sony alpha a37 or nikon d3100 for my first dslr???

[shents]

Well I know it can be tough but really there aren't any just plain bad cameras out there. I agree to study the features and which you think you might use the most. Nikon is know for their superior image quality and Sony for thinking outside the box. As some of us photographers can get into heated battles of my cameras better than yours and actually scare someone away from a perfectly fine system by joking around.. But I remember when I first went digital and the pain staking task of choosing. It really went down to what features I thought were important to me at the time.

hey .. Well really I would like a cam that doesnt blur if i try and do an action shott haha great qulity pics not to worried about video I have to say, eventually Id like a macro lense but really want to be able to zoom in and take fab pics of the terracotta army with out it looking grainyy.. As i am unsure of all the technical specs its a mare, What do you think? .. thanks for replying peeps

 

[cosmonaut]

Well either one should do fine at higher iso, what you need for low light shots. Also for fast action. The Stead Shot will only help on a non moving target. Some good software like Lightroom will go a long way to making your pictures even better.

 

[jfrabat]

for your reading pleasure.

Nikon D3100 vs Sony SLT-A37 - Our Analysis

I found it odd that they say some of the reasons to buy the Nikon are "Shoots RAW" and "Movie Continuous Focus", when Sony has both... In fact, the Sony has better video focusing as a result of the transluscent mirror technology...

 

[shents]

for your reading pleasure.

Nikon D3100 vs Sony SLT-A37 - Our Analysis

I found it odd that they say some of the reasons to buy the Nikon are "Shoots RAW" and "Movie Continuous Focus", when Sony has both... In fact, the Sony has better video focusing as a result of the transluscent mirror technology...

hey I am a complete newbie to the world of photography and will get my cam in a week, So i am really un familiar with any of those terms hence , why I joined the site so pic a few tips

I have also been looking at the d5100 and the d7000 if they go in the sale boxing day how would you compare the sony to either of these, sorry to be apain .. kelly

 

[cosmonaut]

Well I doubt you need RAW files. RAW files are images straight off of the sensor and not processed by the camera. You need special software to work with RAW files. RAW files are more flexible than Jpegs. But still the a37 makes Jpegs.

 

[shents]

Well I know it can be tough but really there aren't any just plain bad cameras out there. I agree to study the features and which you think you might use the most. Nikon is know for their superior image quality and Sony for thinking outside the box. As some of us photographers can get into heated battles of my cameras better than yours and actually scare someone away from a perfectly fine system by joking around.. But I remember when I first went digital and the pain staking task of choosing. It really went down to what features I thought were important to me at the time.

I know its so hard I have been even looking on ebay at the d5100 ( I can afford the d5100) and also the d7000 (which is out of price range new) its so hard to decide I think what if i choose wrong and then I cant get the lenses I want but I guess I am doing it blindly with out any knowledge, Is there anything to consider when buying second hand camera body? Other then getting ripped off!! before any sarky comments start, I'm thinking like the mileage on car there such things to look out for when buying second hand camera

 

[DiskoJoe]

I have a sony a580. it has the same processor as the d5100 and the d7000. Got it used for $699 and had enough left over for a sigma 17-50 f2.8.

 

[shents]

I have a sony a580. it has the same processor as the d5100 and the d7000. Got it used for $699 and had enough left over for a sigma 17-50 f2.8.

Hey thanks for taking the time to reply I'm off to bed now its 2 am here i'll check it out

 

[jfrabat]

for your reading pleasure.

Nikon D3100 vs Sony SLT-A37 - Our Analysis

I found it odd that they say some of the reasons to buy the Nikon are "Shoots RAW" and "Movie Continuous Focus", when Sony has both... In fact, the Sony has better video focusing as a result of the transluscent mirror technology...

hey I am a complete newbie to the world of photography and will get my cam in a week, So i am really un familiar with any of those terms hence , why I joined the site so pic a few tips

I have also been looking at the d5100 and the d7000 if they go in the sale boxing day how would you compare the sony to either of these, sorry to be apain .. kelly

As Cosmonaut said, RAW is a much heavier file that requires special software to read (this software should come with the camera also, but you can use 3rd party ones as well), but it has the advantage of not being compressed, which allows it to have more data (ie. more detail) than JPEG. If you are really interested in photography, you will eventually migrate to shooting in RAW, processing, and then convert to JPG to get the look you are after (you can recover data from shadows and highlights that you would otherwise loose if you shot in JPG alone).

