Sony A58 vs Nikon D3200 ??

[Yersiwx]

Hey guys,

I'm a freshmen into photography and am about to buy my first dslr (or slt?). The thing is I can't decide between the Nikon D3200 and the Sony A58 - I know all about the digital vs. optic viewfinder, and that's not a concern to me, I am more interested whether someone could possibly tell me about the image quality of the mentioned cameras. Also, does anyone know the range of functions of both of them and how they compare?
I'd much appreciate any help or advice, but I would ask not to write simply "one brand's better"...
Oh, and to make the whole thing more interesting (and me more confused, that is ), I noticed that I might be able to get the D5100 at a reasonable price, too...but I'm not certain about that one yet. So while my main question remains about the upper two, how do you think the D5100 compares?
Thank you!

[Adrian]

If you care about specifications web sites like this meet all of your needs: http://snapsort.com/compare/Nikon-D3...-SLT-A58/specs.

Comparisons of this kind are rather invidious: any modern camera will take good pictures and the biggest hindrance to success is the photographer not the tool.

SLR cameras are systems and classic advice is buy into the lenses you want (which is why so many choose Nikon or Canon, or indeed Leica for different type of tool).

You are looking at budget cameras, hence the system aspect is much less relevant (as the cost of changing system is less than the cost of one high end lens).

Conclusion? Handle the two cameras and pick the one you like best and that feels best in your hand. Both are good brands, both will do the job well. Nikon may well inspire more long term loyalty.

[Polar01]

Welcome to CIC, it would help if you could go back into where you entered your information and add your name, it makes it easier as to how to refer to you.
I would suggest that you look at an earlier post titled "Canon 600D vs Sony Alpha 57" as some of the comments are general and can be carried over into this post, it is also posted under "Digital Cameras & Equipment" as is your post.
What is comes down to is how the camera feels in your hands and way of thinking, both are very similar, both excellent quality, and should do what you want. That is if you already know what you want. Now remember the camera is what most photographers replace the most, however with glass once you get good glass you do not replace it. So here Nikon has the advantage as you have a larger selection of glass to choose from in the future, that is not to say that the glass choice you have for the Sony is not as good just not as large.
So again read the other post as it may answer some of your questions and may help to give a better understanding of some of the comments given here.
Notice I didn't say one was better than the other.

Cheers:

Allan

[AB26]

Hi Tajed,

Welcome to CiC.

Always difficult to recommend a specific camera. Depending on what you would like to do with your camera and how long you will be using a cropped sensor camera before you upgrade to full frame.

The Nikon uses a Sony sensor. As far as the sensor is concerned you are in good hands with both cameras. Build quality on both is good. Features on both are good. Two very good cameras you are looking at.

The only “disadvantage” on the Sony is the SLT technology. The translucent mirror uses 30% of the light coming trough the lens to reflect the image into the viewfinder. The viewfinder is an electronic device with a refresh rate that might frustrate you when shooting under low light conditions. The other drawback is when you shoot fast moving objects (like in action photography) you will have to get used to not seeing your subject live trough the viewfinder.

The BIG advantage of the Sony is that I believe it is the best camera for a newbie to DSLR photography to learn with. You can actually see how changing settings changes the final result in the image. You never have to guess what the final result will look like as the Sony will display the outcome of any adjustments made in the viewfinder and on the LCD screen even before pressing the shutter.

It is much easier to learn the art of mastering camera settings with a Sony SLT than it is with the Nikon D3200.

The Nikon will be much better if you will be tracking objects in “action” photography. With the Nikon you will see the actual image you will be capturing trough the viewfinder.

Both are very good cameras and you need to handle both to see the difference between them.
Read all the different reviews you can find on both. Then choose the one that suits your particular needs.

[MKins]

I am probably going to throw you for a loop. Instead of looking at the D3200, I would be looking at the D5100. It sounds like you are new to the market and the thing I love about the D5100 is it is so great for a beginner or amateur. There are some great prices right now with the D5100 bundles.

I will agree that both cameras are good and yes you got to try them out and make sure the feel is right for you.

I actually did a comparison of D5100 vs D3200.

I hope that helps.

[Yersiwx]

In fact, I ended up buying the D5100. It really is a great camera!