First DSLR & Suitable lens?

If I may just add my opinion then can I say take a look at Sony Alpha.I have the A350 and it’s fantastic.

Steve, thanks for your PM in answer to my query re the Sony 350/Minolta Lens combination.Your reply answered my questions perfectly. Kind regards, Brian S.:)

First DSLR & Suitable lens?

Hello chaps, normally a patron of the Historic Forum, although less frequently than I was once, I have been following these posts with interest. I’m out in the sticks and the days of attending the major airshows are sadly a distant memory : but in those good old days I had (still have) a Minolta 7000 SLR and a great assortment of lenses. These are Minolta A (suitable for AF) and pre-date the Dynax. Is it correct that these lenses will suit the Sony Alpha 350? If this is true, the thought is very exciting as the need to ‘tool up’ again with a new SDLR and lenses was both daunting and financially impractical. My first venture into digital a few years ago was with a Fujifilm S5100 and it has been a neat and pleasant way to convert from film, but the limitations (or perhaps limitations of my skill) have proved the camera sadly lacking for the type of shots, approach, landing etc., that I was accustomed to get with the Minolta. I notice the deal on the 350 with the two lenses : would I be better (cheaper) to go body only or would it be best to have at least one genuine Sony lens to suit the camera? Looking forward to your input, and all being well, also a trip (or three!) down south to my old haunts for some decent shows and museums in 2010! Thank you , Brian S.

I am still looking at this, but events are overtaking me a little. I may not be able to start saving for it until January or February.

My motability car is up for renewal, and I want one that can take a class 3 mobility scooter, so I’m going to need money for the deposit on that. I’ll get other benefits from it too, such as cruise control etc. It’s a Nissan Note Acenta 1.6 Auto.

I also need a shower installed.

I’m getting some help with this lot financially, but I may need to buy a few accessories, such as car ramps and an off-board charger for the scooter.

With DSLRs the minimum and maximum aperture sizes are determined by the lens, not by the camera body.

Yip….

If anyone knows of any good cash (or debit card) deals going, then let me know.

`

Rob,

Don’t know if this is of any use to you (?) but given what you’ve been talking about (above), Jacobs-digital are currently “doing” the (outgoing) Sony-Alpha A.350 ‘Twin-Lens-kit’ with both 18-70mm Lens & 55-200mm Lens included, for £ 30 LESS than the price of it’s intended-successor (A.380, with ONE lens only)

The Sony 55-200mm f.4-5.6 DT lens (as supplied in the A.350-‘twin-Lens’-kit) is currently a fair-expense on it’s own (from the same-supplier), so the ‘Twin-Lens’ kit makes sense

I’d also agree with UPSmd.11f’s comments about the older A.350 being more comfortable (& safer) to handle than the re-designed body of the A.380

Great-reviews on the A.350, with it’s only ‘disadvantage’ being higer white-noise at ISO.800 & above than it’s rivals (otherwise, great)

Image stabilising in the Alpha’s body, swung it for me

Just thought I’d mention it, in case ya still want one ????????

At the current-prices, I reckon you’re better-off getting a “new-un”

Just my 2 cents tho’,

RobAnt

I think most DSLR users would say split your money on lens and body – or something similar. The quality of the lens is as important as the body. I started out with Canon (had some lenses from my film days so tied to that make) and went for a 400D which I used with an old EF 75-300MM F4-5.6 MKIII USM. Which was generally fine. Second hand you should be able to get both from somewhere like parkcameras.co.uk for easily under £400 and be able to rely on their guarantee etc. You could get something in the 28-70mm range as a standard lens for short range shooting such as the Sigma 28-70MM F2.8-4 DG for £70 and still have change to buy a spare battery and some cards for £500 (try 7dayshop.com).

I then got myself a better zoom lens and went for one of Canon’s L lenses – the EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM as an upgrade with the Canon EF 1.4x II extender) but that cost more than the £400D and 75-300 new! However, the quality of the Canon L glass is great.

I now have upgraded my body to the 50D and with the L lens range glass it takes stunning pics.

As I do landscape and other photography as well I have some other shorter lenses and again have quite a bit of L lens range glass.

I think the 400D (or Nikon’s equivalient) will do you fine for now and for a few years – put a 4 or 8Gb card in it and shoot RAW (not sure if you can do that on your current camera) and you should have plenty of space.

Be warned though – once you step down the DSLR route your wallet can take a pounding!

Yes, my Fuji 6100 does support RAW, and I have some great shots taken in that format.

I’m not to worried about macro to normal range shots, the Fuji is more than adequate for that. I need the extra throw that a 300mm+ lens can achieve, which is where the Fuji trips over itself with it’s f8 minimum aperture.

So I will probably look at a refurbished Sony Alpha with a decent refurbished long throw lens from the outset. That will fix my problems for the next few years (touch wood), and I won’t be looking to spend much more money after that until the Sony &/or lens fail.

With DSLRs the minimum and maximum aperture sizes are determined by the lens, not by the camera body.

