Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dslr and SONY

same ccd, 4k cheaper, but wheres the lens ?

sgt.serenity — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:39:50 -0800

whats the selection of wide angle lenses for the sony alpha 900 ? I'm fairly baffled by this - but the possibility of getting a full frame 24mp dslr for 4k less than the nikon d3x is a source of great interest to me - but i'm noticing a real lack of lenses - i know theyre zeiss/minolta compatible - should i just hunt down minolta lenses on ebay ? are there any definitive answers about lenses for the new(ish) full frame sony ?

I'm not really worried about getting a f2.8 lens or anything - its more for outdoorsy landscape types of stuff.

Too many cameras! So many features! Too much choice! Arrrgggrhhhh!

gergtreble — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:17:08 -0800

Calling all Mefi photographers. Help me choose my entry level DSLR. I just went to my local camera store to buy a Nikon D60 but I made the mistake of asking the guy in the store if there were any other similarly priced ones he recommended. He immediately recommended the Sony a350. This totally threw me I had made up my mind that I wanted a D60 no question! But the Sony A350 has a host of extra features I wasn't expecting to find with the budget I have. Here are the pros and cons of each model as I see them.

1) Glass - Nikon lenses are generally better than Sony right? But Sony bought Minolta so I can use old Minolta lenses if I want. I've also heard that Carl Zeiss makes all Sony lenses! Is that true?

2) Live view - The Nikon doesn't have it, but the Sony does. And the display is movable for shooting from the waist or from over the head! This is drawing me to the Sony.

3) Vibration reduction - The Nikon uses VR in the lens. But the Sony's VR is in the body. Technically I should be able to get vibration reduction with any lens I use in the Sony. But i would have to buy specific VR lenses from Nikon

4) Autofocus - I think the Nikon's AF isnt back compatible with old lenses. But I'm not sure about this.

Now to top it off I've started looking at the Cannon EOS 400D / XTi too! I'm a beginner photographer so I'm looking for a camera that will help me learn the nuances of photography. My budget is £500 ish give or take. I also plan to buy a longer lens before Christmas as I am hoping to spend new year in The Maasai Mara.

I'm torn and conflicted here! A decision that once was so easy has become unbelievably difficult! I would appreciate any advice or testimonies that you can provide.

Thanks in advance.

How do I connect my sony dslr alpha 100 to an off-camera flash?

binocularfight — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:09:06 -0800

I have the sony alpha 100, which has a proprietary hotshoe. I bought an fs-1100 so that i can connect a standard flash unit or a radio syncing device to do off-camera flash work. The fs-1100 doesn't seem to be working. does anyone have experience with these things, or know another way to connect a sony camera to a non-sony flash?

Wi-FI camera

Amby72 — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:17:37 -0800

How to use Wi-fi or eye-fi flash memory in my compact flash based DSLR. I have a Sony Alpha 100 that I love. I want to use an eye-fi card or something similarly wi-fi to facilitate the uploading of photos wherever I am. The camera uses Compact Flash. I see you can get an SD to Compact Flash converter. Just curious if it would work, or if it would break hamper it so it doesn't work. what do other people do, besides just normal transferring with the card or a cable?

Strike a pose, please.

jadepearl — Mon, 05 May 2008 06:31:54 -0800

Getting a DSLR today. What lens options should make a good set to take the plunge? having read all the threads or at least the most recent ones on DSLRs and having handled the various body cameras at a store, I have settled on the Sony A200. Before all the hatin' starts I say that the reasons I decided on this system were:

it felt good in my hands
worked when chasing a VERY active 14 month old around the store;
photo lag was minimal to me;
photos looked good of said active child;
price point was reasonable for quality and features. Mr. Jadepearl is a Nikon man but he was disappointed in the performance of the D40 while the camera clerk told me that the introductory Canon in this range was not a good competitor on price performance at this level
Older Minolta lenses work with it

So, what lens do I need to make a complete kit? The immediate plans are to take photos of kids, plants, landscapes and scenes from a moving vehicle. Did I mention that I travel with two hand puppets that I pose in ludicrous poses at famous locations or break some rules on museum displays and proximity?

So what lens should I go for to cover the widest possible conditions for this photo newbie? I plan to have this camera for years and figure that Sony is seemingly committed to their camera line.