Anyone shoot Sony dSLR?

ziggo99

ziggo99

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Slight twist on the "what camera to get" threads. I'm looking at getting a Sony dSLR, leaning towards the a65 or a77. The reason for Sony? Slightly cheaper, and I already have access to Minolta AF lenses, so I won't have to invest much money into that area. Plus if I need a lens, there are plenty of good used ones I can get. I've shot on my brother's Canon's before and I have an understanding of working with manual modes.

I'm hung up on if the features of the a77 are worth the price over the a65. My gut says no, but my brain says maybe. The difference in cross point autofocus (3 in the a65, 11 in the a77) is something I'm looking at, but given what I shoot, I don't know if I'll notice a difference. So, anyone have any experience with shooting Sony?
 
You may not notice the difference, but I never met anyone who complained about their camera being too good. Go for the 77.

Pretty much every camera in that category is better than the user, so either way it is what is behind the viewfinder that will make or break the result. Remember, that you can't just pick up one of these higher end cameras and expect "amazing results" having it on "auto"

Here is a link for you - Darren uses all Sony. (A99 for one)

Flickr: autodetailer's Photostream
 
Thanks for the thread start OP! I have been researching for my first foray into SLR photography. I have no allegiance to one particular brand although I have owned and enjoyed Sony and Cannon point and shoots. I'll be watching............. :)
 
I have an A65 and don't really have any complaints. Its a fast camera and great for taking action shots. I also have had an A77 that I returned to get the A65 Im not regretting that decision, Im not a professional so I don't really need it.
 
That's partly why I like the Sony's legacy A mount, so I can use Minolta lens and glass. I have a few already, such as the 50mm f/1.7, the 70-210 f/4 "beer can" from a Minolta AF film camera, and can pick up an 18-55 Sony for a decent price. The $300 difference can go into the lenses, but it's whether or not the added features on the a77 will be useful. I mainly shot my brother's 50D, and I recon the a77 is closer in build and specs to it compared to the a65 (heck the a65 lacks an auto focus assist lamp), but just reading on the a65 seems like it's a sturdy camera.

What I don't like is there isn't any stores within 2 hours to try a Sony hands on, so I'm going all off what I can ready online.
 
ziggo99 said:
That's partly why I like the Sony's legacy A mount, so I can use Minolta lens and glass. I have a few already, such as the 50mm f/1.7, the 70-210 f/4 "beer can" from a Minolta AF film camera, and can pick up an 18-55 Sony for a decent price. The $300 difference can go into the lenses, but it's whether or not the added features on the a77 will be useful. I mainly shot my brother's 50D, and I recon the a77 is closer in build and specs to it compared to the a65 (heck the a65 lacks an auto focus assist lamp), but just reading on the a65 seems like it's a sturdy camera.

What I don't like is there isn't any stores within 2 hours to try a Sony hands on, so I'm going all off what I can ready online.
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That's unfortunate you can't try one out. If it makes any difference when I had my A77 I was learning to use it from a friend who was a Pro photographer who actually taught classes on photography. I told him I bought a Sony Alpha DSLR and he looked at me with jealous eyes. He said Sony was really Up-ing their game in that area.

From what I hear the only downfall of the Sony compared to canon or nikon is the accessories & lense availability (not saying its bad or anything but canon and nikon have extensive lenses)
I heard the new A99 is a bad mofo
 
Sony also has a different hotshoe mount; at least they did when I bought my Sony(s).

Stabilization in the body was big for me.

Does the a77 have a faster burst mode than the a65?
 
jhodges said:
Sony also has a different hotshoe mount; at least they did when I bought my Sony(s).

Stabilization in the body was big for me.

Does the a77 have a faster burst mode than the a65?
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I think the a77 is 12 fps while the a65 is 10 fps. Both very respectable
 
Go with the cheaper prices, both renters are top notch. You can rent 3 days as well, in case you didn't know.
 
It's a trick question...those are SLT's not SLR's (some people complain about the light loss from the pellicile mirror but that's one of the few complaints and not everyone finds that to be an issue). I looked at the A77 and went to a camera store where I could check it out. It's a nice camera, good feel and layout, and the 16-50 is quite a nice lens for a kit lens. I didn't end up getting one, but not because of anything particular I didn't like about it. If you do rent one, see if you can get the 16-50 lens too.
 
What camera did you end up getting SR99? I'm hearing rumors of new A mounts coming soon into the 2014 calendar year, so I may hold off until then when the current models go on closeout. I've seen enough price drops within a week here on AG, and I don't think Sony has as great customer service as AG to match it like that.
 
tdekany said:
Go with the cheaper prices, both renters are top notch. You can rent 3 days as well, in case you didn't know.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I think I will do that. It is a big purchase for me. I don't want to end up with equipment I will never have any use for, yet I want a setup I can grow into.
 
I shoot Sony. I started learning photography with a Minolta film camera and bought the 50mm 1.7 and beercan lenses as you have. Naturally I looked at Sony so I can keep using those lenses so I bought the cheapest Sony dslr at that time which was the a200 and tossed the kit lens that it came with. I took thousands of pics for over a year honing my skills until I felt I needed to move up so I went full frame with the a900 and 24-70CZ lens. I actually still have the a200 and use it as my secondary. I currently still use the a900 very heavily for events and sports/action photography. I was hoping the a99 would be its successor but I just didn't feel it and my a900 is still going strong. My buddy bought a a33 that we both used primarily for video and served us well but I'm now in the process of selling it along with the 35mm 1.8 lens.

As far as the a65 vs a77, it depends whats important to you and whether you care that the upgraded a77 features are worth the extra price. There's not any one thing that's a big upgrade over the a65 but rather a lot of little things that depending on what you're shooting, how often, experience, etc.. will decide whether you can take advantage of it.

Some differences:
-The a77 has a magnesium alloy body and weather sealed (Although to really take advantage of it you'll need a weather sealed lens to go along with it)
-2 dials instead of 1 for the a65 (doesn't seem like a big deal but after getting so used to using two dials on the a900 for aperture and shutter control in manual mode, it takes adjusting for me when I use a body with one dial)
-The AF as mentioned has more focus points.
-Flash sync socket, matters if you're going to be doing some studio work with flash setups
-higher fps, 12fps vs. 10fps
-higher maximum shutter speed, 1/8000 vs 1/4000
-the sensors are absolutely the same

Sony also just launched their first line of mirrorless fullframe e-mount cameras with the a7 and a7r however they are without in-camera stabilization. There's also plenty of new cameras and lenses that will be announced in January and February which will be A and E-mount both Full Frame and APS-C cameras.

IMO both are very similar, you wouldn't feel at all limited if you go with the a65 instead. A camera is just a tool after all, they don't take pictures by themselves. For my usage though, since I shoot a lot of action in dusty and wet environments, I would buy the a77 for the sturdier body and higher fps and shutter speed. But again depends on your use. For casual shooting, I think the differences are negligible.
 
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