New Sony DSLRs

[ukcatfan]

OK and this just proves how little I know, what exactly does this mean? Pictures look larger that how they will take, or look wider than what they will actually be?

It means that you need to multiply the focal length of the lens by 1.5 to determine what the camera is seeing. This happens b/c the sensor is smaller than film. I doubt you would be very happy with a lens that only goes as wide as your 35mm, which on a DSLR is now up to ~53mm. By comparison, the typical kit lens starts at 18mm, which equates to ~28mm.

On a side note, the factor is typically 1.5x for Sony, Pentax, and Nikon. Canon is 1.6x. Olympus and Panasonic are 2x. There are also full frame cameras from Canon and Nikon.

Kevin

 

[mom2mykids]

It means that you need to multiply the focal length of the lens by 1.5 to determine what the camera is seeing. This happens b/c the sensor is smaller than film. I doubt you would be very happy with a lens that only goes as wide as your 35mm, which on a DSLR is now up to ~53mm. By comparison, the typical kit lens starts at 18mm, which equates to ~28mm.

On a side note, the factor is typically 1.5x for Sony, Pentax, and Nikon. Canon is 1.6x. Olympus and Panasonic are 2x. There are also full frame cameras from Canon and Nikon.

Kevin

Great, thanks for the info! If I go with the 200 it only comes with a lense kit and then I have a $200 dell gift card I could put towards another lense.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We just ordered a 100 on Thursday, I'm anxiously waiting for it to come! I have a lot to learn about it. Ours came with a lens, and we have a couple from our Minolta that should work with it. DH had the external flash as well, he's hoping to use it with the new camera.

 

[ukcatfan]

Great, thanks for the info! If I go with the 200 it only comes with a lense kit and then I have a $200 dell gift card I could put towards another lense.

All DSLRs come in body or kit configurations if you look hard enough. It sounds like you need the kit anyway though.

Considering this, you are unlikely to even use your 35-80mm. Unless you just love your 70-300mm, you might consider other brands. You are not all that invested in the Sony system, so your options are pretty wide open.

Also, I do not believe you are going to find any lenses for Sony at Dell for anywhere near $200. In fact, they do not have hardly any good lenses for near that price. They actually want $170 for the Pentax kit lens I only paid $17 more than body alone price for mine. You might consider buying the body there instead with the $200 gift card you have.

Kevin

 

[mom2mykids]

All DSLRs come in body or kit configurations if you look hard enough. It sounds like you need the kit anyway though.

Considering this, you are unlikely to even use your 35-80mm. Unless you just love your 70-300mm, you might consider other brands. You are not all that invested in the Sony system, so your options are pretty wide open.

Also, I do not believe you are going to find any lenses for Sony at Dell for anywhere near $200. In fact, they do not have hardly any good lenses for near that price. They actually want $170 for the Pentax kit lens I only paid $17 more than body alone price for mine. You might consider buying the body there instead with the $200 gift card you have.

Kevin

See and this is why I need all the help I can get, LOL Seriously, I do appreciate all the input. As I look around and price the camera kits Sony seems to be a bit higher than other brands. You know, its like the more info you get the more confusing it all gets, LOL. Its like researching a Disney trip! LOL

 

[ukcatfan]

You know, its like the more info you get the more confusing it all gets, LOL. Its like researching a Disney trip! LOL

You nailed it.

You might consider starting a new thread describing the exact things you are looking to get out of a DSLR, the focal lengths you want, what situations you will use it in, etc. Just remember that they are all good, but some are better in certain situations and the total system costs can vary a lot. Using Sony as an example (it is a Sony thread after all) they have competitive prices on bodies, but their lenses tend to be on the pricey side still and could make total system cost high if you get multiple new lenses.

Kevin

 

[MICKEY88]

keep in mind that Sony has image stabilization built into the camera eliminating the need for much higher priced IS lenses,so the higher price isn't that bad... and there are thousands of used minolta lenses to be found on ebay

the new 300 and 350 have great prices...

I think if you compare sony body and lens prices to canon/nikon body and is lens prices you will find that sony is comparable if not better....

many people make the mistake of comparing sony to canon/nikon body and non is lenses..

 

[ukcatfan]

keep in mind that Sony has image stabilization built into the camera eliminating the need for much higher priced IS lenses,so the higher price isn't that bad... and there are thousands of used minolta lenses to be found on ebay

That is a good point. Those are two of the reasons why I turned away from C&N and went with the K100D when I made my purchase. I first thought XT but then held it and did not like it. I then thought D50, but compared to the K100D, I feel I got more for my money with the in body IS.

 

[Groucho]

go to steves digicam and read the review there...

I like the site, it was one of the first camera sites I started reading regularly and I participate on the forum now and then...

But sometimes I think that Steve has never met a camera that he doesn't like. Most reviews are overflowing with and sometimes gloss over issues.

I like sending people to Digital Camera Tracker (that's a direct link to their A100 page), which links to and excerpts reviews from all over the web. No reviewer is perfect (most are far from it ) so it's good to sample a few different ones and look for common themes, likes/dislikes, etc.