Interview with Sony rep Part II

Built-in grip would seriously put me off an A900 replacement. It isn't a 'pro' things at all- in my last outing, taking phtographs for work in the desert, the very last thing I needed was a body bigger than necessary. I almost always used the grips on the D7 and D9, but that was mostly because of the fact I used AA batteries. On the A900, for me there is no battery advantage to having the grip, and for whatever resson, the combinations of lenses and camera I use (2.8/70-200, 2.8/200, 2.8/100) handle very well for me on the A900 without one. A larger body would just be a pest when putting things into and out of cases, and would be heavier than I needed, and offer me no advantages. I also had enough trouble flying with the weight of 2x A900s as it was.

I'm also firmly in the camp of those who would depart this mount rather than get stuck with an EVF (and yes, I have tried the new one, but still found it vastly inferior to any of the OVFs I have for my purposes).

I don't know how Sony expect to sell 850s and 900s when they haven't any to sell. Or how they hope to keep high-end users when they can't provide replacements for damaged gear. Or how they expect people to upgrade if the upgrade path is out of production for 18 months. None of this generates confidence in people considering switching to the mount.