Sony Alpha Cameras

Dear fellow members,

Lately I have received a Sony Alpha 200 Cam. I am new to photography and since opening its package I got interested. I read some books about photography and surfed many online resources.

It seems that most photographers use either Canon or Nikon equipment, therefore most online discussions talk about those cameras, having only a Sony camera, though, I was wondering if some of you have used such a brand and are willing to share some tips on getting the most out of it.

I would also be greatly obliged if anyone submitted his own review of this camera.

Kind regards and thanks in advance.

Hi Priapus,

Welcome to the CiC forums - great to have you with us :)

If you get a chance, pop a reply onto the welcome thread so we can give you a proper welcome.

At the end of the day, the basic principles of focusing, exposure, DoF, contrast, saturation etc don't change no matter what SLR camera your using -- so even though the majority are shooting Canon/Nikon, it shouldn't make a lot of difference (if any).

What lenses do you have, and what kinds of things do you like to shoot?

Thanks Collin for your swift reply.

Currently I only have the standard lens that was supplied with the Camera 18-70 mm, I am interested in macro photography, mainly because of my hobby of coin collecting, I have to photograph lots of coins for my archive, I also love photographing nature and sometimes I try to stitch some panoramic scenes, but mainly my focus is on macro photographing.

By asking for tips, I am looking more for advice on how to effectively handle and easily access the menus, turn on or off the flash in a fast manner, and where to place your fingers for maximum control and such things, for I know that the basics of photographing are the same regardless of the equipment used.

Thanks again and nice to find such support.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydslra200/

There is a link for a review of the a200 ... the site reviews many cameras and some lenses ... I have a really good site for lens reviews but I don't want to post links for other sites unless they say I can ... well except for the one above ... lol.

Hi Priapus, I'm a Sony user, I own an Alpha 350 and I'm waiting to upgrade it to a Alpha 700 or whatever replaces during this year.

Until now I have good experience and could answer you all your questions whenever you need.

My lenses are:
Sony Zeiss 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 DT
Sony 50mm f/1.4
Sony 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3

A good site where you can check everything about the Alpha system an also a review of the camera you own is:

http://www.alphamountworld.com/

Hi, I currently have an A200, but should (hopefuly) be getting an A700 in the next couple of weeks.

There are a couple of other forums I use which are specific to the Sony Alpha system

http://www.dyxum.com/index.asp
http://www.dynaxdigital.com/index.php

As others have siad, the principals are the same regardless of the brand you are using - it's when you want specific recomendations on a particular lens, etc. that a 'specialist' site (like the ones above) might be able to give you a better view.

Have fun with your new camera - it is capable of taking great shots and getting you firmly hooked into the hoby:)

Hi All,

It is amazing to see so many quick and useful replies on this forum. I am also having a Sony Alpha 200 and am planning to start a photography studio in which I am planning to shoot editorial portraits and stuff. I wanted to know is Alpha 200 capable of shooting pictures for such a task. Also currently I am having 18-70mm f3.5 kit lens and am looking ahead to buy new lens for the above specified task, which lens will help me to do best in the job.

I am planning to buy a Nikon D300 over a period of time when I earn a few bucks from this camera and planning to keep this as a backup body in case of any fault with the prior one. Is my idea correct or i need to reconsider it.

Your help on this will be very much appreciated.

Thank You

voyeur

Hi

Just purchased a Sony a200. Still learning about it. So far I like it Take about 300 pictures with it. Have the standard one basic lens 18-70 . Take a lot of pictures of pets and trips that we go on. No problems. Been using the tutorials , they are real good.

Stan

voyeur - others will be better at recommending a suitable lens for your requirements but I suspect suitable lighting / flash will be a significant factor for studio type work.
Regarding the D300 - the problem you will have is that you cannot swap lenses between that and the A200 - so will need to buy two of each lens!
The A700 might be a better option (unless you feel you need live view) - it is also cheeper and you can use the cash you save for better lenses, tripod, flash, etc.