Why You Should Consider A Sony DSLR

[Photo-John]

You really can't buy a bad digital SLR anymore. Even the crappiest DSLR is far better than the one I was making money with 6 or 7 years ago. But if you're shopping for a new camera and you want the most whizz-bang sci-fi DSLR available, I Sony is the way to go. Even though Nikon and Canon make great cameras and sell more DSLRs than anyone else, I believe Sony is currently making more advanced cameras with better features - especially for the money. I've been recommending the Sony Alpha SLT DSLRs to friends for a couple of years now and I finally decided I needed to write an article about what makes Sony's DSLRs different. Whether or not you're in the market for a new camera, you should read this article to find out why Sony's DSLRs are a big deal:

Why Your Next DSLR Should Be A Sony >>

Your thoughts? I'd love to hear what our members have to say about Sony after reading the article. And if you're a Sony DSLR owner, please tell us why you chose Sony over the other options.

Thanks!

[OldClicker]

I chose Sony well before the SLT. The two features I wanted (deal breakers for me) are still there and one is improved by the SLT design.

- In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) - When I started this was really even more important. All of the excellent old Minolta lenses were stabilized.

- Real Live View with a flip out LCD. The ability to fast focus in Live View is now a must have and the flip out screen makes it even more useful. If I only had contrast focus Live View on a non-moveable screen, my Live View usage would be cut by about 90% (i.e. nearly worthless).

Being a techie, I do have to make one comment on the article - The AF sensor is not on the mirror. For a traditional DSLR, part of the light goes through the main mirror and is reflected by a secondary mirror to the AF sensor at the bottom of the body. In an SLT, the main mirror reflects part of the light to the AF sensor in the top of the camera.

Terry

[gryphonslair99]

Considered sony for about 3 seconds and then walked away. When they have the gear that I need I might consider it, but Sony's overall gear selection is far to limited for my needs.

[OldClicker]

Considered sony for about 3 seconds and then walked away. When they have the gear that I need I might consider it, but Sony's overall gear selection is far to limited for my needs.

And what are your deal breaker(s) that Sony doesn't have?

[xcaret]

I'm new to DSLR, and have been experimenting with my old Kodak Z710 digital point & shoot, I am wqanting to get my first camera ,and here in Canada we can save up airmiles with stuff we buy , and I have lots saved and among other things I can redeem them for is about 10 different DSLR cameras from the equivelent of about $425. to $775 . I dont pay money ,just cash in airmiles , I got a tv,that way and other things . Theyare not pushing seconds .. Any way I see a Sony ,as pasted below. My main concern about it is will the lenses be available like they are in Nikon and Canon ?
Do they have lenses priced reasonably ,as they don't sell the amount of cameras as the other two do. Also can I get a remote so I can take pictures from a distance ( I want to be in them). At this point I have no idea what lenses I may want in the future ,and would like to have as many as possible available .
" SONY® Alpha A58 DSLR Camera with 18-55 Lens " ...equivelent of $540.00

[wfooshee]

It's not too hard to check out Sony's web site for lens availability. Just Google something like "sony dslr" to get to the site. They have numerous lenses available for their mount, and as I understand it the Sony cameras will mount the older Minolta auto-focus lenses from the Minolta Maxxum days.

I can't answer to a comparison to Canon or Nikon as for lens quality, but the pricing is always a good indicator of the lens build. If it costs about the same as someone else's, it's going to perform about the same. They'd never sell one if it wasn't as good but cost as much, and they can't give away superior quality at a monstrously lower price, either. So you get parity.

[xcaret]

Hey OldClicker , What does it matter to a beginner ,or anyone else that the AF sensor is not on the mirror ? As a beginner I dont even know what it is doing .
My next question is in a review the pro mentioned that the EVF has its same obvious drawbacks , of coarse Sony's review gave it a plus . Can you tell me what might be better or worse than the optical VF ? I had been thinking of a Canon T5i but after seeing that Sony has been compared as good if not better , (Camera Comparison Review: Canon EOS 700D vs Sony Alpha SLT-A58 ) I like the idea of getting a Sony .The only thing I want to know is can I get a remote shutter rlease for it,and I'm going to call the store now. .. Oh yeah ,I'm buying with airmile points and its about 250 points cheaper
Neil

[xcaret]

Well I just found out they have a wired in remote available for around $75.00 or a tripod with a wired in remote that controls zoom etc.for $165.00
Hey You Sony Camera guys what do you say about the plastic lens attatching part of the camera body , I read theres concern it might not stand up in the future , then someone said the bayonet ( thing ) takes the weight of the camera ..
Any advise on this ?