Why does the A100....

do so badly in those 'What DSLR should I buy?' posts? It either doesn't get a mention or is often regarded as second best.

I have just been involved in a thread where a poster replying to a 'which is the best dslr' type question, strongly attacked the A100, despite having done nothing more (by his own admission) than handled one in a shop and read some reviews. I was called a 'Fan boy' (by the OP asking questions about the cameras, no less!!) when I tried to correct the errors in his comments.

I really can't understand the negative attitude.

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Malcy
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/malcy/sets
http://picasaweb.google.com/lumachrome

The stock market, the boogie man and internet forums all have one thing in common: If you believe in them, they'll scare the helll out of you!
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Daryl

Dunno, its a very good camera with a MASSIVE used lens base (probably EIGHT times the number of used AF lenses for it than Olympus and Pentax put together!) ...

The only downer to the A100 really is noise levels which is worse than the other APS C competition in RAW - otherwise it's a sharp, well made, reasonably ergonomic camera with stunning battery life, a top notch LCD, Antishake system which actually does something, fast writing of compressed RAWs and decent AF . Whether I'd recommend it over a D80 is another matter but that's only down to ISO800 noise in RAW and lens range on offer than anything else..

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Please ignore the Typos, I'm the world's worst Typist

I started off with a D80, and sold it...it was good but the matrix metering is very quirky

I think the A100 is really really good...great IQ...easy menus, cant imagine how anybody who knows anything about cameras could dismiss it...its a class act IMO.....people who badmouth the A100 are just being ridiculous, I could list things I didnt like about the D80...but its still a great cam

I have just bought a wide lens cheap...the results are stunning...whats the problem ??
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Sony A100 examples here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mangizmo/sets/72157600209437795/

My blog at... http://southwestwanderings.blogspot.com/

'Take nothing but photographs....leave nothing but footprints'

Vaughan....KodakP880/Sony Alpha100/Sony R1/Sony 717

kodakuser said:

cant imagine how anybody who knows anything about cameras could
dismiss it...its a class act IMO.....people who badmouth the A100
are just being ridiculous, I could list things I didnt like about
the D80...but its still a great cam

Click to expand...

Agreed - I can list irritations and issues with my two work cams (D2X and C-5D) but they never fail to pay the bills .. all these things are a compromise and have different sets of compromises. You just pick the ones which suit you best..... For Prime lovers, the A100 is a dream, sharp fast Minolta AF lenses go for little on E-Bay UK and even Beercans (70-210 F4) don't fetch much..

The A100 has a lot going for it - yeah, it would have been nicer based on the D7D and not the D5D but it would have cost more.. there are two new Sonys coming out, one of which would appear to be a D7D replacement anyway

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Please ignore the Typos, I'm the world's worst Typist

Is there such a thing as 'reverse fan boy syndrome'? Where instead of loving a particular brand, you hate it.

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Malcy
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/malcy/sets
http://picasaweb.google.com/lumachrome

That is easy to answer - the canon and nikon posters are paid more by the company than we are (zero)!

I suppose the best way to influence them is to post samples of the pics taken with the alpha.

Adam-T said:

Dunno, its a very good camera with a MASSIVE used lens base
(probably EIGHT times the number of used AF lenses for it than
Olympus and Pentax put together!) ...

Click to expand...

sssst, not so loud!, just point them in the other direction (canikon), so there's more secondhand lenses for us ;-)

Simon

To late...I have justed twigged...I am on E-Bay right now

soos said:

Adam-T said:

Dunno, its a very good camera with a MASSIVE used lens base
(probably EIGHT times the number of used AF lenses for it than
Olympus and Pentax put together!) ...

Click to expand...

sssst, not so loud!, just point them in the other direction
(canikon), so there's more secondhand lenses for us ;-)

Simon

Click to expand...

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Sony A100 examples here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mangizmo/sets/72157600209437795/

My blog at... http://southwestwanderings.blogspot.com/

'Take nothing but photographs....leave nothing but footprints'

Vaughan....KodakP880/Sony Alpha100/Sony R1/Sony 717

Yep. It's called Brand Snobbery.
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Good luck and good light.
http://www.kennedyphotography.net

I have just brought the Alpha as my first DSLR. If you was to go buy the reviews and look at the pros and cons of all the cameras i think you would never buy one.

Each camera has it's good points and bad points and i think one of the good points of the alpha is the kit you get for the price. I brought it with the 18-200 lens for £550 from Park Cameras in Burgess Hill. I thought about the canon but i was informed that the lens that comes with the camera is not one of the best and to put a decent lens with the body i would be looking at £700+. The nikon D80 would also be about the same in price.

I have found the Alpha's menus very easy to use and i have been pleased with most of the pictures i have taken, I have still got a long way to go on the learning curve

At the end of the day you pay's your money you take your choice.

anyone that can not take a good shot with a A100..... I suggest that they take up Origami or stamp collecting instead ...its fantastic, thats why its highly recommended on this site sheeesh.... some people will complain about everything
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Sony A100 examples here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mangizmo/sets/72157600209437795/

My blog at... http://southwestwanderings.blogspot.com/

'Take nothing but photographs....leave nothing but footprints'

Vaughan....KodakP880/Sony Alpha100/Sony R1/Sony 717

So just because i am new to photography and have been playing around with the settings etc to see what the camera can do i should give up and go back to my stamps.

