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Recording Features
Play and Print Functions
Battery Information
Supplied Software

Recording Features

Rugged Magnesium Alloy Shell: The body of the DSLR-A900 is entirely covered in a die-cast magnesium alloy shell, providing a rugged feel and surprisingly light weight.

Moisture/Dust Resistant Design: Sealed viewfinder optics and rubber gasket surrounds on all buttons, dials, and switches help resist the entry of dust and moisture into the camera, and allow for safe use in a wide range of environments.

3.0" Xtra Fine LCD: The DSLR-A900 uses a 3" (921k dots) Clear Photo TFT Xtra Fine LCD screen. This design makes it easy to read the camera's setup menus even in bright sunlight and gives you better visibility when you use the screen to review and setup your recorded images. The LCD monitor automatically rotates to adjust to the camera's horizontal or vertical position. The LCD monitor can be set to automatically turn off when you are looking into the viewfinder.

Note: The LCD monitor cannot be used as a viewfinder to shoot.

100% Coverage Glass Pentaprism Viewfinder: A large, ultra bright glass pentaprism viewfinder provides you with amazing clarity and high optical performance for tighter focus control. In addition, it offers viewfinder magnification of 0.74x, allowing you to see an image nearer to its actual size, as well as 100% field coverage for detailed framing work. The DSLR-A900 includes a built-in eyepiece shutter which can be shut to help shield against entering light and prevent exposure errors.

Dual Media Options: The DSLR-900 camera accepts both both CompactFlash Type I/II media (optional), Memory Stick Duo media (optional) and Memory Stick Pro Duo media (optional).

Versatile Recording Formats: Images can be captured in RAW, cRAW (optimized for fast action), RAW+JPEG, cRAW+JPEG and three JPEG modes (Extra Fine, Fine and Standard), for greater versatility in every digital photo application.

35mm Full Frame 24.6MP Exmor CMOS Image Sensor: The DSLR-A900 features a 35mm full frame Exmor CMOS image sensor that is approximately 2.35x larger than the APS-C sized sensors found in many DSLR cameras. The result is a larger capture area, improved wide angle performance, and tighter depth of field control. In addition, its 24.6MP resolution maximizes the resolving power of your existing lenses and delivers sharper, higher contrast photos. Analog-to-digital signal conversion is performed by the full frame Exmor CMOS image sensor. In addition to digitizing analog signals, the full frame Exmor CMOS image sensor also performs both analog and digital noise reduction. This on-chip dual noise reduction process aids in the high speed transfer of noiseless digital signals.

Image Sizes: You can record full-frame still images in a 3:2 or 16:9 aspect ratio. A 3:2 photo can be recorded in a 6048 x 4032, 4400 x 2936 or 3024 x 2016 image size, while a 16:9 photo can be recorded in a 6048 x 3408, 4400 x 2472, or 3024 x 1704 image size. In addition to full frame image capture, the DSLR-A900 can also crop images to the APS-C size format, allowing the use of lenses designed specifically for APS-C sized image sensors. An APS-C size 3:2 photo can be recorded in a 3984 x 2656, 2896 x 1928, or 1984 x 1320 image size.

Bionz Image Processor: The DSLR camera's advanced Sony Bionz Image Processor, uses hardware-based Large Scale Integrated (LSI) circuitry that improves camera response time (continuous shooting up to 5 fps), screens out noise before RAW data conversion, handles Dynamic Range Optimization processing and prolongs battery life.

SteadyShot INSIDE In-Camera Image Stabilization: Building on years of expertise, Sony has developed a body-integrated image stabilization solution for the DSLR-A900. The SteadyShot INSIDE in-camera image stabilizer actually shifts the image sensor to compensate for camera shake without sacrificing image quality. The compensation effect is equal to as many as four shutter speed steps, giving you more creative freedom when shooting in low light. And, because it is integrated into the camera body, SteadyShot INSIDE technology works with all compatible α (alpha) system lenses.

