In an understated bid at a crack at the top of the DSLR market, Sony has unveiled it’s top-of-the-line (alpha) DSLR-A900. Boasting a top of the heap 35mm full frame 24.6MP CMOS, the A900 is one step up from the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III with 21.1 MP full-frame CMOS sensor.

The reason I say it’s understated is because Sony advertises this as designed to “meet the demands of serious enthusiasts.” I wonder why Sony would have the most sensitive full-frame CMOS sensor in a camera and not go loud in the drum-beating. The only reasons I can see in that marketing strategy is if they are already working on the next big thing. Or if they know something’s coming up from Canon or Nikon.

Among other things that this camera lacks is a built-in flash. The specs on the Sony page clearly says so. Seems this is going to be more common in high-end DSLRs, as rumor has it that the next two cameras Canon is set to release also don’t have any built-in flash. I can understand that as it would be a balancing act with regards the power requirements on the battery: with more power needed for the capture, processing, and saving to file, the flash would be a relatively big drain on available resources.

And it also doesn’t have an in-camera sensor cleaning system. This is practically a standard feature in other cameras of its class. And no Live View nor a video mode.

Other standard features clearly signal this is more of a pro-user camera rather than for an advanced enthusiast. With the on-chip dual noise reduction, dual BIONZ image processing engines, 5 fps burst shooting speed, shutter speed of 1/8000 to 30 seconds plus bulb mode, 3-inch LCD, and HD output (through HDMI).

The camera will be in stores in November at a hefty $3,000 (approx.) price tag, clearly this is a pro-user trying hard to pass itself off as a hobbyist-camera.

It would be interesting to see what Sony would do for an encore.