New/ second sony dslr

rmb

rmb

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Roy
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I currently share a sony a200 with my wife .when I say share I mean I get to use it when she is not using it so I have decided to get a second camera .i want to stick with sony so we can share the lenses . I have had a look at the new a37 and with the £50 cash back does seem like a good deal but still probably more than I want to spend.ideally I would like to get something second hand but I'm a little unsure of the best camera to buy obviously I would like to upgrade at the same time.i have seen a A290 with in my budget ideally (£200 or less) but I'm not sure if this is much of a upgrade

Any advice recommendations would be great I'm still fairly new to dslr
Thanks Roy
 
The a290 won't give you much more. With Sony you have two options: a DSLR with an optical viewfinder or a DSLT with an electronic viewfinder.

Decent upgrades would be:

a33 / a35 / a55 - DSLT
a450 (I owned one of these and it's actually really good), a500, a550, a580, a700 (although the a700 has an older sensor, it's a more advanced body than the others) - DSLR
 
Anyway, if you do opt for something like the A65 (even the A55), don't be surprised to find the missus has borrowed it permanently, leaving you with the A200 to amuse yourself with! :D

If you or her are into sports or something needing a good burst rate, the A65 will give you it in spades, with 10 frames per second, and video is pretty much state of the art for a digital still camera of its ilk.
And with the 18-250 lens, it can be wound down to f40 - although I've no idea when you'd ever seriously use that sort of aperture size, but it's there nonetheless.
Not sure if solely a feature of the DT lenses (or specific ones) or extends back to the ones you've got on the A200.
The OLED viewfinder is superb, as is the display - hence why you'll need to keep it under lock & key, with the key down your pants, so the missus won't be able to help herself to it, without asking you first. ;)
 
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I'd say the a200 is better than the a2** to a3**, the a3**s gave you one good upgrade with the liveview but the trade off was a smaller optical viewfinder and less controls on the back. The a200 is a great camera, so I think you'd need one of the Sony "mid-range" cameras to compete with it.

The a700 would be a massive jump forward in terms of autofocusing, image quality and body construction. The a700 go for about £250. The a450 would also be a good upgrade, hopefully that should be cheaper 2nd hand. The a500/550 still hold their value and I don't think you could pick one up for the £200 mark. The a580 is completely out of budget sadly, as it's the best crop sensored DSLR Sony made imo. Finally there's the SLTs, the a33 is around your budget - If you've never used an SLT before i'd recommend trying one out in a shop incase you don't like the elctronic viewfinder. The a33 will give you the best options (upgraded in built HDR, Sweep Panorama, focus peaking (after firmware upgrade)), best screen, best liveview and best sensor for your budget, but you might not like the size of the body or the nature of SLTs.

I'd try and raise the budget by £20-50 and have a look at the a700, a450 and a33.
 
rmb said:
i want to stick with sony so we can share the lenses . I have had a look at the new a37 and with the £50 cash back does seem like a good deal but still probably more than I want to spend.ideally I would like to get something second hand but I'm a little unsure of the best camera to buy obviously I would like to upgrade at the same time.i have seen a A290 with in my budget ideally (£200 or less) but I'm not sure if this is much of a upgrade
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A37 has been as low as £250 (body only) after cashback so not too far off your budget. Also it is being replaced in a few months - http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-slt37-discontinued-replacement-in-spring/ - so there could be some bargains to be had on remaining stock over the next 2 or 3 months.

Otherwise if you are happy to buy used, I tried an A35 before I got my A37 and it's very very similar - main difference is the fixed screen vs the tilting one on the A37 but the A35 is much higher resolution. The A35 also has the 16mp sensor that the A37 and A57 have. Or an A55 if you wanted the articulated screen (also has the 16mp sensor + GPS). There is not much price difference though between the A35 or A55 used and the A37 new, with the benefits of a years warranty etc and the small improvements to the second generation SLTS (slightly improved evf, ability to turn off live view effects in the menu [for off camera flash with a trigger] etc).
 
Wow thanks to you all for your advice.

Fairly sure what ever I get I will still be fighting the wife to use it.
I did not think there was much difference with a290 and you have confirmed that for me.
There is always some movement in the budget and if I count the £30 cash back I will be getting from a new lens I bought the wife for Christmas in up to £230
So I am thinking of A33 upwards the ability to shoot video and the faster fps sound good.

I always feel a little intimidated when I pick up models higher in the range. I will have good look around and see what comes up after Christmas
 
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There's actually an a33 on eBay with a kit lens for £240. It's from a shop and it's a refurb. If you've already got an 18-55mm lens, you could stick the one with the a33 on ebay and get another £15/20 back.

