BarryUP Loc: NEW YORK CITY

I have been intrigued by the sony alpha a-55, does anyone have experience with it?

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

I have heared and read good things about the A55. The A77 is supposed to be better.

djw60 Loc: Vermont

I've had the Sony a200 for 3 yrs. now and I have had great luck with it. A few months ago, I decided that I would like to get a second camera for a back up. I thought about going with a Nikon, but already had the Sony and 4 lenses that I had accumulated over 3 years, and after checking into it, decided to stick with Sony because I knew all of my lenses would work on a new Sony also. I went with the Sony a580, which I love!! Not to mention the fact that it was quite a bit less expensive than a Nikon. Good luck! :)

Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

I just sold the A55 to buy the A77. The A55 is a great camera with numerous features. For me the detracting items on the A55 are that it is not weather resistant and plastic body. The plus on the A55 are too numerous to mention and I personally never had a problem with it.

dixiemegapixel Loc: Salemburg, NC

I have been using the A55 for several months. I love it. I have a Nikon D300 and a D80 with several very good lenses but prefer the A55 because of its panorama, low-light capabilities, and 3" articulating LCD.

BarryUP Loc: NEW YORK CITY

Thank you for your rapid response on the sony alpha a- 55. I know the camera has many excellent features but how do the photographs look. I mostly shoot arpeture priority.

rufus1 Loc: Winter Haven, Florida

Upgraded to an A55 from an A300, very happy with it. It is a good investment until I move to a higher MP, but for now 16.4 is working wonders.

Bob K. Loc: Indiana

It was voted "Camera of the Year" by Popular Photograhy magazine in their January 2011 issue.

Bob K

BarryUP Loc: NEW YORK CITY

Thank you for your response..B

pwopo9

I have a Sony A100 which is 5 yrs. old so I decided to buy a Sony a55. I got it through Amazon for $745. (from Ritz) It's smaller, lighter and easier to navigate because it tells you all you need to know on the screen using the Menu and Fn buttons. It comes with a 18 to 55 zoom lens. My old Sony A100 had a 18 to 70 Zoom so I'm using that lens. I also have a 75 to 300 zoom. My a100 was made in Malaysia. My a55 and lens were made in Thailand. My 18 to 70 and my 75 to 300 were made in China,. It only has 1 wheel on top and the on -off control is around the shutter button. I only have it about 1 week so I can't give you any more details however I'm very happy so far. I'd like to sell my old Sony which still works great and am trying to get a fair price. Can you help. Pwopo9

BarryUP Loc: NEW YORK CITY

Thank you for the information..B

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

Yes, I have one. It's very impressive and can do anything an equivalent Canon (T2i or T3i) or Nikon (D5100) can do with specifications that sometimes surpass the competition. Also look at the Alpha 77 because it has an 18MP sensor instead of 16.2MP in the 55 - and some other improvements. It would be equivalent to the Nikon D7000. If you don't care about 18MP, then the Alpha 55 is happening.

The big advantage of the Alpha 33, 35, 55 and 77 is that they can use Minolta lenses, such as auto focus (D) 35mm Maxxum SLR lenses, just as easily as Sony lenses. Sony bought Minolta in 2006 and so Sony Alpha bodies are totally compatible with Minolta lenses because they're based on Minolta electronics. A really high quality Minolta lens can be bought used, sometimes even found in a garage sale for pennies on the dollar if the owner doesn't know about Sony cameras (buy the owner's whole SLR system and sell the film body on eBay or throw it away), for FAR less than a brand new equivalent lens of any other manufacturer.

Very happy with my Alpha 55. Sony doesn't get as much publicity in the photographic press normally but they're definitely an equivalent contender in the market. For that matter, Sony pioneered the whole field of digital still photography, so they know what they're doing.

Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

The A77 has 24.3 MP not 18 MP.

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

Even better! It was 4:30 a.m. when I was writing that and I slipped up...

wierdphotoguy Loc: the snow belt in Michigan

I just chose the a37 (instead of the A55) because the differences were minimal for me. I have used sony dsc cameras for quite some time but have started doing more macro and needed the adjustable options on a DSLR.

The a37 has me feeling like a fat kid in a candy store. I currently have 20 lenses (some are MD mount) that I am systematically benchmarking. Some say that mounting the manual focus Minolta lenses to your Sony will give you less picture quality, but I intend to find out for myself. I bought 14 lenses and a few dozen filters for $200, including the Rokkor 28mm 2.8, Minolta 50mm 1.7, Rokkor 135mm 2.8, Rokkor 200mm 4.0, Rokkor 300mm 4.5, along with many others. Most of these lenses look like they came from the factory a month ago! For $40 for an adapter I may never have to buy another prime lens!

But I digress; your a55 will make you happy for years to come unless you get the "latest and greatest" craze, or your photographic requirements surpass the capabilities of this camera. Enjoy!