Newbie with A33 - and how I ended up with it


Hello everyone!

This is my first post to say hello to everyone here on Clubsnap. I have been lurking here for a few months while doing research on which ILC I should buy, and found the forums here full of useful advice for everyone from newbies to Pros. I look forward to learning from all the Pros here!

I would like to share a bit of how I ended up with my Sony. My interest in photography was first piqued when I did research on a camera to replace my Kodak V610. While an interesting design, the feeling I got from that camera was that the quality of the images leaves something to be desired. One of my friends advised me to get a higher-end compact such as the LX3, but I thought that it was a bit expensive at the time. I ended up with the Fuji F200EXR, which was on offer at the time. A good camera by all accounts, and I am pleased with most of the photos I took with it.

However, after looking at the photos my friend took with his Canon 7D and comparing them to mine, I realized I can do so much more with a DSLR. I got interested with the possibilities of photography with DSLRs and started reading up on various websites and books on photography - Understanding Exposure, Idiot's guides, Dummies Guides, Dpreview, Langford's guide and of course Clubsnap. Of course, I also did my research on which DSLR to buy.

As usual, I started with the usual suspects - the Canon 550D and Nikon D90. I must have read most of the reviews you can find online for them and concluded that both are outstanding cameras - so which one? I then looked online for the usual threads asking for advice as to which camera to get, and realized that there are brands beyond these two that have a lot to offer as well.

In particular, the Pentax K-x seems to be the one everyone is recommending. Higher FPS, outstanding high ISO abilities, and great price to go along with it. The lack of focus points gave me pause, but from what I see online it's not as big a issue if you learn to work around it. I also flirted with the idea of getting the Nex or Nx10. But some seniors here mentioned that the Alpha 33 which is coming out soon (at the time) is worth considering. .

The feature set of the Alpha 33 really blew me away when I read about it. 921K screen, in-body IS, stereo mike input and continuous AF for full HD movies - Wow! There is the issue of the EVF, but I figured that since I am moving from P & S it wouldn't affect me as much.

Took the plunge and bought the camera from SLRR (actually was still contemplating the A55 on the day itself - choices...). Have been really pleased with it so far other than the fact that the grip is a bit small, though the savings is weight is really welcomed.

My apologies for the long intro. Would write a lot more if I didn't think I'm getting a bit long-winded... Again, I hope to learn from all the seniors here!
 

 

Hi, welcome. Just went to SLRR on saturday, seem like they provide competitive price & good in service.
 

Thank you all for the welcome!

Ray from SLRR was really helpful when I was buying my A33. Never pushed me to buy anything and in fact told me that I shouldn't buy some of things I wanted till I am more familiar with the camera.

Now thinking of buying a tripod, 35mm f1.8 and/or the Tamron 17-50. I believe I have already been infected with a bit of the BBB virus!
 

Welcome to CS . . . :)

You will be infected more when you shoot more . . . take your time to choose the right tripod etc etc . . .

And welcome to the world of BBB virus. :bsmilie:
 

Hello everyone!

This is my first post to say hello to everyone here on Clubsnap. .......

Welcome to Clubsnap!
thanks for the informative write-up...!
I'm glad you found a camera that makes you happy to take photos with.
Try to suppress the BBB virus till you know what you need and are comfortable with the cost.
There's always a temptation to buy the latest and greatest. Since most of us here and hobbyists, gotta balance needs with wants ;)

cheers and all the best!
Shoot more and post more!
 

hi and welcome. Excellent work finding your "ideal" camera. All newbie should learn from you..
 

welcome to CS, glad to hve some people that still does his homework and know what he really want, enjoy ur new DSLR and keep shootin ;)
 

welcome to CS and alpha family, yes, very glad you did your homework.. and wise choice you made =)