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Would I be happier with an A700 or A65????

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Think ahead to you decision after this one as well. If you like the way Sony is moving realizing EVF is the future with them and now they're talking about going mirror less which is really an unknown right now or do you prefer the more traditional but photographically excellent Nikon with OVF and probably a future of more traditional cameras.

A point though. Even though the A77 would do it's best with newer and better lenses doesn't mean it still won't do an outstanding job with your current lenses--you just don't maximize it's ability with them.
 
dlkeller said:
dlkeller wrote:

Think ahead to you decision after this one as well. If you like the way Sony is moving realizing EVF is the future with them and now they're talking about going mirror less which is really an unknown right now or do you prefer the more traditional but photographically excellent Nikon with OVF and probably a future of more traditional cameras.

A point though. Even though the A77 would do it's best with newer and better lenses doesn't mean it still won't do an outstanding job with your current lenses--you just don't maximize it's ability with them.
Click to expand...
 
csxfan said:
csxfan wrote:

Hello,

Thanks everyone for your input so far. To answer a previous post, i live on the east cost of the us.

I went to my local computer store today, and they had the a57, a65 and a d5100 on display. I started my venture by examining the a57. Nice feel, evf was ok, and the feature set was nice. Same goes for the a65, but the evf was much better. The d5100 reminded me of my a200. what i didnt like about the a57 or a65 was some of the cameras functions are buried down in the menu system, like macro and sunset settings. With the settings on the dial, it reminds me of a p&s camera. I dont care for panorama or 3d settings being a big deal on the knob. Navigating between movie mode and stills was a little bit of a pain. I also peaked at an a77, very nice, but the price blows me away, way out of y budget right now.

Now for the fun info.....

the a57 was $450 open box, camera and lens only.

the a65 was $550 box, lens and all but battery and charger.

the d5100 was $550 new, single lens.

the a77 was new, 18-55 f2.8 lens for 1500.00

also, if i would go with an a65, i would need fast memory cards and i guess better lenses to take advantage of the camera?????

now an a700 can be had for about $360 shipped fro keh, with battery and charger.

still tuff choice!!

-john
Click to expand...
A65 best camera on the list, If I read it right you would have to add in the battery and charger which adds about $30 for the battery charger another $40. The A57 is comparable to the Nikon D5100 but the A65 is certainly better than either. The a77 seems overpriced for having just the 18-55 lens, you can get them with a 18-135 for $1300 or with the very good 16-50 f/2.8 for $1600 fro B&H, probably cheaper from some of the eBay sellers. The 18-55 lens on the A65 would be useful to you as giving you some wide angle coverage your current lenses lack.
 
SLT-A65 is new tech, no prism no mirror, OLED VF, tilt-able LCD, 24Mp and many additional enhancements A700 doesn't have.

Why to buy a discontinued, already surpassed camera?

I got A65 (same A77 core) and I am more than happy with it.
 
I agree some what with Walt on the d700,, it is one of my favorite cameras but is old technology and the A65 is the way to go. I own and use both but the images from the A65 are incredable. The value of the newer sensor can not appreciated until you go out and use it in different settings. With the EVF it is easier to see and understand the relationship between Apeture,shutters speed and ISO. As a photojournalist I would never go back to film photography and I would never go back to OVF. I teach photography on an introductory level and advance level, the A65 will not hold our son back in his understanding of photography.
 
The A700 is a great camera but the A65 is to me much better newer tech. I would pick the A65, I never owned the A700 but I bought the A100, I thought I could buy the A700 when the price dropped well it never did, it actually went up. So I waited for its replacement which basically I purchased a A65, liked it so much I purchased a A77 a little later. Either camera would be great, I have seen some wonderful shots on here from A700 owners.

Good Luck

Joe
 
Hello everyone,

First i want to thank everyone for their input. earlier today, I took the plundge and purchased the a65. Since I already have a battery and charger, the extra savings was very attractive. I was able to put it through a typical photo shoot today and this is what I have as my first impressions with this unit.

Pros:

1) FAST continuous shooting mode. Nice for on coming fast train shots.

2) Very light for a camera of this size.

3) I do like the live view. I dont think it will be useful for train shooting though, as I prefer to shoot through the view finder. For stills, it could be a plus on a tripod.

4) Like the feel of it, easy grip like the a200.

5) 18-55mm lens was a joy to shoot with. allowed me to get closer and still get the entire engine in the frame. Nice!!

Thats it. Very short list. Funny, when I got the a200, the list seemed much longer.

Cons:

1) Continuous shooting slows down way to fast. Faster than the a200. I know its more resolution, but the a200 keeps going without the burps. Granted I use 133x compactflash cards, so part of the problem could be fixed with 30x sdhc cards. Have to get one, and try it out.

