Sony A700 Vs Canon 40D?

[triggerhappniess]

Hey All!
I kinda new in the DSLR world.
I was kinda thinking of Getting one in the mid of next year!
I was think of taking up photography more to a perm level as in serious level.

So i Started Sourcing and reading up all the things they ask you to do be4 getting a new cam.
Well at least i did half of it.
3 of them caught my eyes.
Sony A700
Canon 40D
And one thats Way out my Budget Nikon 300D

I was looking at the spec & model. And i found Sony More Nicer?
Despite its lacking of Frames/sec as compared to the other 2.

Haven't got a hands on feel yet on Sony A700 Yet.
I was Hoping your can help my Dilemma on This Matter.

ALOT of people almost immediately pushes the CHOOSE CANON/NIKON!
I know Canon and nikon has Wide Range and A Good history as well in the DSLR/SLR world.

I Was also looking a one Cam From Olympus, that my friend Just Bought. Don;t know what model is it though haha.:dunno:

 

[Galdor]

Both the A700 & the 40D are very capable cameras. I believe that you have done some research on the cams and probably what you need to do now is to go to the shops to get a feel of the cams. Just pop down to any of the friendly shops to test the cams. Or you can go to CSC at Vivo to test the 40D and any Sony Style shops to test the A700.

Afterall you are the one using the cam, so we can't decide for you bro. You have to see which suits you better and is more comfortable in your hands. Do take note on how easy it is to change settings in the cam too.

Happy shopping and hope you can get your cam soon.

 

[cqprime]

i was choosing between nikon and canon and in the end ....i went for canon 1000d...friends told me to take 450d or 40d but i like the pricing of 1000d and feel of 1000d over 40d.


Why not do this mental exercise:

Maybe u can imagine urself doing a important photo shoot and while holding on the camera of Sony or Canon which camera functions is easier for u to control and manipulate quickly...

 

[reaper3075]

well, first obvious difference is the implementation of live view in the 40D. do you need the live view? if so, go for the 40D.

as for image quality, both can produce equally good pictures especially with a good set of eyes behind the viewfinder.

ergonomics, I have to say the A700 feels better in my hands. I have handled both the cameras and the A700 wins it in terms of ergonomics and functionality. buttons are well placed and it has a very functional vertical grip. You can practically change any settings while in vertical mode.

crop factor, the 40D is 1.6x, while the A700 is 1.5x, meaning, on the same range of lens, you get a wider angle with the A700.

A700 has a brighter LCD then most DSLRs out there.

A700 has built in IS, which means all lens are automatically stabilised, unlike the 40D
whereby you need to get IS lens to enjoy this benefit.

40D has 9 autofocus points, while the A700 has 11.

ISO levels, 40D goes up to 1600, while the A700 goes up to 6400.

for lens selection, everyone knows Canon has a very wide range of lenses, although i tend to see in the list, the same range, but different versions, for eg with IS and no IS. Sony on the other hand, has lenses in all the usually needed range, but only 1 version of each. Canon has L for the premium lenses, Sony has Carl Zeiss. and Sony can utilise the various Minolta lenses still available in the 2nd hand market.

anyway, above are just the differences of both cameras taken from Specs sheets and from my own experiences.

you may look here for a more detail comparison : http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydslra700/page22.asp

anyways, both are good cams, and going for good prices compared to when they were first launched.

 

[Anson]

One thing you may want to consider about Sony is that their third-parties & used market is significant smaller than Canon & Nikon (as seen in BnS). So unless you are willing to spend more on all original product (Sony can't use third-parties batteries), else a similar configuration may most likely cost more.. :think:

 

[sherchoo]

One thing you may want to consider about Sony is that their third-parties & used market is significant smaller than Canon & Nikon (as seen in BnS). So unless you are willing to spend more on all original product (Sony can't use third-parties batteries), else a similar configuration may most likely cost more.. :think:

Sony cannot use 3rd Party batts?

BTW, just to share, I don't own any original sony lens so far.

 

[Anson]

Sony cannot use 3rd Party batts?

BTW, just to share, I don't own any original sony lens so far.

The new sony dslr does not support third party batteries... Yes there is third party lens for sony but they are significant less than those from Canon/Nikon... agree? :think:

 

[sherchoo]

The new sony dslr does not support third party batteries... Yes there is third party lens for sony but they are significant less than those from Canon/Nikon... agree? :think:

Didn't know that they don't support 3rd party batts. Never got a chance to try it out myself. Might not even need to. Anyway, it's too soon to say.

