Advise on buying A300

[tamahome81]

I am a first time dslr buyer and is more or less fixed on joining the A-mount i.e. A300.

Have read countless threads on 300 vs 350 and have decided to dump the extra megapix and go for A300.

My main concern on getting a A-mount body is the price of the lenses that are available. For instance, lenses like canon 50mm F1.8 cost abt $120 street price. Will i be able to get the equivalent for A-mount lenses at this kind of price?

Also do manufactures like sigma and tamron produce A-mount lenses? It seems like the Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8 is a great substitute for kit lens for a C/N body. So thinking whether do they have it for A-mount? Being having IS inbuilt in Sony body, i would suppose if Tamron len is available for A-mount, it would be slightly cheaper than it is for C/N body?

Also, are the accessories such as filters, flashes and vertical grip more expensive than other brands of dslr?

[s2s1]

Originally Posted by tamahome81 I am a first time dslr buyer and is more or less fixed on joining the A-mount i.e. A300. Have read countless threads on 300 vs 350 and have decided to dump the extra megapix and go for A300. My main concern on getting a A-mount body is the price of the lenses that are available. For instance, lenses like canon 50mm F1.8 cost abt $120 street price. Will i be able to get the equivalent for A-mount lenses at this kind of price? Depend on which lens you are getting. Sony has 50mm f1.4 only (about $680+ here), you should compare to Canon 50mm f1.4 USM (about $580+). There are many 2ndhand Minolta 50mm f1.7, but sad to tell you most are more than $180. Also do manufactures like sigma and tamron produce A-mount lenses? It seems like the Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8 is a great substitute for kit lens for a C/N body. So thinking whether do they have it for A-mount? Being having IS inbuilt in Sony body, i would suppose if Tamron len is available for A-mount, it would be slightly cheaper than it is for C/N body? Yes, Tamron lenses have Sony mount. I am using the 17-50mm and feel it is value buy. 3rd party lens is normally cheaper than original camera manufacturer lens. The advantage of having Super SteadyShot (SSS) in body, all 3rd party lenses = IS lens Also, are the accessories such as filters, flashes and vertical grip more expensive than other brands of dslr? Sony is famous of high price of its accessories (not only camera, but all its electronic products).

My answers are in blue above.

[weishengg]

Hmm... here's my take.

I think generally speaking, Sony lenses/accessories are a little more expensive than that of the C/N makes if you compare the street prices.
You either live with it, or try to source for more affordable alternatives either in the 2nd hand market or from some nice alpha bros around here who bring in lenses from US/HK at an attractive price. I dont buy that many lenses, so I could live with a slightly higher price per lens.

You can say Sony's vertical grip is more expensive, but in my opinion its really well thought-out with great features and grip position. Depends how you see it.

The original Sony batteries are expensive too, but it gives you % read-out and a surprisingly good stamina. Again depends how you see it.

No comments on flash and filters because i don't really know much these stuff.

The Sony lenses are more expensive, but it lets you take advantage of the SuperSteadyShot on the Alpha bodies. Especially useful for lenses like the 50mm primes, 28mm primes, Macros lens, Fisheye lens, Wideangle zoom lens. I don't see lens-based image stabilization that readily available in this range of lens from C/N YET. But then again, some argue that you don't really need image stabilization in these lens too, so depends how you see it.

Anyway, Sigma and Tamron do produce lens for A-mount, but not the entire range. At the moment i dont notice that its any cheaper because of the body-based IS. Sony owes 11% of Tamron, how can they not produce lenses for their "daddy"


Cheerios bro, happy buying ur DSLR =)

[tamahome81]

thanks all above for your advises. think most probably will be gg for A300.

[cthep2]

Originally Posted by tamahome81 thanks all above for your advises. think most probably will be gg for A300.

with that...welcome to Alphaworld bro

[Galdor]

The friendly bros will be welcoming you to join the Alpha family with opening arms.

[alvino]

bro, may i know(after ur research) why choose a300 over a350? i'm still torn btw the 2. if u can share any insight, it would be lovely.

TIA

[cthep2]

Originally Posted by alvino bro, may i know(after ur research) why choose a300 over a350? i'm still torn btw the 2. if u can share any insight, it would be lovely. TIA

Bro, there are 2 main differences between the A300 and A350 - MP size (A300-10.2MP vs. A350-14.2MP) and continuous shooting Rate (A300-3fps vs. A350-2.5fps).

Please check this comparison link (A300 vs. A350).

So, I believe the TS mentioned that he dumped the extra MP that's why he choose A300.
Likewise, if you doesn't need the LV, you can also go with A200 with a much better pricing.

Cheers and advance welcome to Alpha family

[animeonegai]

Is LV really that important? I'm torn between A300 and the cheaper A200

oops. Borrow your thread for a while TS...

[tamahome81]

Originally Posted by animeonegai Is LV really that important? I'm torn between A300 and the cheaper A200 oops. Borrow your thread for a while TS...

i think lv is a nice "extras" to have but not absolutely necessary. personally for me...i migrate from a PnS camera...so scare in future lv might comes in handy. its not only lv that comes with A300 but rather the swiveling screen that is attracting me as well.