Photo sharing: Sony Alpha

[Disney*Dreamer]

Here is a couple.

 

[MICKEY88]

prom time...

 

[Khokhonutt]

More prom pics:

I really need to invest in a flash.

 

[Disney*Dreamer]

Mickey, Which lens did you use for that? The colors are vibrant and it is very sharp.

 

[MICKEY88]

Mickey, Which lens did you use for that? The colors are vibrant and it is very sharp.

that was shot with my Minolta 28-75 2.8...

fill flash also helps..

if you go to my website and check out the indoor pics, those were shot with my Tokina 80-200 2.8...

there was even a dis dress...LOL

 

[MICKEY88]

More prom pics:

I really need to invest in a flash.

a good flash can make a world of difference, if you know how to use it...

my pics of the dining/dancing part of the prom turned out pretty good thanks to the flash..

and the flash made this little impromptu photo shoot possible..

 

[Disney*Dreamer]

that was shot with my Minolta 28-75 2.8...

fill flash also helps..

if you go to my website and check out the indoor pics, those were shot with my Tokina 80-200 2.8...

Adding both of those to my wish list. I am sure my husband would say thanks alot.

 

[MICKEY88]

more prom fun....

 

[Sewfun]

My A350 will be here on Thurs or Friday, and I am so excited I can't stand it. I already have the Sony A200/A300/A350 book by David Busch, and I checked out several books yesterday from the library on digital photography. I am upgrading from a Sony DSC-H9. We fly out "home" to WDW on June 7th, so I am not going to have a ton of time to really learn and play with the camera (I plan on taking my H9 as back up in case I get too frustrated). I love the Sony feel and interface, and that tilt screen got me again. My boyfriend just got a Canon Rebel XSI and I played with it a couple of times before deciding on the A350, but just didn't like the way it felt in my hands. I have enjoyed reading the posts on this forum and am looking forward to learning from all of you.

 

[MICKEY88]

My A350 will be here on Thurs or Friday, and I am so excited I can't stand it. I already have the Sony A200/A300/A350 book by David Busch, and I checked out several books yesterday from the library on digital photography. I am upgrading from a Sony DSC-H9. We fly out "home" to WDW on June 7th, so I am not going to have a ton of time to really learn and play with the camera (I plan on taking my H9 as back up in case I get too frustrated). I love the Sony feel and interface, and that tilt screen got me again. My boyfriend just got a Canon Rebel XSI and I played with it a couple of times before deciding on the A350, but just didn't like the way it felt in my hands. I have enjoyed reading the posts on this forum and am looking forward to learning from all of you.

welcome to the Sony family

 

[Code]

My A700 stripped a gear inside my Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX Macro, going to cost $175 to fix, which is only $25 less than I paid for the lens. Boo

 

[MICKEY88]

My A700 stripped a gear inside my Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX Macro, going to cost $175 to fix, which is only $25 less than I paid for the lens. Boo

couldn't have been the A700 they are such well behaved little cameras..

that bites..

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

My A700 stripped a gear inside my Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX Macro, going to cost $175 to fix, which is only $25 less than I paid for the lens. Boo

Ouch - that's tough! I've heard of that frequently with one of the Sigma zooms but not the 105mm macro. It would be nice if Sigma would want to take care of it for having this problem with the A700. My only Sigma lens is the 30mm 1.4 - I'd be soooo bummed if that happened to it.

You must have gotten a really good deal on that lens to start out with!

 

[Code]

Ouch - that's tough! I've heard of that frequently with one of the Sigma zooms but not the 105mm macro. It would be nice if Sigma would want to take care of it for having this problem with the A700. My only Sigma lens is the 30mm 1.4 - I'd be soooo bummed if that happened to it.

You must have gotten a really good deal on that lens to start out with!

Yeah it's a bit puzzling, I don't think I've ever heard of an EX stripping - just the cheap 70-300mm with plastic gears. And I'm also not sure why it's $173 to fix.. the most expensive repair anyone on dpreview ever posted for a stripped gear that I could find was $75. I wish Sigma hadn't forwarded it to one of their "authorized repair centers" (CRIS in AZ), that probably has something to do with the cost. I also own the Sigma 30/1.4 and 10-20, though I'm not too worried about other problems. I'm just going to chalk it up to a freak occurrence on an aging lens.

