Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Body Only Digital Camera

The a850 is one fine camera. I've been a Leica user since age 12 and found most other brands imprecise and unsatisfying, and was waiting for a Leica full frame DSLR. But when Sony announced the sub-$2000 full-frame a850, I had to bite, especially at a price differential of $21,000. After all, I've owned [and own] an assortment of Sony products and over 40 years have never had to replace any of them due to product failure. So the risk was minimal. 
Let me dispense with the frequently reported shortcomings of this camera, and the only reason I ranked it 4, instead of 5 stars. It does not include "Live View" or "Movie mode". As a traditional enthusiast "film" photographer I use neither of these features, so their omission is inconsequential to me. Their omission, however, allows highest end digital photography to become available at unprecedented low prices. If you need these features then look elsewhere.
However, the strong points are:
1 - When Konica-Minolta ceased camera production Sony purchased rights to use their auto-focus design, originally introduced in 1985 for Minolta's premium line of "Maxxum" cameras and lenses. Therefore, any Minolta "AF" lens works perfectly with this Sony; and I already had 3 of them covering from 28mm to 300mm. They are readily available used at very low prices. The 50mm f:1.7 primary lens is particularly sharp. Thus, for the price of the body, I had a complete camera outfit. The current Sony lenses for the a850 are basically repackaged Minolta AF designs with improved weather protection. Additionally, Zeiss makes a superb line of premium professional lenses for the purist [but at high prices].
2 - Anti-shake is mounted in the camera body, not the lens, allowing any lens that can be mounted to use this feature, even the 1985 Minolta lenses for the Maxxum. It will even work with non-autofocus lenses mounted with adapters.
3 - Sony "kit" lenses are priced significantly lower than competing brands since anti-shake does not have to be incorporated into each lens.
4 - A dial atop the camera allows instant selection of Auto operation, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual operation and 3 custom settings.
5 - Despite a myriad of features, the controls are easy to use. On my earlier Canon G7 almost all control settings, such as shutter speed, aperture, white balance, et., had to be set through the LCD menu - a slow tedious process, causing some photos to be missed. On the a850 all such settings are directly settable using controls accessible with the right hand. White balance, ISO selection, aperture and shutter are instantly adjustable. Once these buttons are mastered the camera becomes extremely responsive to use.
6 - Tha a850 takes noiseless pictures at ISO settings to 3200 while most cameras get noise interference above 200 ISO.
Although this is the lowest priced full frame camera available, it is solidly built and does not feel flimsy. The 24.6mb CCD gives extraordinary results that look sharp, even on my Sony 70 inch HDTV. The smallest details can be cropped and enlarged without pixellation. However, with the 75mm to 300mm macro zoom lens the a850 becomes truly weighty and I use a monopod to increase stability. I can highly recommend the a850 to serious camera enthusiasts and professionals while it is probably more camera than an average family snapshooter needs.