:o Looking for Alpha 100 users and I feel like a real dunce!! But what's new?!! I just joined these forums and so far have managed to sound even less educated every time I post:confused: . Oh well...bumbling right along. I just purchased this awesome little camera last night and having just had surgery (recuping at home) I'm not able to hobble around much to use it:( I was thinking the shutter sounded loud, but after reading another post, Don, says the Canon 20d is louder. Good! I feel better. What other good info do y'all Sony 100 A users have?
TIA
Kathy:)
I posted in the WRONG Sony forum
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03-06-2007, 11:30 AMklh54I posted in the WRONG Sony forum
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03-06-2007, 12:30 PMDonSchapNew SONY stuff ...
Welcome Kathy,
Did you wind up with the SONY 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens?
You sound like this may be your first SLR-style camera and if so, if you are planning on sticking with one lens for a while, consider the TAMRON AF 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) lens.
The effective "free" kit lens really does not deliver a very good image, overall. It's just not the quality you probably want from a DSLR purchase, to be honest. Your photography will be rather limited, using it.
The 18-250 will deliver a richer image, better color response and contrast. It is a very flexible lens with good width and good reach. It covers most of the photographic bases without having to change lenses.
You may want to invest in the SONY HVL-56AM Flash ... which will provide a powerful flash for your 200-250mm telephoto shots and your 18mm wide angle shots, too. The pop-up is just only so good, then it runs out of gas at 15+ feet.
Also, get a protective bag for your camera ... there are several out there, but the one that kind of caught my eyes was this one:
LCS-AMA/D Premium Carrying Case
Again, welcome to the DLSR forum ! :D -
03-06-2007, 12:54 PMklh54Hi Don
and thank you for all the info on a lens and bag. I posted in the "getting to know you" forum that I do own a Canon Rebel SLR. Not that I learned much using it:o Can't say I was looking to learn at that time. I do own a Canon Powershot A95 which was my first foray into the digital arena. I like the capabilities of digital but wasn't sure until recently if I was ready for the digital slr market. Actually more my pocketbook wasn't ready;) I do want an all around versatile lens so I will look into the one you mention. I am probably going to sell my Canon slr and just use the bag I have for the Sony. Gee, I feel like a traitor in some sense, abandoning my Canon life:eek: But the Sony was just too cool of a camera to pass up:cool:
Kathy
p.s. Yes, Don, I did end up with the kit lens, but since my mind is not well-educated, my eyes aren't that discriminatory yet!:) -
03-06-2007, 01:14 PMklh54Thanks Don
for the tips on the lens and flash, but I will have to let my pocketbook recover from the camera purchase first. Guess I'll be saving up my pennies for quite some time to come:( Got any affordable ideas on memory cards?
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03-06-2007, 01:34 PMDonSchapWell... it didn't take me long ...
Well... it didn't take me long to figure out that I wasn't getting what I wanted out of the kit lens. I did some side-by-sides with some of my existing and much older Minolta lenses, just to get a feel for this brand spanking new 18-70mm I added to the collection and almost "gagged" at the results. In fact, they were so outrageous, I immediately repacked the lens and there it sits.
Now, don't get me wrong ... I have two TAMRON 28-200mm f/.3.8-5.6s that are good lenses, but they also have a minimum focus distance of 6.9 feet. What that means is: everything and everyone you shoot has to be at least 6.9 feet away from the end of the lens. Indoors, that's kind of rough.
The new TAMRON 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 cuts that minumum-distance down to only 18-inches! Hoo-ray for our side! It also is a lot wider than the 28mm bottom end of the other two I spoke of. I am so sure that this lens is worth the money, I have already plunked down the $550 to special order it, last month. Yes, I will put the money where my mouth is. I talk the talk and walk the walk.
I bought the TAMRON AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF), last year (2005), for my Canon EOS 20D, before I embarked on the great glass hunt of 2006!
Please understand that this idea-exchange is basically to produce the best image I can for a reasonable cost. The 18-70mm just will NOT do it. Try as I might, I cannot "get the shot" with it. I had really hoped for better, but its just not going to deliver the goods. Contrast is terrible (black to white), color appears washed out ... like I said ... I won't shoot through it, don't make me. :cool:
I had a similar experience with the Canon "kit" lens (EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6) and wound up tossing it (my wife literally did) in the circular file. I replaced it with the above mentioned 18-200, but I also continued to buy another excellent lens, the TAMRON SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) and have not looked back. This lens is a "prize-winning" offering from TAMRON and has delivered the goods. It is designed for lower light, indoors and they also make it for the SONY, but I'm not ready to spend the money, as long as my Canon EOS 20D has it covered.
