Newb!

fragged3d · Feb 27, 2007

I just bought a new camera to start in the photo world and get my feet wet. I have no knowledge on how to setup a basic camera for photography let alone a higher line camera. I purchased a Sony DSLR-A100K monday night, it will be here on friday!!! I can't wait but now what? Where do I start? Are there things I need yet or should I learn with whats in the box? I need some guidance! A side note, I recently switched from pc to mac 2 weeks ago, I have a black Macbook! Thanks in adavance!

<R>

Stevedevil · Feb 27, 2007

I will say welcome!!

Get the camera, and go out, stay in, ask away, but just shoot away

Keep your eye here, there are many posts to read and you can learn so much,

Were all a big family here

Enjoy your camera, it will become a part of your life

Keep Smiling

Steve

fragged3d · Feb 27, 2007

Did I make a good choice in a camera?

Thanks,
<R>

xfloggingkylex · Feb 27, 2007

The Alpha series is said to be a good line, so I'd say you made a good choice.

Read this site a lot and you will learn a lot in return. Also, dont be afraid to ask questions, and use the search button to make friends

fragged3d · Feb 28, 2007

I am concerned with my purchse. I don't recieve the camera till friday and it's new sealed but I'm not sure I made a good decision. I read through all the posts here and everyone uses canon. Some say that if you had a certain camera, the Sony would be a good start. I wanted something more than a start when I bought my Alpha, if I wanted a start I would have bought another point and shoot! Should I keep the camera and learn on it or sell it and get a Cannon?

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shingfan · Feb 28, 2007

the alpha is a good starting camera.....is a DSLR....not a point and shoot.....and its quality is good i heard.........it wont be too much different from canon or nikon unless you step into the higher end stuff

xfloggingkylex · Feb 28, 2007

fragged3d said:
I am concerned with my purchse. I don't recieve the camera till friday and it's new sealed but I'm not sure I made a good decision. I read through all the posts here and everyone uses canon. Some say that if you had a certain camera, the Sony would be a good start. I wanted something more than a start when I bought my Alpha, if I wanted a start I would have bought another point and shoot! Should I keep the camera and learn on it or sell it and get a Cannon?

<R>

the only disadvantage you will be at is that most people here use nikon and canon, so it can be hard to get recommendations on lenses and accesories since people havent used them. BUT, by no means is the Alpha a bad camera or even worse than a canon, it is just a different brand.

Is there a reason you chose the alpha in the first place?

after reading over the specs for the camera, it will be a great choice. You already have tons of lenses to choose from even though this is sonys first DSLR because it uses the minolta mount. It also has the added bonus of sensor shift image stabilization so you can get anti shake on any lens, something you cant do with canon and nikon. the alpha also can shoot 3fps continuous until the card is full. Definitely a nice camera.

fragged3d · Feb 28, 2007

I ended up getting it from ebay for $700, could I be in a better setup with the money? I just don't want to spend that much now and 2 months down the road find I need something different. I have also read a lot of the quality now is in the lens you use, how far does this statement hold up?

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harrisoncj · Mar 1, 2007

I use a sony a100k... It's a really awesome camera. Who doesn't like 10.2 mp? The only complaint I have is that Sony isn't offering a power grip for it.

DSLR noob · Mar 1, 2007

It's also dust sealed.

The camera is great, also has a really nice hotshoe mounting system.

fragged3d · Mar 1, 2007

Is there a reason you chose the alpha in the first place?

I chose this model because it was Sony. Every digital camera I have owned has been Sony up until I bought my Canon. All of them being point and shoots but they always gave good performance. I have a Canon A400 that I bought 2 years ago, I have never been happy with it. So when I ventured to find myself a more professional camera I migrated to what I knew! I am going to keep it and feel it out now, I want to know for myself.

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xfloggingkylex · Mar 2, 2007

fragged3d said:
I chose this model because it was Sony. Every digital camera I have owned has been Sony up until I bought my Canon. All of them being point and shoots but they always gave good performance. I have a Canon A400 that I bought 2 years ago, I have never been happy with it. So when I ventured to find myself a more professional camera I migrated to what I knew! I am going to keep it and feel it out now, I want to know for myself.

<R>

Alright, I was just curious if some of the unique features of the Alpha are what moved you that direction, such as lo80 and hi200, the super steady shake reduction, already having a nice lens market, the dynamic range feature... all of these combine to make a very competitive camera in my opinion. Make sure you let us know how you like it.

fragged3d · Mar 2, 2007

I got it from the UPS truck this morning. The packaging was nice and very well thought out. Never having a camera of this caliber I was impressed as I unwrapped everything. I got it all out and assembled it, how awesome this piece of equipment feels!!! I got lunch and some time to play with it, I probably didn't take good shots but I got to shoot a few and play around with the ISO(the part I know most about at this point). I am unable to see the results until I get home. I will keep you guys updated!

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Chickenhawk · Mar 2, 2007

harrisoncj said:
I use a sony a100k... It's a really awesome camera. Who doesn't like 10.2 mp? The only complaint I have is that Sony isn't offering a power grip for it.

Dicain do a really good battery grip. I think they sell it on ebay. It gets good reviews.

Chickenhawk · Mar 2, 2007

I also have the Sony Alpha and am really pleased with it. You can get lenses from ebay (Minolta, Sigma, Tamron). I bought mine as I was a Minolta film user and my lenses all fit the Sony.
I don't think it matters what camera you choose, it's what you take with it that counts. A good photographer will take a decent picture with virtually any DSLR.