Sony counterpart of Canon A510?

[rigel]

I've been eyeing the Canon A510 for its features [esp. AA battery use, SD card, and full manual mode, not to mention Canon quality] for a while now, but have been impressed with the reviews of Sony digicams in general. My only gripe with Sony is that MS cards are more spendy than SD cards.

My question is, does anybody know of a Sony digicam that most closely matches the specs of the Canon A510? Particularly AA battery use, 3-4mpx, manual options and great SRP [sub-$200, maybe up to $250].

All suggestions very much appreciated!

[Photo-John]

I'm curious. Are you ruling out the Canon or do you just want to compare it to a Sony? Because if you like the Canon, why not just get it? The Canon A-Series digital cameras have consistently been on the Top Ten lists of PCPhotoREVIEW.com and PhotographyREVIEW.com sonce the A85 - that's over two years. Those cameras are absolutely proven. And you aren't going to be able to match the Canon to a Sony feature by feature. They're definitely in competition. But they have a different design strategy - especially when it comes to batteries.

I'm pretty sure all of the Sony digital cameras use proprietary rechargeable batteries. There's really no need to shy away from proprietary batteries, as long as they're good ones. I prefer them to AA batteries. When they're good, they're smaller and hold a charge longer. I buy one or two extras, always keep the extras charged, and rarely have any battery issues.

There's actually only one 3-megapixel Sony digital that's still available. It's a CD Mavica - one of the cameras that saves to small Compact Discs. Here's a link to the Sony MVC-CD350 Mavica page on this site: http://www.pcphotoreview.com/cat/dig...7_3098crx.aspx

And here's a link to all of the Sony 4-5 megapixel digital cameras: http://www.pcphotoreview.com/mfr/son...4_4337crx.aspx

I hope that helps. Let us know if you have more questions.

[rigel]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm curious. Are you ruling out the Canon or do you just want to compare it to a Sony? Because if you like the Canon, why not just get it? The Canon A-Series digital cameras have consistently been on the Top Ten lists of PCPhotoREVIEW.com and PhotographyREVIEW.com sonce the A85 - that's over two years. Those cameras are absolutely proven. And you aren't going to be able to match the Canon to a Sony feature by feature.

Yup, AFAIK the A510 is the best in its class. I was just wondering if there were any others in existence [other brands] that could match the A510's features, just to make sure. I'm trying to cross out all other possibilities. I don't want to have to find out that another digicam with better features at similar cost was currently available, after I get the A510.

I'm pretty sure all of the Sony digital cameras use proprietary rechargeable batteries. There's really no need to shy away from proprietary batteries, as long as they're good ones. I prefer them to AA batteries. When they're good, they're smaller and hold a charge longer. I buy one or two extras, always keep the extras charged, and rarely have any battery issues.

If I'm not mistaken, the old P-series and the new S- and W-series use AA batteries. I prefer the availability and low cost of AA NiMH's.

There's actually only one 3-megapixel Sony digital that's still available. It's a CD Mavica - one of the cameras that saves to small Compact Discs. Here's a link to the Sony MVC-CD350 Mavica page on this site: http://www.pcphotoreview.com/cat/dig...7_3098crx.aspx

And here's a link to all of the Sony 4-5 megapixel digital cameras: http://www.pcphotoreview.com/mfr/son...4_4337crx.aspx

I hope that helps. Let us know if you have more questions.

Thanks for the suggestions.

P.S. [OT]
Great write-up/pics on the 2006 Marzocchi launch at mtbr.com