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Sony A-100 Anonymous
Does anyone have any experience with the Sony Alpha 100? I'm thinking of buying either this or the D40, but this camera both has SteadyShot and feels perfect to hold. Of course, it is about $140 more than the D40... Personally, I don't really care about the 10 megapixels versus the 6 on the Nikon. But yeah, does anyone here own or ever used one?

Pic related
>> heavyweather !4AIf7oXcbA
For the love of all that is holy, don't. When buying a camera, don't shop for a camera, shop for the lenses. The array of lenses for Sony's (really Minolta's) A mount is just pathetic. It's not even clear if Sony will continue marketing a dSLR, from what I hear from distributors and retailers, these cameras aren't exactly flying off the shelves.

Buy into a solid system. Between your choices, go with the D40. Oh, and there's of course my obligatory "buy a Pentax K100D".
>> Anonymous
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I have one, and although there isn't a massive array of lenses at the moment (remember it's not just Sony, all the old maxxum AF mount lenses from minolta will work too), Sony does intend to continue its dSLR side (they're releasing 2 new bodies some time 2007/08)

I got mine for a really really low price from a guy I know (*ahem*) so I'm glad about that, but the lens deal isn't a huge issue. Minolta made a good line of lenses and some G lenses for the mount, plus Sony is marketing some nice lenses (small selection right now, though).

I have the kit zoom lens it came with (so/so, too much plastic), as well as the "beercan" minolta 70-210mm f4 and a 50mm f1.7 minolta prime.

As far as use, the camera is very nice to use and I can't say anything extremely negative about the body's design (all DSLRs currently on the market seem to be that way as well). The in-camera image stabilization does its job well and the only real gripe I have about it is that the shutter noise is pretty loud compared to other SLRs. It's built quite solid, but is still not very heavy, and like you said the grip is very nice.

If I had to pay retail for it, I'd probably go with a Nikon or Pentax instead, but there's at _least_ 3 or 4 lenses to choose from for each popular range/pupil diameter combination. Do your research and see what lenses you'd like to shoot with, find if they're all available in the mount and if you're not particularly worried about re-sale a few years down the road, get the camera.

Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeSONYCamera ModelDSLR-A100Camera SoftwareDSLR-A100 v1.02Maximum Lens Aperturef/4.0Focal Length (35mm Equiv)135 mmImage-Specific Properties:Horizontal Resolution72 dpiVertical Resolution72 dpiImage Created2007:05:21 17:02:14Exposure Time1/200 secF-Numberf/8.0Exposure ProgramManualISO Speed Rating100Lens Aperturef/8.0Brightness8.2 EVExposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashNo Flash, CompulsoryFocal Length90.00 mmRenderingNormalExposure ModeManualWhite BalanceManualScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlNoneContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormal
>> ebc !!CrSG8WXPtZF
>>49282
Its nice to know I am not the only one who swears by Pentax.

Anyways, the A-100 is by far the most non-ergonomic (seriously, what's with the placement of the shutter button?), counter-intuitive and buggy dSLR I have ever played with. Go with the Nikon if you must have one of those two, if not though look into Canon and Pentax, you won't be sorry you did.
>> heavyweather !4AIf7oXcbA
>>49405
The shutter release on the Lumix L1 is absolutely WEIRD. I haven't used it personally, so I can't say as to how well it works, but it's so strange. It's placed right on top of the shutter speed dial.
>> ebc !!CrSG8WXPtZF
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>>49410
I want to just hold that camera so badly, and this is the first time I have seen anyone point that out. Still, it reminds me of my K1000 as far as aesthetics go, and that is an instant plus.

But you can still have my *ist DL when you pry it from my cold dead hands.

Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakePENTAX CorporationCamera ModelPENTAX *ist DLCamera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 WindowsSensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaFocal Length (35mm Equiv)75 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution72 dpiVertical Resolution72 dpiImage Created2007:05:22 01:04:40Exposure Time1/125 secF-Numberf/6.7Exposure ProgramPortrait ModeISO Speed Rating200Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternFlashNo Flash, CompulsoryFocal Length50.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width800Image Height532RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypePortraitContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeClose View
>> Anonymous
I've owned and used the A-100 since December, and have enjoyed it a lot. I like the placement of the shutter button and the function knob on the left. I bought it with the 18-200mm kit lens, which is pretty cheaply built, but the minolta AF lenses are built better. I use the 50mm f/1.7 and the 24mm f/2.8 lenes. Besides lenses, you also want to consider how the sensor works in the camera. The A-100 has serious issues with image noise at 800 and 1600 ASA/ISO, if you ever have to shoot that fast. I feel that the A-100 was a rushed product, but, I'm satisfied with the pictures I take with it and the lenses I'm using, which can be bought for a lot cheaper too.
>> Anonymous
>>49444
Oh yeah, that's one thing I forgot to mention. Turn off noise reduction - whatever algorithm they put into the camera sucks and it's much better to do it post-processing on a computer.