Finally got a DSLR: Sony A200

ir0n_ma1den · May 25, 2008

So for my birthday my parents got me a Sony A200 w/ 4.5-5.6 75-300mm lens and a 3.5-5.6 18-70mm lens. I am getting familiar with this camera and am starting to love it. Here are some questions for you Sony users out there:

Currently my settings are auto iso, AF area:spot, Auto AF, Auto WB w/ 5500k color temp, no color filter, Center weighted metering, creative style: vivid, shooting in RAW, and an aspect ratio of 3:2.

Is there anything that I should change, or are all these settings situational?

What do the color filters do?

What are some lenses that I should be looking into?

I understand that the A200 can take many konica-minolta lenses (k-mount?), what are some good old lenses that I could use in AF?

shorty6049 · May 25, 2008

as for lenses- the a200 (or any sony DSLR camera for that matter) will take any Minolta AF lens. So if you can find a minolta AF lens , or just anything else that is labelled sony AF compatable , they'll work just fine (in most cases. some older ones wont work correctly and may need to be re-chipped). A good lens to start with if you want a reasonably priced used fast lens, would be the minolta 50mm f1.7. everyone should have this lens.

deudeu · May 25, 2008

I am not a sony man, but if you are shooting raw, you don't need to worry about WB or the vivid settings. You will be able to adjust all of that as you process and convert your photos.

Rachelsne · May 25, 2008

congrats on the camera.

shoot raw thats all ican say and invest in a good program for editing, photoshop elements is good and cheap...cut what ever takes your fancy

im a newb so thats all i can say!

Sirashley · May 25, 2008

I bought a Sony a200 a few months back... Freakin AWESOME camera... I love it. It really is a good underestimated camera. As others have said, shoot in RAW, the a200 comes with great conversion software. Congrats on a great camera

Russ · May 25, 2008

I had been a Minolta man for many years, and so was very pleased to find the Sony a well made, high quality camera that would work well with all my Minolta lens (they're all AF). The Tokina 400mm 5.6 is a pretty good lens, as well as the 100mm 2.8 macro, and yes, the 50mm 1.7. I also like the Sigma lens. For good used lens check out KEH.com. I agree you don't need to worry about WB or vivid settings while shooting raw. There are many good editing programs out there. I would recommend ACDSee Pro 2 for the beginner with somewhat limited funds. It has a complete range of exposure adjustments, sharpening, noise reduction, red-eye removal, etc. Overall a pretty decent program and not too expensive. If you ever decide to shoot jpegs then you should consider some of your settings situational. Shooting outdoors, weddings, portraits, etc may require some changes depending on your desired outcome.

ChickenFriedRyce · May 26, 2008

I LOVE THE A200.

It's a treasure all in it's own.

Like they said before, please do find a Minolta Maxxum 50mm f/1.7. I heard that it was just a dandy lens and that no Sony/Minolta shooter should go without one.

If you're looking for good telephoto-zoom, the Minolta Maxxum 70-210 f/4 aka "BeerCan" has just many great reviews, really sharp, great color reproduction, and an awesome constant f/4 aperture! The prices on these are starting to rise on eBay do look quickly and carefully.

I personally, have a Sony 50mm f/1.4 that I got yesterday and it just tears my kit lens to pieces, but how can I compare a zoom to a prime?

Good luck, congrats on the new and wonderful camera, and don't forget to post some pictures for us to see!