Sony Alpha 200

[plazma]

Does anyone here own a Sony Alpha 200? Are you happy with it, would you recommend it to a first-time DSLR buyer?

 

[Pooky]

Yes I have one. If you are looking at it compared to the newer Sony DSLR's, I would say the A200 is a better option. It has a much nicer build quality than the newer ones, which are rather plasticky.

Half the reason I bought the A200 was how it felt to hold. It's nice to use old Minolta lenses on it too.

Anything else you need to know please ask...

 

[plazma]

Thanks Pooky. I saw your earlier posts about it as well. Think I'm going to get one - brand new and going at a ridiculously low price.

 

[Pooky]

I hope you are happy with it!

 

[SirFooK'nG]

I have one, also have a range of lenses, very nice and I'm happy with it (I'm just a happy snapper - not into it for pro stuff) It really does a good job.

 

[Quantum Theory]

I have the A100, which is basically the same camera. My thoughts is that a Canon or a Nikon would be a better investment. You can built your lens collection and in a few years get a semi-pro Nikon or Canon body, if you want to take photography further. That is just how I feel in hindsight.

 

[plazma]

I have the A100, which is basically the same camera. My thoughts is that a Canon or a Nikon would be a better investment. You can built your lens collection and in a few years get a semi-pro Nikon or Canon body, if you want to take photography further. That is just how I feel in hindsight.

Were those photos on your Flickr page taken with your A100? They are very good.

 

[Quantum Theory]

Were those photos on your Flickr page taken with your A100? They are very good.

Thanks plazma. Yes all photos for the last 2.5 years or so are mostly taken with an A100 and the 18-70mm kit.

I'm not saying they are bad cameras, I'm just saying that they are not the best. iStockphoto for instance, won't accept some of my photos because of shortcomings of my camera. Noise, banding, artifacting etc. Just think about where you want to go with your photography. If you are striving towards photographic perfection, get a Nikon. That will be my next move...

 

[Dolby]

Sorry to revive an old thread - but was just wondering the history of the digital camera and why some of the older big players (Minolta, Pentax ...) are either gone or lagging behind Canon/Nikon.

I see Minolta invented AF and had a few firsts in the industry - why didn't this continue? I also see Sony DSLRs were based on Minolta cameras's post 2006 .... is that still the case?

EDIT : I see they had 5D and 7D models too. Interesting!

 

[BigAl-sa]

Sorry to revive an old thread - but was just wondering the history of the digital camera and why some of the older big players (Minolta, Pentax ...) are either gone or lagging behind Canon/Nikon.

I see Minolta invented AF and had a few firsts in the industry - why didn't this continue? I also see Sony DSLRs were based on Minolta cameras's post 2006 .... is that still the case?

EDIT : I see they had 5D and 7D models too. Interesting!

Minolta lost out big time by not joining in the move to digital. By the time they got in, Canon and Nikon were firmly established as leaders in the dslr market.

Sony bought the Minolta camera division when it closed down, to get a foot in the dslr door. That's why Minolta lenses are compatible with the Sony mount.