review

Reviewer: Digitaltrends
29 September 2009

Overall 9

It’s hard to call a $1,999 DSLR a great deal, but the Sony alpha DSLR-A850 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 (our test rig with lens has an MSRP of close to $3,600). 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. Read more

Read More Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Expert Reviews and Problems

User Reviews

Great Full Frame Camera

Reviewer: Ritz Camera
16 October 2009

Overall 10

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend Read more
Great Full Frame Camera

Reviewer: RLQ, WolfCamera.com
16 October 2009

Overall 10

This camera does it all well it is easy to use and built like a tank. Wide selection of Sony and Minolta lens also some great third party lens. very good battery life and the camera size and weight is right for me. You must have good glass on it to produce outstanding photos. Read more
Excellent Camera (with One Caveat)

Reviewer: Amazon
28 October 2009 See Product at Amazon ($1,999.00)

Overall 8

I've owned it for about a month now, including some real-world use on a recent trip to Europe. It performed wonderfully and everything about the design is dedicated to shooting stills without distraction. It's large but comfortable, not as heavy as it looks, and with a huge viewfinder and hard buttons for every critical adjustment, I found myself able to get in the zone very quickly. The camera gets out of the way. The one exception to this - and the reason I'm rating... Read more or see product
A850 Full Frame at Best Price

Reviewer: Anonymous, Sony
10 November 2009

Overall 8

Been wanting full frame, bit could not afford it. A850 is the right camera for the us. Great shots that are perfect. Black cat hair detail is perfect. Almost no reason to take it off "Program" mode except for those special pics. Sony, Need to work on reducing the lens prices. I was worried when Sony bought Minolta, but they did a great thing by designing this camera. Read more
Reviewer: DP Review
18 hours ago

Overall 7

For nikon users. User settings almost at D40 level. Very little lens to choose from so the only lens I put on is the 28mm. There are so much fine detail that I have all the cropping flexibility. There are enough space to correct way tilted angles. Buy it because its the most affordable FF until D700 with 24 megapixels comes along. You have to bear with its limitation so treat it as a FF D40. Super steady shot is really useful. Read more