9-Point AF System With 10-Point Assist: A high-performance autofocus system uses 9 focus points (center dual-cross type) and 10 assist points to deliver fast and precise focusing. The autofocus system in the DSLR-A900 features a highly accurate F2.8 sensor for improved focus precision when using lenses faster than F2.8. You can choose from the following Auto/Manual Focus Modes.

• Manual Focus: When it is difficult to get the proper focus in auto focus mode, you can adjust the focus manually. This mode allows you to set the distance of a subject by rotating the focusing ring of the lens to achieve a sharp focus.
• AF (Auto focus) Mode: You can select between 4 modes.
  • Single-Shot AF: This mode is used when shooting a motionless subject
  • Continuous AF: This mode is used when the subject is in motion.
  • Automatic AF: This mode automatically switches between single-shot AF and continuous AF depending on the subject's motion
• AF (Auto focus) Area: You can select between 3 settings.
  • Wide AF Area: The camera determines which of the nine local focus frames is used in focusing with the wide focus frame. The camera also focuses on a subject using 10 supplementary ranging points, in addition to the normal nine ranging points, to focus with a higher degree of accuracy.
  • Spot AF Area: The camera use the spot focus frame exclusively.
  • Local Area Selection: You can choose a local focus area from the 9 areas.

Focus Lock: If a subject is off-center and outside of the AF area, you can lock the focus of the camera.

AF Illuminator: When you press the shutter button halfway down a red illuminator is emitted under dark lighting, the flash light may be fired. This helps focus a subject in auto focus mode when taking photos in low or dark light. The AF illuminator has a range of approximately 3.3 to 23 feet.

Various Shutter Modes: The shutter mechanism in the DSLR-A900 is designed to achieve shutter speeds up to 1/8000 seconds and proven for 100,000 cycle operation. The camera's high-speed processing power of its Bionz engine, the unit's quick-response coreless motor to drive the shutter, and its dual mirror stoppers to prevent mirror bounce enable the DSLR-A900 to capture action more effectively at either 5 or 3 frames per second, even shooting at full 24.6 MP resolution. You can also shoot continuously to the limit of available memory in JPEG Fine and Standard modes. The camera offers the following shooting modes.

• Single Shot Advance: Default setting for standard picture taking.
• Shooting Continuously: When you press and hold the shutter button, the camera records the images continuously at three or five images per second.
• Self-Timer: You can set the camera to two different self-timers.
  • 10 Second: After you press the shutter button, the shutter will be released about 10 seconds later. This is convenient when the photographer wants to appear in a photo.
  • 2 Second: After you press the shutter button, the shutter will be released about 2 seconds later. This is convenient to reduce camera-shake.
• Continuous Bracket: The camera can shoot three or five continuous images with the exposures shifted automatically. It uses two settings.
  • Bracket 0.3Ev Continuous: This setting shoots images continuously with exposure value shifted by plus or minus 0.3 step.
  • Bracket 0.7Ev Continuous: This setting shoots images continuously with the exposure value shifted by plus or minus 0.7 step.
• Single Bracket: The camera can shoot three to five images shot by shot with exposure value shifted automatically. It uses 2 settings.
  • Bracket 0.3Ev Single: This setting shoots images shot by shot with the exposure value shifted by plus or minus 0.3 step.
  • Bracket 0.7Ev Single: This setting shoots images shot by shot with the exposure value shifted by plus or minus 0.7 step.
• White Balance Bracket Shooting: Based on the selected white balance, and color temperature, three pictures are taken while automatically shifting the color temperature. One shot records three frames of an image in following order - image with "normal white balance", image with "paler colors", and image with "reddish colors". The camera uses two setting for this feature.
  • Bracket WB (L): This setting shifts the white balance by 10 mired (a unit to indicate the color conversion quality in color temperature filters) when taking a picture.
  • Bracket WB (H): Shifts the white balance by 20 mired when taking a picture.
• Dynamic Range Optimizer: To recover details in dark or bright areas of the picture, the DSLR-A900 provides multiple levels of Dynamic Range Optimization: Standard mode, to improve shadow detail using standard gamma curves; Advanced Auto mode, allowing you to select any of 5 DRO correction levels, or DRO Advanced Bracketing, that automatically creates three versions of the image captured at different DRO levels with a single shutter press.
• Mirror Lock Function: Moving the mirror upward before shooting prevents camera shake when the shutter is released. This feature is convenient when you perform macro shooting or shoot with a telephoto lens.