Ahh that’s interesting. Because with a bridge camera, of course, you’re limited full stop. It’s an integral package and f8 is as small as it gets.

The other point, is that lenses don’t specify what the smallest aperture is. The only specify the largest aperture, so naturally you look to the camera to give you the information you need to make a choice.

RobAnt

I think most DSLR users would say split your money on lens and body – or something similar. The quality of the lens is as important as the body. I started out with Canon (had some lenses from my film days so tied to that make) and went for a 400D which I used with an old EF 75-300MM F4-5.6 MKIII USM. Which was generally fine. Second hand you should be able to get both from somewhere like parkcameras.co.uk for easily under £400 and be able to rely on their guarantee etc. You could get something in the 28-70mm range as a standard lens for short range shooting such as the Sigma 28-70MM F2.8-4 DG for £70 and still have change to buy a spare battery and some cards for £500 (try 7dayshop.com).

I then got myself a better zoom lens and went for one of Canon’s L lenses – the EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM as an upgrade with the Canon EF 1.4x II extender) but that cost more than the £400D and 75-300 new! However, the quality of the Canon L glass is great.

I now have upgraded my body to the 50D and with the L lens range glass it takes stunning pics.

As I do landscape and other photography as well I have some other shorter lenses and again have quite a bit of L lens range glass.

I think the 400D (or Nikon’s equivalient) will do you fine for now and for a few years – put a 4 or 8Gb card in it and shoot RAW (not sure if you can do that on your current camera) and you should have plenty of space.

Be warned though – once you step down the DSLR route your wallet can take a pounding!

Duly noted, thanks.

Rob, always be wary buying secondhand cameras, If you do and its not offered with a warranty, try it and also check the chutter count, stuff like Canons have a life on the shutter depending on models above and below 100,000.

Be megga aware of good cameras at low prices with aftermarket chargers etc, because when a Camera is stolen the original charger, software or manuals etc are not often with them.

Just letting you know a couple of pitfalls, Some camera manufacturer of photography sites do have a second hand area, but again as said check before you buy, ebay has a insurance scheme, though i steer clear of some items on there and use the likes of the Canon site……… what ever you buy, make sure it has good support from range of add ons through to back up.

If anyone knows of any good cash (or debit card) deals going, then let me know.

Well Rob all i can say is that the 2 old minolta lenses i have are like brand new1 is a 35-80 which is about 9 years old and the other is a 50mm which My parents bought me in 1993 and it was 2nd hand(new in 87′) if anything its sigma that has let me down.i took my old mans 75-300 and all of the bayonet fell off when i disconnected it from the body.Sounds like you got unlucky.
however back to topic I still highly recommend the Alpha range well made nice to use and with that Sony name you know is reliable.but if you are looking at them i say go for the old range as opposed to the new releases,they feel better to hold and the new 1’s have multicolour menus which are a little OTT,the old B&W is much easier to read.

If I may just add my opinion then can I say take a look at Sony Alpha.I have the A350 and it’s fantastic,I was using a bridge camera(Lumix FZ-50) but i could not believe the jump in quality when I switched to the Alpha.They use Minolta fit lenses so there’s lot of lenses out there and not too expensive.Of course Canon and Nikon have a larger range of accesories but anyting you can get for thse you can get for the Sony.And also Sony have just launched a new range so the older models could be picked up a little cheaper( and i think they look better too,also much nicer to hold) Whatever you choose I think will be good enough,in this day and age and for your budget there isnt really a ‘Bad’ choice just what you feel the most comfortable using is the best.

The Alphas have been top of my list for some time because of their Minolta lens compatibility, and some of the results I’ve seen have been excellent. But I worried about the age of Minolta lenses – I had one that had developed some serious growth or corrosion on the inside of the lens when I pulled it out recently. I had bought it back in the days of film, probably in the early ’90s.

If I may just add my opinion then can I say take a look at Sony Alpha.I have the A350 and it’s fantastic,I was using a bridge camera(Lumix FZ-50) but i could not believe the jump in quality when I switched to the Alpha.They use Minolta fit lenses so there’s lot of lenses out there and not too expensive.Of course Canon and Nikon have a larger range of accesories but anyting you can get for thse you can get for the Sony.And also Sony have just launched a new range so the older models could be picked up a little cheaper( and i think they look better too,also much nicer to hold) Whatever you choose I think will be good enough,in this day and age and for your budget there isnt really a ‘Bad’ choice just what you feel the most comfortable using is the best.

Ahhh so how can I determine the minimum aperture size for any given lens?

If, for example, F5.6 is the maximum, what’s the minimum going (likely) to be?

Don’t worry about it – most DSLR lenses will give you f22 or f32 as a minimum – you would not want to use this unless you really needed maximum depth of field (usually for landscapes). Image quality can actually deteriorate at small apertures (which is one of the reasons bridge cameras don’t have the same minimums) and lenses tend to have a certain f stop that gives the best performance (quite often f8-f11).

