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Update on my Sony situation
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Aug 24, 2012 11:03:07   #
sdemaagd Loc: Michigan
 
ardcat wrote:
sdemaagd wrote:
So....I wrote earlier asking advice about a Sony a580....but I may have the chance to purchase an a55 I can afford now...any thoughts on which of these two would be better for my purposes? Right now I mainly shoot portraits, candids, a few weddings, and just general outdoor shots (for my own pleasure!)...

Also, will the lenses I have for my a300 work on a Sony SLT? I think they should, but want to make sure...

Thanks for the thoughts!


Just got the Sony a65 to give it a try as a backup camera. I wasn't very thorough in checking and examining the Sony's. First of all their is no pc connection for external strobe units. You have to purchase an adapter that slides onto their hot shoe ($189.95). Which brings up the worst problem. Sony's hot shoe on their cameras is not a standard hot shoe i.e Nikon & Canon. Therefore my infrared triggering device for my studio strobes will not fit on their cameras. Of course they have an adapter for $139.95. So nearly $330 more to add to the purchase.

Several features I like about their cameras just will not work for me. So since you mentioned you take portraits and weddings, forget it, you will not be able to use your studio units without having to make one of those 2 above purchases.

I am going back to Nikon or Canon.
quote=sdemaagd So....I wrote earlier asking advic... (show quote)


Yes, I learned about their hot shoe when I bought an adapter (thank goodness just a $10 one!!) that said it would work for an a300--ha ha! Yeah, it fit on...but the pins were not in the right place, and did not convert properly!! So, I got the HVL-F58AM flash, and so far like it...I started with Sony, and am building my way up...don't have much of anything else yet, so it probably won't be much of an issue for me...I'm pretty much just getting started, and practicing and trying to learn a lot for now! :)

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Aug 24, 2012 11:04:29   #
sdemaagd Loc: Michigan
 
gideon wrote:
I'm a Sony user too, mostly because I started with a Minolta SRT 101 and stuck with Minolta-Konica products due to the ability to use the lenses I already had. My interest is mostly landscape and wildlife photography and my DSLR experience started with the Konica DiMage, then the Sony A100 and now the A65. It has so many bells and whistles I'll never use because the benefits/rewards of the learning curve is so steep. The most important thing is the superb quality of the images. I use my A65 with a Tamron 10-24mm, a Sony 18-70mm, a Quantaray 70-300 and a Sigma 170-500mm. I haven't printed mazny shots but just got an Epson 1430 and hope my feelings about the quality of Sony images doesn't change as I start printing some up.
I'm a Sony user too, mostly because I started with... (show quote)


Let me know how you like your printer and images!

Reply
Aug 24, 2012 11:06:15   #
sdemaagd Loc: Michigan
 
Peekayoh wrote:
gideon wrote:
I'm a Sony user too, mostly because I started with a Minolta SRT 101 and stuck with Minolta-Konica products due to the ability to use the lenses I already had. My interest is mostly landscape and wildlife photography and my DSLR experience started with the Konica DiMage, then the Sony A100 and now the A65. It has so many bells and whistles I'll never use because the benefits/rewards of the learning curve is so steep. The most important thing is the superb quality of the images. I use my A65 with a Tamron 10-24mm, a Sony 18-70mm, a Quantaray 70-300 and a Sigma 170-500mm. I haven't printed mazny shots but just got an Epson 1430 and hope my feelings about the quality of Sony images doesn't change as I start printing some up.
I'm a Sony user too, mostly because I started with... (show quote)
You won't change your mind, I print with an Epson R3000 from an A77 and A900 and the amount of detail is stunning. I was showing some prints of a Lancaster to a friend when an onlooker offered to buy them. Apparently, her partner had Lancaster photos on the wall but none with the amount of detail. She actually asked "how did you manage to take it" - I was a bit lost for words.
quote=gideon I'm a Sony user too, mostly because ... (show quote)


That's pretty cool! I don't think I'll be buying a printer or printing any of my own stuff yet, though....too much to save up for!! :) Do those Epsons print pretty nice?

Reply
 
 
Aug 24, 2012 11:16:37   #
spphoto Loc: Long Island,N.Y.
 
I bought adapter for flash from Ebay for less than $20.00 so I could use studio lights and other devises

Reply
Aug 24, 2012 11:37:32   #
tainkc Loc: Kansas City
 
sdemaagd wrote:
Peekayoh wrote:
gideon wrote:
I'm a Sony user too, mostly because I started with a Minolta SRT 101 and stuck with Minolta-Konica products due to the ability to use the lenses I already had. My interest is mostly landscape and wildlife photography and my DSLR experience started with the Konica DiMage, then the Sony A100 and now the A65. It has so many bells and whistles I'll never use because the benefits/rewards of the learning curve is so steep. The most important thing is the superb quality of the images. I use my A65 with a Tamron 10-24mm, a Sony 18-70mm, a Quantaray 70-300 and a Sigma 170-500mm. I haven't printed mazny shots but just got an Epson 1430 and hope my feelings about the quality of Sony images doesn't change as I start printing some up.
I'm a Sony user too, mostly because I started with... (show quote)
You won't change your mind, I print with an Epson R3000 from an A77 and A900 and the amount of detail is stunning. I was showing some prints of a Lancaster to a friend when an onlooker offered to buy them. Apparently, her partner had Lancaster photos on the wall but none with the amount of detail. She actually asked "how did you manage to take it" - I was a bit lost for words.
quote=gideon I'm a Sony user too, mostly because ... (show quote)


