Help/Suggestions/Advice with SLR Camera Purchase

[aimeeg]

Back in the day I really enjoyed photography. Actually, I had planned on pursing photography in college. My father had other plans so I had to go with who was paying my tuition.

I have a very nice Minolta SLR film camera from the late 90's. Someone told me that the lenses are interchangeable with the new Sony's. After having two children and going through 4 point and shoots I have had it! I feel like my cameras take okay pics for like nine months and then they crap out on me! They are grainy and fuzzy and I have had enough.

I am interesting on buying this camera. What I want is a nice affordable camera that will take crisp, clear pictures. I have children and I want to be able to take clear pictures of them indoors. My Fugi FinePix 12.0 is fine outside but inside it is awful.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...373047572867439172&scoring=p&sl=on#ps-sellers

I would love to hear what you think of this camera. This is the right price. Bear in mind we have a two week vacation planned for March so we are on an overall tight budget in our house these days.

 

[Steve's Girl]

The Sony Alpha is a good choice if you have Minolta lenses.

Being able to take photos in low light is more dependent on the lens used than the camera itself. What lenses do you have?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Here's one review from a DIS'er of the A300. I have the A700 and don't have any personal experience with the A300 but have heard it's a fine camera. Zackiedawg has some great pictures taken with it!

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=28950270&postcount=3

 

[MICKEY88]

Back in the day I really enjoyed photography. Actually, I had planned on pursing photography in college. My father had other plans so I had to go with who was paying my tuition.

I have a very nice Minolta SLR film camera from the late 90's. Someone told me that the lenses are interchangeable with the new Sony's. After having two children and going through 4 point and shoots I have had it! I feel like my cameras take okay pics for like nine months and then they crap out on me! They are grainy and fuzzy and I have had enough.

I am interesting on buying this camera. What I want is a nice affordable camera that will take crisp, clear pictures. I have children and I want to be able to take clear pictures of them indoors. My Fugi FinePix 12.0 is fine outside but inside it is awful.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...373047572867439172&scoring=p&sl=on#ps-sellers

I would love to hear what you think of this camera. This is the right price. Bear in mind we have a two week vacation planned for March so we are on an overall tight budget in our house these days.

yes, when Sony bought out Minolta they chose to keep the Minolta lens mount, so all Minolta Af lenses will work on the Sony DSLRs

what lenses do you have

 

[sherry7]

I'm a rank amateur, but so far I've been happy with my Sony A350. From what I understand, it's exactly the same as the A300, except for a bit more resolution. Actually, the A300 was my first choice, but I ran across a better deal on the A350 (got a big discount when I applied for the Sony credit card).

Unless you really want to have live view and the tiltable LCD, take a look at the A200. As for me, I only use the live view about 20% of the time, and I've never used the tiltable LCD yet.

edit: I meant to add...some of the merchant's on the google page you provided are shady. You can check resellerratings.com to get an idea of who is legit and who is not. Some merchant's will sell you a gray market camera (no US warranty), others will separate the package and sell you the battery, charger, etc separately and you end up paying more.

 

[Tom Dibble]

Indoor's low light: you will want either a camera with really good low-light sensitivity or a full-frame sensor. Full-frame sensors end up with much better clarity in low light because the individual sensor sites are larger and so capture more light than "cropped" sensors.

Keeping the Minolta lenses, your only choice is really with Sony Alpha's, I believe. I hear they are good cameras, but can't speak directly to them.

If you choose to sell those Minolta lenses and put the proceeds into a whole new kit, the best choices for low-light photography out there are the Nikon D700 or (if you happen to win the lottery) D3, or the Canon 5D MkII (not the original 5D, which had great low-light compared to other cameras a few years back but has been somewhat overcome in the past year).

Don't immediately dismiss the idea of selling your lenses. High-end lenses go at pretty much market value. Low-end lenses get discounted when sold on eBay or the like, but still should recapture a decent portion of the cost of rebuying a new (or used) lens for the new system.

Overall, though, given the choice between a great lens on a passable camera or a passable lens on a great camera, the former will do much better in low light.

 

[ukcatfan]

Indoor's low light: you will want either a camera with really good low-light sensitivity or a full-frame sensor. Full-frame sensors end up with much better clarity in low light because the individual sensor sites are larger and so capture more light than "cropped" sensors.

Don't you think a full frame is a bit overkill on someone just getting into digital???

 

[Steve's Girl]

Don't you think a full frame is a bit overkill on someone just getting into digital???

I thought the same thing when I read that post, but was just too tired to reply. I was wondering what the look on the OP's face was going to be when she looked up the D700. Based on the camera she is considering, I think the OP is looking for an entry level DSLR. I don't think she is looking to invest in a pro system at this point.