Sony SLR

If you are in the market for a new SLR, probabilities are you are looking at a camera from Canon, Nikon, or Sony. Many of you will already have lenses, flashes, and other accessaries that you’ve purchased which will inevitably strength you to stick with the brand you chose. And while this is not very exciting, the companies are so close in quality and features that you genuinely aren’t missing much either. However, for those of us looking to begin our SLR body and lens collection, the decision may seem daunting – if not impossible. I occur to fit into this group. I have sold all of my SLR gear to fund other photography projects over the last couple years. I employed to own an Olympus E-3 and a Sigma SD9. I loved both of these outfits (especially the Olympus lenses) but decisive to trade them anyway. Looking back, I have determined that, for me, the 4/3′s sensor is better off in the micro line of cameras. While Olympus’ lenses are fantastic, the sensor can not hold up to the quality of the challengers full frame sensors. The Sigma SLR’s, I believe still have galore of the best effigy quality you may obtain. However, if you shoot higher that ISO 200 you will not like the results from their cameras. So, how do we choose amid the three other major companies?

Nikon

When looking at Nikon, a few details standout above the competition: high ISO performance, build, and usability. Nikon cameras are still the leader in high ISO performance, each camera in their line (the exception perchance being the D3100) has best-in-class performance. The Nikon D3S may shoot images at 12,800 ISO that look as noise-free as ISO 800 with Sony’s A900. The disadvantage? Nikon cameras have very low resolution, the lowest of all three companies by a big margin. The D3s for instance, has 12 megapixels. The Canon competitor, the 1D Mark IV, has 16.1 (Sony does not have a direct challenger for this camera). The D700 likewise only has 12 megapixels, while the offerings from Canon and Sony are over 20. Larger prints are going to be more difficult with Nikon, notwithstanding unless you’re printing mural size prints this likely will not matter to you.

The build quality of Nikon cameras is insane. Most are indestructible bricks that never feel cheap or flimsy. Just hold the D700 and the Canon 5D Mark II together, the build quality isn’t even close. Nikon’s also are more contoured to humane hands and most users agree they are much more comfortable to use than Canon over the long haul. However, Sony is in all likelihood equivalent in ease to Nikon (and very close in build quality). The disfavor to this is that Nikon’s are commonly very heavy. The Canon 5D Mark II is 1.79 lbs, the Sony A850 is 1.875lbs, nonetheless the Nikon D700 is 2.19lbs! While the divergence doesn’t sound like that much, you will unquestionably observe the divergence over a whole day.

Nikon users constantly, and annoyingly, preach regarding the usability of Nikon’s. I’m talking to you Ken Rockwell! As annoying as this may be, the fact is that they are right. Nikon’s are more quickly to use in the field than Canon and Sony. From not having to press play to analyzing the images you just shot, permitting finelooking much all functions be accessed with one hand, Nikon’s handle very well. But, up until the latest Nikon D7000 they did not have the capacity to save ALL camera settings in a quick access habit setting. You have 3 habit store banks in both Canon and Sony professional cameras (the new Nikon D7000 still only has 2).

Canon

Canon’s strong points are price, performance/resolution ratio, and a trusted history. Canon’s lenses are in general reasonably priced when equated to the competition. While Nikon is insanely expensive, Canon always seems to have the comparable supplying at a lower price point. For instance, the Canon 35mm f/1.4 lens is $1,369 at B&H Photo, while Nikon’s 35mm f/1.4 lens is $1,799 (I’m not adding Sony’s option here because, in my opinion, the Sony version is far inferior. When the Sony Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 is freed then that will be a unfeigned test).

Canon’s bodies are in all probability the leaders when it comes to the comparison of performance vs resolution. In most cases, the higher the solution the camera has, the lower the frames per second (FPS) and worse it performs at high ISO’s. Canon’s 1D Mark IV does a very good occupation at high ISO’s and with FPS nevertheless it is still at a gorgeous high solution of 16 megapixels. The D3S as brought up above is only 12. With Canon, you get the best of both worlds…..sort of. If you choose Canon, you are making concessions on both sides (high ISO and resolution) but have decent performance from both. While Nikon will offer better high ISO performance and Sony’s solution and detail is better, Canon is still pretty good at both. So if you find the performance of Canon bodies good sufficient for your needs in these two constituents than they are the way to go.