And yeah, I got a great deal on it, though it's not the EX DG, just the older EX. Not such a great deal now though

 

[Sewfun]

My A350 arrived today. Now to just get off work so I can go charge the battery and play with it. I was able to get a sigma 70-300 macro super II lens from Ritz at a store closing for 70% off. I so want to play now and have to be here until 5.

Tammy

 

[ColleenG]

You all have such great photos! I am thinking about moving up to a DSLR. I currently have a Sony DSC-H10, I guess it would be considered a bridge camera. I was wondering what made you choose the Sony alpha over other brands? I went into a local photo shop the other day and the guy said the Sony and Olympus were their most common sellers. The main thing he pointed out over the Canon and Nikon was that Sony had the stabalization built in to the body of the camera, so in the long run other lenses would not be as expensive. So this is mainly what has me leaning towards Sony, plus all the shots on here are amazing!

At this point I am leaning towards the 350. I've seen a kit with the 18-70mm and 70?-200mm lens plus the battery grip for $799. Is this a good deal?

Thanks for your input.

 

[realfam]

Just bought a vertical grip for my Sony 300 on friday. Love it!
Also found out that they have just discontinued they A200, A300, A350 and are now being replaced with a A230, A330, AND A380. There a little smller and compact. Personally I didn't like them at all. The grip has got smaller. I'll take my 300 any day over the new models.

 

[zackiedawg]

I agree Realfam...I'm not a huge fan of the new design at least visually - the smaller grip does not look very comfortable for my hands - one of the big reasons I chose the Alpha over Canon. Now it looks like the grip is going more the way of the Canon and Oly. I have a big hand, and like a large protruding grip.

You all have such great photos! I am thinking about moving up to a DSLR. I currently have a Sony DSC-H10, I guess it would be considered a bridge camera. I was wondering what made you choose the Sony alpha over other brands?

Well for me, the reason the salesman told you is definitely one of the reasons - the built-in stabilization in body meant that every lens I buy can take advantage of stabilization - even primes and cheap zooms that wouldn't have it otherwise...and it means I can pick up a lot of older, used lenses and still get stabilization.

The grip, as I mentioned above, was another big reason. I handled different cameras and tried to find one that was comfortable to my hand and which I found the button and control layout to be intuitive and easy to reach - the Sony came out on top for me with the Nikon narrowly behind. Canon's grips weren't comfortable for me, and I didn't like the Oly control layout as much.

Also a factor was Sony's Live View implementation. It was more the type of Live View I wanted. Other live view systems tend to be much slower to shoot, but much more accurate allowing zooming on focus for closeups and macros. I didn't need that function - I wanted a live view that just allowed me to be able to shoot without my eye to the viewfinder in certain situations, like holding the camera above my head over a crowd, or down at the ground without having to lay down...or angling it towards me while on a tripod...and suffer no loss in focus speed or shutter lag. Sony and Olympus had the best systems for me.

Sony's reputation was a small factor, as I've had good experience with previous Sonys.

And the battery was excellent - large capacity, shoots forever, and one of the few entry-level cameras that reads out the time remaining on the battery as a percentage in numbers, rather than s simple 4 or 5 point bar graph.

Those were my reasons...everyone's different though, so where the grip was great for me and the buttons were intuitive, for someone else it could end up being the most uncomfortable and the buttons confusing. That's why I always recommend handling the cameras before you buy. Image quality and features are so close between all the brands, that you should first make sure you're going to be comfortable with the camera!

 

[ColleenG]

Thanks for the input. I was able to hold the 300 at a local photo shop. The only places I've handled the Canon and Nikon have been the big box stores where they have them on a leash. Weight is some what of a consideration. With 4 young kids I don't want something that weighs a ton around my neck. The Sony didn't feel too bad. I'll have to go back and hold them again to see how the grip feels.

I've only ever had Sony digital cameras so I'm very comfortable with the brand. The first camera we had was a Mavica that wrote right on to a mini CD. It was a great camera. We actually went for a smaller one after that, more pocket sized. Now I have the H10. It's a great little camera. Now I'm learning how to play around with things to do more than just point n shoot.

 

[vandort]

I have a question. Yesterday, my 100 mm Minolta macro lens was broken. I am quite upset about this (as you can imagine), but I need to move forward get a new close up. I would appreciate your recommendations about replacement lenses and where to buy them. I use this lense for close up nature photographs.

Thank you.