Sony a300 and lens question

[wernew2cruising]

Ok camera gurus.....HELP!!!!

 

DH and I are graduating from a point and shoot to the Sony a 300 (maybe). I have a couple of questions for those in the know, especially those in the know about sony products.

 

DH wants the 300 since we will only be using it for travel etc. We are not photographers (apparent by my questions) I, on the other hand, really want to the 350. The only reason for this is because of the higher mega pixels available. Does it really make that much difference in the picture quality? 300 is 10.2 and the 350 is 14,2.

 

We want to buy a kit that includes a second lens. We don't have a lot to spend right now so we can't get the super dooper lens. Is this lens a decent lens? Sony - 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Super-Telephoto Zoom Lens

Model: SAL-75300

 

Thanks for your help. I am confused. I must confess Dave, i have no idea what the f means for the lens. I am trying to cram all this in my brain, as well as learn some spanish before our trip in Dec. :rolleyes: . I think the camera lessons are easier. :eek: And Dave, thank you for the photo lessons. I have copied and pasted every lesson so I can review at a later non internet time.

[pierces]

Ok camera gurus.....HELP!!!!

 

DH and I are graduating from a point and shoot to the Sony a 300 (maybe). I have a couple of questions for those in the know, especially those in the know about sony products.

 

DH wants the 300 since we will only be using it for travel etc. We are not photographers (apparent by my questions) I, on the other hand, really want to the 350. The only reason for this is because of the higher mega pixels available. Does it really make that much difference in the picture quality? 300 is 10.2 and the 350 is 14,2.

 

We want to buy a kit that includes a second lens. We don't have a lot to spend right now so we can't get the super dooper lens. Is this lens a decent lens? Sony - 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Super-Telephoto Zoom Lens

Model: SAL-75300

 

Thanks for your help. I am confused. I must confess Dave, i have no idea what the f means for the lens. I am trying to cram all this in my brain, as well as learn some spanish before our trip in Dec. :rolleyes: . I think the camera lessons are easier. :eek: And Dave, thank you for the photo lessons. I have copied and pasted every lesson so I can review at a later non internet time.

 

For clarification on f/stops, take a look at lesson #3 - Low light Photography. It goes into detail on what the f/ ratio means.

 

If I were to buy one of the live-view Alphas, I would go for the A350, not necessarily for the megapixels, but because it can be purchased body-only without a kit lens. I would order a SAL18250 to go with it. The Camera produces excellent images and the 18-250 covers 99% of your travel shots without having to change a lens. I plan on picking up one of the 18-250s for trips where luggage restrictions force me to carry minimal equipment. It is a well-regarded lens and will do justice to the A350s sensor.

 

 

My 2¢...hope it helps.

 

Dave

[cbowler]

I love it when someone asks the same question I was about to ask. And I love it even more when the answer confirms exactly what I was thinking! So thanks Cindy and Dave.

 

Dave, I know it is pure speculation but do you think the prices are likely to fall for the a300 or a350 or the SAL18250 anytime soon? I think these are fairly new, right?, and thus I wouldn't think they would drop anytime soon. I'm looking to buy either the a300 or the a350 plus the 18250 lens but am not in a hurry for it and am trying to decide whether to wait or buy sooner.

[wernew2cruising]

Thanks Dave for the response. What is your opinion on the 200? The live view is not really a function I need. I thought I needed more megapixels. CB..you are more than welcome! :D (at least now I know it wasn't a stupid question lol)

[pierces]

Thanks Dave for the response. What is your opinion on the 200? The live view is not really a function I need. I thought I needed more megapixels. CB..you are more than welcome! :D (at least now I know it wasn't a stupid question lol)

 

In my previous post, I said "I were to buy one of the live-view Alphas". That was hypothetical. The A200 would actually be preferrable to me since I don't really value live-view for the type of shooting I do. It uses the same sensor and stabilization unit as the A300 and because it doesn't have the live-view hardware, the optical viewfinder is better and the body more compact. You'll have to get it with the 18-70 kit lens, but at $500 for body and kit lens, the lens is basically free. You might be able to sell it on ebay or keep it as a spare since the 18-250 if both more convenient and optically superior.

