A700 Revisited....

(It would be pointless to get responses from non-A700 buyers here, I think..... )

Just for the heck of it, I went back and read the review on here... DPReview... on the A700. That was a pretty darned good review. Phil rated it very highly. I was just wondering how much that review influenced anyones purchase of the camera. I guess there is really no way of knowing, because many probably don't habitually frequent this site really... but just for fun, I can ask here:

Did the A700 review on the DPReview site affect any of your buying decisions of the camera? *

Also, I wonder what those folks NOW think of their buying decision... did the A700 live up to your expectations?

And last, what are your future plans with Sony?

The answers would be somewhat instructive as to this websites "effectiveness" in the marketplace....

--
Gil
Sardis, BC
Canada
--
Gil
Sardis, BC
Canada

It definitely had a lot of influence, but I couldn't afford it until the Best Buy sale.

I really love the camera. Sony responded to the only real complaint with firmware and made it even better. Big, clear OVF and outstanding ergonomics as well as great pictures.

Some of the new Sony's actually exceed it in picture quality with new sensors but, except for full frame models, none are close in ergonomics or viewfinder for my tastes. As a result I'm still holding out on making a decision on my future with Sony-and that includes Lens upgrades. I just can't see investing further in a system that doesn't include a sure upgrade path which suit my tastes and style.

It influenced me somewhat, but the best buy sale ($830 years ago) is what did it. However, how did I know I wanted a Sony. I wanted in-body stabilization, I came from a Minolta 7D, and I loved the reflex 500mm. Of course, now I have the70-400G which I like even better. I think the user comments here influenced me more than the review.

Soon though, it appears that Sony is going to force me to watch an EVF cartoon from the 70-400, and force me into a camera that ghosts in the microscope and telescope. I know--stay on topic!
--
Steve W
weather photos: http://home.comcast.net/~scwest/atmo/

Gil Knutson said:

(It would be pointless to get responses from non-A700 buyers here, I think..... )

Just for the heck of it, I went back and read the review on here... DPReview... on the A700. That was a pretty darned good review. Phil rated it very highly. I was just wondering how much that review influenced anyones purchase of the camera. I guess there is really no way of knowing, because many probably don't habitually frequent this site really... but just for fun, I can ask here:

Did the A700 review on the DPReview site affect any of your buying decisions of the camera? *

Click to expand...

Absolutely.

Gil Knutson said:

Also, I wonder what those folks NOW think of their buying decision... did the A700 live up to your expectations?

Click to expand...

Yes the A700 has lived up to my expectations. Sony in general? Not as much.

Gil Knutson said:

And last, what are your future plans with Sony?

Click to expand...

I am in a wait-and-see holding pattern. I think Sony needs to do the SLT thing since it is a real differentiator for them (it would be nice if they would advertise so people knew this). However, I don't think they need to or should abandon the SLR/OVF cameras - especially for the A700 and higher levels. I think they should have an SLT/SLR strategy for the foreseeable future until all the kinks are worked out of the system.

I have a fairly complete kit which I don't get to use as much as I would like. I have the luxury of waiting to see how things develop in the Sony world. I have nothing against the SLT/EVF design in general. I do however thing it needs to be improved for the 7-series camera.

Gil Knutson said:

The answers would be somewhat instructive as to this websites "effectiveness" in the marketplace....

Click to expand...

That of course is a tough call but I think it has a measurable effect. It is always at or close to the top of the google searches I do. There is also the claim that Sony reps read this site.

Gil Knutson said:

--
Gil
Sardis, BC
Canada
--
Gil
Sardis, BC
Canada

Click to expand...

--
Rick
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fjbphotos/

It's +1 here.

Thanks, so far, for the on topic responses.

I guess I should put in my take on the whole thing.

Yes, DPR affected my purchase of the A100, which was also Highly Recommended. When the A700 came out and Phil reviewed it, it was positive enough to affect my mind set. I knew I wanted/needed built in stabalization... and still do more than ever... and the idea of having to rely on the lens to do this rather than the camera, didn't turn me on. Having every lens "stabalized", to me, was a big plus.

The A100 did not quite live up to my needs... flash problems and being affected by bright lights in the image as well as the relatively slow auto-focusing... convinced me that I should have something else. When I could get the A700 for $919 Cdn two years ago, made me splurge. Still haven't told the wife, and she never noticed.

My future with the system is fuzzy... I don't like the idea of that mirror staying in the light path, and so am really thinking that I may go Pentax in the future IF I have to buy a new body. The A580 interests me, so I may go that way IF it is close enough to what I want... but that is the future. I am still trying to understand all the variables in handling the A700... and I guess the same would be true no matter what camera/system I am using. When the A700 takes good pics, it is terrific, I just have to figure out how to be consistent!!!!

