From SLR to DSLR with a twist

[Newdoc]

Long time SLR user Maxxum user with two lenses Minolta 50mm 1.7 AF and Sigma 70-210 UC 3.~ to 5.6 that will work on a Sony Alpha. I tried them both in store and I have a 3500xi flash which only some features will work and on auto will fire only at full power. So I could go with Alpha but please read below and please suggest.

Budget

* I'd like to keep intial purchase under $1100.

Size

* I'm not small. The Canon 350 was slightly uncomfortable to hold.

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?
6 mp should be fine but I may crop from time to time.

* What optical zoom will you need?
I'm looking for any camera to have a three lens set with a walk around med zoom (kit lens), a prime 50mm, and a longer range zoom hopefully fast enough to get decent indoor pics (most with good lighting) with action.

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
8

Do you care for manual controls?
Would like to have accessible. Going through menu not a big deal.

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
Kids pics in sports including outdoor baseball, soccer and indoor cheerleading. I also shoot portrait photos of family and like to shoot outdoor scenery.

Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
Likely no bigger than 11X14

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
Not the majority but I might also shoot some for kids friends, parents, etc.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Yes

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
None in paticular. See above on why I'm looking at Sony. Otherwise I might not. Would consider bigger Canon, Nikon, Pentax. No brand I hate. Not sure about the Oly.
Are there particular models you already have in mind?
D50, A-100, K100D (K10D too far off for me).

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)

Maybe IS but won't help me shooting action.

I was all set to jump on the Alpha but the high iso is not looking as good as others. My flash will be limited to full burst unless setting manually and the sigma uc 70-210mm lens is apparently a rather pedestrian lens. I love the 50mm 1.7. I have a medium range sigma that needs to be rechipped and I don't think it's worth the money.

The D50 looks good and with the relatively low body price, I think I could grab some good glass. I don't know what to think about the pentax k100d but it felt comparable to the Sony in the store. Could I pick up some Pentax glass to take care of my immediate needs?

My main question is will the Sony handle what I want to shoot given its relative weakness and is it worth it with the kit lens and my other two Minolta/Sigma lenses? Sorry, kind of long.

[pagnamenta]

The Sony Alpha is a great camera and it will live up to what you need to shoot. The lenses you have are good for what you are shooting. Everything you mentioned can be shot with the equipment you are looking at.

[Tweek]

Eh... Sony Alpha, it has horrible high ISO noise performance. I would say a Nikon D70s perfectly in your budget. Or a Canon 20D

Plus Canon and Nikon make better glass.

[JTL]

I've only used Nikon and Canon SLRs (recently)...but...the new Pentax K10D sure has gotten my attention. The feature set combined with the price makes it the most compelling entry-level DSLR to date, IMO. Weather/dust resistant body, dust removal system, image stabilization. And the best viewfinder of all the entry-level crowd. Plus, they're coming out with some new ultrasonic motor lenses in a couple of months. Certainly worth a serious look...

[coldrain]

The Sony Alpha's high ISO noise is not worse at all than what a Nikon D70s produces... no idea why an above poster thinks differently. And when Nikon applies noise reduction in camera to get "better" results with the same sensor, a slight investment in neatimage or noise ninja will level that. It is a bit odd to think that in-camera noise reduction would be capable of better results than in-computer noise reduction.

Just get the A100, it is a good camera. And then if you do not like it, you can always sell it and look at another option, you will have to start from scratch there (and by then the scratch should be the follow up to the Canon EOS 30D ;) ), which will add to the cost right now.

Get the A100 with a wider angle lens like its kitlens, and you will have a nice setup with your 50mm f1.7 and the 70-210 to start and learn things.

[Newdoc]

Thanks coldrain and everyone,

I was hoping the A100 would handle the indoor shots that might have some action and really, that would only be about 10-15% of what I would shoot. With the price coming down the kit is not a bad deal, despite Sony's penchant for being proud of their products when retail pricing. If I could budget more, then I'd look at the prosumer line ,but you're looking at spending exponentially more in lenses and body that won't make a relative difference to me or my family and friends. Looks like I will have to invest in some noise reduction software and add some RAM to my computer.