The wish that came true too little, too late.

So it finally arrived. Amidst the hustle and bustle of my so-called life, Sony managed to unleash two technological marvels under my nose.

I switched from Canon to Sony for a couple of reasons. First, I was tired of the Canikon banter going on on amongst  my peers and on the internet sites I frequent. Second, Sony seems to always be in the forefront of technology, and I wanted to try that technology. I bought the Alpha 77 because it was NOT a DSLR. It did away with the OVF in favor of a huge EVF, which was a welcome break for my slightly deteriorating eyesight (nothing to be alarmed of, I am getting old, that is all). No mirror slap = a much quieter and more discrete camera. And the biggest bonus is the speed. The 12 frames a second burst rate is a godsend for birding.

Before I purchased the Alpha 77 I was secretly hoping that the rumored Alpha 99, the much-anticipated upgrade to the Alpha 900, would arrive before I swiped my credit card. But being the impatient guy that I am purchased the Alpha 77, one month before the folks at Sony finally decided to make the Alpha 99 a dream come true.

And while I can probably afford to buy this big guy early next year, do I really need/want one? The full frame sensor would surely blow the Alpha 77 out of the water when it comes to high ISO performance. But the full frame counterpart does have some caveats: it can "only" do 6 frames a second. And after using both the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and the Alpha 77, I am now spoiled by cameras who can do much, much faster. And then there are the lenses. To be able to get the most out of this camera I would have to invest in the Carl Zeiss and G lenses from Sony, which actually cost more than the Nikon and Canon counterparts.

So am I going to shell out more money and get the Alpha 99? Probably not. Sour grapes? Not at all, because I could actually afford it if I wanted to. But as much innovative and high-tech as Sony wants to be, I do feel that APS-C for me is "enough". I am not making enough money out of my photography to justify buying one. Nor do I have critics breathing on my neck checking for every speckle of noise on my photos. The Alpha 77 and its APS-C sensor is more than good enough for my creative needs. And now that I have almost all of the lenses I want for it (I might invest in the 70-400 G lens for next year's birding though), I really could not be bothered. My purchasing the Alpha 77 before the release of the full frame Alpha 99 might prove to be a blessing in disguise. Right now the Alpha 99 for me is a wish that came true a month too late.

The good thing about owning, and using, a Sony camera, is that no one ever tries to take a sneak peek of my gear when I am out and about using it, to check if it's an expensive, full-frame model. It does make people turn their heads and listen in awe when they hear it do burst rates :-)