Agree, 3rd party lenses for sony is less compared to canon/nikon. Was there a dispute on that fact?

 

[flipfreak]

one of the best feature on the a700 is the uncanny speed of the AF. fastest in its class. the 40D and D300 don't come close. but the noise/iso performance is terrible though. all other features and etc pretty much depends on how u gonna use the camera. i think the price shld be quite attractive now.

 

[spidey89]

can go down to Harvey Norman Funan as well to do a hands on on all the cameras,from Olympus probably go for E-520,but since you're waiting till mid next year,you can probably wait to check out the Olympus E-30,can have a look at Panasonic L10 too

 

[Reportage]

There is another option..Pentax K20D or the Fuji S5 Pro which is in a way the Nikon D200.

 

[simranjits]

Another pro for the a700 is the much better lcd a VGA screen compared to the smaller 200k pixels on 40d.

 

[Trash]

The new sony dslr does not support third party batteries... Yes there is third party lens for sony but they are significant less than those from Canon/Nikon... agree? :think:

True. But the important/good lens are all available in Alpha/Minolta mount. I presume that you are referring to the mid-price lens from Sigma and Tamron. (Tokina currently do not offer new lens in Alpha mount - but how popular in Tokina amongst Nikon/Canon users?)

As to whether the narrower range of average lens available is an issue, you have to decide yourself.

one of the best feature on the a700 is the uncanny speed of the AF. fastest in its class. the 40D and D300 don't come close. but the noise/iso performance is terrible though. all other features and etc pretty much depends on how u gonna use the camera. i think the price shld be quite attractive now.

I believe the A700 with the new firmware (v4) is as good as the D300 especially with regards to the noise/ISO issue.

PS: Every brand has it own weakness, it is my personal belief that the differences between Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus is much smaller than the difference in market share suggests. And you can't go wrong with any of these models that you mentioned.

 

[Anson]

True. But the important/good lens are all available in Alpha/Minolta mount. I presume that you are referring to the mid-price lens from Sigma and Tamron. (Tokina currently do not offer new lens in Alpha mount - but how popular in Tokina amongst Nikon/Canon users?)

As to whether the narrower range of average lens available is an issue, you have to decide yourself.

True as Alpha "inherit" the Minolta family, there is a number of Minolta & 3rd parties lens in the market too... However the BnS market for these lens are abit limited (compared to N&C), it is also easier to sell off your equipment as their is a bigger user market.

On a separate note, the original Alpha accessories are more expensive compared to other
brands... hence increasing the TCO... :think:

 

[Rashkae]

but the noise/iso performance is terrible though.

With the v4 firmware, it's essentially identical to the D300.

 

[lsisaxon]

With the v4 firmware, it's essentially identical to the D300.

So will there be a firmware to get the A900 to perform like a D3X soon? :think:

 

[flipfreak]

With the v4 firmware, it's essentially identical to the D300.

ic. no much publicity on that on most photography sites. anyone can give samples?

 

[Shin Howard]

Get A700 + 17-50 f/2.8 Tamron Zoom Lens.
If possible a 50 f/1.4 Prime Lens & F42AM External Flash unit too.
Then You shd be good to go.

 

[eow]

The 3rd party batt for sony dslr is now available, however, i won't encourage anyone to buy yet,, as the molded housing seem to be tighter than usual..wait for the revised one.

As for whether A700 or 40D which one is better... being a sony user and as i had owned canon system before...i won't hesitated to use or even recommend canon 40D.
As i feel it is a perfectly fine and capable photographic tool.
The main reason why i never switch completely is due to the stablised wide angle lens....
so far canon do not have any stablised lens for their L zoom 24-70,28-70 and 16-35 f2.8 and also the prime for focal length 50mm and below.

So a stablised body is the only way out for me who dun like to carry tripod

 

[triggerhappniess]

Thanks Guys so much for your wisdom and Knowledge.
I'll go test them both out and let your guys know!.

As for 3rd Party Products. Well not really keen on them. As i got traumatic experiences with them. well not on cams but other products.

Oh other question i would like to ask, is the external flash or the "added" flash good for sony?

Thanks once again guys )