So, for now, I will stick with the A700. It basically meets most of my needs. It is a much better camera than I am a photographer.

--
Gil
Sardis, BC
Canada

Steve West said:

It influenced me somewhat, but the best buy sale ($830 years ago) is what did it. However, how did I know I wanted a Sony. I wanted in-body stabilization, I came from a Minolta 7D, and I loved the reflex 500mm. Of course, now I have the70-400G which I like even better. I think the user comments here influenced me more than the review.

Soon though, it appears that Sony is going to force me to watch an EVF cartoon from the 70-400, and force me into a camera that ghosts in the microscope and telescope. I know--stay on topic!

Click to expand...

I sure don't want to take the thread off-topic.

But since AF is completely irrelevant to the two uses you noted above, you could prevent any chance of ghosting by just popping the mirror out of the camera when using an SLT for those applications. It's really easy to do.

--
Greg

Gil Knutson said:

(It would be pointless to get responses from non-A700 buyers here, I think..... )

Just for the heck of it, I went back and read the review on here... DPReview... on the A700. That was a pretty darned good review. Phil rated it very highly. I was just wondering how much that review influenced anyones purchase of the camera. I guess there is really no way of knowing, because many probably don't habitually frequent this site really... but just for fun, I can ask here:

Did the A700 review on the DPReview site affect any of your buying decisions of the camera? *

Click to expand...

No

Gil Knutson said:

Also, I wonder what those folks NOW think of their buying decision... did the A700 live up to your expectations?

Click to expand...

yes

Gil Knutson said:

And last, what are your future plans with Sony?

Click to expand...

None

Gil Knutson said:

The answers would be somewhat instructive as to this websites "effectiveness" in the marketplace....

--
Gil
Sardis, BC
Canada
--
Gil
Sardis, BC
Canada

Click to expand...

--
Thanks,

Digitalshooter

I bought my A700 before the review was published, but have been very pleased with the outstanding performance.

I recently bought the A55 after reading the reviews, primarily for the for the improved high iso and DR with a relatively quiet shutter. I am not an EVF fan, but can live with it for a while.

Longer term, if Sony did not offer a high end APS with an OVF, I would likely look at other options.

--
Richard B.
http://www.pbase.com/richard_b

with that little blowout of theirs. I was pretty blown away by the a700 when I first handled one. It made my a100 feel very antiquated. :/
--
My flickr page
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33412421@N08/

DPR review never affected me on my decision to buy the a700. And no reviews do. I just use reviews to look at the features of the camera if I can not find it in another place. What influence my buying decision was the cameras features and the fact that it was able to fit my shooting style and the fact that I was able to try the camera before buying it.
--

When your current system does not satisfy you, it is better to switch than to cry and whine on the forums.

Generally, I don't read reviews here or anywhere else for that matter. I just buy a camera and decide if it works for me or not.

I bought my a700 a couple of years ago and just sold it. I bought an a55 in place of it. Notice that I didn't say replace because they are different beasts (apples and oranges). I am really enjoying using the a55 though...

--
Neil
http://thewarmland.com

I did like the review... It did influence me a tad.

I will be here waiting for sony to have the same body and OVF plus articulating live view Screen

HD VIDEO 15 - 18 MP and my dream would be to have Aperature Braketing if thats even possible. I have been asking them to do that for a few years now. I will buy it in a second.. and make seal films with my beercan

--
D.C. Kensinger

A700 11-18, 16-35, 28 1.8, 28-75 2.8, 28-85, 28-300 tammy, 35-75 f4, 50 macro, 50 1.7, 70-200 f4, 75-300, 135 2.8,

The content of the review and pros/cons more than the final rating.

I've been very happy with my A700 and SSS which was one of the compelling reasons for selecting it over the D300 has lived up to what I hoped it would be. (and in case anyone is planning on commenting that the D300 isn't the competitor, it was, I bought mine early on when the midrange choices were the 40D, D300 and A700)

I haven't tried a A33/55 yet but will probably upgrade to the A77 when it comes out if it's as impressive as Sony keeps saying it will be. AF speed and accuracy is the one thing that I wish was better. I'd have to spend more for it but I could get superior performance on high end Canons and Nikons. That seems to be a clear area of focus (no pun intended) for Sony with the A55 and if they improve even more with the A77 it would be worth the upgrade for me. The improved high ISO will be nice too though that's less of a shot against the A700 and more a statement on how much technology in general has improved.

