Why the Sony A900 price is still high on the used market

I want an A900 to use with a good number for Minolta A lenses I have but the price seems to hover around $1000 on Ebay. Why does the A900 which I think didn't sell well but now holds its value quite well. I know that I could buy a new A900 back around 2010 for like $2600 (I didn't buy it because I didn't have the A mount glasses then).

I guess the answer to this question is always "supply and demand". I guess, it was the "pinnacle" of Sony/Minolta "traditional" reflex technology, and by all accounts, a good camera, so there is clearly still demand on the second-hand market. If it didn't sell in absolutely huge numbers originally (because of the limited market and not-cheap price), then the supply now is obviously going to be limited. What more can you say?

I guess the answer to this question is always "supply and demand". I guess, it was the "pinnacle" of Sony/Minolta "traditional" reflex technology, and by all accounts, a good camera, so there is clearly still demand on the second-hand market. If it didn't sell in absolutely huge numbers originally (because of the limited market and not-cheap price), then the supply now is obviously going to be limited. What more can you say?

 

I compare it to the Nikon D3x which priced at 3 times of the A900 when they were both new. Today the price of either is about the same. I didn't buy the D3x because its price was near $9000 but I had Nikkor lenses. If I had the Minolta A mount lenses back then I would certainly buy the A900. Personally I feel the 2 cameras are about the same in performance so the Sony priced was actually low for what it was back then but somehow people didn't buy it.

It is probably antique collectors item:)

I bought an A900 as soon as it came out, as I had a nice range of AF lenses acquired cheaply before the DSLR's for the Minolta AF system were available. It's a real photographers camera, no video or fancy bells and whistles, a good intuitive user interface, and above all, a superb 100% viewfinder. I've still got it, still a very usable camera at reasonably low ISO, but I should use it more though. I had a Sony A100 previously, and oddly, was disappointed at first with the 24MP A900's sharpness compared to that of the 10MP A100. But there's a tendency to pixel peep too aggressively. with high MP images. Edited December 11, 2020 by John Seaman

In my anecdotal opinion, there just weren't the pros around to buy Alpha 900s in great numbers. Since Sony introduced full-frame mirrorless, they have become way more appealing/interesting to pros. Nikon always had a ton of pros to market their flagship DSLRs to. In the days of the Alpha 900, Sony just didn't have the market.

In my anecdotal opinion, there just weren't the pros around to buy Alpha 900s in great numbers. Since Sony introduced full-frame mirrorless, they have become way more appealing/interesting to pros. Nikon always had a ton of pros to market their flagship DSLRs to. In the days of the Alpha 900, Sony just didn't have the market.

Good old Minolta glass, still relatively cheap when compared with Canon or Nikon, that makes A900 attractive.

Before Sony , Minolta optics could be bought for pennies on Ebay.

Good old Minolta glass, still relatively cheap when compared with Canon or Nikon, that makes A900 attractive.

Before Sony , Minolta optics could be bought for pennies on Ebay.

But at the time of introduction I have no Minolta A mount lenses but many Nikon lenses. So instead of about $3000 just for the body I would need about $5000 to start. I don't really care so much for the 24MP but I wanted a FF camera. I don't like any APS-C camera.

If it's any consolation, after more than a decade of waiting and wanting, I bought an A900 from ffordes, a camera dealer in Scotland. It was £450 (= $595) with just over 8,000 actuations. Sale price includes a 6-month warranty. LCE have one with a grip and a cheap lens for £500, and ffordes have another example body only for the same price. Unless there's a real bargain to be had on eBay I prefer the option of buying from a camera shop.

I picked up an a900 on eBay about 7 years ago. My first Sony digital camera was the a77 which I still have but I didn't all in love with because I wanted full frame but couldn't afford and still can't afford the a99 so I bid on a well used a900 body and got it for cheap on eBay and it's an awesome body as long as I shoot at ISO 640 or lower. I've also added an a850 and some affordable (cheap) Minolta Maxxum and Sony lenses. Fast forward 7 years and prices are in the same price range today as when I purchased the a900 years ago.

My A850 cost less than 500€ on ebay.

I looked for completed sales on eBay just now and prices were all over the lot. Many Sony A900s sold for just over $1000 US, but others sold for much less down to $300 or so, for items claimed to be still working, sometimes even with a 'normal' lens.

 

This is one of those items that you have to watch offers vary carefully and if you show discipline, you may do better.

Edited January 17, 2021 by JDMvW

Good old Minolta glass, still relatively cheap when compared with Canon or Nikon, that makes A900 attractive.Before Sony , Minolta optics could be bought for pennies on Ebay.

 

Exactly this.

 

There was a lot of pent up demand for something like the A900 from owners of good Minolta AF glass, but the camera was pricey when new and not all that many were made. If you waited long enough, the famed Nikon D700 and Canon 5DII could finally be had with even the lowest budget (because tons were made and got dumped on the used market as newer cameras arrived).

 

But the A900 was somewhat of a one-off, scarcer, and held its price longer. When Sony released updates to it, they weren't organic followups: they were jarring designs not unlike what happened when Leica moved from the R7 SLR to the R8/9. This propped up A900 for far longer than normal digital camera depreciation expectations. If you want a traditional full-frame DSLR with film-era ergonomics and moderately contemporary sensor for A-mount glass, the A900 and A850 are your only choices. Cult status means cult pricing, tho as JDMvW noted patient shopping can get you one for well below the going rate.

Edited January 17, 2021 by orsetto