2) The evf is a joke to me. It may have big benefits to some, but for me its a joke. The colors that it displays are horrible. very over contrasted compared to an ovf. what it shows me is not the same as i see color. I noticed this on an a77 earlier today also, way over contrasted with the whites blown out. at least with the ovf, i see natural colors as i see them. Also, with the a65, the evf display is very grainy, something not noticed on the a77. I also seemed to have more blurry shots for first use, than i did with the a200. I guess getting use to the evf could be the blame to an extent. The biggest negative for me is no looking through the vf without the power on. With an ovf, i can pick a lense and play around without powering up the camera, cant do with the a65. Sounds funny, but its something I do between trains.

3) Very slow start up. Missed a good set of shots waiting for the unit to come online. Seems slower than the a200.

4) Missing some of the preset buttons that i have on the a200, like iso and drive mode to name a few. Dont like them as dial functions. Also, the controls seem to be very touchy. I use a sling, and screwed up some shots because of butt settings. I guess fro the bumping of the camera as we walk around caused setting to change or the camera is acting funny. Had this happen with a day out with an a57.

5) Adding panorama and 3d to the control knob and making settings like macro a menu function is just plain stupid.

6) Video. Is it a camera or is it a camcorder... no wait its both!! Im old school ... keep things separate. Do one thing and one thing very well. Reflected in my company model also. Think about it... if i use the camera say to shoot video at a beauty show, and i want to take stills from different angle... i need another unit to do so. Hey, cameras are for stills and camcorders are for video. Which brings up the navigating between video and stills is a pain.

Havent developed the pictures yet, so i cant comment on the end results. So far, this slt with evf could be a bust for me. I did look at a camera with a pentaprism ovf..... it was nice, but the camera was built like a tank.... heavier than the a200.

I wish Sony had kept the dslr along side the slt and nex lines. Would have given them a blanket coverage of the market. Keep the dslr more traditional, and the slt/nex lines as experimental. Maybe made the dslr line camera shop exclusive. oh well..... could be in an alternate universe.

-john
 
csxfan said:
csxfan wrote:

Hello,

First i want to say I' new to the forum, and digital photography also, as my son and I have been into the hobby for 5 months. Currently we both have a200's and enjoy using them. I want to upgrade to a different camera, something that I can grown into and enjoy using. I would to stay with a sony, as i want to break the nikon/canon grip. I'll explain what we shoot, gear we have and what i would like to get.

I am a railfan, and enjoy taking pictures of trains as my hobby. I also shoot my daughters pom pom parades and been playing around with macro shots of nature on the side. My desire is to work with black and white, so I do shoot color first, then work on converting. As I said, i do like my a200, which I shoot a majority of pics in Aperture mode. Ive been able to blow up my best pics to 20x30 with good results for hanging on the den wall.

My gear consists of the following items:

Minolta af 28-80 f3.5-5.6

af 28-100 f3.5-5.6

af 35-80 f4-5.6

af 70-210 f3.5-5.6

af 100-200 f4.5

af 100-300 f3.5-4.6

Seems like alot of overlap, but my son and I share the lenses on photo shoots. My favorites are the 100-200 and the 28-100, and my son enjoys the 70-210 the best.

Now knowing what I do, and I will definitely pass this to my son for photography classes in school no doubt in a few months with the same camera body, would I be happier with an a700 or an a65. Ive had the chance to play with an a65, but ive always wanted to go the 700 route. low light shooting is next to none, and with the 200, i dont go above iso 400. I want something that i wont out grow, plus make a great camera for my sons schooling. As a note, the a55 is ruled out, too toy like, and i dont like the feel of it. Or would i be better off with going the cookie cutter route of canon or nikon.

Thanks in advance for any input.
Click to expand...
a580 is probably the best one. A700 is good to use but a580 has better iso low light performance.

Buy a 2nd hand prime or newer Sony 50/1.8, 85/2.8
 
It does have an ISO button, it is found on top, has a white balance button too. With function button you have access tomake other adjustment, I like Quicknav better on the A700. With EVF I have gone back to shooting in manual exposure, it is so easy to now.
 
Well Sam, you've taken your time for explaining it much better than I did and I'm satisfied to share your reasoning, you're more experienced than many of us and use cameras as the Photo Pro you are, so your opinion worths for me!

Txs4Sharing
 
csxfan said:
csxfan wrote:

Hello everyone,

First i want to thank everyone for their input. earlier today, I took the plundge and purchased the a65. Since I already have a battery and charger, the extra savings was very attractive. I was able to put it through a typical photo shoot today and this is what I have as my first impressions with this unit.

Pros:

1) FAST continuous shooting mode. Nice for on coming fast train shots.

2) Very light for a camera of this size.