Exposure Control: A 40-segment honeycomb sensing system provides multi-pattern measuring for superior exposure control accuracy in a wide range of lighting conditions. The camera offers the following exposure recording modes.

• Auto Adjustment: This mode allows easy shooting with settings adjusted automatically depending entirely on the camera.
• Program Auto: This mode allows you to shoot with the exposure adjusted automatically (both the shutter speed and the aperture value).
  • Program Shift: You can temporarily change the aperture value and shutter speed combination that was adjusted by the camera using two methods:
    • P/s shift: You can choose the desired shutter speed and the aperture value is adjusted automatically.
    • P/a shift: You can choose the desired aperture value and the shutter speed is adjusted automatically.
• Aperture Priority: This mode allow you to shoot after adjusting the aperture value manually. You can adjust the amount of light that passes through the lens.
• Shutter Speed Priority: This mode allows you to shoot after adjusting the shutter speed manually.
  • High Shutter Speed: The moving subject appears as if frozen on the image.
  • Slow Shutter Speed: The moving subject appears as if it were flowing.
• Manual Exposure: This mode allows you to shoot after adjusting the exposure manually (Both the shutter speed and the aperture value).
  • Manual Shift: You can change the shutter speed and aperture value combination without changing the exposure in manual mode.
  • Bulb (Long Exposure) Shooting: In this setting as long as the shutter button is pressed, the shutter remains open. You can shoot trails of light, such as fireworks.
• Memory Recall Mode: This mode allows you to recall as setup registered in the camera's memory.

Exposure Compensation: Exposure compensation is used to alter the camera's standard exposure setting. You can make the image look lighter (increased exposure) or darker (decreased exposure). The exposure compensation amount can be set up to +/-3 stops in 1/2 or 1/3-stop increments.

AE Lock:You can fix the exposure before deciding on the composition when taking a picture. This is effective when the metering object and focusing object are different or when you want to shoot continuously while keep the same exposure value.

Metering Mode: This mode allows the camera to measure the brightness of a subject from the following three methods:

• MultiSegment: This method divides the whole screen into 40 segments to measure light.
• Center Weighted: While emphasizing the central area of the screen, this method measure the average brightness of the entire screen.
• Spot: This method measure light only in the spot metering circle in the center of the frame.

White Balance: You can adjust the color tones according to the lighting conditions. You can choose from the following WB options.

• Auto: This mode adjusts the white balance automatically.
• Daylight: This mode adjusts for outdoors and sunlit subjects.
• Shade: This mode adjust for shady conditions on a clear day.
• Cloudy: This mode adjust for a cloudy sky.
• Tungsten: This mode adjusts for place where lighting conditions change quickly.
• Fluorescent: This mode adjusts for florescent lighting.
• Flash: This mode adjusts for flash conditions.
• Color Temperature/Color Filter: Sets the white balance by the color temperature. The higher the number, the more reddish the image and the lower the number, the more bluish the image. The color temperature can be selected between 2500K and 9900K.
• Custom 1-3: In a scene where the ambient light consists of multiple types of light sources, use of the custom white balance is recommended in order to accurately reproduce the whiteness. Up to three settings are registered.

Creative Image Styles: This camera is pre-programmed with image styles optimal for various scenes and purposes. You can take a picture with an appropriate color balance and tone. You can choose from the following.