That's pretty cool! I don't think I'll be buying a printer or printing any of my own stuff yet, though....too much to save up for!! :) Do those Epsons print pretty nice?
quote=Peekayoh quote=gideon I'm a Sony user too,... (show quote)
Here I go again. Epson's - can't beat em'! The Artisan series is very affordable. If you do not need all of the features that the Artisan has, there is another series that is even more affordable with the same color quality. When you run out of ink, do not worry. There are plenty of places that you can buy replacement ink at very low prices.

Reply
Aug 24, 2012 12:03:15   #
ardcat
 
OK, thanx, i will check out some other options. Also does the adapter have a pc sync connection too? That would be awesome if it works for both.

Reply
Aug 24, 2012 12:17:07   #
Nevada Chuck
 
As the owner of an a77 and an a700, and having previously owned an a350, I can tell you that there is no reason to not step up to the a55. There is no area of performance that the pelicle mirror cameras don't out perform a standard reflex mirrored camera.

Reply
 
 
Aug 24, 2012 12:22:10   #
Peekayoh Loc: UK
 
ardcat wrote:
sdemaagd wrote:
So....I wrote earlier asking advice about a Sony a580....but I may have the chance to purchase an a55 I can afford now...any thoughts on which of these two would be better for my purposes? Right now I mainly shoot portraits, candids, a few weddings, and just general outdoor shots (for my own pleasure!)...

Also, will the lenses I have for my a300 work on a Sony SLT? I think they should, but want to make sure...

Thanks for the thoughts!


Just got the Sony a65 to give it a try as a backup camera. I wasn't very thorough in checking and examining the Sony's. First of all their is no pc connection for external strobe units. You have to purchase an adapter that slides onto their hot shoe ($189.95). Which brings up the worst problem. Sony's hot shoe on their cameras is not a standard hot shoe i.e Nikon & Canon. Therefore my infrared triggering device for my studio strobes will not fit on their cameras. Of course they have an adapter for $139.95. So nearly $330 more to add to the purchase.

Several features I like about their cameras just will not work for me. So since you mentioned you take portraits and weddings, forget it, you will not be able to use your studio units without having to make one of those 2 above purchases.

I am going back to Nikon or Canon.
quote=sdemaagd So....I wrote earlier asking advic... (show quote)
I find it hard to be all that sympathetic to your situation, if you're spending a lot of money on a camera, you should really know what you're buying, Caveat Emptor.

The A65 is a stripped down A77 at a lower price level. You get the PC Synch socket on the A77 and Sony probably figured that people wanting a stripped down version were not likely to need a synch socket, who knows but something had to go to differentiate the two cameras.

The Canon/Nikon hot shoe is not a standard one anyway, all the hot shoes are proprietary. If you want a Sony compatible trigger for studio strobes go to Pixel King.

Reply
Aug 24, 2012 12:27:36   #
Peekayoh Loc: UK
 
tainkc wrote:
sdemaagd wrote:
Peekayoh wrote:
gideon wrote:
I'm a Sony user too, mostly because I started with a Minolta SRT 101 and stuck with Minolta-Konica products due to the ability to use the lenses I already had. My interest is mostly landscape and wildlife photography and my DSLR experience started with the Konica DiMage, then the Sony A100 and now the A65. It has so many bells and whistles I'll never use because the benefits/rewards of the learning curve is so steep. The most important thing is the superb quality of the images. I use my A65 with a Tamron 10-24mm, a Sony 18-70mm, a Quantaray 70-300 and a Sigma 170-500mm. I haven't printed mazny shots but just got an Epson 1430 and hope my feelings about the quality of Sony images doesn't change as I start printing some up.
I'm a Sony user too, mostly because I started with... (show quote)
You won't change your mind, I print with an Epson R3000 from an A77 and A900 and the amount of detail is stunning. I was showing some prints of a Lancaster to a friend when an onlooker offered to buy them. Apparently, her partner had Lancaster photos on the wall but none with the amount of detail. She actually asked "how did you manage to take it" - I was a bit lost for words.
quote=gideon I'm a Sony user too, mostly because ... (show quote)


That's pretty cool! I don't think I'll be buying a printer or printing any of my own stuff yet, though....too much to save up for!! :) Do those Epsons print pretty nice?
quote=Peekayoh quote=gideon I'm a Sony user too,... (show quote)
Here I go again. Epson's - can't beat em'! The Artisan series is very affordable. If you do not need all of the features that the Artisan has, there is another series that is even more affordable with the same color quality. When you run out of ink, do not worry. There are plenty of places that you can buy replacement ink at very low prices.
quote=sdemaagd quote=Peekayoh quote=gideon I'm ... (show quote)
@gideon - yes, they print nice but they are not cheap. The advantage of the R3000 is that it's an extended gamut pigment ink and the prints will not fade any time soon.