3) I do like the live view. I dont think it will be useful for train shooting though, as I prefer to shoot through the view finder. For stills, it could be a plus on a tripod.

4) Like the feel of it, easy grip like the a200.

5) 18-55mm lens was a joy to shoot with. allowed me to get closer and still get the entire engine in the frame. Nice!!

Thats it. Very short list. Funny, when I got the a200, the list seemed much longer.

Cons:

1) Continuous shooting slows down way to fast. Faster than the a200. I know its more resolution, but the a200 keeps going without the burps. Granted I use 133x compactflash cards, so part of the problem could be fixed with 30x sdhc cards. Have to get one, and try it out.

2) The evf is a joke to me. It may have big benefits to some, but for me its a joke. The colors that it displays are horrible. very over contrasted compared to an ovf. what it shows me is not the same as i see color. I noticed this on an a77 earlier today also, way over contrasted with the whites blown out. at least with the ovf, i see natural colors as i see them. Also, with the a65, the evf display is very grainy, something not noticed on the a77. I also seemed to have more blurry shots for first use, than i did with the a200. I guess getting use to the evf could be the blame to an extent. The biggest negative for me is no looking through the vf without the power on. With an ovf, i can pick a lense and play around without powering up the camera, cant do with the a65. Sounds funny, but its something I do between trains.

3) Very slow start up. Missed a good set of shots waiting for the unit to come online. Seems slower than the a200.

4) Missing some of the preset buttons that i have on the a200, like iso and drive mode to name a few. Dont like them as dial functions. Also, the controls seem to be very touchy. I use a sling, and screwed up some shots because of butt settings. I guess fro the bumping of the camera as we walk around caused setting to change or the camera is acting funny. Had this happen with a day out with an a57.

5) Adding panorama and 3d to the control knob and making settings like macro a menu function is just plain stupid.

6) Video. Is it a camera or is it a camcorder... no wait its both!! Im old school ... keep things separate. Do one thing and one thing very well. Reflected in my company model also. Think about it... if i use the camera say to shoot video at a beauty show, and i want to take stills from different angle... i need another unit to do so. Hey, cameras are for stills and camcorders are for video. Which brings up the navigating between video and stills is a pain.

Havent developed the pictures yet, so i cant comment on the end results. So far, this slt with evf could be a bust for me. I did look at a camera with a pentaprism ovf..... it was nice, but the camera was built like a tank.... heavier than the a200.

I wish Sony had kept the dslr along side the slt and nex lines. Would have given them a blanket coverage of the market. Keep the dslr more traditional, and the slt/nex lines as experimental. Maybe made the dslr line camera shop exclusive. oh well..... could be in an alternate universe.

-john
Click to expand...
The EVF is a compromise, but so is an OVF. I think some EVF critics are forgetting that an OVF does NOT show you what you are going to have captured by your camera - it shows you a view of the world through the lens and OVF optics. Often what the scene looks like in an OVF is not all that close to what the final image, raw or JPEG, is like. In my experience, having both an OVF (a700) and EVF (a57 and a77) camera, I find what the EVF of the a57 or a77 shows me is closer to the final recorded image than what the OVF of the a700 shows me. If you think the a77 EVF colors are off then no EVF is going to please you (well, maybe the the OVF+EVF in the X100s might). When I had a GH3 (a more expensive camera than the a65 or a77) that EVF was terrible for color accuracy, especially with reds and indoors.

The a65 or 77 ae so much better than the a200, they really are, but you need time to learn how to get the most out of them - I'm still learning this with my a77 and I have had it over 6 months.
 
I have both the A700 and the A65. The A700 is a photographer's camera, sturdy, with an optical viewfinder and a great set of controls laid out well. The A65 has an inferior viewfinder, set of controls, build quality and a short battery life. I don't use its movie mode but do find the articulated screen very useful.

I enjoy photography more with the A700 in my hand.

But when the quality of the photos is paramount I grab the A65. And this is most of the time. On a good high resolution monitor I prefer the A65's images so I put up with its shortcomings.

It's nice to have both cameras, with a different lens on each. The A77 gives you the best of both but with an EVF. So you might enjoy an A700 along with your A65.
 
I wanna thank everyone for all of their input. After trying the a65, a d7000 and a a 60d, both of which didnt give me the colors out of the box like the a200 with minolta lenses, i broke down and went with the a700. Part of the reason was due to its build quality and second I got a really good deal on one. This will be a better learning tool for me to continue my photographic journey and maybe down the road, when the a77 or a65 drop to song in price, ill pick one up. although i think the build quality of the a700 will spoil me.

thanks again

-john
 
Enjoy your a700 - it's still a great camera - the ergonomics are great, quick navi is just so intuitive, and the results are very good, especially if you shoot in raw.
 
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