As Applemint says, the a37 has had some really good price drops recently (From Homebase of all places), it might be worth watching that.

Off-topic - Can't believe the a37 has been discontinued already, the first one I seen for sale was only in June.
 
Thanks watching that one eBay I will have a look on homebase
 
Micehorns said:
There's actually an a33 on eBay with a kit lens for £240. It's from a shop and it's a refurb. If you've already got an 18-55mm lens, you could stick the one with the a33 on ebay and get another £15/20 back.

As Applemint says, the a37 has had some really good price drops recently (From Homebase of all places), it might be worth watching that.

Off-topic - Can't believe the a37 has been discontinued already, the first one I seen for sale was only in June.
Click to expand...

Is it on homebase website or in store?
 
Micehorns said:
(From Homebase of all places), it might be worth watching that.
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Homebase is the same group as Argos & there is normally quite a bit of crossover at least as far as website stock is concerned.
 
heidfirst said:
Homebase is the same group as Argos & there is normally quite a bit of crossover at least as far as website stock is concerned.
Click to expand...

Thanks
 
rmb said:
Is it on homebase website or in store?
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Homebase website. But it is out of stock: http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wc...464&storeId=10151&_$ja=tsid:21719|prd:3343002

When they had their 20% off everything weekend a couple of weeks ago it meant you could use the 20% off code and together with the £50 Sony cashback, the A37 with kit lens worked out at just under £250 I think. (With about £3.50 worth of nectar points and topcashback it came down to around £240).

New model is due to be announced in January so if that results in further price drops, you may be able to pick up one while the cashback offer is still on (runs until 16 January). http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/1237485521135
 
applemint said:
Homebase website. But it is out of stock: http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?msg=&referredURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.homebase.co.uk%2Fwebapp%2Fwcs%2Fstores%2Fservlet%2FProductDisplay%3FlangId%3D110&cmpid=COJUN&langId=110&referrer=COJUN&partNumber=169464&storeId=10151&_%24ja=tsid%3A21719%7Cprd%3A3343002

When they had their 20% off everything weekend a couple of weeks ago it meant you could use the 20% off code and together with the £50 Sony cashback, the A37 with kit lens worked out at just under £250 I think. (With about £3.50 worth of nectar points and topcashback it came down to around £240).

New model is due to be announced in January so if that results in further price drops, you may be able to pick up one while the cashback offer is still on (runs until 16 January). http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/1237485521135
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Yes I think I am going to see what happens after Christmas now hopefully there will be some offers on the a37.
I nearly made a offer on a33 on eBay but decided to wait
 
Thanks
The cash back does make buying new quite attractive .

I have had a look today at the a37 I do like it but it did Seem quite small especially after I had a go with the the a57. More money for the a57 but with 18 months interest free credit available its very tempting to go for the 57. Funny how budgets can change is the a57 that much better than the a37?
 
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rmb said:
Funny how budgets can change is the a57 that much better than the a37?
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Depends what is important to you - I actually prefer the smaller size of the A37 but I can see why others may prefer the bigger A57 ergonomically.

The differences between the A37 and A57 are:

* Size and weight: (A57 is quite a bit bigger and a little heavier)
Sony SLT-A37 dimensions: 124.4x92x84.7 mm (camera body only, excluding lens) weight: 506 g
Sony SLT-A57 dimensions: 132.1x97.5x80.7 mm (camera body only, excluding lens) weight: 618g. See: http://www.dpreview.com/previews/SonySLTA57/images/sidebyside1.jpg

A57 body being bigger and heavier obviously can be an advantage (ergonomically for some, balance with heavier lenses) or a disadvantage (more bulk and slightly more weight to carry around). The A57 seems like better build quality/more solid but that might just be the extra size and weight?
Compare dimensions and weight here: http://camerasize.com/compare/#326,313

