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A550 vs A700 choice?

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Mister Mike

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I've had the A100 almost since the beginning. I love it and hesitate to even think about more money to move up. But, the better IQ that the CMOS sensor seems to offer, higher ISO offering (I really like natural light vs. flash) and other benefits has me considering either the new A550 body or the A700 body, both of which I will be able to get for about the same price (under $1K). (While the future A700 upgrade will make me drool, it will most likely be out of my price range.)

In addition to the Sony kit lens, I have the Tamron f2.8 17-50 and the Sigma 75-300 lenses, and the F42AM flash. I am not interested in moving away from the Sony line.

I find both the A550 and A700 really attractive choices in terms of features and IQ. Each has its draw to me, with their own pluses and minuses. I'd appreciate comments on the relative desirability of these two wonderful choices.

--
'Better' is the enemy of 'Good Enough'.
 
It is hard to give advice. The A5x0 and the A700 are two diffrent beasts!
The A5x0 are a lot like the A100, but with LV and better IQ.
The A5x5 will be lighter then the a700 so that may be a plus or a min .

the best thing is: Go to the shop and handle them both. ou are the only one that can say what camera is the best for you. Handle it, use the VF and the LV. If the VF is to small for you and you want to use it a lot, then go for the A700. If You iike the two way LV then go for the A5x0!
IQ wise I don't think the difference will be noticable in real live prints.
So go for the handling and not for the IQ!
 
My advice would be to wait until the A550 gets reviewed or has the image samples up on IR, because with the A700 V.4, the D300 was still a bit better at high ISO, so it took Sony a few firmware revisions to be still not as good as the D300. But, with the new A550, I'm really excited because from what I've seen so far, it might have better high ISO IQ than the D300 - and for $700 less!!!

These are exciting times for Sony dslrs. Plus, HDR is potentially an awesome new little feature...
 
Mike,

None of us can really comment on the A550 except that it offers some pluses in terms of resolution, live view, frame rate and that intriguing HDR feature.

The A700 has, I think, a better user interface and is probably a sturdier and more durable instrument (?). It also offers some features that others have noted are missing from the A550. You'll have to decide how much these are worth to you.

All I can really say is that, as much as I love the A700 - and I don't think you would be sorry you got it - I would buy the A550 if I were in your shoes.

Good luck with your choice. Either option will, I'm sure, serve you well and will be a worthwhile upgrade from the A100.

Gary
Mister Mike said:
I've had the A100 almost since the beginning. I love it and hesitate to even think about more money to move up. But, the better IQ that the CMOS sensor seems to offer, higher ISO offering (I really like natural light vs. flash) and other benefits has me considering either the new A550 body or the A700 body, both of which I will be able to get for about the same price (under $1K). (While the future A700 upgrade will make me drool, it will most likely be out of my price range.)

In addition to the Sony kit lens, I have the Tamron f2.8 17-50 and the Sigma 75-300 lenses, and the F42AM flash. I am not interested in moving away from the Sony line.

I find both the A550 and A700 really attractive choices in terms of features and IQ. Each has its draw to me, with their own pluses and minuses. I'd appreciate comments on the relative desirability of these two wonderful choices.

--
'Better' is the enemy of 'Good Enough'.
Click to expand...
--
Gary

 
i just ordered and a700 because my kid broke my a350

i looked at the 550 series and i dont want live view ect ect and if i want to do HDR its easy for me to do with the software i have and using the camera. the a700 is a great camera ive seen great pictures on here and when i went to shop it felt awesome. even IF 550 has slightly better IQ im still going to pull of awesome photos on the a700 for a long time to come.

and im told the a700 is a pretty strong unit so hopefully ill be taking photos of my boy instead of waiting for a replacement camera

people always talk about high iso IQ ect but i asked myslef how often previously did i shoot at really high iso ( fairly rare )

Im buying a better lense ( tamron f2.8 17-50 ) also where previously i just had kit lenses
 
Wait for the review of A550 if you can.
If there are any improvment in sensor dynamic range with the A550 that is
always good. But I don't say the A700 is bad in DR either. Just want to
see if Sony has done anything here, but I really don't expect great improvments.

The A700 is a more solid camera body, metal body and weather seals.
For me that is very important and why I would buy the A700 again today.
I use my A700 in light rain, no problems so fare. Would be a little more
careful with the A550 in rain.

The A700 when new was priced round 1300$, today you can (I believe)
get it for a very good price many places. The user interface and
controls are excellent. The little joystick is great to use.

Do you need live views or a tilt LCD? If not, choose the A700.

But again, maybe wait for the A550 review to see if there are any important
improvements in image quality... for you.
 
