
Lots of color modes
Some good hardware features
No built-in flash
Noise reduction sometimes makes it worse
Introduction
Auto white balance handles fluorescent and daylight very accurately, but incandescent illumination produces overly warm results.
White Balance (10.53)
More on how we test color.Automatic White Balance (10.3)
The automatic white balance setting produced exceptionally accurate results when shooting under daylight illumination, and also scored well when shooting under fluorescent light. The problem arose under incandescent lights, which produced images that were distinctly over-warm. On balance, though, the A900 scored well here.
Custom White Balance (10.75)
Taking a custom white balance reading effectively solved the problem we’d experienced when shooting under incandescent lights using the automatic white balance system. There were color accuracy improvements under fluorescent and daylight illumination as well, but these were already quite close to ideal values under auto white balance.
Shooting under daylight illumination using auto white balance, all of the cameras produced slightly cool results, though the offsets from the ideal for the Sony A900 and Nikon D700 are trivial.
There is a grim consistency to the inability of automatic white balance systems to cope adequately with incandescent lighting which, considering that’s still the source of most household illumination, is profoundly not a good thing. The warming trend is less severe for the Sony A900 than for most of the competition, as shown below, though there’s still an uncomfortable orange hue to the images shot on auto.
It’s interesting that both Sony and Nikon warm up their images when shooting on auto under fluorescents, while Canon errs in the cooler direction, but not enough that you’d notice without a lab at your disposal.
Taking both automatic and custom white balance accuracy into account, the Sony produces acceptable but not impressive overall results when compared to the other cameras in our roundup. The tests are conducted using a controlled lighting system that produces consistent color temperatures for each illumination setting. Images are analyzed using Imatest, which compares the captured colors to the ideal values from the X-Rite color chart.
Shop for the Sony Alpha A900
Latest News
& Reviews
-
10-Feb-2012
Nikon Coolpix P310 First Impressions Review
The new Nikon Coolpix P310 comes with an impressive f/1.8 lens, but we’re not sure if this model can compete with the Canon S100. Read More...
-
10-Feb-2012
Nikon S9300 First Impressions Review
It’s not often that “18x optical zoom” and “compact” describe the same camera, but that’s the Nikon S9300 for you. We’ve taken the little devil for a spin here at CP+, read on for our full impressions of Nikon’s latest travel zoom camera. Read More...
Top Rated Digital SLRs
-

$1,049.951Canon EOS 60D
The Canon EOS 60D is a top-notch camera in terms of performance, handling and flexibility. However, the performance of the kit lens leaves something to be desired. Read full 7-part review
$1,049.95TypesProsumerAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,1510 to 15 Megapixels15,> 15 Megapixels19.00 -

$589.952Nikon D5100
The D5100 is the latest entry-level DSLR from Nikon, with full 1080/30p video, an articulated LCD, and the same image sensor as the D7000. It lacks an internal focus motor, but we found it produced some of the most accurate colors we've seen yet. Read full 7-part review
$589.95TypesAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,1510 to 15 Megapixels15,> 15 Megapixels16.2 -

$1,239.953Canon EOS 7D
The 18-megapixel Canon 7D delivers high resolution stills and full HD video in a well-built camera designed for serious photographers without the desire (or budget) for a full-frame model. Read full 7-part review
$1,239.95TypesProsumerAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,1510 to 15 Megapixels15,> 15 Megapixels19.00 -

$1,199.004Nikon D7000
The Nikon D7000 is a powerhouse camera at an excellent price. It offers a huge range of features that will make shooting quicker and easier for the experienced shooter, with lots of customizable options and quick control access. Read full 7-part review
$1,199.00TypesProsumerAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,1510 to 15 Megapixels15,> 15 Megapixels16.9 -

$569.995Sony Alpha SLT-A55V
The SLT-A55 is a well performing SLR, with a wide ISO range, good color and relatively low noise. . Read full 7-part review
$569.99TypesConsumerAny Megapixels0,8< 8 Megapixels8,108 to 10 Megapixels10,1510 to 15 Megapixels15,> 15 Megapixels17
Features
-
DigitalCameraInfo New Year's Giveaway
Check back every day for the rest of 2011 to see what we’re adding to the grand prize package. It all starts with the Sony NEX-5N and ends with over $4000 in prizes! Read More...
-
DigitalCameraInfo.com 2011 Select Awards
After a year of tireless testing and deliberation, we’ve made our selections for the very best cameras of 2011. Read More...
(add your own)