Alpha A850
Responding to consumer pressure, Sony has launched what is effectively a cut-down and slightly cheaper version of its impressive full-frame professional camera, the A900. The new Alpha A850 shares the same tough magnesium alloy body and tensile aluminium chassis, full environmental sealing, 24.6-megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor, dual BIONZ processors and many of the main features of the flagship model.

Looking at the press release and specifications which Sony has sent me, there don't appear to be very many differences between the A850 and the A900 at all. The only significant ones I could find are the viewfinder, which is slightly smaller with a 98 percent field of view, and the maximum shooting speed, which is slightly slower at 3fps.

The Alpha A850 will be going on sale from September, reportedly at a price of around £2,000, compared to the £2,400 list price of the A900.

To complement the A850, Sony has also announced a new lens, a 28-75mm standard zoom with a fast f/2.8 aperture across the range. You'll have to wait a while to try it with the new camera though, because it's not due for release until November.

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