Canon likewise has a long trusted history, that is backed by the most professional users. You recognise Canon will be around, will carry on to create new productions and strive to construct new technologies. With Sony, they are comparatively new to the game and you can’t be as sure regarding how they will support their line in the long run.

Sony

Sony is an interesting animal, because they seem to show the most promise but are also the most behind. Sony’s gains are outstanding Zeiss glass, extraordinary resolution, and superior body and viewfinder feel. Sony has a contract with Zeiss, and therefore Zeiss produces auto-focus lenses for Sony SLR’s that are better than the comparable Nikon and Canon offerings. They are fantastic. However, there are not that a lot of Zeiss lenses at the moment. To date, they have made a 24mm f/2, a 85mm f/1.4, a 135mm f/1.8, a 24-70mm f/2.8, a 16-35mm f/2.8, and a 16-80mm zoom (which is not very good). That may seem like a lot of lenses, but there are too galore holes at the moment. Zeiss is known for great primes, and I only shoot primes so I could care less regarding the zooms. So with the Zeiss prime we only have 24mm, 85mm, and 135mm lens choices. Until 35mm and 50mm f/1.4 lenses are added to the lineup, as well as a macro lens then the lineup is incomplete. Fortunately, Zeiss has had a great deal of conferences showing they plan to make galore new lenses and I assume these will be part of the roll-out this year. The Sony lenses, including the G-series lenses are for the most part not up to par with the best from Canon and Nikon. The only exception is the 300mm f/2.8 prime, which is a fantastic lens. I ought to likewise mention that there is no super-telephoto prime as of yet, but the 500mm f/4 prime was announced, which if it is as good as the 30omm will be a great lens for sports and wildlife photographers.

Sony’s solution and detail is higher than the competition, there isn’t much to argue versus this. The images the Sony bodies manufacture (with good glass) are amazing. However, at the moment their Pro SLR’s get noisy even at ISO 400, which is way too low equated to the competition. So shooting in dim light is tricky on professional Sony cameras. However, their latest buyer offerings including the a-33 and a-55 (as well as the NEX-5) have fantastic high ISO performance. So hopefully this is a sign of Sony learning how to control the noise and their refresh of the a850 and a900 will be much better at high ISO.

Finally, Sony’s bodies are very well built, very comfortable, and the viewfinders are the brightest I’ve seen. They also manage to keep the weight beneath control (unlike Nikon) which is a nice sign. There actually are no negatives to how Sony’s handle, other than they are a bit heavier than the Canon competitors.

Conclusion

Well that all depends (I recognise you hate that). But I’m not going to cop-out and say it’s genuinely up to you and not give a definitive choice; I hate when other writers do that. I’ve broken down the pros and cons of each camera brand, your needs may be dissimilar than mine. However, at this point I would choose Sony if you are starting new. With the combining of Zeiss lenses, promising line up of telephoto primes, outstanding handling, and high solution there aren’t galore negatives to point out. The main issue with Sony is high ISO performance, which they seem to be correcting in their new camera releases. So, what I would do is buy a Sony a55 and a Zeiss lens. And wait for the a850/a900 to be altered and then buy that as your Pro SLR.

Sony Slr Image

Sony Slr Image

Most helpful client reviews

58 of 60 persons found the following review helpful.
Excellent camera
By Stephen M. Charme
Years ago I applied to use a Nikon F SLR with an assortment of wide angle, normal, and telephoto lenses. I would buy my film in bulk, load it into casettes, shoot, then develop and print in my home darkroom. Those days are long gone. Once digital arrived I used a potpourri of compact cameras whose main virtue was portability and convenience, which once in a while did not provide the sharpest pictures.

With the birth of a grandchild on the way, my wife decisive to look for a “really good” camera. She purchased this camera at a one day sale at Electronics Expo as portion of a kit that likewise included a 75-300mm lens, tripod, cleaning kit, 4GB SD card, and Bower camera bag–all for $600. After she brought it home the “photo bug” that had been dormant for so a lot of years bit me again. I perfectly love this camera. Here is why.