 

 

All-in-all and excellent compact DSLR.

 

Dave

[wernew2cruising]

In my previous post, I said "I were to buy one of the live-view Alphas". That was hypothetical. The A200 would actually be preferrable to me since I don't really value live-view for the type of shooting I do. It uses the same sensor and stabilization unit as the A300 and because it doesn't have the live-view hardware, the optical viewfinder is better and the body more compact. You'll have to get it with the 18-70 kit lens, but at $500 for body and kit lens, the lens is basically free. You might be able to sell it on ebay or keep it as a spare since the 18-250 if both more convenient and optically superior.

 

 

All-in-all and excellent compact DSLR.

 

Dave

Thanks Dave. Off to Wolf camera this evening! :D Maybe then I will get brave and post some pictures on your class threads!!:rolleyes:

[pierces]

I love it when someone asks the same question I was about to ask. And I love it even more when the answer confirms exactly what I was thinking! So thanks Cindy and Dave.

 

Dave, I know it is pure speculation but do you think the prices are likely to fall for the a300 or a350 or the SAL18250 anytime soon? I think these are fairly new, right?, and thus I wouldn't think they would drop anytime soon. I'm looking to buy either the a300 or the a350 plus the 18250 lens but am not in a hurry for it and am trying to decide whether to wait or buy sooner.

 

May as well buy. All three are rather recent releases, selling very well and are not likely do drop anytime soon.

 

I've found that waiting and waiting to buy on sale never offsets the amount of enjoyment I get from the item I intend to purchase. I could have saved $300 by waiting from last October 'til now to buy my A700, but i have gotten far more than $300 worth of enjoyment from it over the last year.

 

Just my 2¢...

 

Dave

[chipmaster]

May as well buy. All three are rather recent releases, selling very well and are not likely do drop anytime soon.

 

I've found that waiting and waiting to buy on sale never offsets the amount of enjoyment I get from the item I intend to purchase. I could have saved $300 by waiting from last October 'til now to buy my A700, but i have gotten far more than $300 worth of enjoyment from it over the last year.

 

Just my 2¢...

 

Dave

 

 

Sony is indeed doing well rocketing to #3 in DSLR with 12% market share with some spec leading equipment.

 

But the cost has been a negative profit margin of ~ -17% compared to Canon who makes +23 percent and Nikon making +20%. profit margins I wonder how much longer Sony will continue to subsized the business. Unlike PS3 I can't imagine them making huge $ on lens, and muscling in on #1/#2 Canon/Nikon will take decades or more.

 

Just a side curiosity as it never made much business sense to me :confused:

[pierces]

Sony is indeed doing well rocketing to #3 in DSLR with 12% market share with some spec leading equipment.

 

But the cost has been a negative profit margin of ~ -17% compared to Canon who makes +23 percent and Nikon making +20%. profit margins I wonder how much longer Sony will continue to subsized the business. Unlike PS3 I can't imagine them making huge $ on lens, and muscling in on #1/#2 Canon/Nikon will take decades or more.

 

Just a side curiosity as it never made much business sense to me :confused:

 

Keep in mind that Canon and Nikon don't have billions rolling in from entertainment divisions and while Canon does consumer video and commercial broadcast video, they don't come close to Sony's decades-long dominance. In 2007 Sony was #2 overall in digital camera sales including the P&S market and the whole division (not just DSLRs) turns a profit (Canon was #1, 4% ahead of Sony and Nikon was #7). The went from 0 to #3 in DSLR sales in one year with the Alpha100 and are currently holding a 17% share in the European market where Sony has a strong marketing push (It's the fastest-growing digital camera market, so I guess they view it a low-hanging fruit). Sony has a long way to go penetrating the pro DSLR market, but the new A900 got a lot of people's attention offering 24 MP and full-frame at $3000 with auto-focusing Zeiss lenses in the line-up. I'm pretty confident that the $2.6 billion corporate profit last year will subsidize the DSLR business for a little longer.:D

 

As I said, the top makers all make good cameras. I use the one I do because it works well and has great controls...I don't even have a logo on my camera strap!;)

 

Happy shooting!

 

Dave