Buying A Camera
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Big Sky Scion
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 981
From: Wilmington, NC
I note that all of the negative comments about Sony come from people who have "heard" things about them. I've had my a200 for about 4 months, and taken about 2000 shots. It's a superb camera, and can't be beat for the price. It's a more than competent entry-level DSLR at a point-and-shoot price.
Oh, and the D60-- nearly identical to the a200 in every aspect, only the Nikon tends to cost more. Sure, the Sony may not be the choice of the professional photographer-- but let's be honest here, folks. Most of us take shots of our cars and kids. A DSLR is an extravagant luxury. Spending a grand on a body and lens is just nutty.
Oh, and the D60-- nearly identical to the a200 in every aspect, only the Nikon tends to cost more. Sure, the Sony may not be the choice of the professional photographer-- but let's be honest here, folks. Most of us take shots of our cars and kids. A DSLR is an extravagant luxury. Spending a grand on a body and lens is just nutty.
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Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Atlanta, GA
I've found that camera owners as a whole are more rabid about their choice of camera system than most car owners. The issue with buying a DSLR is that you are ultimately committing to specific lenses, flashes, etc. which people can be very protective of - no one wants to think that their choice is somehow inferior.
Off the soapbox. My advice (as others have noted) is to go and handle each camera you are considering. How do they feel? How easy is it to change the various settings (white balance, ISO, etc)? My personal opinion is that you really can't go wrong in this day and age, as each of these cameras are going to give you the opportunity to take great photos. What I would recommend is after getting a camera is to take a photography class. Having an instructor and other students critiquing your pictures is the best way to learn about composition, exposure, and the other million things that go into taking a great picture.
As for me, I purchased my Sony a200 in April and have absolutely loved it. Most people don't realize that Sony purchased the camera division of Minolta in 2005, and that Sony has been working off and evolving the DSLR's from Minolta - they even kept Minolta's engineers. As such the Sonys are backwards compatible with 99% of Minolta's autofocus (Maxxum) lenses which date back to 1985. There are a lot of great deals on lenses on ebay . . . My old 35mm was also a Minolta, so the accessories that I already have work seemlessly with the Sony (remember, you're buying into a system).
Remember, Ansel Adams used a camera that by today's standards would be considered sub-par. It's the photographer, not the camera.
My jab at Nikon: they buy their sensors from Sony
:D
Off the soapbox. My advice (as others have noted) is to go and handle each camera you are considering. How do they feel? How easy is it to change the various settings (white balance, ISO, etc)? My personal opinion is that you really can't go wrong in this day and age, as each of these cameras are going to give you the opportunity to take great photos. What I would recommend is after getting a camera is to take a photography class. Having an instructor and other students critiquing your pictures is the best way to learn about composition, exposure, and the other million things that go into taking a great picture.
As for me, I purchased my Sony a200 in April and have absolutely loved it. Most people don't realize that Sony purchased the camera division of Minolta in 2005, and that Sony has been working off and evolving the DSLR's from Minolta - they even kept Minolta's engineers. As such the Sonys are backwards compatible with 99% of Minolta's autofocus (Maxxum) lenses which date back to 1985. There are a lot of great deals on lenses on ebay . . . My old 35mm was also a Minolta, so the accessories that I already have work seemlessly with the Sony (remember, you're buying into a system).
Remember, Ansel Adams used a camera that by today's standards would be considered sub-par. It's the photographer, not the camera.
My jab at Nikon: they buy their sensors from Sony
:D
Senior Member
Big Sky Scion
SL Member
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 981
From: Wilmington, NC
Yeah, I think that whats lenses you can get for your camera should be looked into more as opposed to what camera body you get.
Before I got my Canon Rebel XT, someone here put it to me like this: Cameras and lenses are like guitars and amps. A good guitar player can do more with an average guitar and a nice amp than someone with a nice guitar and average amp.
Before I got my Canon Rebel XT, someone here put it to me like this: Cameras and lenses are like guitars and amps. A good guitar player can do more with an average guitar and a nice amp than someone with a nice guitar and average amp.
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Originally Posted by SCIONshane
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