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im after my first DSLR and the A300 appealed to me but i noticed for £80 cheaper i could get the A200 i was comparing them and they both seem the same to me apart from the A300 has live view and the acclaimed "worlds fastest autofocus" which should i get.
I've got an Alpha 300 and its excellant, the differences are that the A300 has got live view with tiltable screen and it also focuses in live view which other cameras dont (not many atleast) but other than that there isnt much of a difference, the price differnce should only be about £50 after cashback though
I have the A350 and I'm very impressed with the quality of the photos it takes and I notice it can be bought now for about £350 complete with 18-70 (I think) lens, it's a real bargain.
I bought mine intending it to become my spare camera as and when Sony make a semi-pro camera as good as the Nikon D300 but that hasn't happened yet but they're nearly there, anyway, I doubt if I'll upgrade now as the photos mine take are of surprisingly good quality.
Geoff.
what it is is that i would like to invest in accessories and have a budget of £500
Quote: What it is is that i would like to invest in accessories and have a budget of £500
my first DLSR was a sony A200, i spent £600 that includes the camera itself, Sandisc CF extremeIII 4G, Lowepro A160 camera bag, a tripod, Hahnel cable release, Tamron 18-200mm lens, a UV filter for protection and a polarising filter, and a sony HVL-F36AM flashgun.
the flashgun cost me £100, if you dont need it, £500 budget will include everthing else and i think they are essential.
buy memory card, bag, filter and tripod from Amazon uk, it offers much lower prices, i got the Tamron 18-200mm from Camerabox, it was £174 including second day delivery, the problem with Camerabox is that it has large selection of camera and lenses are often out of stock, have a look yourself.
finally, if you are now considering A300 or 350, why not go for Canon 450D, it's a nice camera, choose wisely before you committ to a brand, change it later will cost you a fortune.
Quote: Another vote for the A300. If you don't need the Live View, go for the A200.
live view is useful for taking picture from uncomfortable angles, eg, view finder is too low or too high to reach, you wouldn't care for it until the day you set up your tripod at a very low level and the camera is pointing upwards. that's what happened to me, my neck hurt for a couple of days after. lol
The A200 also has a very slightly larger optical viewfinder than the A300. I happily gave that up to have the tiltable LiveView screen though and have found it useful on more than one occasion already.
I have the A200, and am more than satisfied with it, but can see the attraction of the tiltable LiveView. I can also recommend buying the older Minolta AF lenses - you can pick them up on Ebay relatively (ie relative to buying a new one!) cheaply. The Minolta 50mm f 1.7 prime lens, 28-85mm and 70-210mm f4 (aka the beercan lens) zoom lenses are all worth considering. (They hold their value too - I've tried a few different Minolta lenses now, and usually made a profit selling on the ones I've replaced!)
Ian.
I second Ian's Advice . . . I recently swapped a new Minolta 70-210 for a much older Beercan difference is considerable . . . And I picked up a 135mm f2.8 (ceased production in 1980) for a song, that is incredibly sharp .. . the old Minolta series one 50mm f1.7 is one of my targets its better than the current Sony one.
Of the two you have listed I would go for the A300 . . . I have tiltable view on my A2 and miss it from my Alpha 100
Quote: .. . the old Minolta series one 50mm f1.7 is one of my targets its better than the current Sony one.
These are going for about £90-100 on ebay at the moment, with a few appearing for sale every week. I got mine about 4 months ago, when the average was around £70-80. I think that as the reputation of the Sony alpha DSLR series goes from strength to strength, so the demand for these older Minolta lenses increases, along with the price!
Ian.
I still have my Sony a200. Got it 3 years ago for my 40th.
It was my first DSLR, not getting ready to sell it and upgrade.
Cracking camera and I have been more than happy with the photos I have taken.
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