Sony alpha 200

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vince1966

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Hi, first post on here.
I am relatively new to photography and bought a Sony Alpha 200 back last year. i have had some great shots from this camera and am quite pleased with it, but all my mates have canons / nikons and reckon i should change as Sony are not "the" camera make.
What benefits would i get from changing to either a canon or a nikon?
 
one of my mates says he has a big dick and another one says he is gay.

That doesn't mean I suddenly want to be a gay guy with a small dick though.

Nothing wrong with Sony cameras, if your are happy with it then stick with it.
 
None, they have a camera, you have a camera, they shoot Canon/Nikon, you shoot Sony. The difference is down to the person behind the camera- those who know how to use their tools to the fullest and those who don't.
 
i started with a sony a200, and dont get me wrong i would like a canon, but only one of the higher end cameras (the ones over a grand), for now my sony A450 takes better photos than my uncles Nikon D5000, on paper it shouldnt but its all about the lenses you use and the person that uses it, you mentioned you pleased with it, so dont start doubting that fact when you already know it does what you want it to and more. its a great camera, trust me :). If youre brave enough take your mates to a spot where you like to take photos and have a shoot off, print off three identical shots (one from each) mix them up (make sure you know which is which) and i guarantee you they will not be able to tell which one came came from which camera :)
 
Thanks for the replies. A guy in a camera shop recently said that if i want to get better i may need to look at what i was using and think about changing.

I am pretty happy with what i have got but Sony seem to be treated by "professional" photographers as inferior.
I like the idea of taking my mates to the same spot and comparing results though!!

As someone said it is what is behind the camera that counts!!
 
The a200 is a superb camera. Don't change it until you have a real need. I sold mine because I wanted better high ISO performance (the new Sonys are much better in this respect), bigger size and better build quality plus the Canon mount which gave compatbility with old fashion manual focus lenses (Carl Zeiss Contax lenses for example).

Other reasons you may want to change in time are:

* Liveview (newer Sonys do this, not that useful to me)
* Bigger viewfinder (new SLT cameras or a850/a900 have this)
* Video mode (not for me)
* Extra thumb wheels
* More advanced auto focus

Remember that Canon and Nikon cameras don't have image stabilisation built into the bodies either...
 
The Sony A200 is a good camera. I've seen some excellent pictures taken with it. The main problem with choosing Sony ( apart from expensive lenses ) is the fact the product line-up is all over the place. To upgrade you are going from an entry level DSLR camera to an £1800 full frame body. Totally crazy !
 
I used to have a Sony A200, 2 of my 3 competition winning shots were shot on the A200.

I have the A700 now, I do find myself wanting a replacement slightly....just for something that has better ISO control...but with regards to noise, none of the Sony cameras are any worse/better than the rivals in the same price range. Yeah Canon/Nikon do low noise cameras....but expect to pay a much higher price for this luxury.

At time of production in all fairness you couldnt get a better bargain than the A200, it punched well above its weight.

Sony's SLT look really good, something different, just hope they release an A700 replacement using the same tech.

Although admittedly if I went full frame and it means changing lenses anyway it would be a toss up between The Sony A900 and Canon 5D MK2...the Canon is really good but I find them hard to use, and there in lies a problem...no good having the camera if you dont know how to use it. Cant give a monkey a 5k camera and expect pro results eh?

But yes being a Sony user, many a time I have been with lots of camera people who snigger when I say Sony (its started to become a dread) but then they see the results and soon take their words back!

And btw for anyone reading this I don't say go for one brand, its definitely a what feels right for you and you need to weigh up the pro's and cons of each system. For example my back up pocket camera that I carry everywhere is a Canon not a Sony.
 
Boldonian said:
The Sony A200 is a good camera. I've seen some excellent pictures taken with it. The main problem with choosing Sony ( apart from expensive lenses ) is the fact the product line-up is all over the place. To upgrade you are going from an entry level DSLR camera to an £1800 full frame body. Totally crazy !
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The 4xx/5xx are upgrades from the 2xx/3xx line. There is a gap in the range for a well specified crop sensor body where the 700 used to be though (sort it please Sony!), which is why I'm keeping mine, at least until I can afford an a900.

To the OP, the point where you "need" to go to a Canon or Nikon is when you need a 400mm f/2.8 lens or a 200mm f/2 lens, as you can't get them in a-mount for Sonys. Since at that point you will be spending upwards of £5k on a single lens you'll probably know when you've got there ;). This is the "limited range of lenses" argument against using Sony DSLRs that gets rehashed here every so often.
 
keep your a200, its a wicked camera, was my first dSLR..I swapped to a rather more expensive Canon 40D was extremely disappointed.
Build a collection of minolta and Sony glass then upgrade to a Sony a33...the specs of that look awsome (although a dSLT not a dSLR but whatever)
 
i shoot with a sony 700 used have the 200 , and was completly happy with the 200.
The only reason i changed i got a good price for the 200 and found a even better price for the 700.
My mate has a canon 5d mk2 but uses some average lenses with the camera ,and he even admits that my shots are better with the Sony 700 .I dont want to get into war against different makes/models here . I would have the 5d over my Sony .BUT would have to get some L series lens for it ..
 
Since it's your mates who are saying you should change, why not ask them the same question - what benefit do they think you would gain by switching (other than having the 'right' label on your camera)?

They may be extremely generous individuals with lots of spare lenses and wish they could lend them to you (nice, but unlikely).

More seriously, it could simply be that they have 'intermediate' level cameras within their ranges, which have features the A200 does not - which may, or may not, be of use to you, and which might be available on a Sony.

But as others have said, you can produce excellent shots with an A200, so don't change unless you have a need which it can't meet - if you've excess cash you need to spend, additional lenses, flash, filters, tripod, software, etc. can eat most sensible budgets long before you run out of options:lol:
 
only thing I missed in the a200 was the extra thumb wheel I had in semi-pro nikon. amazing camera :)
 
thanks for all the replies. i am happy with the camera and it seems from all your posts that it is not a white elephant in terms of "cred".
I don't really give a dam what other people think but what i have seen so far the Sony is a great camera.
 
vince1966 said:
thanks for all the replies. i am happy with the camera and it seems from all your posts that it is not a white elephant in terms of "cred".
I don't really give a dam what other people think but what i have seen so far the Sony is a great camera.
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Glad youve come to a conclusion my friend, as someone else posted its not about the label, its what your happy with, others have said about needing/wanting to change because of higher ISO control, personally (and this is purely opinion) i dont ever move from the lowest ISO unless absolutely necessary so that isnt a problem for me but sonys are just as good as the other brands but all have their benefits as well as drawbacks, it just depends on what your after. Stick with it dude and youll be pleased you did :)
 
Is it appropriate to ask here why the Manual Focus switch on the 200 does not unlock Auto Focus?

= Tim
 
Which switch do you mean - the one on the camera body or the one on the lens? When using a lens which has an AF switch, the switch on the lens should be left in the AF ON position, and the one on the camera body should be used to switch between AF and MF.
 
Kind reply.

The one on the bottom front of the body. Lens is an 18-70 as issued - no switch.

= Tim

PS Call off the troops!! Daughter has just found that it's an intermittent problem. When she tried it (her camera) it worked fine, When I said it didn't, it didn't - until she switched it on/off. Fine. And then, next time, it wouldn't!!
 
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OMG!! So right - we had not taken the rotary knob off AUTO!!

Given that she's a painter, not a photographer, & I'm 90, no real surprise?

Thank you. Nice to 'meet' you.

= Tim

PS - I don't have a website, but No1 Son does - johnelkington.com.
 
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