cpfc12
newbie
Reged: 04/02/2008
Posts: 42
Loc: Lewes, East Sussex.
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I have just read the two reports on the camera and went to a dealer to get a hands on feel for it. I don't currently have a DSLR, but I do have loads of Sony equipment around the house which has been totaly reliable, and therefore felt it could be just the ticket.
Didn't actually get to see it or touch it as the salespeople went into Nikon speak and pointed out that there wasn't much in the way of quality lenses available for this brand, and once locked in, it is mighty expensive to change.
Is the lens issue a valid point in your experience? Is the kit lens supplied quite reasonable? Has anybody experienced any live view breakdowns? Thanks.
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Simple Southern boy.
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Roger_Provins
Made-it Man
Reged: 22/10/2005
Posts: 2814
Loc: Gloucester, UK
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Quote:
salespeople went into Nikon speak and pointed out that there wasn't much in the way of quality lenses available for this brand, and once locked in, it is mighty expensive to change.
Is the lens issue a valid point in your experience? Is the kit lens supplied quite reasonable? Has anybody experienced any live view breakdowns? Thanks.
Undoubtedly there are more lenses in Nikon's range than the current Sony Alpha, but Sony's range is growing all the time and for normal needs there are more than sufficient. For any needs the quality is as high as it gets. Ask your salespersons if they've heard of Zeiss lenses 
Sony have 3 "kit" lenses and the cheapest is about the same as all other manufactures "kit" lenses - quite okay to start with.
I've yet to hear of a live-view failure.
Find a good shop and actually check out as many cameras as you can. A good salesperson should NOT overly push one particular brand and they should have a good understanding of each make - their weaknesses and strengths, and give you time to "play" with the cameras.
Best to decide first on the following:
Image stabilisation - in camera body or in lenses?
Live-view or not and if yes how important is an articulating screen and speed/ease of use is to you.
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Rog
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El Sid
Going potty
Reged: 14/04/2003
Posts: 9296
Loc: Sussex-by-the-Sea
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Quote:
Didn't actually get to see it or touch it as the salespeople went into Nikon speak...
Errr, next time remind them that they are there to serve your wishes and insist on looking at the camera you asked for, if they don't co-operate - walk... Dealer's name doesn't start with a J by any chance?...
The lens issue isn't an issue. There are plenty of good quality lenses in Sony fit even if some of them still say Minolta on the can. Unless you are in the market for exotica such as 500mm f4 super-telephotos or perspective control lenses there is enough Sony glass cover the needs of the normal enthusiast photographer... and don't forget that Sigma and Tamron lenses are available in Sony fit too.
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Nigel
Completely BSRIPN 
ElSid Gallery
A camera in the hand is better than one in the cupboard........
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cpfc12
newbie
Reged: 04/02/2008
Posts: 42
Loc: Lewes, East Sussex.
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Thankyou both for your replies. The dealer involved did not begin with J. Very pleasant, but just got carried away with all things Nikon.
Classic case of the customer willing to buy Sony, but then being confused and walking away to reflect on it. Anyway the bank balance looks better this morning.
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Simple Southern boy.
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DaveG40
enthusiast
Reged: 21/07/2007
Posts: 245
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The basic kit lens found on the A100 etc is quite good, especially when compared to Canon's 400d lens, it has a useful range & can produce very good photo's, it's action is smooth & it weighs very little, it comes with a small hood, which personally i feel is a bit short.
From day one I've been saying that "standard" (non ziess) Sony lens prices are above what they should be, the fact that minolta lenses are highly sought after and the fact that of the 4 lenses i had only one was a Sony, (and that was the kit lens) speaks for itself (tight wad ). The 18-250 lens is a prime example, the Sony is a "tweaked" version of the Tamron, however it's also priced far higher than the Tamron, I don't know about you but if i wanted an 18-250 i'd save a lot of money & get the Tamron.
Sony must know it's prices are high, it just suprises me that it seems to be shifting lots of cameras & yet "Sony" lens prices remain high, if the Sony 18-250 was the same or a little higher priced than the Tamron they'd probably sell a bucket load.
Quote:
once locked in, it is mighty expensive to change.
Is the lens issue a valid point in your experience?
Only if you have lots of extra's (lenses & flashes etc), but even then it's possible to swap platforms buy selling your gear on ebay etc. I've got more for selling stuff 2nd hand than what cost me new.
If you like the A350 have you looked at the A300, sadly "another" weird decision by Sony (IMHO), it's only available in Jessops (unless you buy one off of ebay).
Having worked in retail i know how some sales staff operate, e.g i watched a tele salesman jump back in amazement when someone pressed the fastext button.
A "good" camera shop/retailer should be totally impartial, unbiased & very helpful, there goal should be to match a camera to the customer, e.g if you want a good basic "p&s" d-slr to learn d-slrs with; Nikon D40, as opposed to getting a Canon 40D thrust into your hands.
Electrical retailers like Currys do have great offers on, from time to time, sadly however it's a rarity to see a camera on display with a memory card & battery in (in my local store), which is great if you want to hold a camera but not for anything else. The other things about some electrical retailers is the G (gurantee), I've seen a computer salesman happier to sell a £500 computer with a G than a £1000 computer without one.
It's clear that Sony are on the up, it has the financial clout, provides sensors to other manufacturers & has released 3 models in as many months, with a full frame due out sometime this year, Nikon & Canon have the pedigree,back catalogue & are excellent brands, but at the sub £1000 market there are a lot of decent cameras worth a look e.g Pentax K10/20, K200, Samsung Gx10/20, Oly E510/5210, A350/A700 etc. Find a decent camera shop try all within your price range & get the one that feels right for you.
