viewfinder

i have the A200 and i find how the viefinder only shows like 90% (or whatever it is) of what you capture really annoying because im photographing my baby, mostly extreme closeups :) so it makes a difference to my photo..i suppose i could jsut crop it on my PC but still. why did they make it like that ? i was thinking of maybe getting the A350 but i saw in an older thread that its worse on the A350- is that right ? but the A350 has live view, does live view show you 100%? if you have live view why would you ue the viewfinder then.. does live view show you where your focusing points are ?

The only SONY production camera, at this moment, with 100% image view is the A900 (0.74x magnification): "Viewfinder : Optical: TTL, 0.74 x, Diopter -1m-1 100% coverage of 35 mm Full-frame area. A large, ultra bright glass pentaprism viewfinder provides you with amazing clarity and high optical performance for tighter focus control. In addition, it offers viewfinder magnification of 0.74x, allowing you to see an image nearer to its actual size, as well as 100% field coverage for detailed framing work."

The A700 (0.90x magnification) gives you 95% : "Viewfinder : Optical: TTL, 0.9x magnification with 50mm lens at infinity; 95% coverage With a bright focusing matte, an optical glass prism and glass lenses that prevent ghosts inside the finder, the Sony® α; (alpha) DSLR-A700’s viewfinder image makes it easier to see your subject, compose your shot and adjust focus manually." and as a fan of that particular camera, that's pretty cool.

The A200 (0.83x magnification), A300 or A350 (0.74x magnification) and the newer A230, A330 & A380 respectively claim the same magnification and are also claiming 95%, also: "Field of View : 95% ".

That's the long and short of it, at the moment. The 5% should not be that distracting. Just get a little closer.

hmm ok so would i be happier if i upgraded from the a200 to the 350 ? or notmuch noticable difference ? it is higher resolution...

when i bought the a200 twin lens kit.. i knew NOTHING about photography..but now i realise how average the kit lenses are.. i wish i had just got the A350 body in the first place. i could sell the twin lens kit and get the A350 body only,, just wondering if it would make enough of a difference to my photos.

For the past year, the α700 is the right jump for most folks when migrating from the α200,α300, α350 series. It offers a much wider choice of photographic solutions that you just cannot get from the lower end models. To be honest, I have never heard anyone complain about what they could NOT do with an A700. :thumbsup:

If you are serious about your photography, until something else comes out, that is "the upgrade", not an α350.

α700 w/ TAMRON SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Lens :D
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...00-w-17-50.jpg

Also, for some definitely good exchanges about SONY DSLR equipment, take a moment (well, a few moments) and check out the DCRP SONY DSLR Forum (<- click here), also. There are several α350 users there, also, that you can ask.