Photography is all about LIGHT! If you can get the light to your sensor with minimal distortion and brightness, your image should be pretty good. That requires decent glass, not half-decent. -
03-06-2007, 01:48 PMDonSchapJust about any CF card will due, but I recommend SanDisk Ultra II 4 GB card. No wait between shots! That's pretty nice. But, with this warning ... download weekly, if not after every shoot. With digital information, anything can happen ... rain; droppage; stepped on; the baby opens the little door up, pushes the button, takes the media out of the camera (I know ... what baby?) and the dog gnaws on it ...Quote:
Originally Posted by klh54
or even the evil "FORMAT" (horrors! :eek: )
It only takes one "YES" to wipe out all the data in that card. -
03-07-2007, 06:07 AMTEH_oo_ICE
schap , ur idea n information was very good n useful , for me as a starter in D-SLR camera , what should i watch out on this A100 beside the lenses??
but after i use it i feel it very nice , not really complicate 2 use , n have u try before the zeiss lenses?? is it better than Tamron or worse?? thanks for ur comment~~:) -
03-07-2007, 07:13 AMklh54Sodo you work for Sony or have unlimited resources????;) I need affordable options-think BEGINNER here. I realize the ultimate would be to invest in the best and not have to step up, but for my budget considerations I can't do that unless I'm willing to wait eons-and I do mean eons! So I need a good zoom lens that won't set me back $500-$550, good flash and memory cards that will perform well but aren't the cadillac of the group:DQuote:
Originally Posted by DonSchap
P.S. I do heed the download warning-I have heard horror stories of lost pics from friends bemoaning their procrastination and so I download frequently!!! -
03-07-2007, 08:47 AMDonSchapBeginning to think ...
For the SONY, the grand option that I have found is that I can use the older Minolta-AF-glass, that was available from 1985-present. It is there where you will find your biggest savings, rather than buying new. Now these lens will not respond with the lighning quick focusing the newer generations of glass will. The competing lens manufacturers have really gone the extra-mile, in the last few years, to improve the focus-speed of autofocus.
The only reason I suggested the TAMRON AF 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF)
was that it should be the best "all-around" utility lens to slap on the front of the SONY A100. It is by no means, "Cadillac" lensing ... but more like high-end "Chevrolet Truck." Some of its superior aspects is its 18-inch minimum focus distance, speed of focus and impressive focal span.
If you go on ebay, you should be able to find a wide variety of Minolta or SONY/Minolta-mount lenses that will offer bargain prices and solid capability. Remember, that is being said with the expectation that the person you trade with is straight-up, honest and hasn't dropped the lens.
A good lens, I have found to use, is Minolta's AF 35-70mm f/4 Macro.
It offers reasonably sharp focus and is quite small in comparison to other lens of the type. I recommend the fixed f/4 over the variable f/3.5-4.5. Selling for around $30-$40, it seems to be a true bargain for the starter.
Consider a Minolta AF 28mm f/2.8
coupled with a Phoenix 0.45x screw-on Teleconverter (comes w/ 49, 52, 55mm adapter rings), which would provide an "effective" 19mm f/3.3 UWA (Ultra Wide Angle) solution for only $100. That represents impressive savings.
Above is an image with the screw-on 0.45x T/C on a Canon 28mm f/2.8. It really doesn't care what the base lens is, if the included adaptive ring is used.
Once again, if you don't mind the slow focus speed ... the older TAMRON AF 28-200mm f/3.8-5.6 can be a good walk-around lens solution. Once again, it has a 6.9 ft (2.1m) minimum focus, which can be daunting. You can see it clearly marked on the focusing collar, in the image below.
As far as a flash goes, this will be the tougher part. If you do not buy the SONY flash, you still can use the older Minolta flashes (if you can find one), specifically the Program Flash 5600HS(D) (on ebay for $175), Program Flash 3600HS(D)(on ebay for $100), Program Flash 2500(D)(on ebay for $60). The lower the number, the less the capability. (If it were me, the 5600HS(D) would my choice (it's the earlier SONY HVL-56AM for a heck of a lot less), it offers the movable and rotating flash head, which is nice for bounce flash shots, which can eliminate red eye. :o )
Try to remember, though, when you are using a DSLR, you are telling everyone ... "I came to play" ... which translates into $$$. Be ready for it.