Gil Knutson said:

(It would be pointless to get responses from non-A700 buyers here, I think..... )

Just for the heck of it, I went back and read the review on here... DPReview... on the A700. That was a pretty darned good review. Phil rated it very highly. I was just wondering how much that review influenced anyones purchase of the camera. I guess there is really no way of knowing, because many probably don't habitually frequent this site really... but just for fun, I can ask here:

Did the A700 review on the DPReview site affect any of your buying decisions of the camera? *

Click to expand...

No. The dpreview gives me some basic info, but its not enough for me to spend that amount of money. The reviewers don't have enough time or enough a-mount experience to uncover the good and the bad. The user comments in the forum did. Because of the issues with 'watercolor' noise reduction (also Adobe's poor raw conversion), I waited.

I had a KM7D, so I was in no rush. (I also waited before I bought the KM7D because of user issues with exposure, poor focus, and lazy eye. KM fixed some issues with firmware, and I eventually bought a factory refurb - I figured they would have fixed any obvious problems.) Regardin the A700, once Sony came out with firmware V4 and it became apparant that Sony wasn't going to release a new A7xx (at least for a while), I bought one.

Gil Knutson said:

Also, I wonder what those folks NOW think of their buying decision... did the A700 live up to your expectations?

Click to expand...

Yes. I would like improved AF, but other than that I am content.

Gil Knutson said:

And last, what are your future plans with Sony?

Click to expand...

I would like an A700 DSLR upgrade. Unfortunately, Sony management appears to not care about my interests. So I will continue using my A700, possibly buy a used one as a backup (depending on cost), maybe buy a used A850, but I really don't want a FF. I have money set aside for an A7xx, the 135 STF lens, and the 70-400SSM. Depending on what happens with an A7xx next year, I will either spend the money with Sony or use it to start with another brand. I will continue using my a-mount equipment until it no longer works, but won't buy anything new until I see Sony supporting my interest. If they stop, I'll do something else.

Gil Knutson said:

The answers would be somewhat instructive as to this websites "effectiveness" in the marketplace....

--
Gil

Click to expand...

Sorry, just can't resist an observation. A nice sample group of advanced camera users who are very happy with their camera--yet, most of who are seriously considering changing brands in the future. I hope Sony takes note of this in forming future plans.

Gil wrote;

Gil Knutson said:

... but just for fun, I can ask here:

Did the A700 review on the DPReview site affect any of your buying decisions of the camera?

Click to expand...

Yes (partly), I had the a100 (still have it), was at a cross-road and decided to move forward with Sony and the a700.

Gil Knutson said:

Also, I wonder what those folks NOW think of their buying decision... did the A700 live up to your expectations?

Click to expand...

Yes, but as others will say; V4 made my day.

Gil Knutson said:

And last, what are your future plans with Sony?

Click to expand...

I'm still here and will be for a while.

Gil Knutson said:

The answers would be somewhat instructive as to this websites "effectiveness" in the marketplace....

Click to expand...

This is the part that I'm not so sure about. Opinions regarding the causality , of the comings and goings of Sony forum members and Sony DSL/R/T and NEX users, would be interesting though? They say; opinions need stats to back them up.....

Cheers Steve

I always do take account of what DPR reviews say, and so did read their a700 review before buying. But I also greatly respect David Kilpatrick's take on things as well, so was interested in his view as well before I bit the bullet and bought two a700s. Still my first choice cameras actually.

Gil Knutson said:

Did the A700 review on the DPReview site affect any of your buying decisions of the camera? *

Click to expand...

Somewhat - it showed some interesting features. SSS was a good thing and DRO+ seemed intriguing.

Gil Knutson said:

Also, I wonder what those folks NOW think of their buying decision... did the A700 live up to your expectations?

Click to expand...

Yes. Turned out that I've never really used DRO in any form...

Gil Knutson said:

And last, what are your future plans with Sony?

Click to expand...

Waiting for a sense of direction after more 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 level models than I could care to attempt to count...

Gil Knutson said:

The answers would be somewhat instructive as to this websites "effectiveness" in the marketplace....

Click to expand...

It will probably also be extremely self-selecting.

Regards,
Mike
--
I'd prefer my DSLR without video, thank you.
I know it has uses, but not for me.
I like the NEXes, but they are too small for my hands.

The review did not influence my purchase.

I'm very happy with the a700.

I plan to get a new Sony next year.

--
Busch

Take the scenic route! Life is too short to do otherwise.

http://www.pbase.com/busch