• Standard: This setting reproduces various scenes with rich gradation and beautiful color.
• Vivid: This setting reproduces memorable scenery such as blue sky, sunsets, spring greenery, and autumn leaves with deep and vivid colors.
• Neutral: The saturation and sharpness are lowered for capturing images in a quiet tone.
• Clear: This setting is for capture images in a clear tone with limpid colors in the highlighted area, suitable for capturing radiant light.
• Deep: This setting is for capturing images with deep and dens color expressions, suited for capturing the solid presence of the subject.
• Light: This setting is for capturing images with bright and uncomplicated color expressions, sited to capturing refreshingly light ambience.
• Portrait: This setting accentuates the subject and softly reproduces skin tones.
• Landscape: This setting reproduces the scenery with vivid and sharp colors.
• Sunset: This setting beautifully reproduces the red of the sunset.
• Night View: This setting reproduces the light area vividly and the dark area crisply.
• Autumn Leaves: This setting is used for capturing autumn scenes, vividly highlighting the red and yellow of coloring leaves.
• B & W: This setting is for monochrome images.
• Sepia: This setting captures images in a sepia monotone.

Image Custom Parameters: You can adjust the contrast, saturation, sharpness, and brightness of an image manually and individually.

Zone Matching: This setting allows you to keep an image from being overexposed or underexposed when shooting a high-keyed or low-keyed subject.

ISO Settings: ISO is a unit of measurement of sensitivity to light. The larger the number, the higher the sensitivity. The camera's ISO can be set manually or automatically. You can set the the camera's Manual ISO to 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 100, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200, 4000, 5000, and 6400. You can set the camera's Auto ISO range from 400-1600, 400-800, 200-1600, 200-800, or 200-400.

Intelligent Preview Function: The Intelligent Preview function allows you to see the effects of manual adjustments to exposure value, shutter speed, aperture, Dynamic Range Optimizer and White Balance before you take the shot, so you can determine the optimum settings before you take the shot, instead of losing time to trial-and-error.

Optional Flash: In a dark location, using an optional flash, allows you to shoot the subject brightly, and it also helps to prevent camera shake. The DSLR-A900 features an active-shoe on top of the camera to attach a compatible Sony flash. The DSLR-A900 offers the following flash modes.

• Autoflash: In auto mode the optional flash automatically fires if it is dark or against light.
• Fill-Flash: In this mode the optional flash fires whenever the built-in flash is pulled up.
• Rear Sync: In rear sync mode the objects illuminated by other light sources are captured first, then the optional flash is fired.
• WL (Wireless): The camera can use the flash light to transmit signal to an external off-camera flash to produce a more three-dimensional image. (Requires optional HVL-56AM or HVL-F36AM).

Slow Sync: In a case where the background is dark or low lit and is out of flash range you can use the Slow Sync mode to shoot the image with an optional flash and a slow shutter speed to capture a clear image of both the subject and background..

Noise Reduction: The camera offers Long Exposure and High ISO Noise Reduction (NR) to automatically reduce the grainy noise found in photos during long exposures or high ISO settings.

Anti-Dust Technology: To keep the CCD imager clean for better pictures, the DSLR-A900 camera utilizes both static-free anti-dust coating on the CCD filter and ant-dust vibration that automatically shakes the CCD to dislodge dust each time the camera is shut off.

Play and Print Functions

Histogram Display: A histogram is the luminance distribution that shows how many pixels of a particular brightness exists in a picture. The histogram display of this camera shows the brightness on the horizontal axis (left side is black, right side is white) and the number of pixels on the vertical axis.

Auto Review: After an image is recorded, you can have the camera automatically display it on the LCD monitor for two, five or 10 seconds.

Auto Rotation: Vertical shots can be rotated automatically so that they are displayed upright during playback.

