Advice needed for dizzy Sony A100 user..

Selkie

Selkie

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Jess
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Hello chaps
I have a couple of questions...

I got my Sony A100 back in 06 and now it seems that it is drastically outdated. Like anyone else I would love a top of the range camera, but as a poor student I really can't afford that sort of money for the time being.:'(

Anyway, Jacobs have this offer on at the moment for the A200 + 18-70mm and 75-300mm lens for £359 with £30 cashback from Sony til the end of the month. They also said they would do a part exchange on my old camera for £100, and if the box is in good condition they said they may be able to offer a bit more. So essentially I could upgrade and gain an extra lens for about £229.

My question is, is it worth upgrading the body, when it is just the next model up and even that is still quite low spec in comparison to other models? Would I be better off buying new lenses, and upgrading the body at a later date when the currently good cameras start to come down in price?

My second question is, are there any decent macro lenses that I can buy on a small budget? Is it worth keeping an eye on eBay for Minolta lenses?

Also! I am particularly wanting a 50mm 1.7 lens after reading the posts on here, but not sure which is the best equivalent for the Sony? There are a couple on eBay currently but.. I really do get myself confused when it comes to lenses.

Also lately I've been wanting to take pictures of the moon, and had a go with my old Sigma 28-200 with this result after a heavy crop.
Would the 75-300mm Sony lens be sufficient for getting better moon images? I also came across a lens on eBay called Paragon 300mm prime lens, which is buy it now £49.. does this mean it's awful? The example images they show that it's taken look really good.

In addition to this, in the future I would love to kit myself out to be able to take bird photos. My mum always gets me to take her to Slimbridge to birdwatch and I would have so much more fun if I could be taking pictures. What is the minimum needed for this kind of thing?

Sorry for all the questions, hopefully someone can offer me some advice, even if it's that I have no hope on a small budget!
 
Selkie said:
Hello chaps
I have a couple of questions...

I got my Sony A100 back in 06 and now it seems that it is drastically outdated. Like anyone else I would love a top of the range camera, but as a poor student I really can't afford that sort of money for the time being.:'(

Anyway, Jacobs have this offer on at the moment for the A200 + 18-70mm and 75-300mm lens for £359 with £30 cashback from Sony til the end of the month. They also said they would do a part exchange on my old camera for £100, and if the box is in good condition they said they may be able to offer a bit more. So essentially I could upgrade and gain an extra lens for about £229.

My question is, is it worth upgrading the body, when it is just the next model up and even that is still quite low spec in comparison to other models? Would I be better off buying new lenses, and upgrading the body at a later date when the currently good cameras start to come down in price?

My second question is, are there any decent macro lenses that I can buy on a small budget? Is it worth keeping an eye on eBay for Minolta lenses?

Also! I am particularly wanting a 50mm 1.7 lens after reading the posts on here, but not sure which is the best equivalent for the Sony? There are a couple on eBay currently but.. I really do get myself confused when it comes to lenses.

Also lately I've been wanting to take pictures of the moon, and had a go with my old Sigma 28-200 with this result after a heavy crop.
Would the 75-300mm Sony lens be sufficient for getting better moon images? I also came across a lens on eBay called Paragon 300mm prime lens, which is buy it now £49.. does this mean it's awful? The example images they show that it's taken look really good.

In addition to this, in the future I would love to kit myself out to be able to take bird photos. My mum always gets me to take her to Slimbridge to birdwatch and I would have so much more fun if I could be taking pictures. What is the minimum needed for this kind of thing?

Sorry for all the questions, hopefully someone can offer me some advice, even if it's that I have no hope on a small budget!
Click to expand...

hi selkie...

i had the A100,and it was a good camera for the money..but i upgraded to the A350 as i liked the idea of liveview.i can't comment on the A200 though,as i've not tried it out,nor do i personally know anyone who has one,but i would imagine sony have made improvements along the way.as to wether it's worth upgrading body...only you can make that choice,so it might be worth checking out the reviews.....the kit you've mentioned will get you a good start though

upgrading your lens to better is always good as bodys come and go,whereas a good lens is a good lens,full stop.the 50mm F/1.7 prime is a little belter,and definately worth getting for portraits and low light shooting.i paid £40 for mine a year back,and due to it's popularity,now commands around the £100 mark.

macro lens wise...the sigma 105 macro is a great lens,and one i can personally recommend :thumbs:

for shooting wildlife,a lens with a focal length of 300mm is a good starting point...as in the 75-300 mentioned in the above kit you've mentioned.

i've not done any photographing of the moon,so not yhe best person to answer your question...

and lastly...introduce yourself here,and you'll get all the help you need sony wise..
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=89126
 
Flash in the Pan - I think it's outdated because of how old it is, how many more improved models have been released, and also because the people in the camera shops tell me so! But after reading the link from leaky5 (thanks) - I see that the differences between the A100 + A200 are very minimal so probably not worth bothing with a body upgrade until I can afford one with more MP etc.

Stan the Man - Yeah I also like the look of the A350 with the live view, perhaps I will bide my time with the body until I can afford more.
Thanks for all the advice, I am pretty much sold on the 50mm prime, just need to try and get a good price on one. I'll look into the 105mm Sigma lens too.
Cheers :D
 
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