I have the A100, which I love. If it was stolen or broken, and had to choose between the 550 and 700, I would buy the 550. My reasons...I really don't want a bigger camera, I would love to use the tilt LCD with LV. I haven't tried the 550, but people have said the VF between the 100 and 550 are about the same, which is fine with me. The new HDR feature is also a plus. Losing the DOF button doesn't matter, and I use MLU on the 100 just because it's there, but in my type of shooting, I really don't need it.

But the main reason is the size, I have owned big cameras and now I'm liking smaller cameras. I use a LX3 more than my DSLR these days. The only reason I would buy a larger camera is for FF (850/900). If they came out with an A100 type camera with FF, I would buy it in a heartbeat...heheh.
Just my personal feeling on the question.
Russ
--



http://www.flickr.com/photos/quietrvr/
Gear=A camera with a lens.
 
I am kind of in the same shape you are. I have enjoyed learning with my A300.

I tend to shoot a lot of low light so the new A5xx sensor intrigues me as does the HDR. I am playing with a new macro lens and a Tamron 200-500 so, either the A700 or a A5xx suits there The Live View? Going to have to be better than the A3xx for it to be a must have. the tilt - I don't use as much as I thought I would. Got a lot of CF cards - so the SD has me a little cranky - yes, I know cards are cheap. I do have some MS Duo to tide me over.

Heard so many good things about the A700. Wonder what the next one step up will be like as well.

I am just going to have to wait for the reviews. Plenty of time before the Alaska Cruise in next May
 
I would go for A700 anytime.

If you shoot mostly JPEG, then the A550 high ISO shots may look better - looks like it has much improved color noise reduction. Detail-wise they look comparable. I doubt that A550 high ISO RAWs would be any better than A700's.

To me LV is nice to have for studio and macro work mainly. But I wouldn't sacrifice a nice viewfinder for a live view...
 
is there any chance that a firmware update improves the high iso on the A700 given that the sensor is similar?

also, could a firmware update bring the HDR feature to the A700?

--
the second mouse gets the cheese
 
andialpha said:
is there any chance that a firmware update improves the high iso on the A700 given that the sensor is similar?

also, could a firmware update bring the HDR feature to the A700?

--
the second mouse gets the cheese
Click to expand...
Only Sony has an answer to these questions.
 
it is really simple, i think. if you are ok with sacrificing better view finder and better body for pretty much live view and maybe a slightly cleaner jpeg in high iso then get the a500. if you will be shooting with your eyeball to the vinder and hands wrapped on the camera then get the a700.
 
Mister Mike
Mister Mike said:
In addition to the Sony kit lens, I have the Tamron f2.8 17-50 and the Sigma 75-
300 lenses
Click to expand...
Isn't this the same Sigma that breaks AF on new Sony cameras? That might casue problem. Sell it while it still works and get something else.
 
ianimal said:
Wait for the review of A550 if you can.
Click to expand...
ianimal said:
But again, maybe wait for the A550 review to see if there are any important
improvements in image quality... for you.
Click to expand...
The issues is that at this moment you can get nice prices for the A700 (new) but such bodies are selling well and some stores don't have any at this moment, so perhaps these weeks are the last chance to get an A700.

If we knew that there will be a replacement of A700 in the upcoming months, decissions could be easier, but at this moment we are not sure if the advanced APS-C line of Sony will die with the A700.

My choice: set a line for a "good price" that you can find an A700, if I find such offer I'll take it otherwise.. wait and cross fingers.

--
Ernesto
http://www.fisica3.net
 
For my needs the A550 is close to what I am seeking in a camera. I am really interested in the replacement for the A700 as well. I have previously owned an A700 and did find the camer a bit on the large side, and really didnt like the camera without any form of live view, having come from high end P&S.

The Pentax K7 is also of some interest, especially the smaller size and its quality build. However, the fast LV keeps drawing me back so I think it will be a toss up between the A550 and Pentax K7 although the A550 build is said to be less than stellar.

I am really looking forward to the A550 being on the shelves so I can feel it and compare it against similar cameras.
 
Gary Baker said:
I am kind of in the same shape you are. I have enjoyed learning with my A300.

Heard so many good things about the A700. Wonder what the next one step up will be like as well.
Click to expand...
I'm in this group as well. I went from a Sony H5 to the a300 and as of late have been worried about it running out of life. It has been heavily used and I'd like to get some use out of it as a second body. I looked forward to the a500/a550 announcement and at first it seemed to be a good replacement.

I use the OVF at least 90% of the time, but I like LV and it has become a must have feature for me.

The a550 looks like it is going to delivery good IQ but think I'd like a little more camera. One small thing that put me off was that the Flash X-syn speed stayed at 1/160.

I now plan on waiting to hear about an a7xx but I'm getting nervous about Sony's direction and the possibility that there may not be a high end APS-C offering. If there was an a8xx with LV I would buy it now.
 
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