Buying new DSLR- Sony a700 or Nikon D90?

[Katier]

What about looking at the a350, due to it's newer design looks to be a better buy than the a700. As I said earlier in the thread I'm willing to bet sony will replace the a700 soon with an upgraded 350.

 

[manaheim]

Sony is a horrible company that has a tendency to do really bad things to its customers like installing root kits on your computer from their audio CDs without your knowledge.

I used to be an avid Sony buyer... like if I needed something electronic, I would always buy whatever Sony had to offer. I have been absolutely boycotting their products for a number of years now.

Just something to consider.

 

[dxqcanada]

Idaho, I just wanted to make sure you where upgrading for a reason rather than upgrading just because it is an option.

The sealed controls and metal would be advantageous (well at least for me ... you would understand if you read my Canon F-1 post).

 

[adamwilliamking]

I love my D90.. I would only trade it for a D700 or a D3.
From working in a camera store I can tell you that you're going to have a lot better time shopping for Nikon upgrades (lens, grip, accessories) than Sony. It also seems like you're most concerned with low noise and the D90 is pretty incredible for that even beating out the D300. Never shot the a700 (or whatever its called ) but from the (trusted) dp review.. D90. No question.


EDIT: oh.. and, 3D tracking.

 

[Idaho21]

What about looking at the a350, due to it's newer design looks to be a better buy than the a700. As I said earlier in the thread I'm willing to bet sony will replace the a700 soon with an upgraded 350.

I haven't ruled out the a350 yet either. For the money, it seems like a very good buy.

 

[ArntorFTL]

I have no frame of reference for Sony products, but I can say that the D90 is a fantastic camera that you will not regret buying. You'll have no problem finding good lens upgrades, as well as other accessories.

 

[Heather09]

Im enjoying my D90

 

[blash]

eBay prices are approximate:

A200 + kit lens - $400
Maxxum 35-70 - virtually worthless (~$10)
Maxxumm 100-300 - $100
Budget for a A700 body - $1,000 (B&H).

Total budget for a new system - $1,500.

Redistribute through a Nikon system:
Nikon F100 body - $250 (used)
Nikon D40 body - $250 (used)
Nikon 18-200mm VR - $550 (used)
Nikon 50mm f/1.4D - $300 (used)

Total - $1350 leaving you with $150 left over to save for your next lens, probably a Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D ($250 used).

Why this? You'll love fooling around with film - the F100 is a very capable body that has a heavy, metal, professional feel to it, and it's better to invest in glass rather than a body. The 18-200 is the professional walking-around lens and there's a good many people who are happy with it - and the 50 f/1.4 lens (although it won't autofocus on your D40) has legendary optics and bokeh and will help you capture images in very low light.

 

[ffd796]

I love my D90 and a very good friend of mine shoots a A700 Sony..... Like I said I love my D90

 

[Katier]

Redistribute through a Nikon system:
Nikon F100 body - $250 (used)
Nikon D40 body - $250 (used)
Nikon 18-200mm VR - $550 (used)
Nikon 50mm f/1.4D - $300 (used)

Interesting idea but I feel not the best use of funds. A second hand D40 for example is a bad buy really given the options. Even a Pentax ist is a better buy, K100D even more so with it's in body SR.

The OP is most likely best off looking at an upgrade to his sony system due to the fact he's already invested in it. If he hadn't invested in it then Nikon would be a good option but given he'll probably get poor return for his Sony investment selling them and rather OTT pricing of Nikon's I don't think Nikon is a viable option.

 

[manaheim]

Starting on film nowadays seems almost crazy, unless you have a very specific need to do so, or some focused desire (like the development process). Kind of like the guy who builds furniture using only tools that were available in the 1800s or whatever.

 

[designlucas]

I'm not sure what reviews you've read.

From dpreivew :-

Noise reduction settings are applied to raw as well as JPEG files. Would be preferable if they affected JPEG only (as is normal practice). Kudos to Sony for updating the firmware to allow you to actually turn it off at all though!
Base sensitivity isn't ISO 100, this isn't directly indicated on the camera
Would still like to see the lowest noise reduction setting using less NR
Lack of live view will be counted against the A700 compared to the competition
No ISO display on viewfinder status bar
No top panel LCD status display

That's a pretty poor list ( I'm amazed by the lack of live view given the a300 has superb implementation - think it's the a300 - I don't rate the need for live view very highly btw but just find it surprising ).

The D90, K20D ( pentax) are both IMO based on that review much better buys. It wouldn't surprise me if sony soon replace the 700 too with a model with the a350 features but better sensor and maybe weathersealed body.

Katier, all you did is copy the 'cons only' from dpreview. You can do that for any camera! If you'd bothered to read the full review, you would realize that it's an extremely positive review overall!

Furthermore, you can't compare the a700 to the D90 because they're not in the same bracket - the Sony a700 is a pro-sumer level camera with a much higher MSRP than the D90. Since the a700 has been on the market for longer (and rumored to be discontinued) it is available for a price close to that of the lower-spec D90.

My opinion is the a700 - I just upgraded to one form a Minolta 7D and think they're wonderful cameras!

 

[skieur]

Believe me, I'd love to, but that is way out of my price range at the moment. A full frame 24.6MP camera, that would be nice.

The Sony A850 is full frame and cheaper at $2,000 AD versus the $3,000 of the A900.

skieur

 

[skieur]

What about looking at the a350, due to it's newer design looks to be a better buy than the a700. As I said earlier in the thread I'm willing to bet sony will replace the a700 soon with an upgraded 350.

They already have an upgraded 350...the A550.

skieur

 

[o hey tyler]

Sony is a horrible company that has a tendency to do really bad things to its customers like installing root kits on your computer from their audio CDs without your knowledge.

I used to be an avid Sony buyer... like if I needed something electronic, I would always buy whatever Sony had to offer. I have been absolutely boycotting their products for a number of years now.

Just something to consider.

I am not a huge fan of Sony either. I have an A-200 right now because it was in my price range and I have been satisfied with my purchase. As far as Sony Laptops, and TV's etc go, I find them to be overpriced. But, keep in mind that Sony BMG doesn't really have anything to do with the quality of their Cameras. I understand they put root kits on CDs, but that doesn't really reflect on the quality of their DSLR line.

And plus, wasn't there some guy that used a Sharpie to black out the root kit part on the Sony CDs? So much for DRM...