I am buying a new Sony DSLR. Need a little help. :)

[aimeeg]

I have taken the plunge after another crappy point and shoot has bit the dust. In the 90's I was a very active artistic photographer. Having kids has taken away from my photo time not to mention my subject has changed dramatically! LOL

Anyway, I have some very nice Minolta lenses and was delighted to find out I could use them on the Sony cameras. With our trip about a month away I have decided to purchase a new camera. $500 is my budget and I thought Sony would be the best due to previous lenses.

This is the camera I am interested in-

http://www.us1photo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=5748

Here is some info and reviews-

http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digital-cameras/sony-alpha-a300_reviews.html


**** My hesitation****

There is a $120 difference between the first two websites. I really would like to purchase the $479 camera opposed to the $600 camera. I am just worried the price is too good to be true.

Am I missing something?

 

[DisneyBabies]

LOVE this camera! I know it isn't the exact model you are looking at, but I just have to share how great this camera is. I am not a professional photographer by any means, but my brother-in-law and his family needed to have family pic mad, but couldn't really afford it, so I took a few pics at the beach and even I have to say they turned out really good (I'll usually my own biggest critic ).
Anyway, I looked at both links you provided, and I'm not sure if you noticed, but the $600 camera includes 2 lenses, while the $479 camera only has one. Since you said you have lenses that are compatable already, I say go for the $479 camera. I paid $600 for mine with 2 lenses, so the $479 sounds like it is the right price.
Also, have you by any chance looked at amazon for the camera? I ordered mine from there with absolutely no problems (not to mention it was cheaper than in stores) and got free shipping.
Hope you have fun with your new camera!
Cassandra

 

[Code]

NO NO NO

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/US1Camera

Classic bait and switch scammers. Buy from a reputable retailer.. Amazon, B&H Photo, Adorama, BuyDig... If a price is cheaper than the cheapest of those 4, it is too good to be true.

 

[oogieboogieman]

Do you have any Circuit City's by where you live? I've seen some very good prices since they are closing. The only problem is that there is a no return policy and if something is wrong with the camera then you will need to deal with the manufacture. Just a thought.

 

[annnewjerz]

Do you have any Circuit City's by where you live? I've seen some very good prices since they are closing. The only problem is that there is a no return policy and if something is wrong with the camera then you will need to deal with the manufacture. Just a thought.

If you go this route, you want to make sure you are not getting a floor model (or at least I wouldn't want one). I went to Circuit City the other week when I was thinking about purchasing the Nikon D90. On Amazon, the body only was about $900--at Circuit City they had the body and kit lens for about $950 but it was the floor sample.

Now realistically---I guess I COULD have gotten it, but to me buying a used body is very different than buying a used lens. There would be no way to tell in store before purchasing how many shutter actuations the camera had and because of this, I was unwilling to buy it, even for what seemed to be a $300 savings.

 

[bob100]

This is the camera I am interested in-

http://www.us1photo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=5748

Here is some info and reviews-
http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digital-cameras/sony-alpha-a300_reviews.html
**** My hesitation****
There is a $120 difference between the first two websites. I really would like to purchase the $479 camera opposed to the $600 camera. I am just worried the price is too good to be true.

Am I missing something?

as the other posters said, always check www.resellerratings.com
I would only buy new camera stuff from www.bhphotovideo.com
www.adorama.com and other places with good ratings and feedback
there are many "bait and switch" sites like "www.us1photo.com" !

 

[zackiedawg]

Bought my A300 a bit less than a year ago, and have loved every moment with it. Solid, versatile camera with nice controls, ergonomics, and great image quality. Of course, so are the other brands - you can't go too wrong with a DSLR nowadays. Your Minolta lens heritage does make it pretty easy to lean towards the Sony models...so you don't have to go out and purchase as many lenses since you already have some.

Feel free to pop in my gallery below - I've got one subgallery of all A300 shots, and the shots are also scattered throughout the other galleries (including Disney).

I'd also recommend sticking with the more reputable camera outfitters, such as B&H, Adorama, Wolf, or even Amazon...try price shopping between those. And certainly look for a Circuit City nearby just to see what they've got left in stock and at what price (note: they seem to have initially marked all prices back up to MSRP, then down again, so no bargains the first few weeks of clearance - but now the prices are 30% off or so, it's now a good deal. Also, make sure to ask the store to scan the camera for price - sometimes they haven't updated the price in the store but headquarters has lowered it).

 

[ILuvCrush]

I bought my Sony alpha-100 2 years ago for the same reason as you... being able to use my minolta lenses!! I have been very happy with it and I'm sure you will too. my DMil got the Alpha-300 for Christmas I really like the upgrades on it compared to my older model, but not enough to replace it...just yet

Paula