Even though I own several other Sony camera bodies it was time to do the inevitable replacement. The A77 is still new and it is a great backup camera, but it is not a full-frame camera. The A900 is an amazing camera but it aging (see: Your digital SLR camera WILL die). Even when I bought the A77 I had the A99 in my sights, but I needed the A77 as a backup (wedding photographers need backups!) at the time. That was back in September 2012. A year later I had saved enough to purchase the A99.

Why the Sony A99

Though there are many camera manufacturers, I use Sony as I have always liked the colour rendition. Colour is very important to me and every Sony camera I have every owned gave me the colour I liked. Is it the best camera for wedding photographers or any other purpose? Perhaps, perhaps not, but that is an opinion usually formed by those who consider their gear more important than the art of photography. I still have photos in my portfolio which I shot on my Sony A230 and I still love them. I chose the Sony A99 for the following reasons:

• The A900 is aging and needs to be replaced
• I prefer Full-Frame to APS-C sized sensors
• The EVF (Electronic View Finder) is amazing!
• The camera is fast
• I have a number of Full-Frame lenses available
• Image Quality

Though I could list many other small things this camera can do, these are my main reasons. Many may wonder why I say the EVF is a deciding factor, but the truth is it really is amazing. EVF’s (in older pre-2010) used to be bad and they looked digital (such as on my old Minolta Z1), but the EVF on the new Sony cameras are truly amazing and much better than OVF (Optical View Finders) in many ways. Once you have worked with a Sony EVF camera for a few weeks you cannot move back to OVF. The EVF on the A77 spoiled me and I more often than not wished my A900 had an EVF.

I was expecting image quality from the new A99 comparable to the A900, but once I shot a few photos I could see the effort Sony put into the technological development of this sensor. The photos I got from my A99 have a look which I can only describe as warm and elegant with very much a filmy feel.

Where are the sample photos?

If you would like to see some sample photos from the A99, then keep a lookout on my facebook page: facebook.com/riaanrouxphotography
from today as most of the photos I will post will probably come from the A99 (as it will be used as my main camera).

You could also look at the video below where I unboxed my Sony A99 after receiving it and posted some sample photos in the video towards the end (check 11:20)