* Larger lcd screen on A57 - 3inch vs 2.7inch on A37
* Much higher resolution lcd screen on A57 - 921600 vs 230400
* Higher maximum FPS (frames per second) on A57 - 12 vs 7 on A37
* Horizon level in A57 but not A37 (Virtual Horizon feature)
* IR remote in A57 but not A37 (both will take a corded remote: ie: Sony RM-L1AM or a much cheaper generic equivalent - try ebay/amazon)
* Longer battery life on A57 (bigger battery)
* Swivel screen on A57 vs tilting screen on A37 (Swivel screen can also fold inwards with the lcd against the body to protect the screen)
* Different button layout: 'Zoom' button on A37 does not work when shooting raw and cannot be programmed to anything else - ISO or exposure compensation for example would be very useful - Sony, please fix this in a firmware update!) On the A57 there are two dedicated buttons for ISO and Exposure compensation right next to the shutter button for easy access - the A37 only has the 'zoom' button on the top plate and it's just a useless gimmick and misleadingly named (only works for the extended zoom feature which is pointless: just crop in post)
* Video: A37 has 60i and 24p
* Buffer: Much larger buffer on A57: (Full specs are: A37: 18 JPEG, 6 RAW vs A57: 25 JPEG, 21 RAW)

That's about all I think?

Otherwise they are essentially the same camera in different sized bodies (same sensor and processor). While I like the smaller Alpha bodies like the A55 (discontinued) and A37 (current) the larger higher res full swivel screen of the A57 is MUCH nicer than the screen on the A37. I like the way you can also turn the A57 screen inwards to protect it and also prevent constant smudging from your nose. But I can live with the A37 screen given the cost savings over the A57 and that I mostly use the evf anyway.

For me the biggest differences are the size obviously, the lcd screen and the two top buttons for exp comp and iso on the A57. However also being on a limited budget I didn't think the price difference of the A57 at over £400 vs the A37 at £240 was worth it - I didn't need the kit lens and for the price of the A57 + kit lens I could get the A37 and 2 prime lenses (35 1.8 and 50mm 1.8) which suited me better. But I might get an A57 if I can find a bargain when it's replaced by a newer model.

If you are not planning an upgrade for a long time then the A57 might make more sense though?
 
Wow that's a excellent comparison of the 2 cameras and given me even more to think about .i think a second look at them before a chose. You make a good point about extra money being spent on prime lenses I have just bought a 35mm but a 50 would nice to go with it. I think there's a offer on them on amazon at the moment.
The smaller size would be useful when I pack it for a day out on the hills.
Decisions decisions
 
Homebase are still out of stock but the 20% off everything offer is back on until 01 January - might be worth keeping an eye on the site to see if stock comes back in by then? (Use discount code DISC20 )

http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wc...rdetails.htm&int_cmp=hp_globalheader_sitewide

If it does it takes the price down to £295, less £50 Sony cashback = £245. If you don't want the 18-55 lens you could probably sell that unused for £40 or so which along with 4.4% topcashback would mean the body comes in at just under your £200 budget. :)

The Sony 50mm f1.8 works out at £59.99 after cashback at the moment as well - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...creativeASIN=B002CQB4J6&qid=1356633316&sr=8-1
 
Lets see if it comes back into stock.not had chance to have a look at the a57 and a37 again today got stuck on a job all day. After a lot of googling and YouTube reviews I think I have decided on the a37 just waiting for the best deal.
 
Micehorns said:
The a700 would be a massive jump forward in terms of autofocusing, image quality and body construction. The a700 go for about £250.
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If you're used to the A200 then if you can find an A700 for £250, DO IT! Don't be swayed by the 'more recent release = better tech'. Everything is relative and the A700 is a stunning camera, but coming from the A200 as you will be, I'd call it Mecca.

One thing to be aware of is that I think (might be wrong though, so please check) the A37/57 use a smaller battery to the A200 whereas the A700 uses the same battery. Same issue with cards; don't think A37 takes compact flash like the A200 (and A700).
 
Agree, the A700 is a great camera (been using one for a year). Looks like they are available for under £300 with 12 month warranty too.

It is a fairly heavy camera though so worth noting that if it matters to you.
 
Tricky01 said:
If you're used to the A200 then if you can find an A700 for £250, DO IT! Don't be swayed by the 'more recent release = better tech'. Everything is relative and the A700 is a stunning camera, but coming from the A200 as you will be, I'd call it Mecca.

One thing to be aware of is that I think (might be wrong though, so please check) the A37/57 use a smaller battery to the A200 whereas the A700 uses the same battery. Same issue with cards; don't think A37 takes compact flash like the A200 (and A700).
Click to expand...

The a37 has the smaller battery, but the a57 uses the same battery as the a200. None of the new models use CF cards.
 
I think the a700 may be tool large for me. I am not too bothered about different battery's as I don't currently have any spares.

