Page 1 of Anyone know much about Digital SLRs?

Thinking of buying a Sony DSLR A200K

My knowledge of the SLRs is absolutely zero - all i do know is thee shots i`ve seen taken on SLRs is always way sharper and clearer than on my Sony point and shoot jobby.....plus I`m sure i get man points if seen holding a *proper* camera.......Oh yeah and i want somet really good to take photos of the kids with.

I`m only considering the above because my mate works for Sony and can get it for me for £220 ish....

So - your thoughts please

Thanks in advance :-)

This item was edited on Tuesday, 19th August 2008, 16:22

You would be better getting something like the canon 400d from the canon refurb shop on ebay. Then you have a better range of lenses and accessories if you get on with it. I would be reluctant to get a DSLR from anyone other than Nikon or Canon in this country.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Canon-Outlet

To be perfectly honest, though, I take my point and squirt most places as its a faff carrying around the big boy.

But, yeah, the results are better. That pic of my daughter yawning on facebook was taken on a Canon EOS 20d and you can see how much better it is than the ones taken on the cybershot, even though its compressed to f***.

So, yeah, basically DSLRs take very, very good pictures, but you cant stick it in your shirt pocket for a night down the boozer. Plus you need to bother your arse to learn how to use it.

Or at least learn how to tart the photos up in photoshop.

This item was edited on Tuesday, 19th August 2008, 16:34

Nah sorry i know nowt about them :B

Cheers Ryno....

NTG - the point is I can take some really nice shots with the big boy and i`ll still have the cybershot anyway so yeah- i can take that out.....+ the missuse aint ever gonna want to use an SLR when she`s happy with the Cybershot.

The Sony has had some really good reviews - as a matter of fact i`ve not seen a bad one yet....most people seem to like it because its about £100 odd cheaper than any Canon or Nikon......

So in a nutshell Nick i`m ignoring your advice cos its not what i want to hear :D

ps....I`ve been trying to get a shot like yours - with my new little one yawning but the auto focus is so bloody slow i keep missing them.....hence its one of the reasons i want an SLR now.....

Ah, right. Yeah the DSLRs are great for that. I hold her in one hand and stick it on full auto in the other and just snap away. She pulls some great faces.

Well NTG gave you good advice & you choose to ignore it, no problem. But if you do get into
photography, you will find buying better lenses very restrictive, compared to Canon & Nikon.
You do (by the looks of it, get IS). But what lens will you get with the camera? Will the lens be fast enought, to take good photo`s of your daughter indoors? It may be worse than a point & shoot. So you may end up with a pile of blur with the slightest movement. This is always a problem with kids & Animals. You need a DSLR with a fastish lens, Canon & Nikon do a f1.8 portrait lens for around £60-00. Do Sony? this would be the least you would need for a good sharp indoor photo of a child, unless you are lucky. Think again, your child is only young once.

People tend to overlook the fact that the Sony uses the Minolta mount (Sony bought the Konica Minolta camera division). There is a lot of excellent Minolta glass available second-hand.

If you are going to get serious about photography, and want to spend serious amounts of dosh then Canon/Nikon are your only choices (unless you really want to go up-market). However if you are looking for a general use `family` camera that is a lot better than a P&S, and which you might by a couple of lenses for, then the Sony is a damn fine option offering excellent (better) value.

If you can get it for a good price go for it.

This item was edited on Wednesday, 20th August 2008, 00:15

Neiliboy :)

My Canon EOS 450D cost a bit more than the £220 (£449) but tbh I am well chuffed with it. Even with the supplied 18-55 lens I managed to get some phuqen cracking pictures of Ma Wee Pal Coonor ( Number 1 grandson :D ). I phannied about with it on holiday and some of the shots I got at Longleat and Beaulieu Motor Museum were , to a pleb like me, absophuqenlootly brilliant.

So Neiliboy I know a good bit dearer but the EOS 450D is worth a thought mate :D

BTW Paull my good lady got me a cheapo Tamron Dill AF 55-200 F/4-5.6. Cost her about £60 so I have been phannying about with it for the last fortnight and as I get used to it I can see myself going for a 300m IS Canon lens in the near future :D

Choagy FFCUK The SPL :)

Canon camera`s all the way for me. Ive shot with a Canon SLR for as long as i can remember, and have never had any problems. I picked up a 400d last year (just finished paying off the credit!) and have got some great shots from it:

Have a look at my flickr page here

Im so glad i moved in to digital SLR`s last year as i have found that i push myself much harder to do little photography projects more than i ever did before with my standard canon SLR.

Choagy - What do you think of the Tamron 55-200?? My girlfriend said she would get it me for my birthday, as never have enough spare cash to purchase a new lense. And pretty fed up with my bog standard focal range of the kit lense.




I don`t want to achieve immortality through my work... I want to achieve it through not dying.
Woody Allen

The standard plastic lens kit isnt great.

The photos seem to come out quite soft.