Calling all Sony Alpha users! (Part 3)

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chrism_scotland said:
Now my only quandry is which body to get, the A700 seems very hard to get hold of now, hows does the A550 compare?
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having had 1 you know what an A700 is like so go to a shop & handle an A550.
From what I can seethe A700 will have the better viewfinder, the stronger build & traditional features like mirror lock up/DoF preview.
the A550 will counter with 2 types of LiveView c/w tiltable rear screen, built-in HDR (jpeg only afaik) & it looks like from early indication slightly better high ISO (the jpegs certainly are much improved).
 
BalSanghera said:
Already read you got the 50mm but just wondered which mode will you be taking your shots? Auto, Manual etc? Reason I ask is because there was a great thread in the lighting section about gig photography which tells you how to best capture the lights etc...
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Thanks for the tip!:thumbs: I'll be using manual everything, just need to get a bit of practice in before hand!!:p
 
puddleduck said:
should be with you tomorrow by the way :)
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Yeah great stuff! Really need to get some practice in with it so thanks for sending it so quickly:thumbs:

My wife asked me earlier if I wanted to go to a family party on Saturday night, I just starred at her like she'd ****ed up my leg, then extremely calmly explained that I need my weekend (especially the evenings) free and will not be attending any such social events this weekend!

Must have scarred her a bit as I haven't seen her for over an hour!:D
 
heidfirst said:
having had 1 you know what an A700 is like so go to a shop & handle an A550.
From what I can seethe A700 will have the better viewfinder, the stronger build & traditional features like mirror lock up/DoF preview.
the A550 will counter with 2 types of LiveView c/w tiltable rear screen, built-in HDR (jpeg only afaik) & it looks like from early indication slightly better high ISO (the jpegs certainly are much improved).
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Tried to find me a Sony A550 to handle at the weekend with money burning a hole in my pocket. Couldn't find one and didnt want to order one without having a play first. I'm in the same quandry but leaning towards the 550 rather than the 700 to replace my slightly broken A100 (HSM lenses dont work on it) and using the A100 as a back up.
 
Yeah I've been struggling to find an A550 only just seen the A380 beginning to creep into some shops, will take a look in Dixons on my way home through Heathrow on Thursday I know the Dixons at Edinburgh Airport doesn't have them, failing that might try and go into London next week and find Jessops or somewhere.
 
The Sony Style shop in Heathrow terminal 5 had an A550 on show the week before last (actually the 28th October). It was priced at £650 I think
 
D'oh... I should really ask questions when I'm not doped up to the hilts...

I WAS talking about the lens hood that I was taking off, dunno what I was on about unscrewing the a glass part of the lens but hey, I'm sure it must have entertained someone (or confirmed to people that I'd lost the plot!).

I have to admit that I don't turn the lens hood around very often TBH and if I'm using a lens hood I usually prefer one of the bigger ones, but with my hands being dodgy, using it more as an adaption of the lens to turn than the lens hood kinda works for me (sounds silly I know).
 
Doesn't sound silly at all Nattalie. I have problems with my hands due to MS so I know what it's like and I'll let you into a secret, When I first got my A100 with kit lens 3 years ago it was 23 months before I realised the lens hood was there and that it could be detached ad reversed. That said, it's that shallow it's hardly worth using anyway.
 
Can I join the club?

I didn't realise the kit lens came with a hood until I read the above, I thought it was just part of the design of the lens.

As you said Fabs it is rather shallow
 
Vindaloo7 said:
The Sony Style shop in Heathrow terminal 5 had an A550 on show the week before last (actually the 28th October). It was priced at £650 I think
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Cheers mate unfortunatley its Terminal 1 I go through, they have a huge Dixons but only had the Sony range up to the A380 when I was in last week.
 
Fabs and Kieth

Yep, it is pretty shallow and a fairly lame excuse for a lens hood, that's why I swap to one of the others for a lens hood and use that one more of an adaption for turning and focusing (but only on the kit lens or the prime lens, never the 70-200 - that thing feels like a monster in comparison to the other 2!)

I still can't figure out what I was on about unscrewing a part like with glass like a filter, to put a filter on though. LOL I'm as bad as hubby - someone knocked on the door one morning and it woke him up, then he asked me how many times he had to go to the door and back before he could open the door (seriously!) bless him. At least I have an excuse lol.


Does anyone else go through phases of using certain lenses? For the past few months I've had my prime 50 on, all the time. I find that I go through phases of using one of the lenses and not using the others as much.
 
I think if it was much bigger you might start to get vignetting at 18mm. I use it as a bit of protection, more than an effective hood!
 
1900 replies in this thread, is time for Calling all Sony Alpha users! (Part 4) ? :popcorn:
 
I quite like the hood that comes with the stock lens! It's quite useful for focusing, better feel than simply the lens on it's own.
 
is the a380 and a550 same body shape?
 
rodman said:
nope, a550 more a350 style
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:agree:

I've handled an a550, it's not that different to my a200! Button layout is different and the grip is a slightly different shape but overall it's a similar size and felt very well made. The LCD quality looks lovely, way better than my A200.

Couldn't find fault with it, only that I couldn't take it home with me!!!
 
I do actually in a way prefer my A200 over my A700 still :p Whilst the A700 has a better grip, is made of a much better material, has a bigger and absolutely fantastic LCD and is overall better quality and more expensive feeling, I still for some reason generally prefer my A200. Mad I know :p I think I prefer the extra compactness of the A200.
 
