accesories for A2 - and memory cards

After first longing for the A1 only to find it discontinued the week before i was going to buy i decieded to for the A2. gonna have someone buy it for me and will get it on tuesday....can't wait

I was just wondering what kind of acessories you people bought with the camera. This is my first digital camera so i don't have any equipemt from before

I'm also wondering about memorycards and what i need.

what is the setup you have? and how often do you empty it or transfer it to a computer....

I have two GB worth of memory cards: 1x1GB and 2x512 MB. Since I mostly shoot in RAW mode, this is good for about 100 pictures. If you shoot JPG, 1 GB (2x512) should be enough.

To download pictures, get a $20 card reader.

If you want an external flash, go for at least the Maxxum 3600(D). I have the 2500(D) which is cheaper but lacks power and options.

Get a 49-62 mm step up ring, and a 62 mm skylight or UV filter to protect the lens. Additional filters (polarizer, neutral density) at leisure.

If you are going to be doin tripod shooting, the remote release cable is a must.

A spare battery is nice to have. While the A2 batteries last for a long time, they will not carry you through a complete day of heavy shooting.

I also keep a compact tabletop tripod in my camera bag. It has saved my butt more than once when I didn't have my manfrotto with me (or when I was not allowed to deploy it).

edvardta said:

After first longing for the A1 only to find it discontinued the
week before i was going to buy i decieded to for the A2. gonna have
someone buy it for me and will get it on tuesday....can't wait

I was just wondering what kind of acessories you people bought with
the camera. This is my first digital camera so i don't have any
equipemt from before

I'm also wondering about memorycards and what i need.

what is the setup you have? and how often do you empty it or
transfer it to a computer....

Click to expand...

edvardta said:

what is the setup you have? and how often do you empty it or
transfer it to a computer....

Click to expand...

I have an A1 and 1 Gig of memory cards, which I usually transfer to the computer (using an external USB 2.0 card reader) when I'm coming home from a photo-shooting trip. For the foto-transfer during my vacation I've bought an Archos gmini 220 (with a 20GB disc) as Photo-wallet.

Other accessoires I ussually carry with me are:

• a spare battery
• a camera-bag
• a small table-tripod
• a micro-fibre cleaning cloth
• a 52mm circular polarization filter and a 49-52mm step-up ring
• (sometimes) the manual, printed as a 12x15cm booklet.
• (sometimes) a large el-cheapo tripod

I currently have on order:

• a Sigma EF-500 DG ST flash
• a set of second hand B&W close-up filters

With a Lexar 512mb SD card you get a free card reader. The most useful accessory I think is the battery grip which lets you use two Li ion batteries which last for more than 600 shots and has a vertical shutter release . Also it enables you to use 6 AA batteries. To see all the accessories available go to Minolta's website.

HenkH said:

edvardta said:

what is the setup you have? and how often do you empty it or
transfer it to a computer....

Click to expand...

I have an A1 and 1 Gig of memory cards, which I usually transfer to
the computer (using an external USB 2.0 card reader) when I'm
coming home from a photo-shooting trip. For the foto-transfer
during my vacation I've bought an Archos gmini 220 (with a 20GB
disc) as Photo-wallet.

Other accessoires I ussually carry with me are:

• a spare battery
• a camera-bag
• a small table-tripod
• a micro-fibre cleaning cloth
• a 52mm circular polarization filter and a 49-52mm step-up ring
• (sometimes) the manual, printed as a 12x15cm booklet.
• (sometimes) a large el-cheapo tripod

I currently have on order:

• a Sigma EF-500 DG ST flash
• a set of second hand B&W close-up filters

Click to expand...

--
John.

edvardta said:

After first longing for the A1 only to find it discontinued the
week before i was going to buy i decieded to for the A2. gonna have
someone buy it for me and will get it on tuesday....can't wait

I was just wondering what kind of acessories you people bought with
the camera. This is my first digital camera so i don't have any
equipemt from before

I'm also wondering about memorycards and what i need.

what is the setup you have? and how often do you empty it or
transfer it to a computer....

Click to expand...

I've been developing my A2 kit since early March, and it works very well for me. First off, I have never shot where I wanted more than the built-in flash. One selling point for me was the flash sync terminal. If I ever do want more light, I can use my old studio kit.

Anyway - I use the Lowe Pro EX 140 bag. That stays tethered to me at all times when I'm out, and when the cam is not in the bag, it is always hanging on my neck.

I use a 49mm Hoya UV filter without vignetting, and carry a spare as well. I do have the generic 49~62 mm step-up ring, which I use for my Hoya Cir. PL, and the Hoya 3 pc. close-up set.

It's hard to find a compact bag that accomodates the hand grip battery pack, so I carry a spare battery in the front pocket of the EX 140, along with whichever 1 Gb. CF card is not in use, and cleaning supplies.

Right now, the Lexar 40x WA 1 Gb. card is in the cam, with the older Sandisk 1 Gb. CF in reserve. Shooting in RAW, the cam tells me that capacity is 84 images per card. This is straight raw, where a separate THM. is generated for each image, rather than RAW + JPG, which requires even more memory. I generally transfer data at the end of each shoot, whether there are 10 or 100 images, by either method: via the built-in card reader in my PC, or thru the cam. D-Vue doesn't interface well with the cam for RAW, so when I use the camera port, I move the data file from the cam to my external drive, and access it with D-Vue from there. After that, it's just quickest to reformat the card in the cam to reset it.

You DO NOT need the remote accessory for tripod shooting. Just use the 2 second delay. I use the Bogen 3025 when I need a tripod, and carry the Slick mini-pro, though I don't like using it. I bought a monopod, which helps when I'm trying to shoot very close macros of bugs. Better to let the monopod hold the cam up near a flower while I wait for the bug to come along.
I hope this helps in your considerations!
--
Who am I to blow against the wind? -Paul Simon