As for choice of system – everybody has their favourite but it really depends on you and what you want from a camera in terms of features, value and feel (some may just feel right to you but not to others) – I don’t think there is a bad system out there anymore. Refurbished can be great if they are from a decent supplier and there are also great secondhand bargains (but I would stick to dealers who give a warranty).

Ahhh so how can I determine the minimum aperture size for any given lens?

If, for example, F5.6 is the maximum, what’s the minimum going (likely) to be?

It varies from lens to lens. The maximum aperture is usually easy to find, as you already know.

Regarding the minimum aperture, the best suggestion I can make would be to check lens reviews on the Internet as these normally include a technical spec for the lens in question.

With DSLRs the minimum and maximum aperture sizes are determined by the lens, not by the camera body.

Ahhh so how can I determine the minimum aperture size for any given lens?

If, for example, F5.6 is the maximum, what’s the minimum going (likely) to be?

Due to cost, I may be limited to a camera and twin lens kit with, hopefully, a 300mm zoom. So long as it includes some sort of image stability or anti-shake, I won’t mind where it is, as I won’t be adding to it for several years after that.

What would be within my price range, given a complete maximum outlay of, say, £600 (and even that may be stretching it a bit).

I’m happy to go the manufacturers refurbished route, that’s how I got my current Fuji S6500fd bridge – it was a lot cheaper.

BTW Canon have an outlet on Ebay selling returns etc with full warranty for a lot less as refurbished items….

see

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Canon-Outlet__W0QQ_armrsZ1

from there blurb
Types of Products Sold
(Refurbished / New)
The products sold on eBay are either classified as “new” or “refurbished” (see the beginning of this item description).

…..We just can’t sell a refurbished item as new because…

– …it was used as demo product (at trade fairs etc.), or

– …the outside carton box was slightly damaged during transportation (and then replaced by a neutral brown packaging), or

– …it was sold and the box was opened. Then the item got returned to Canon.

Indeed, bought my EOS 350D via this route a few years ago, and the example I received was brand new, box had never been opened – the only thing “wrong” with the package was that the dispaly box carried an “expired” offer sticker! I paid around £175 les sthan list price, and around £100 les sthan the best price forma ny online retailler. Likewise we picked up a “point and shoot” for my daughter form same outlet, saved around £60 on list price. This camera had been out of the box, as it had a slight “nick” in the battery door, but otherwise it was mint. Neither camera has given any problems since purchase.

As has been said, don’t overbid, or you may pay more than you need to. I watched the bidding on items for a few weeks to get a feel for how the bidding went went on the models I was interested in, then took the plunge.

EOS 350D has long since been superseded of course, but I heard numerous bad reports on the EOS1000D entry level DSLR when we were shopping for a DSLR for my daughter 18 months ago, so be wary about picking up one of those. I’d go for the 450D (or whatever is the current equivalent) or a 50D instead. As for lenses I too have the Canon 70-300mm IS mentioned earlier, and it seems a reasonable value/quality compromise. Don’t forget that on Canon DSLRs there is a “zoom factor” of 1.4 compared to 35mm SLRs, so a 300mm lens on DSLR is equivalent to a 450mm on a 35mm SLR etc, and a 50mm lens is equivalent to a 75mm.

Paul F

….Knowing that F5.6 is the maximum is quite a relief, as that’s adequate for relatively low light conditions and I just need to find a camera which will stop down to f16 or lower…..

With DSLRs the minimum and maximum aperture sizes are determined by the lens, not by the camera body.

BTW Canon have an outlet on Ebay selling returns etc with full warranty for a lot less as refurbished items, have had scanners etc off them before and saved a bundle. best kept secret if you go the canon route, just find the best price you can for new elsewhere in shops on and offline then do not over bid……. some do! several people I know have bought the Cameras at over £100 less than anywhere else have said of the ones they bought that if they did not know it, they said they would have thought it was brand spanking new.

see

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Canon-Outlet__W0QQ_armrsZ1

from there blurb
Types of Products Sold
(Refurbished / New)
The products sold on eBay are either classified as “new” or “refurbished” (see the beginning of this item description).

Refurbished products are 100% OK and therefore we can offer them with a 1 year manufacturer’s warranty. There is nothing wrong with these products! All refurbished products are sealed with an authentic Canon seal!

We just can’t sell a refurbished item as new because…

– …it was used as demo product (at trade fairs etc.), or

– …the outside carton box was slightly damaged during transportation (and then replaced by a neutral brown packaging), or

– …it was sold and the box was opened. Then the item got returned to Canon.

Upon return to our facility, a product of this type is put through a full set of functional test procedures, cleaned, repaired (if needed), and refreshed with a set of in-box materials (manuals, accessories, cables…) and sealed. The packaging of the product may either be the original Canon packaging or a neutral (brown) packaging. The core product itself may (exceptionally) contain minor cosmetic blemishes. Please contact us regarding product issues before leaving negative feedback on eBay – Thank you!