George7 said:
I do actually in a way prefer my A200 over my A700 still :p Whilst the A700 has a better grip, is made of a much better material, has a bigger and absolutely fantastic LCD and is overall better quality and more expensive feeling, I still for some reason generally prefer my A200. Mad I know :p I think I prefer the extra compactness of the A200.
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a great example of when newbie ask sony vs nikon vs canon etc.
alot has to be said about feel ;-)
 
p1tse said:
a great example of when newbie ask sony vs nikon vs canon etc.
alot has to be said about feel ;-)
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Yeah, everyone has different opinions on which cameras feel good, and to be honest, most SLRs in the same price range from different brands are so similar nowadays that the feel of it should be the single most important thing when buying one. I think the A700 and the D90 have the same sensor, as do the A200 and the D60. Correct me if I'm wrong ;)
 
Hey guys is there any way change the way file names so it includes the date and time instead of just DSC04705.JPG something like 141109-1700-DSC04705.JPG eg date-time-filename?

Reason I ask is im doing a shoot tomorrow with two cameras and when processing the pics I would like them to be in time order instead of by filename in explorer... Or would it just be better and quicker to do arrange files by "picture taken on"... think iv answered my own questions :lol:
 
BalSanghera said:
Hey guys is there any way change the way file names so it includes the date and time instead of just DSC04705.JPG something like 141109-1700-DSC04705.JPG eg date-time-filename?
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Not sure that you can TBH. I know you can do it when exporting from Lightroom but don't think you can do it in camera.
 
Hi folks

I'm off to New Zealand shortly and will definately be exclusively Sony for that trip. So I've just gone out and shot 4 off my lenses side by side to decide which to take, to supplement the KM 17-35. I tend to travel light, and hike, so the camera gear is kept to a minimum.

Lens tested today:

1) Konica Minolta 28-75 f/2.8
2) Tamron 28-75 f/2.8
3) Tamron 24-135 f/3.5 - f/5.6
4) Sigma 24mm f/2.8 Super Wide II

1 and 2 are basically identical. I don't believe KM did anything but re-badged the Tamron. No differences at all that I can see and I've been trying to see a difference for 3 weeks now to help me decide which one to keep! Bottom line - there IS no difference. Same lens.

At 28mm f/8 both lens offer critical edge to edge sharpeness in a landscape scanario. Interestingly wide open at f/2.8 both of these lens also outperform the Minolta 28mm f/2.8 prime for edge sharpness!

The Tamron 24-135 I know is very good from my Nikon experience. Even on the A900 the lens still performs. In the extreme corners at f/8 there is a some loss of sharpness, but I fancy stopping down to f/11 (perfectly acceptable for landscape), this lens will also essentially offer critical sharpness, certainly up to A3. As the 28-75 do better here.. this lens will probably end up on my A200.

The nice suprise is the Sigma 24mm Super Wide II. I'd never used this before but heard very nice things about it from Nikon owners. This lens performs VERY well indeed. Compared to the Tamron 24-135, both lens offer the same field-of-view which confirms the Tamron 24-135 is a genuine 24mm. The prime beats the super zoom into the corners, but center sharpness is pretty much identical, with the prime slightly beating out the zoom.

I can't see any difference in colour between any of the 4 lenses, perhaps the Sigma renders sky a slightly nice blue? At f/8 none of the lens appear to have any sort of vignetting with no correction needed in Lightroom.

I keep thinking I should try the CZ 24-70 but I'm finding it hard to justify as the 28-75's perform so well. Generally for landscape on Nikon, I favoured a Tamron 28-75 over the Nikon 24-70 (edge performance and weight), and for Sony I can't yet find a reason to look any further than the 28-75's again.

So.. my lens bag will be the KM 17-35, Tamron or KM 28-75, 24-135 on the A200 as disaster backup, and probably the Sigma 24mm if I can find space!
 
Just a quickie on a lens. Money is a little tight just now but my dearest and nearest is looking at getting me a longer lens (Tamron 70 - 300) and I was just wondering if anyone else uses this. I would like the Sigma APO version but I understand that the Alpha's strip the AF ring. Amy help would be useful. Thank
 
I have a sigma 70-300 (I thought it was a 70-200 last week, d'oh! Honestly, I do myself no favours do I?)

You can get the sigmas to a Sony fit, I really like my 70-300 Sigma TBH, doubles up as a macro. It was the first lens that I bought TBH.

This is the one that I have. I haven't noticed the ring being stripped though.
 
rodman said:
nope, a550 more a350 style
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i used to have the a300 and it was a nice step up to what i used to have
but now have the nikon d90. the d90 feels nicer than the a550 that i went to have a feel at local curry's store, but it definately seems as though it's a step up from the a300.
 
p1tse said:
i used to have the a300 and it was a nice step up to what i used to have
but now have the nikon d90. the d90 feels nicer than the a550 that i went to have a feel at local curry's store, but it definately seems as though it's a step up from the a300.
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That's the impression that I got too, when I got my A350, I origonally went intending to get an A300. Can't remember what all of the factoprs were in buying the A350, but part of it was to do with Jessops trying to flog me a used A300 at full price and me being the huffy moo that I am, stormed out saying something along the lines of "this shop isn't good enough for my money" ...then returning a few weeks later to buy a flash....:cuckoo:
 
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