1. Picture quality is stunning. Don’t be overly impressed with the 14.2 megapixels because unless you steadily make 16 x 20 pictures or larger, you won’t genuinely detect a divergence from a camera with say 10 megapixels. The whole special and significant stress on megapixels is in truth just a syndication ploy. The thing to focus on are the lenses, and both lenses that came with our kit take amazing pictures–clear, sharp, bright colors. I use one of the pictures that I took as a screensaver on my 22 inch monitor, and the detail is incredible. Also, my cousin who is an avid photographer has a much more pricey Nikon DSLR, and because the Sony lenses are so good, there is no noticeable divergence in our picture quality.

2. The lenses are easy to remove and put on, and the autofocus and automatic light metering features work very well.

3. The included flash is compact but powerful. No it is not a substitute for an external flash if you do a large total of flash photography, but for usual use it works just fine.

4. If you are a beginner or just don’t want to be bothered with a large total of technical details, just set the main control dial to Auto, and the camera will take care of all of your settings for you. If you want to get started playing with settings to adjust aperture, shutter, depth of field, ISO settings etc. you may do so. In short, you may plainly point and shoot or else commence making all kinds of adjustments to become more creative.

5. The manual that comes with the camera is adequate. If you want a book that distinctly and concisely explains everything in regards to using this camera with a large total of tips for being creative, buy David Busch’s book on Sony DSLR A390. I already have his book on the Sony A380, which I employed to own and is basically the same as the A390 (see paragraph 10 below), and may tell you that not anyone explains things more clearly. He takes not one thing for granted if you are a rank beginner, but at the same time provides tips for more seasoned photographers.

6. The Bower Camera Bag (which I have reviewed on Amazon) is superb for keeping all of the equipment, and was part of the package that my wife got. Even with the camera bag loaded with everything, it is not that heavy, and is when it comes to the size of an intermediate pocketbook.

7. Lens caps on any DSLR have a way of popping off and getting lost, so I suggest you buy an inexpensive lens cap keeper. I use the one made by Bower (I have reviewed it on Amazon).

8. I suggest buying an extra battery. Battery life is finelooking good, but an extra battery is always a good idea. I purchased one made by Lenmar that works just as well as the Sony battery, but is half the price (I have reviewed it on Amazon).

9. Although there is no video on this camera, I don’t consider that a problem. I have always preferent using a discerned video camera because taking videos is much dissimilar from taking still photos, and video cameras have a dissimilar set of controls that are missing on a DSLR. For the time being I have settled on the latest Flip Ultra HD 8GB 3rd Generation (which I have reviewed on Amazon).

10. Except for the handle grip and a few other minor differences, this camera is fundamentally identical to the Sony A380. Both work evenly well, so buy whichever one you may get the best deal on (my wife initial purchased an A380 package, which we gave to our daughter once our granddaughter arrived, and next purchased the A390 package because that was then the best deal).

Bottom Line: Whether you use this camera as a simple point and shoot or get started experimenting with the dissimilar settings, you may take great pictures. I commend this. Shop for price.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful.
Impressive effigy quality and ease of use
By careswartz
I am a college photography instructor and have had a ton of cameras over the years. This is my go-to camera and the initial one I pick up. I love the fact that the effigy stabilization is built into the body and not the lens. The Live View mode makes instructing with this so easy, as well as for a student to understand. The color quality from this Sony beats my old Nikon hands down. For the price, this is an AWESOME camera, and super easy to use, whether it be on automati or manual.

22 of 24 persons found the following review helpful.
Beats Canon and Nikon Basic SLRs
By J. Lah
This is an splendid camera with numerous cool features! I equated this with the Nikon D3000 and the Canon Rebel XS, and ended up with this one due to the extra megapixels (14.1 vs. 10.1) and features. The effigy stabilization is genuinely in the camera, not in the lenses as with the other 2 cameras brought up (and then only in the more highpriced lenses). Very easy to use. Nice to have the “guide book” with you at all times built into the camera. The tilting live screen is likewise very handy when taking photos over a crowd or down low and not wanting to get down on your knees to take it. Just do not forget to buy a higher speed memory card with the camera. Excellent photo quality – unquestionably worth the money!

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