This turns out to be an expensive thread, for me! I was still flipping coins between Nikon and Canon when Michael's initial A900 review made Sony a strong, new contender. Other reviewers seemed to agree. Bill Caulfeild-Browne's followup finally tipped the balance.
Purolator delivered my A900 48 hours ago. By the time the battery was charged, darkness had fallen. It's a cruel thing, shipping cameras with empty batteries! Then yesterday it snowed hard all day, gray snow under gray clouds with gray trees, so I didn't get to play much. But today was clear and bright sun, and out I went.
First, I can attest that the A900 works fine at -17C with a northwest wind blasting in all day. Even after a hundred shots the battery showed more than 60% remaining.
Second, I find that I can work ALL the controls while wearing my Burton leather snowboard mittens! Thanks to the large lens release button, I could even change lenses with the mitts on. This is important for me because I have Raynaud's syndrome that affects both hands.
Third, I'll just say that this camera reminds me very much of Sony's pro TV broadcast equipment. Solidly built, designed to be used rather than to be pretty, in my experience it always just worked, and worked reliably. The A900 has that same feel. Here's hoping...
A quick scan in LR shows that all appears to be well, so I'm on my way to Phase 2 of digital photography. And my son is dropping hints about my M4…