Thanks again for all the advice
 
Can't believe how hard it is to chose I thought I gad decided on the a37 but still not sure if the a57 is worth the extra .hopefully this next camera will last me a while
 
Ok I'm am going to go for the a37 probably order tonight thanks again for the advice.
Now I have to pick some editing software light room or elements?
 
rmb said:
hopefully this next camera will last me a while
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It's how we all justify it, but there's always the next newest thing to tempt us in but a few months ;)

Enjoy the A37, looking forward to seeing the pics
 
Still have not ordered yet keep changing my mind
 
rmb said:
Still have not ordered yet keep changing my mind
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As someone above pointed out the A57 does use same batteries as your wife's camera and though you may not have any spares, it saves lugging two different chargers around. All higher spec Sony cameras (A700, A77, A850, A900, A99) use the larger batteries too so any spares you do buy in the future will be compatible with any Sony upgrades you may make. If you're planning on sticking with one camera for a while, then perhaps the higher spec one is the better option. What's the price difference?
 
Today the wife and I had a look at the a37 a57 and a65 (keeping her in the loop) and all tho we liked the a37 after looking at three next too each other the screen on the a37 was a big let down.its a shame as the a37 fits the wife's hand lovely.so I think i will probably buy the a57 she suggested that she gets the new one and I can have her old one I had a feeling that may happen.
 
I said as much in my reply......:lol:
 
PJ S said:
I said as much in my reply......:lol:
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You did and I always knew you would be rite . I'm thinking if I get her a new camera bag it will distract her and I can have her old one . Will just have to see if jessops will do a deal
 
Them snakes with breasticles are crafty and devious buggers - full of misdirection!
Gotta watch 'em like a hawk.

Presume you're going with the kit then?
Did she blow cold on the pre-owned A65 body as an option?
You can pick up a kit lens for £30-40, so would be cost neutral, factoring in the cashback.
You'd lose 1 fps on burst, but gain the high resolution OLED VF, greater MP count, and additional features.
 
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PJ S said:
Them snakes with breasticles are crafty and devious buggers - full of misdirection!
Gotta watch 'em like a hawk.

Presume you're going with the kit then?
Did she blow cold on the pre-owned A65 body as an option?
You can pick up a kit lens for £30-40, so would be cost neutral, factoring in the cashback.
You'd lose 1 fps on burst, but gain the high resolution OLED VF, greater MP count, and additional features.
Click to expand...

Aside from the sensor and VF, what additional features?
 
PJ S said:
Them snakes with breasticles are crafty and devious buggers - full of misdirection!
Gotta watch 'em like a hawk.

Presume you're going with the kit then?
Did she blow cold on the pre-owned A65 body as an option?
You can pick up a kit lens for £30-40, so would be cost neutral, factoring in the cashback.
You'd lose 1 fps on burst, but gain the high resolution OLED VF, greater MP count, and additional features.
Click to expand...

Phill
You hit the nail on the head she does not like the idea of buying second hand.
Also the "do we need a second camera and can we afford it " came up
 
Johnd2000 said:
Aside from the sensor and VF, what additional features?
Click to expand...

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2408527,00.asp - mentions slow start-up and focusing concern at low light levels.

Exposure comp of ±5 EV (1/3 or 1/2 steps) instead of ±3 (1/3 steps only).

GPS tagging option
DoF Preview

As well as being OLED and higher resolution, the VF is practically as large as a 1Ds III's. The A57's isn't, but is much larger than 650D and a bit more than the D7000's.
 
PJ S said:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2408527,00.asp - mentions slow start-up and focusing concern at low light levels.

Exposure comp of ±5 EV (1/3 or 1/2 steps) instead of ±3 (1/3 steps only).

GPS tagging option
DoF Preview

As well as being OLED and higher resolution, the VF is practically as large as a 1Ds III's. The A57's isn't, but is much larger than 650D and a bit more than the D7000's.
Click to expand...

I didn't notice any difference in start up time, between the a57 and a65. Both are slower than traditional DSLRs, for sure.

Exp comp is a difference, for sure, and may be an issue if you use AE modes a lot.

The lack of GPS is a positive, for me. It eats the battery.

The a57 has DOF preview.

As for the VF difference, the OLED is certainly a nicer user experience, BUT, it's not as big a deal as some make out. Before I bought my a57 I spent lots of time (3 hours each) with the a57, 65, 77 and even a NEX7. On one day I did a 3 hour panning workshop with an a57, followed by 3 hours on landscapes with the NEX 7. I can honestly say I didn't even notice the difference in VF, even though I knew they were different before I started. It was only after I handed the NEX back that I thought "oh, that was the OLED finder....should've paid more attention to that".

In other words, side by side it's obvious which is better, but in practical use there's very little in it.
 
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