About to drop the $700 on an Alpha...

[Amigaman]

I have an old Minolta 35mm with a set of Sigma lenses and naturally I want to re-use them (even though they're bottom of the barrel lenses). So I was at Wolf Camera here in Durham, NC, and talked to a sales lady about the Sony Alpha. However, she said that while the Alpha would work with my Sigma lens, it would not autofocus them. She couldn't give me a reason why, but just said they wouldn't autofocus. This is the first time I've heard of that. So before I spend the $700 (at BHPhotoVideo, not at Wolf since it's $100 more there), is there any truth to what this "sales lady" said?

Personally I think she was confused with the Nikon D40. That DSLR will not autofocus older Nikon or 3rd party lenses since the AF motor is not in the camera body. But since I didn't have my Sigma lens with me, I couldn't refute her.

[cgl88]

The best thing to do is to try them on the body (your post didn't say you tried the lens on the camera).

The camera works perfectly with my minolta lenses. I think the sigma lenses (assuming they fit on the minolta bodies) should focus fine on the a100. Good luck.

[DonSchap]

I agree ... test 'em out!

Personally, I will no longer use SIGMA lenses on my cameras. I've had issues with them, in the past, and I am uncomfortable merging them with the Minolta/SONY mounts. Also, 35mm-film lenses lack some the qualities (lens coatings and advanced focusing circuits) that a digital SLR camera needs to produce consistently good shots.

If you are looking to pop for a better utility lens, while deciding on what works and what doesn't, you might want to have a close look at the TAMRON AF18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) lens. This is a terrific walk-around lens, weighing only 15 ounces and covering nearly all the bases. Coupled with the SONY's internal (in the camera body) Image Stabillizing system, it delivers just about all the general photography needs most people encounter.

Just a thought ... I figure it's worth the money.

[Amigaman]

Well I decided to get the Alpha anyways ($748 w/ 2GB CF & 18-70mm @ BHPhotoVideo). And it works great with my Sigma lenses. I love this camera!

[DonSchap]

Welcome to a brighter world! Good job!

Now, post and be happy!

[cgl88]

What sigma lens do you have? There are good ones that work with the alpha.

To get the most out of your new toy, be sure to check out dpreview.com, http://www.dyxum.com, and http://flickr.com/groups/sony_alpha/