Continuous focus means the camera never stops focusing. in the case of the nikon, it is a "true" reflex, so it has a moving mirror. Ussually you focus with the mirror down, then the mirror moves up to let light into the sensor (and stops focusing as a result), then it comes back down for the next shot. in case of the Sony, the mirror does not move (so in reality, they are not technically a DSLR - Digital Single Lens Reflex, but rather a DSLT - Digital Single Lens Translucent) because the mirror lets most of the light through to the sensor, but reflects a bit of the light up to the focusing sensor, which means the camera never stops focusing (even while in the middle of a shot).

When in video mmode, the Nikon uses the sensor itself to focus, but this type of focusing tends to be slower than the actual focusing sensor, so the Sony tends to be better at focusing while in video as a result of the TM (translucent Mirror) technology. Sorry if I confused you there!

If you are looking for used cameras, I say a Sony A700 for $400 on eBay... That's a pretty good camera (although it still uses pentaprism and moving mirror instead of the EVF and translucent mirror), and it should leave some money in your pocket for a good lens (the price is only the body).

 

[cosmonaut]

No matter what system you buy finding lenses you need won't be a problem. Another thing to weigh in on is customer support. I have sent two cameras to service and the turn around time was 7-10 days and emailing or calling Sony support was easy. I actually got an apology card when I sent the first in and the second camera I bought used but they insisted it was still in warranty and fixed it for free. I have read so many negative comments about Sony CS I almost didn't send them in as the repair was something I could work around. But I am glad I did. I am not sure about Canon and Nikon repair.

Well I know it can be tough but really there aren't any just plain bad cameras out there. I agree to study the features and which you think you might use the most. Nikon is know for their superior image quality and Sony for thinking outside the box. As some of us photographers can get into heated battles of my cameras better than yours and actually scare someone away from a perfectly fine system by joking around.. But I remember when I first went digital and the pain staking task of choosing. It really went down to what features I thought were important to me at the time.

I know its so hard I have been even looking on ebay at the d5100 ( I can afford the d5100) and also the d7000 (which is out of price range new) its so hard to decide I think what if i choose wrong and then I cant get the lenses I want but I guess I am doing it blindly with out any knowledge, Is there anything to consider when buying second hand camera body? Other then getting ripped off!! before any sarky comments start, I'm thinking like the mileage on car there such things to look out for when buying second hand camera

 

[shents]

No matter what system you buy finding lenses you need won't be a problem. Another thing to weigh in on is customer support. I have sent two cameras to service and the turn around time was 7-10 days and emailing or calling Sony support was easy. I actually got an apology card when I sent the first in and the second camera I bought used but they insisted it was still in warranty and fixed it for free. I have read so many negative comments about Sony CS I almost didn't send them in as the repair was something I could work around. But I am glad I did. I am not sure about Canon and Nikon repair.

Well I know it can be tough but really there aren't any just plain bad cameras out there. I agree to study the features and which you think you might use the most. Nikon is know for their superior image quality and Sony for thinking outside the box. As some of us photographers can get into heated battles of my cameras better than yours and actually scare someone away from a perfectly fine system by joking around.. But I remember when I first went digital and the pain staking task of choosing. It really went down to what features I thought were important to me at the time.

I know its so hard I have been even looking on ebay at the d5100 ( I can afford the d5100) and also the d7000 (which is out of price range new) its so hard to decide I think what if i choose wrong and then I cant get the lenses I want but I guess I am doing it blindly with out any knowledge, Is there anything to consider when buying second hand camera body? Other then getting ripped off!! before any sarky comments start, I'm thinking like the mileage on car there such things to look out for when buying second hand camera

Thanks you have been so much help on this thread, Much appreciated, I will be on the net christmas day at stroke of midnight i shall buy online!! get the best deal

 

[ConradM]

Well I doubt you need RAW files. RAW files are images straight off of the sensor and not processed by the camera. You need special software to work with RAW files. RAW files are more flexible than Jpegs. But still the a37 makes Jpegs.

It should shoot both. My A33 does.

 

[jfrabat]

It should shoot both. My A33 does.

All the alphas and NEX can shoot RAW, JPG, or both at the same time. I shoot RAW+JPG, so that if I need to, I can pull out the detail I want, but I otherwise tend to end up deleting the RAW files to save space on my HDD (unless it is really a special shot, then I keep both).