@tainkc - You should be wary of cheap replacement inks for photo printing. I'm not saying it's all bad but a lot of it is. The prints will not necessarily display correct colours unless you have access to decent print profiles.

Reply
Aug 24, 2012 12:28:58   #
ardcat
 
Yeah i didn't check it out very well, my bad, but after all it was for a back up actually 3rd or 4th backup (also for other staff members on quick shoots).

But the Nikon/Canon hot shoe (only about 98%) is pretty much i would call STANDARD!!! Vivitar, Metz etc all use that connection what they call STANDARD!!! The 2% belongs to the newer Minoltas and Sony!!!

Reply
Aug 24, 2012 12:31:15   #
chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon
 
Peekayoh wrote:
We Sony owners are minority everywhere.


That may be true if you count pure numbers. If you count quaulity equipment, Sony users are ahead of others.

Reply
 
 
Aug 24, 2012 12:34:10   #
GeneS Loc: Glendale,AZ
 
If your only choice is the A580 or the A55. Go for the A580 for photo quality.

Reply
Aug 24, 2012 12:35:40   #
tainkc Loc: Kansas City
 
Peekayoh wrote:
tainkc wrote:
sdemaagd wrote:
Peekayoh wrote:
gideon wrote:
I'm a Sony user too, mostly because I started with a Minolta SRT 101 and stuck with Minolta-Konica products due to the ability to use the lenses I already had. My interest is mostly landscape and wildlife photography and my DSLR experience started with the Konica DiMage, then the Sony A100 and now the A65. It has so many bells and whistles I'll never use because the benefits/rewards of the learning curve is so steep. The most important thing is the superb quality of the images. I use my A65 with a Tamron 10-24mm, a Sony 18-70mm, a Quantaray 70-300 and a Sigma 170-500mm. I haven't printed mazny shots but just got an Epson 1430 and hope my feelings about the quality of Sony images doesn't change as I start printing some up.
I'm a Sony user too, mostly because I started with... (show quote)
You won't change your mind, I print with an Epson R3000 from an A77 and A900 and the amount of detail is stunning. I was showing some prints of a Lancaster to a friend when an onlooker offered to buy them. Apparently, her partner had Lancaster photos on the wall but none with the amount of detail. She actually asked "how did you manage to take it" - I was a bit lost for words.
quote=gideon I'm a Sony user too, mostly because ... (show quote)


That's pretty cool! I don't think I'll be buying a printer or printing any of my own stuff yet, though....too much to save up for!! :) Do those Epsons print pretty nice?
quote=Peekayoh quote=gideon I'm a Sony user too,... (show quote)
Here I go again. Epson's - can't beat em'! The Artisan series is very affordable. If you do not need all of the features that the Artisan has, there is another series that is even more affordable with the same color quality. When you run out of ink, do not worry. There are plenty of places that you can buy replacement ink at very low prices.
quote=sdemaagd quote=Peekayoh quote=gideon I'm ... (show quote)
@gideon - yes, they print nice but they are not cheap. The advantage of the R3000 is that it's an extended gamut pigment ink and the prints will not fade any time soon.

@tainkc - You should be wary of cheap replacement inks for photo printing. I'm not saying it's all bad but a lot of it is. The prints will not necessarily display correct colours unless you have access to decent print profiles.
quote=tainkc quote=sdemaagd quote=Peekayoh quo... (show quote)
Yes. You have to be weary but there are plenty of reputable suppliers out there. I have been using Epson's for 15 years now and I have never had a problem. The 100 year ink is also waterproof. I like that.

Reply
Aug 24, 2012 12:44:05   #
ardcat
 
Good point, i like the results from the Sony, however, they are fairly new to the professional line of digital SLR's and like many designers (and people) today don't use or have any "common sense." And that's the main problem i see with them.

I even have a 2nd cousin that works for Sony and told him about their line of digital SLR's. HE SAID their design got changed by upper management, not by the design technicians.

I am going to give the Sony a65 a good workout this evening at a football game. I'm sure i will not be disappointed, but that will also determine if i keep it or send it back and maybe try the a77 or it's back to Nikon.

Reply
Aug 24, 2012 12:51:09   #
Peekayoh Loc: UK
 
ardcat wrote:
Yeah i didn't check it out very well, my bad, but after all it was for a back up actually 3rd or 4th backup (also for other staff members on quick shoots).

But the Nikon/Canon hot shoe (only about 98%) is pretty much i would call STANDARD!!! Vivitar, Metz etc all use that connection what they call STANDARD!!! The 2% belongs to the newer Minoltas and Sony!!!
What's your interpretation of "standard"? A Nikon flash will not work on a Canon and vice versa. A Metz flash for Nikon will not work on a Canon and vice versa. Nothing standard there, all the brands have proprietary hot shoes.

Reply
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