Good luck.
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cpfc12
newbie
Reged: 04/02/2008
Posts: 42
Loc: Lewes, East Sussex.
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Well, "I did it". 2 hours ago I bought a Sony 200 with Kit lens for under £300 and am waiting anxiously for the battery to charge up. Mr Nikon was elsewhere today and a youg guy was most helpful. Will keep you posted. Thanks for all comments.
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Simple Southern boy.
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Gordon_McGeachie
Joke Historian
Reged: 19/01/2007
Posts: 3979
Loc: East Yorkshire,
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Quote:
Well, "I did it". 2 hours ago I bought a Sony 200 with Kit lens for under £300 and am waiting anxiously for the battery to charge up. Mr Nikon was elsewhere today and a youg guy was most helpful. Will keep you posted. Thanks for all comments.
Glad to hear.
You wont be dissapointed with your choice, I am very very very happy with my A700
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She (Avro Vulcan XH558)Took To The Sky Like A Lovesick Angel.
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David_Kilpatrick
newbie
Reged: 15/07/2008
Posts: 4
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Quote:
Well, "I did it". 2 hours ago I bought a Sony 200 with Kit lens for under £300 and am waiting anxiously for the battery to charge up. Mr Nikon was elsewhere today and a youg guy was most helpful. Will keep you posted. Thanks for all comments.
Good to hear that. Stores vary - Sony has just rolled out the ACE program with showcases for selected stores, you can see photos of a fully stocked cabinet at LCE Colchester on photoclubalpha.com - they sent photos in today. You can assume that dealers with this Sony ACE accreditation will not be trying to switch sell to Nikon!
Earlier in this thread Sony was said to have three kit lenses. Actually, it depends on the deal and the dealer - Sony has five kit lenses: 16-80mm, 16-105mm, 18-70mm, 18-200mm and 18-250mm. We recently sold a Tamron 18-250mm after getting a s/h Sony 18-250mm to replace it, there is sufficient gain in focus speed to make the difference worthwhile. As it happens the 18-70mm is a fair match for any of the lenses (except the CZ 16-80mm) across its own range, offers just as a good a close-up repro ratio, and despite stronger aberrations towards the edges of the frame holds up for big prints if you stop down to f8.
David
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Roger_Provins
Made-it Man
Reged: 22/10/2005
Posts: 2814
Loc: Gloucester, UK
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Quote:
...Sony has five kit lenses: 16-80mm, 16-105mm, 18-70mm, 18-200mm and 18-250mm. ...
David
I wasn't sure how far to stretch "kit"
Welcome to these forums David, surprised not to have seen you here before 
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Rog
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LargeFormat
old hand
Reged: 24/10/2006
Posts: 1059
Loc: Buckinghamshire and Cumbria
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I'd like to know what sort of lens these shop Nikonistas think isn't covered by the current range let alone the legacy Minolta glass. I can only think of a couple, 24mm perspective control (35mm pc is available for Sony) and circular 8mm fisheye and I'll bet there's not much call for either.
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David_Kilpatrick
newbie
Reged: 15/07/2008
Posts: 4
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Quote:
Quote:
...Sony has five kit lenses: 16-80mm, 16-105mm, 18-70mm, 18-200mm and 18-250mm. ...
David
I wasn't sure how far to stretch "kit"
Welcome to these forums David, surprised not to have seen you here before
I slandered Nigel Atherton in error on a private Alamy forum by mixing up What Digital Camera with Digital Camera Buyer reference use of iStock images and heavy iStock advertising. It's fixed now as I have considerable respect for Nigel and didn't realise that when someone complained about his using three iStock images, it was not the 'other mag' they were talking about. Being banned from dPreview I thought I would drop in here and register.
I get a lot out of forums - I learn more than I give back, so to speak. So I need to be around one or two. ePhotozine is just too much like a camera club for me!
David
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David_Kilpatrick
newbie
Reged: 15/07/2008
Posts: 4
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Quote:
I'd like to know what sort of lens these shop Nikonistas think isn't covered by the current range let alone the legacy Minolta glass. I can only think of a couple, 24mm perspective control (35mm pc is available for Sony) and circular 8mm fisheye and I'll bet there's not much call for either.
Nikonistas are quite lucky as right now various places are flogging the Tammy 18-250mm in Nikon for under £200 (LCE is one). But... they don't get stabilised shots at 250mm and that's almost essential! And it doesn't work with G-only type Nikons like the D60 either, needs screw drive focus.
David
Edited by David_Kilpatrick (15/07/2008 23:13)
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Benchista
Wich Tyler
Reged: 11/08/2000
Posts: 36980
Loc: Everywhere and nowhere, baby
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they don't get stabilised shots at 250mm and that's almost essential!
Well now that surely depends on several factors.
Firstly, a tripod renders any sort of image stabilisation pretty meaningless.
Then there are monopods, beanbags, clamps, suction cups and numerous other means of camera support which can circumvent the need for stabilisation.
Finally, many individuals can handhold such a lens perfectly happily at sensible speeds.
"Almost essential"? No, I don't think so. "Potentially extremely useful" would seem to hit the mark more closely, and I say that as a great fan of the freedom that image stabilisation gives.
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Nick
www.nbrphoto.com
Light and Shade II - the new blog
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