I must assume you became a profenssional photographer as soon as you picked up a camera. Using a DSLR is nothing like using a compact, and comments like yours doesn't give beginners like me much confidence.

I'm not sure kodakuser was replying to your post.

Jason
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Ready for my 'Flagship'.

Yes I think he was agreeing with you. I've been a photographer since I was a child and I still learn new things everyday. A DSLR certainly has a large learning curve.
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Richard

I have my own club, consist the three of my friends. We are all have "must" specialization in a different brand entry camera. I choose to use the alpha while the others got D80 and EOS 400D, with a "must" have lens : Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 to have an equall in comparing.

So far we enjoy, respect and share the moments together. Its a beautiful life, isn't it?

My comment for alpha during our interaction is great. Maybe the problem only occur when comparing the shot taken indoors, sony the worse with the standard setting. But when you raise the apperture to +1/3 or 2/3 when shooting indoors, the different is fly gone. What about shooting outdoors? Sony is the best, got detail and colorful picture. Specially if you set the dec to vivid with all the parameter +1, you'll knock out others.
Sony is fully match and equal comparably the other brands.

I feel lucky that I have my best companion, even with a different brand we are have something in common to share, not the brand, but the moments.

One thing bothering me, my sony look so tiny compares the others because they all wearing the battery grip. I just can find one for mine here, so may I have the suggested is there a battery grip that I can get? Is it good? How much for the price? It is secure to buy by internet? Thanks guys, sorry for the long and many answer.

Being honest I only really had two issues with it........and that was:

High ISO could be better..
Colours a bit cold.......

Being ultra picky (but this wouldnt put me off) I would like

Xfine jpeg option
ISO button

Aside from that its a good camera......top two issues are not major problems to many.......but, as I am using high ISO a lot.....it is a factor.

Its probably because the other makers came out with cameras after sony did, and have being honest done a better job at the high ISO side of thngs. Its not that ISO 1600 is unusable..........it is that you dont have any room for error.......and I get better results off the 6mp KM I have (at high ISO that is)

IMHO sony should update the A-100 say an A-100s.........

But as the price drops I could pick one up...........not a problem....just wont be using it for indoor wedding shots (when I cannot use flash)
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Clint is on holiday! Soon to return! ;-)

I think you may have misunderstood...I was agreeing with you , I certainly wasnt being critical of you, what I meant is that I am a new A100 user myself, and I am really pleased with my results....and I dont even know what I am doing

mondeoman said:

So just because i am new to photography and have been playing
around with the settings etc to see what the camera can do i should
give up and go back to my stamps.

I must assume you became a profenssional photographer as soon as
you picked up a camera. Using a DSLR is nothing like using a
compact, and comments like yours doesn't give beginners like me
much confidence.

Click to expand...

--

Sony A100 examples here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mangizmo/sets/72157600209437795/

My blog at... http://southwestwanderings.blogspot.com/

'Take nothing but photographs....leave nothing but footprints'

Vaughan....KodakP880/Sony Alpha100/Sony R1/Sony 717

bought a Konica-Minolta or Sony (this year) to prove how cool they are or that they are a real photographer..

Almost always it was a choice that came out of reading and comparison of features..

So for some if you are challenging their brand you are challenging an investment in self-esteem...They bough because it was the "RIGHT" camera.. and so there is no way they could be "WRONG"

So if they KNOW the truth... anyone who disagrees must be a liar.. because there is no way a REAL photographer would choose anything but Canon or Nikon (even if it is missing several key features that really don't cost much and can even be turned back on by hacking the firmware... or even if you can only use half the system the was the reason you bought it)

In religion... FAnBoy is called Heretic...

That would include... Galileo, Darwin, and Leonardo Da Vinci... so Wear the badge of Fan-boy proudly... It is always the Heritics that usher in the new age

Then they get to persecute all the non-believers...of the replacement religion. Keep with Sony on three years you can all the Pentax people Fanboys
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Ken - KM 5D
http://www.cascadephotoworks.com

Member said:

that you dont have any room for error.......and I get better
results off the 6mp KM I have (at high ISO that is)

Click to expand...

I have to agree here , in further testing, the A100 looks like the noisiest APS-C at ISO800 and above, even about 1/2 - 1/3 of a stop noisier than the R1 !! - about a stop noisier than the D80 and 2/3 of a stop noisier than the noisy D2X (All checked in RAW) .... My thought was that its because the sensor is on an Antishake platform and can't be cooled properly (10Mp CCD needs more cooling?) but it's probably just cheap amplifiers to keep costs down - Pentax's AS doesn't really do much except make funy noises in the K100, dunno about the K10D but the Sonys works pretty well ..

Anyway - it's a damn good camera, this is the only real flaw in the slaw (why no ISO button is a mystery - same for the Pentax K100 and the D40) - I'm sure that ....

It's funny really but I'm quite hankering after trying a used KM 7D, I always liked the body of that camera a lot and the IQ should be the same as a D50, K100 or the KM 5D in RAW - the only killer of course is Blackframe and repairs etc.

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Please ignore the Typos, I'm the world's worst Typist