ordered the a500

[LightBright]

Should be here in around 5 days, just in time for my last semester (hopefully) of photography classes in my junior college. Got it from bhphoto.com and they took $50 dollars off the regular price, now it is $700. I was leaning towards the a850 for awhile, however I maid countless trips to local camera store's to try out all of their dslr's and the a500 makes sense for sports. I was trying to convince myself that the a850 would be great for sports due to a narrower depth of field when shooting basketball, but when I tried it out in person, it soon became apparent that the full frame body would be more suitable for landscapes and portraits. So in short, it is a great camera, but it was not for me. So instead of spending it all on one body, I got the a500 and had some left to purchase an Olympus e-620 + 35mm f/3.5 Zuiko lens, and Pentax k-x with 18-55mm lens. Three bodies for the price of the a850 and then some. I’ll be sure to post some samples of the a500 as soon as it arrives. I am very happy to get back into dslr photography after 3 months with a broken a700 which forced me to use a film slr. I did not feel the need to fix it since the warranty is over and Sony says it will be $500 flat fee. I was kind of hard on it though, since I’ve dropped it a couple times and went out in the rain sometimes with out any raincover. I will definitely be more careful with my gear next time lol.

[DonSchap]

So, Sammy ...

You certainly must have gotten depressed having a broken a700. I cannot even imagine 3 mouths down. YIKES!

That SONY 70-200 should be a dandy fit on the a500, although I might have thought the a550 more sports oriented. But, hey! A deal is a deal.

Good luck with that.

[LightBright]

Well I just have to say I love my a500. The AF speed and accuracy is about the same as the a700, and the high iso low noise capabilities are great! Very usable shots at iso 6400. Going through the menu is very fast and simple, maybe too simple... I have to admit that I really miss the advanced menu features that the a700 body had but I really cant complain for a camera that costs only $600. Also the build quality is no where near the a700, its very plasticy, I guess that's why its so light weight. I like the articulated screen, I sometimes like to shoot with the screen up and shoot from waist level like it was some kind of twin lens rolliflex! I was surprised that the bars that hold's the moving screen is very rigid and strong.
There is a really annoying light in the viewfinder, its a red AF light that bleeds to the VF on the side. Another annoying thing with the viewfinder is that when I look up inside it, I can see a reflection of the af points lol. But again this is a $600 camera, and for that money I think its a real bargain for what I can get out of this thing. I think that the viewfinder is like that due to the way the live view system works in the camera. I dont use live view that much but when I do, I appreciate that the live view AF is just as fast when shooting through the viewfinder. The a700 shoots better in usable light but the a500 can shoot at more difficult lighting conditions which is where I shoot most of the time. There both great cameras!

[OldClicker]

Congrats! I want. Have you used the other Live View mode yet? Enhanced MF Live View or something like that? - TF

[LightBright]

"Congrats! I want. Have you used the other Live View mode yet? Enhanced MF Live View or something like that? - TF"

Thanks OldClicker

Yes I have and its wonderful if your into macro photography. One thing I cant figure out about the MF live view is that when I go into that mode it only stays there for around 10 seconds before going back to regular live view. Maybe its Sony's way to avoid over heating the sensor? But other than that its very helpful, what you see on the screen is what you get.

[OldClicker]

One thing I cant figure out about the MF live view is that when I go into that mode it only stays there for around 10 seconds before going back to regular live view.

That's strange??? - TF

[LightBright]

It is strange but I did read some where that its normal.