Advise needed for upgrade from Sony a230 to Nikon D5000.

[ahmad0420]

I've been shooting for almost 6 months. currently using a sony a230. My friend is sellling off her D5000. thought of buying it since i think it's a way better camera.

on a tight budget, not sure if it's a good upgrade for me. so here i am seeking advise from you guys.

should i upgrade, or just stay with my a230. is d5000 a better camera for it's price?

Thanks in advance!! :bsmilie:

 

[Titan10k]

I've been shooting for almost 6 months. currently using a sony a230. My friend is sellling off her D5000. thought of buying it since i think it's a way better camera.

on a tight budget, not sure if it's a good upgrade for me. so here i am seeking advise from you guys.

should i upgrade, or just stay with my a230. is d5000 a better camera for it's price?

Thanks in advance!! :bsmilie:

Not much of an upgrade. D5000's handling is better and that's it. It lacks many key features that A230 has.

 

[ahmad0420]

Hmm okay. I'm shooting cars, so usually need to get to tight angles and stuff, thought it'll be better for me.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Sony has a number of camera models with tiltable LCDs as well. Can consider those.

Changing from Sony to Nikon... well, it's a personal decision so let's not get into the nitty gritty. The specs differences you can find online at DPreview etc... I don't wanna sound like a Nikon salesman :bsmilie:

 

[Rashkae]

Hmm okay. I'm shooting cars, so usually need to get to tight angles and stuff, thought it'll be better for me.

Nikon uses Sony sensors, so you won't notice much of an image quality difference. You'll lose the ability to autofocus with all lenses, as well as image stabilization with all lenses.

I'd rather suggest an upgrade to an A500 if you can.

 

[dingaroo]

Hi ahmad0420,

If itching to enrich the economy, we thank you.

But do understand where these two models are in each manufacturer's product line. They are entry-level cameras.

If you want to upgrade, do it within Sony's family range of cameras, else you are totally switching system.

Have you performed a proper Gap Analysis as to why you need to upgrade the body? Maybe acquiring lenses would be better. If you feel that the current system you have feels tight when taking car shots, try a ultra wide angle or a telephoto zoom lens.

You can also consider 3rd party lenses.

HTH. Cheers!

 

[pinholecam]

Hi ahmad0420,

If itching to enrich the economy, we thank you.

But do understand where these two models are in each manufacturer's product line. They are entry-level cameras.

If you want to upgrade, do it within Sony's family range of cameras, else you are totally switching system.

Have you performed a proper Gap Analysis as to why you need to upgrade the body? Maybe acquiring lenses would be better. If you feel that the current system you have feels tight when taking car shots, try a ultra wide angle or a telephoto zoom lens.

You can also consider 3rd party lenses.

HTH. Cheers!

Well said.

TS, the 2 cameras are not very different in terms of performance.
Save your money

Aim for better lens, software, skills ( even training fees) to help you further in your photo taking.

 

[android17]

I would consider buying lens instead of changing system

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

I would consider buying lens instead of changing system

agree with that.
TS, since you did mention about a tight budget, then changing camera body will yield negligible difference in terms of performance. The lack of an AF motor and in-built stabilisation for the D5000 is a valid point, so in that sense it may not be considered an 'upgrade' from your A230

If you change to a new lens (either faster, or wider, or more reach), you can probably see a great difference in your pictures.

 

[daredevil123]

Shooting cars?

Spend the money to buy iron pipes, fittings, clamps and heads and DIY your own car rig. Much more worth the money than another camera body.

See here: http://www.diyphotography.net/take-cool-car-photos-with-a-diy-specialized-car-rig

 

[ahmad0420]

Wow. Thanks to all of you guys here for the great response.

I got tempted to buy a nikon, heard that NASA are using them, and they make scopes for sniper rifles as well, so maybe I could get better stuff from using Nikons. I guess from the comments above, I really shouldn't do an "upgrade".

Also, I am already starting to make small business out of my skills, so was unsure whether sony can bring me far, in terms of quality and reliability.

to Daredevil123: can u, thru PM, advice me on getting a rig for myself?

