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Buy the A37 or wait for a cheap FF?

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clockwork247

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I saw the A37 at B&H with the 18-135 lens for 600 bucks. that's kindda a cool price for the combo IMO....

However my lens collection is all FF (only crop sensor lens i got is the kit 18-55 and the 35 1.8)... the rest of them are FF lens.

I feel like it's a waste of lens buying a crop sensor camera.

wait for sony to release a cheaper FF body or just stick with crop sensor cameras when the lens in my collection are almost all FF?
 
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long story short, A37 crop sensor + 18-135 lens for 600 or wait it out till sony release a cheap FF body.
 
IMHO you're not going to see a sub $1500 removable lens Full Frame Sony any time soon.
 
You probably would have a VERY long wait while you could be taking a lot of pictures. Besides, full frame lenses work fine on crop cameras so I really don't see any problem.
 
Buy the A37.

Your lenses do not care about the sensor they exposure. But it would be a waste not to use them.
I'm using the A37 with 80% FF lenses myself. It's an incredible package if you take size and price into account.
 
I agree with others that economical FFs from Sony are a long way off. And they would have to be stripped to have the proper place in the product line. I would, however, recommend you look for the best deal you can get on the a57, not the a37. Just a little bit more money, but much more functionality. Right now only $649 at Best Buy.

Lots of folks think otherwise, but to me the FF camera is a boondoggle. Can you tell the IQ difference? It is all posing. Mark my words: as soon as you can afford a FF DSLR/DSLT, there will be an even bigger sensor on the market. You will be chasing this thing forever. Lenses can be an issue, but often just adding one at the wider end, makes the whole range useful.

Robert
 
I already had an A77 when I picked up the A37/18-135 kit as a 2nd body. IMO it is a terriffic deal and a solid lens, the only features you may miss vs. the A57 are digital level and 60p video. The rest is down to ergonomics and battery life. I don't mind the weaker lcd and prefer the smaller body size.
 
clockwork247 said:
clockwork247 wrote:

I saw the A37 at B&H with the 18-135 lens for 600 bucks. that's kindda a cool price for the combo IMO....

However my lens collection is all FF (only crop sensor lens i got is the kit 18-55 and the 35 1.8)... the rest of them are FF lens.

I feel like it's a waste of lens buying a crop sensor camera.

wait for sony to release a cheaper FF body or just stick with crop sensor cameras when the lens in my collection are almost all FF?
Click to expand...
Let's say there will be a cheap FF out there . Why would you need it for? you had enough with crop sensor or what? :)
 
clockwork247 said:
clockwork247 wrote:

I saw the A37 at B&H with the 18-135 lens for 600 bucks. that's kindda a cool price for the combo IMO....

However my lens collection is all FF (only crop sensor lens i got is the kit 18-55 and the 35 1.8)... the rest of them are FF lens.

I feel like it's a waste of lens buying a crop sensor camera.

wait for sony to release a cheaper FF body or just stick with crop sensor cameras when the lens in my collection are almost all FF?
Click to expand...
+1 to the A37/57 + 18-135 choice. I have the A57/18-135 and I seek out using FF lenses, because the smaller sensor is using the typically sharpest portion of the lens, leaving out its edges.
 
If you want a cheap camera, take the A37.

If you have a few k$ or kEuro too much in your pocket, take the A99.

If you want to carry less weight, take a NEX.
 
I know what you mean. I've been waiting patiently for 7 or 8 years for a cheap full frame - it shouldn't be that hard to make a small full frame that acts like my old Dynax 5 - but I've been waiting in vain. I had thought that by now prices would have dropped enough that everyone would have full frame cameras.

But as that hope doesn't show any sign of eventuating, I decided to settle on a cheap second hand A900.

When I used to shoot film, 300mm was my favourite lens. But on an APS camera, 300mm is too long, and the crop equivalent of a 200mm lens, well, it just isn't the same either.

Regards,
Renato
 
The Sony A900 and the A850. You do not specify if video is important or not but from ISO 100-800 or even 1600, these should be perfectly fine. Also, the noise pattern on the older FFs and SLRs is slightly different than the SLTs.

I am sure you can find one in the used bin for around $1200-1500.
 
clockwork247 said:
clockwork247 wrote:

I saw the A37 at B&H with the 18-135 lens for 600 bucks. that's kindda a cool price for the combo IMO....

However my lens collection is all FF (only crop sensor lens i got is the kit 18-55 and the 35 1.8)... the rest of them are FF lens.

I feel like it's a waste of lens buying a crop sensor camera.

wait for sony to release a cheaper FF body or just stick with crop sensor cameras when the lens in my collection are almost all FF?
Click to expand...
get A900 or A850 and enjoy all your lenses at full IQ.

after some time get something for video (A55, A35, A57, or A37) or even NEX 5n with default lens.
 
NPPhoto said:
NPPhoto wrote:

The Sony A900 and the A850. You do not specify if video is important or not but from ISO 100-800 or even 1600, these should be perfectly fine. Also, the noise pattern on the older FFs and SLRs is slightly different than the SLTs.

I am sure you can find one in the used bin for around $1200-1500.
Click to expand...
 
clockwork247 said:
clockwork247 wrote:

I saw the A37 at B&H with the 18-135 lens for 600 bucks. that's kindda a cool price for the combo IMO....

However my lens collection is all FF (only crop sensor lens i got is the kit 18-55 and the 35 1.8)... the rest of them are FF lens.

I feel like it's a waste of lens buying a crop sensor camera.

wait for sony to release a cheaper FF body or just stick with crop sensor cameras when the lens in my collection are almost all FF?
Click to expand...
Would $2k USD be cheap enough for a full frame (body only)?

They already do have a cheaper camera, it's the A37, and it uses APS-C partially to keep the cost down. This seems to be a trend across the entire market with Canon and Nikon as well, seems to have been for a long time now, and I doubt it will change any time soon.

I find it a bit odd that your left trying to decide between the bottom of the line starter camera and the top of the line full frame. Especially with the impression that you already have a camera (or just lenses?).


All the old Minolta film lenses and all the full frame digital lenses still work. You don't get wide angles with them, 24mm would be wide angle on full frame, but it not very wide on APS-C, but you no longer have to worry about corner sharpness or vignetting on any of them.
 
I know the original question was whether to by an a37, but why is everyone ignoring the a57 which is more camera for almost the same money (at least according to the prices which have been put forward in this thread)?
 
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