I'm looking at DSLRs for my eldest daughter. There's a local Sony clearance centre that has A58 and A37 kits on for $340. They're complete with 18-55mm lens and bag.
I've always had Nikons but this seems like a pretty good deal. What say the hive mind?
I've heard some really good things about the A58 in particular, and i've seen some great pictures come out of it.
Don't know much about the camera itself, but that's pretty good for a brand new kit.
It's (not) all about the kit (anymore).
It used to be you bought a camera for the lens selection. Now, you can buy a great lens in nearly every mount, so it doesn't matter anyway. Professionals are a bit more worried about maintaining a certain brand because they don't want to lose compatibility, but I've talked with some professionals who had no problems selling off all their equipment to go from Nikon or Canon to Sony, Fuji, Panasonic or something more expensive.
The one advantage to Nikon, Canon, and Olympus was that you could find used lenses just about everywhere. Sony will be a bit more difficult to find, both refurbished online and used in local stores.
Actually, doesn't Sony still use the Minolta AF mount? If they still do, you can find plenty of used lenses on the cheap, and there are some really good ones among them.
I think you're right. I knew there was a reason I looked at them, I had a few old Minolta lenses.
I've seen tons of people putting Pentax lenses on Sony DSLRs as well for some reason.
You also don't have to go "off-brand" (not that Sony isn't fantastic; it is) to get a $350ish DSLR with lens. Adorama, for example, sells a factory-refurbished Nikon D3100 + their 18-55 VR lens for $350 flat. There isn't a better lens or camera for that amount of money. I'm sure deals exist in Canonland too.
BoxheadTim wrote: Actually, doesn't Sony still use the Minolta AF mount?
They definitely do. The only reason I bought a Sony DSLR was because I wanted to use my Maxxum (Minolta AF) mount lenses. In hindsight that wasn't such a great idea, I should have gone with Canon and just started from scratch with lenses.
I have the SLT-A35 (entry level DSLR). I purchased it through a friend who works for Sony, got 40% off before Christmas 2012. I like the very fast shutter for an entry level DSLR - it's 7fps. I can't really tell you why, but I also like the digital (rather than optical) viewfinder. I shoot a metric E36 M3load of pictures and then proceed to cull 19 out of every 20.. but I have shot a few that I really like. I definitely need to take a class or watch some videos though, because this thing is under-utilized and I'm under-skilled with it. I like it. The big discount helped a bunch.
Does Sony still use that crappy special memory card? Personally, I've been burned by so much Sony crap in the past, I refuse to buy them anymore.
Not to de-rail this thread, but is there any half-decent guide to picking out a DSLR? I've been itching for something a bit better than a p&s for eBay/cl ads, and possibly doing some better-quality Youtube videos and such.
Grtechguy wrote: Does Sony still use that crappy special memory card? Personally, I've been burned by so much Sony crap in the past, I refuse to buy them anymore.
Looks like some of the newer ones still support the Memory Stick, but most of them seem to also take SD cards.
I get all of my info from an urbex site, so take this as you will.
The 3100 performs poorly in low light. Just a heads up.
In reality, find a camera store that will let you hold the gear, shoot some frames, and get a feel before you plop your money down. Buy something from him, just because you're a good guy and used up a couple hours of his time. He may even have something that came in on trade that would normally be out of your price range.
I have a Sony A77 and absolutely love it. The A58 does 90% of what the A77 does at half the price. Lens selection is not what you can get with Canon or Nikon, but it shouldn't be a big deal if you aren't using it to pay the bills.
The digital viewfinder might be a turnoff for the more old-school. I shoot a lot of low light and find it works really well. Also, there's no shutter lag when using live view as the mirror is translucent, so it doesn't have to move twice.
I agree with G8MikeGXP. Don't get caught up one one body when another does twice as much, while either being cheaper or close to the same price.
Oh, and I'm not sure if it's still true, but Canon makes their own image sensors, while Nikon buys theirs from Sony. It might be the other way around, but don't discount them at all as a being up there with the other big names in cameras.
Thanks for all the feedback. I ended up pulling the trigger on the Sony A58. I looked at the competition and, in my case, the Sony was a far better deal. I did double check on the memory card and it takes a standard SD or memory stick.
Mazda787b wrote: Not to de-rail this thread, but is there any half-decent guide to picking out a DSLR? I've been itching for something a bit better than a p&s for eBay/cl ads, and possibly doing some better-quality Youtube videos and such.
BoxheadTim wrote: Actually, doesn't Sony still use the Minolta AF mount? If they still do, you can find plenty of used lenses on the cheap, and there are some really good ones among them.
Thanks for this tip.
I just scored a Minolta Maxxum 7000 complete with a Minolta AF 80-200mm f/2.8 lens for the grand sum total of $40 off Kijiji. Anyone want a Maxxum 7000 35mm body?
Not me, but if I remember my Minolta lenses correctly that's a pretty good zoom lens.
Wayslow wrote:BoxheadTim wrote: Actually, doesn't Sony still use the Minolta AF mount? If they still do, you can find plenty of used lenses on the cheap, and there are some really good ones among them.Thanks for this tip. I just scored a Minolta Maxxum 7000 complete with a Minolta AF 80-200mm f/2.8 lens for the grand sum total of $40 off Kijiji. Anyone want a Maxxum 7000 35mm body?
Great score
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