Finally decided on and purchased my new DSLR- Sony a200

[pez]

Sony eSupport - DSLR-A100 - Manuals / Specs / Warranty

User Guide at the bottom of the page goes to a PDF copy. AFAIK, the 100 doesn't have a mirror lock feature, but the later Alphas with live view would have to.

Get any photos of those UFO's over there in Stephenville lately?

 

[Enough Already]

Personally, I would have asked the original question before I made a final decision. Finding out that they are crap from current owners after paying for one would be a little too late. Fortunately the feed back has been positive and you sound happy with your purchase, thats the main thing. At least all those older lenses will work and you will have IS with them too. Cant say that for Canon or Nikon.

 

[OldBrit]

Sony eSupport - DSLR-A100 - Manuals / Specs / Warranty

User Guide at the bottom of the page goes to a PDF copy. AFAIK, the 100 doesn't have a mirror lock feature, but the later Alphas with live view would have to.

Thanks KD, I downloaded and printed a new copy. I guess I'll have to buy my wife a new ink cartridge now. I'm hoping the lack of a mirror lock will not induce any shake when taking some high mag macro shots.

I've just picked up a Minolta bellows unit with a 50mm f1.7 MD lens. The unit has a MD/MA adapter ring. It hasn't arrived yet but I'm keen to see how it works out.

 

[dxqcanada]

OldBrit, if you use the 2sec Self Timer it will lock the mirror as soon as you hit the shutter button ... then trigger the shutter 2 sec later.
I use this when I am shooting with longer shutter speeds.

Note: I think the 2s timer is available in P, A, S, and M modes.

 

[OldBrit]

OldBrit, if you use the 2sec Self Timer it will lock the mirror as soon as you hit the shutter button ... then trigger the shutter 2 sec later.
I use this when I am shooting with longer shutter speeds.

Note: I think the 2s timer is available in P, A, S, and M modes.

Now that is a great idea. I recall that the A100 supports the 2 second timer and I'm working in S mode currently.

I have another, unrelated, question which may seem really dumb. As a newcomer to this forum I am trying to learn how to navigate. When I logged onto this site earlier I wanted to list all my posts (two in my case!) so that I could check on replies. I had great trouble doing this. I finally managed to get a list via my profile but I wasn't easy. Am I missing something here? Is it just a case of unfamiliar terminology? Help would be appreciated and I'll promise not to thread jump again.

Peter

 

[KD5NRH]

Get any photos of those UFO's over there in Stephenville lately?

No, I'd have to turn off the IS to make them appear to move

I have thought about getting some photos of our police next time they spend a couple of hours gawking at tower lights trying to decide if those are flying around or not.

 

[skieur]

I'm just curious why you'd buy a camera from a company not known for cameras?? ...

Oh, Sony made one of the first portable video camera packs way back in 71, and the Mavica digital camera was probably the second produced after the Canon Xap Shot. Their design and Alpha production team is directly from MINOLTA which produced some of the firsts in SLR film cameras.

So, Sony and their camera team have a considerable background in cameras.

skieur

 

[KD5NRH]

When I logged onto this site earlier I wanted to list all my posts (two in my case!) so that I could check on replies.

The easiest way is to beat the people in charge until they do whatever it is that adds a "View your posts" link. Next best is to do Search>Advanced and enter your username in the author box.

Also, when you're in a thread you want to watch, you can go to the "Thread Tools" box just above the first post, and select "Subscribe." It will give you a few options for notification, including immediate emails when someone replies to the thread.

 

[Idaho21]

Well, after a little over a month of owning my a200, and purchasing a few new lenses, I can say that I am totally satisfied with my purchase. I was looking for a beginner DSLR, and the a200 fits the bill well.
It is easy to learn and take pics with. I will probably upgrade down the road, but the a200 will take some great pics. The Minolta Maxxum lenses are fantastic. They are plentiful and really well built. The images are very sharp.
Here are some pics I've taken with the a200. I have posted many of them in other threads, but here are some of my personal favorites.

 

[skieur]

As to some lenses, a 2.8 Sigma macro 18mm to 50mm is a good all around lens giving the 35mm equivalent of 27mm to 75mm. That gives you a range from wide angle interior shots to portraits and extreme close-ups.

In the telephoto range, a fast lens with a low f. stop such as 2.8 comes with the disadvantage of added weight making it more difficult to hold still. The price is of course higher as well. Moreover the Tamron 2.8 70mm to 200mm lens, for example loses image quality toward the far end of the zoom range and is not fast for autofocusing. The Sigma equivalent has a very fast autofocus, but the image quality is not quite as good overall.

The 70mm to 300mm Sony G lens 4.5 to 5.6 (not to be confused with the kit lens which is 75 to 300) seems very good. It is not as fast as I would like but the quality is excellent. In 35mm terms this is 105mm to 450mm.
Filter size is 62mm which makes a polarizer cheaper than for a 72mm or greater size on a faster lens. I have been pleasantly surprised to get useable shots under far less than ideal lighting and haze conditions.

skieur

 

[inTempus]

I like Sony products. If you're using your camera for your hobby, I don't think you've made a bad decision at all. As far as consumer electronics go, Sony is a top player and they certainly have the deep pockets to make a quality product right out of the gate (just getting into the DSLR game). They've been making sensors and other camera electronics for many-many years... so jumping on the DSLR bandwagon isn't much of a evolutionary step for them.

I love my little Sony Cybershot. I still carry that little guy around in my pocket and it takes great pictures.

 

[bdavis]

personally I would stick with Nikon or Canon but that's just personal preference. It's a bit of a bummer that the Sony's don't have many lenses available yet. They need to get on that ASAP if they want to compete...

 

[fiveoboy01]

I had a Sony DSC-F717 camera years ago, bought it new, the camera took maybe 2000 images and something got screwed up with it to where the screen would show a photo with a bunch of white lines through it.

That was my last Sony purchase. But I'm sure that's not representative of everything they produce, and it looks like their line of DSLRs are good products. Would I buy one no, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone else from at least trying one out and/or purchasing one if they liked the product.

 

[sabbath999]

Thanks for your time!
Peter

That emu avatar looks familiar.

 

[skieur]

personally I would stick with Nikon or Canon but that's just personal preference. It's a bit of a bummer that the Sony's don't have many lenses available yet. They need to get on that ASAP if they want to compete...

Being able to chose between lens from Sony, Minolta, Zeiss, Tamron and Sigma for the Sony Alpha is hardly suffering.

skieur