When designing the A900, Sony have apparently shied away from any technology or feature anyone has ever spoken of in a disapproving manner. Thus the camera lacks a pop-up flash, Live View and Eye-start AF. The omission of these – or at least the first two – is a pity. The lack of a pop-up flash, for instance, means that if you want to take advantage of the A900′s ability to wirelessly control off-camera system flashes, you will have to buy one of the new HVL-F58AM flashguns to act as commander, irrespective of how many earlier WL capable Minolta/Sony flash units you have already. Not that the HVL-F58AM is a bad investment.
With its innovative Quick Shift Bounce system, it is certainly an interesting and capable flash – but it does set you back at least £375 on top of what you have to pay for the A900 body.
The A900 has a fairly comprehensive set of drive mode options, accessed by way of a dedicated button located just behind the shutter release and right of the exposure compensation button.
