Sony A700 or not?

George7

George7

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I was looking around shops in Chelmsford on my lunch break the other day when I wandered into Currys and saw that they had the A700 body for just 499 :) I am just wondering if it's a worthwhile upgrade from my A200 which I could sell to a friend who is after an SLR. I have 3 lenses at the moment, my 18-70 which would be sold with the SLR (I never use it anyway) and my Minolta 28mm and my Tamron 18-200mm so I wouldn't really be losing a lens by selling my A200. I just really don't know what to do and whether it's a worthwhile upgrade or not. I held it in the shop and it was absolutely gorgeous to hold! Is it cheap because they're selling it off to make way for the new model? Whatever that may be? Because I really don't like the new Sony SLRs much (A230, A380).

Halp! :shrug:
 
The questions are, how much will it cost you to change, and secondly whether the extra features/resolution/speed or reduced noise of the A700 worth that amount to you?

No idea on Sony range though so some/all of those may not apply!
 
I would say if you have £500 notes lying around and YOU want to upgrade then why not. Or you could just invest in some more glass :naughty:.

Simples :lol:

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For £499 the A700 is a bargain, and if you have the cash I would say go for it.

Compared to the A200, you get;

1) Better viewfinder (bigger & brighter)
2) Better burst rate (5fps, 10+ shots RAW)
3) Better Controls (Second control dial, quick nav on back)
4) Better LCD (higher resolution)
5) Magnesium Alloy, weather sealed body
6) MS socket in additon to CF socket (so you can have a back up MS to switch to when CF fills rather than having to swap cards)
7) Better, faster AF
8) Fine control of ISO, better high ISO performance
9) DMF, DOF Preview, etc.

As you have said, it just feels better in the hand - the slightly bigger, heavier body and big bright viewfinder mean is feels like a 'pro' piece of kit, while the control layout means you will be able to change settings more easily (and so start to use more adjustments and learn what they do).

I have both the A200 and A700 - the latter obtained courtesy of my insuance 'new for old' when I had a couple of minolta film bodies stolen.
Before I had the A700 my thoughts were 'Invest in glass first, then upgrade the body later'. Now I have the A700 this has changed to 'Invest in some good glass first...' (as once you have the A700 you'll be taking more photos, and be wanting more glass to go with it:D)
 
If you can get a good price for the 200, say £200, i would go for it. I had a 200 and upgraded to the 7.

The viewfinder alone was enough to swing it for me!!

If you have the difference burning a hole in your pocket though, would be good to put towards some new glass, the 200 is still a great camera.
 
I wouldn't wait if I were you, there might only be one or two in the shop and I bet it'd be gone by next week. Pop in on your way home from work.
 
Seems a good deal so I think I'll go for it! Was in Colchester today and saw it in their Currys as well but I think I'll buy it in Chelmsford because I'm there more often now. And yeah, I already got some relatively decent glass (28mm Minolta Prime and a Tamron 18-200) so that's allright and the 18-70 which I never use anymore would be going with the A200 :) I should be able to get £200 for my A200. Hopefully my friend who is after an SLR is at work tomorrow and I can talk to him about it. If he wants to buy it then it will make everything much simpler for me. So it's definitely a worthwhile upgrade? What sort of picture quality increase woudl I be seeing using this camera over my A200?
 
In terms of general pictures at low ISO, both the A200 and A700 will produce similar (good) results.

As the ISo increases (800+), the A700 has less noise.

But, where the A700 scores over the A200 is your ability to take the photos, rather than the quality of the photos.

The AF is faster, and it tracks better, so you are more likely to get that shot of a moving car, plane or bird in flight.

In A or S mode you can set the read dial to be exposure compensation, so you can use it easily, which means you use it more, so learn how and when to use it, so your photos improve.

The higher fps (and larger buffer) means you are more likely to get the shot when trying to capture the key moment in soem high speed action.

The better viewfinder means you see what you are shooting more clearly, so get it right more often.

I'm sure you'll find more when you use one for a while - and fortunatly the weather sealing means you can safely drool over the wonderful pirce of kit that is the A700 :lol:
 
George7 said:
Is it cheap because they're selling it off to make way for the new model?
Click to expand...
yes, it's EOL & we are all waiting for an announcement on it's replacement(s) (whilst the A5xx series obviously has some newer/better tech than the A700 in other ways it doesn't look to be a replacement for that).
As such it's SRP is considerably lower than when launched & street price is even lower. At £499 it represents tremendous value for money & don't expect the A700 replacement(s) to be anywhere near that price.

btw we don't think that there is an awful lot of A700 stock left in the supply chain so make your mind up fast.
 
Theres not a lot floating about, i work for currys/pc world at there distribution centre and we havent had any in stock for a long time now...also what is out there is getting dearer too, i bought mine off amazon last month and its gone up by 100 quid in a month.
 
Going to Currys in Colchester tomorrow to see if they got any, if not, then I love my A200 so no big deal but I'll buy one if they have any :)
 
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