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Wow. Thanks to all of you guys here for the great response.

I got tempted to buy a nikon, heard that NASA are using them, and they make scopes for sniper rifles as well, so maybe I could get better stuff from using Nikons. I guess from the comments above, I really shouldn't do an "upgrade".

Also, I am already starting to make small business out of my skills, so was unsure whether sony can bring me far, in terms of quality and reliability.

to Daredevil123: can u, thru PM, advice me on getting a rig for myself?

Nikon has spent a lot of money on marketing, and probably they are more well-known.
As to which is better... it really depends on what you are looking for specifically....
but don't for a minute think that "sony equipment can't take you far..." because that is a myth.

 

[Snowcrash]

Wow. Thanks to all of you guys here for the great response.

I got tempted to buy a nikon, heard that NASA are using them, and they make scopes for sniper rifles as well, so maybe I could get better stuff from using Nikons. I guess from the comments above, I really shouldn't do an "upgrade".

Also, I am already starting to make small business out of my skills, so was unsure whether sony can bring me far, in terms of quality and reliability.

to Daredevil123: can u, thru PM, advice me on getting a rig for myself?

If you are doing business with your skills, one note to consider is gear/lens rental and 2nd-hand market are bigger for both canon/nikon. From business sense of view, you don't want to own a unique gear just for 1 assignment... but you can rent one. hehehe

I'm using canon and tempted by the Sony A850 hehehe IS for all the primes!

 

[torak]

Wow. Thanks to all of you guys here for the great response.

I got tempted to buy a nikon, heard that NASA are using them, and they make scopes for sniper rifles as well, so maybe I could get better stuff from using Nikons. I guess from the comments above, I really shouldn't do an "upgrade".

Also, I am already starting to make small business out of my skills, so was unsure whether sony can bring me far, in terms of quality and reliability.

to Daredevil123: can u, thru PM, advice me on getting a rig for myself?

Just a tibit

John Glenn took a minolta Hi-Matic rangefinder 35 mm camera aboard the spacecraft Friendship 7 in 1962, and in 1968, Apollo 8 orbited the moon with a Minolta Space Meter aboard

The first handheld camera into space is a minolta.

Minolta=sony alpha

 

[jsprtan]

Shooting cars?

Spend the money to buy iron pipes, fittings, clamps and heads and DIY your own car rig. Much more worth the money than another camera body.

See here: http://www.diyphotography.net/take-cool-car-photos-with-a-diy-specialized-car-rig

Nice.:thumbsup:

 

[daredevil123]

Wow. Thanks to all of you guys here for the great response.

I got tempted to buy a nikon, heard that NASA are using them, and they make scopes for sniper rifles as well, so maybe I could get better stuff from using Nikons. I guess from the comments above, I really shouldn't do an "upgrade".

Also, I am already starting to make small business out of my skills, so was unsure whether sony can bring me far, in terms of quality and reliability.

to Daredevil123: can u, thru PM, advice me on getting a rig for myself?

The website I posted before pretty much covered everything thing you need to set up a rig. What you need is to go hunt for the different parts. some of which you can get in camera stores, some in hardware stores..

 

[KevCKP]

Hi TS,

i understand what u are going thru...i have a A230 myself and used it for a yr before thinking of an upgrade. in the process i got some lenses and other add ons. I can tell you this: if you started with a sony, stick with it. Now i have an A700 but i still use my 230 for other purposes. Dun just follow a trend or be tempted to switch just because u think the other brand is more well known and more established. Read magazines on photography. There are some which compares cameras and i believe the A230 is one of the easiest to use entry models at a very low price. I've also seen some CSers do magic with entry level cameras. If you are looking at shooting cars and nothing else, i suggest u work on your camera panning technique. U dun really need a high speed lens or extremely high shutter speed to get a decent picture of racing cars. I read earlier you're already making a business out of it. Then you can't be that bad right? stick to the brand and u wun find urself in more financial turmoil. like some bro said, "invest in lenses". that is the best piece of advice.

Hope this makes sense to u.