Playback Screen: You can view your photos back as a single image on the LCD monitor, as an Index or as a Slide Show . During Index Mode you can view 4, 9 or 25 images at once. You can adjust the Slide Show mode interval from 1, 3, 5, 10, or 30 seconds.

Image Enlargement: During single image playback you can enlarge an entire image or a select area of an image from 1.1 to19x. You can then pan through the image horizontally or vertically.

Rotating Images: Images can be rotated counter-clockwise 360-degrees on the camera's LCD monitor during single image playback.

Protect Images: You can protect all images on your memory card or select only certain images to be protected from accidental erasure.

PhotoTV HD Viewing With HDMI: The DSLR-A900 provides direct mini-HDMI output to your HDTV screen, so you can view and share photos in clarity and detail. You can choose between standard 3:2 or widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. With new Bravia HDTV model TVs, photos are automatically optimized in sharpness, gradation and color reproduction for HD display. An HDMI cable is not supplied. The camera also features a proprietary port and comes supplied with a composite video cable for supplying video to your television.

Wireless Remote Control: For shooting as well as viewing convenience, Sony supplies a multi-function IR wireless remote control with the DSLR-A900, allowing you to control TV photo viewing and trip the shutter by remote to put yourself in the picture.

Printing Options: The camera offers the following printing options.

• DPOF Compatible: Using the camera, you can specify the images and the number of images to print before you print images at a photo-shop or with your printer.
• PictBridge Compliant: You can print images by connecting the camera directly to a PictBridge compliant printer.
• Memory Card: You can print images with a Memory Stick or CF card compliant printer.
• Computer: You can copy images to a computer using the supplied "Picture Motion Browser" software and print the images.

Battery Information

InfoLithium Battery: The DSLR-A900 can take up to 880 shots on a fully charged NP-FM500H InfoLithium battery (supplied) with indication in percentage of about how much battery power remains.

Charging: The supplied InfoLithium battery requires approximately 235 minutes for a full charge and 175 minutes for a normal charge. The battery must be fully charged before initial use.

Power Save: You can set the time (1, 3, 5, 10, or 30 min.) to turn the camera to the power saving mode to increase battery life.

Supplied Software

Application Software CD-ROM: Picture Motion Browser Ver.3.2.01, Image Data Lightbox SR Ver.2.0, and Image Data Converter SR Ver.3.0 software are included with the camera and are contained and installed from one CD-ROM.

Picture Motion Browser Ver.3.2.01:Windows Only

• Import images shot with the camera and display them on the camera.
• Organize images on the computer on a calendar by shooting date to view them.
• Retouch, print, and send images as e-mail attachments and change the shooting date.
• Still images can be printed or saved with the date.
• You can create a data disc using a CD burner driver or DVD burner drive.

Image Data Lightbox SR Ver.2.0:Windows and Macintosh

• Display and compare RAW/JPEG images recorded with this camera
• Rate the images on a scale of five
• Display an image in "Image Data Converter SR" and make adjustments to it

Image Data Converter SR Ver.3.0:Windows and Macintosh

• You can edit images recorded in RAW mode with various corrections, such as tone curve, and sharpness.
• You can save the images in a general-purpose file format.

PC Requirements:

• OS Pre-Installed: Microsoft Windows XP SP3 or Windows Vista SP1 (64-bit editions and Starter editions are not supported)
• CPU/Memory: Pentium 4 or faster is recommended, RAM 1GB or more is recommended
• Hard Disk Space: 200 MB or more (for installation)
• Display: 1024 x 768 dots or more; high color (16-bit color) or more.

Macintosh Requirements:

• OS Pre-Installed: Mac OS X (v 10.4/v10.5)
• CPU: Power PC G4/G5 series (1.0 GHz or faster is recommended) Intel Core Solo/Core Duo/Core 2 Duo or faster
• Memory: 1GB or more
• Display: 1024 x768 dots or more; 32,000 colors or more.