josh_trefethen Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Hi Everyone... I am very tempted to upgrade from the Sony a100 I bought (my first DSLR) a year ago. Am wondering what you think - is the D300 worth the price jump? I am an amateur/ borderline pro. I take a lot of pictures with my a100 - have some good lenses, but would not be opposed to jumping over to Nikon to get into a better line of lenses, etc. I shoot a lot of landscape and Fine Art Photography and want to start doing portraits and possibly weddings after some time. I get the feeling that the Sony a100 is more an amateur setup - and am thinking that the Nikon will give me better results, as well as better credibility... I am also thinking since I am on the verge of making this more of a career than a hobby, that I should jump over to a better set up and build up my portfolio and gear on something that will last and that I will be happy with in the future... Any thoughts on this? The other option would be to go with a Sony a700 to keep my lenses...but at the same time, not sure if that is the right direction or not. Thanks for your thoughts! Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosvanEekelen Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Don't hesitate, buy the Nikon. You'll immediately see a drastic improvement in your pictures. You'll regret only one thing: that you didn't change earlier. But of course the risk of cross posting is that you will get very different responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timb196 Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 why not an a700? Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_bocchino Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 How about waiting to see what the Sony A900 has to offer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricardovaste Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 "You'll immediately see a drastic improvement in your pictures" What ever you're smoking please share it, it sounds pretty amazing. What lenses are you currently using for your landscape/fine art photography Josh? If you have the good glass, its not worth the jump IMHO, there is not a great difference between the A700 and D300 practically, and the A700 is cheaper. One thing that you WILL miss is in-body stabalisation, no getting away from that. Everyone does miss it. One thing i wouldnt hesitate in doing is upgrading from the a100! I'm just about putting up with mine. I went from the Dynax 7 to the a100 in Oct. 2007, and feel i have outgrown it. I want to get back to that 7-series level camera really. Let us know Josh. All the best, Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_nancarrow Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 I'm sure Jos is being sarcastic, it is well known that Canon is the only brand that will drastically improve your pictures. If you have even a few nice lenses than don't think of changing. The A700 is a great camera and has low noise at high ISO, a great LCD and the very important anti-shake. Every bit the contender for the Nikon d300, and less money. Sony has shown in the last year or so that it is committed being a player in the serious photography world, I would not bet against them, they are a huge company and will strive to be number one. But, if there is something you really like about Nikon, then now would be the best time to switch, before you have too many lenses. Bob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh_trefethen Posted March 15, 2008 Author Share Posted March 15, 2008 Thanks everyone for your responses - certainly gives me more to think about.<br><br> so the lenses I currently use are<br><br> -the kit lense Sony 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6<br><br> -Sony 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6<br><br> -Sony 50mm f/1.4 (mostly use it for portraits)<br><br> All 3 are nice lenses (but they are the only ones I have ever owned...so what do I know??) -nothing super extravagant but I have made good use of them. -Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh_trefethen Posted March 15, 2008 Author Share Posted March 15, 2008 ya - the A900 looks good - wonder if it will be outside my price range? Apparently it is going to be a "full frame 24.6MP CMOS model with Super Steady Shot stabilization" which sounds very good!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_sager Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Hi Josh.. At least you have a dslr. I'm still having trouble knowing which camera i should get for my first one. I want to open up a Old Time Photo Studio but also want to take it out in the field to use. I have been reading reviews and asking questions for quit some time now and i am still not any closer to a desion, quit frankly i'm going plum crazy Ha. I was looking at the Sony A700 i really like the way it feels when i hold it and has great reviews but might be on the high price side since i have so many other things to buy for my studio set up. So i am looking at the Nikon D80 or the pentax k10, but there are more models comming out and i don't know to wait or to get one know, I know i'm a mess, Good luck with your quest. Take care... Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_paul1 Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 Josh- The Sony lenses are just as good as any comparable Nikon (or Canon) lens that you pit them agaisnt. And it's the person behind the DSLR body that counts. However, if you feel you need some street cred to be considered a bona fide photographer, than at present, you should make a move before you invest anymore money in the Sony system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbs Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 What is an, "Old Time Photo Studio"? There is nothing wrong with Sony. The a100 makes a quality image under controlled lighting and even most street shooting. Street cred is silly. If you want to upgrade, get the a700 and keep the a100 as a backup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosvanEekelen Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 I was a bit sarcastic in my first reply, mainly because you posted the same question in two forums. More seriously, Sony follows up on the Minolta system but has dropped most of it. In that respect Sony can be considered to be a newcomer in de DSLR field, but a very ambitious one. The Sony system is not as elaborate as these from Nikon or Canon. Last time I checked I found the lens line-up the limiting factor, although I'm sure Sony is working on this. The possibility of using Zeiss glass is tempting though. In addition to this don't forget that you're not just buying a camera and lens buth that you're buying into a system. And don't underestimate the time you have invested in the Sony system, learning all the aspects of it. In the end it remains your own decision, every system has it (dis)advantages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_c.5 Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 The lenses you list aren't really great ones, other than the 50mm, but even still, the A700 is your upgrade path, unless you have the bucks and time to wait for the A900 to drop. Or, if you want to just Ebay what you have and jump ship, which I would not advise. The A700 is SO much more camera than your A100, you'll wonder how you put up with it this long. "Mmmmm. To Richard Harris you listen. Wise is he! Strong is the Force in him!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas_ferling Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 I was confronted with this same question, because both of the cameras are great. I was shooting medium format film, and had decided to give DSLRs a try in 2006 with the A100. I liked the camera, but knew that I would be upgrading rather soon. This past fall, I had to decide between the A700 and D300. The D300 has a bigger feature set, however, taking into account my kind of shooting, I realized that most of them wouldn't be used, and it was missing a MAJOR feature that I love for low-light portraits. Super Steady Shot. The image quality between the D300 and A700 is basically a wash, so deciding which features you'll actually use is what's important. Canon and Nikon people love to tell you that Sony's lens line-up is limited, but it really just depends on what you need. For me personally, there are more than enough lenses from Sony/Minolta to suit any shooting that I do (plus more are coming.) I've got a couple of the new Zeiss lenses for the A700, and I would put that up against the D300 with any lens, any day. Now, we get to wait on a 25mp full frame :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard f harris Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 I can't believe you are asking this question on this forum. Of course you should have bought a Nikon or Canon but you didn't. To change if you have a good lens line up would be silly. All cameras take the same picture. Sony have loads of credibility and should do great things for the dynax/maxum mount. If you want the best glass; CANON, it's simple. Zeiss may offer great standard lenses and zooms for the Sony mount but 400mm stabalized ultrasonic ....... etc etc, forget it. The worlds sports press and action photags use Canon and are commited. Only Canon can develop more and more high tech glass because they are the only ones with customers to buy it. But then to shoot weddings, a 28-70 f2.8 or APS size equal is all you need so why worry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas_ferling Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Agreed that Canon and Nikon is the way to go for sports, but the OP is doing landscape, art, weddings and portraits. Sony is great for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_fagan Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Why would you upgrade nikon has a sony sensor .. If you can't get great pictures with an A100 the d300 not going to help you any it's not the camera....also Sony is growing they are about to step up the game. I would build on the A100 with better glass...save for the full frame sonys within a couple of years they will be really have dropped in price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke_lee Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 I agree with Kevin. Any Dslr today on the market will make good photos.I would suggest saving the money and keeping your A100.Save for later when you really feel there are shots that you could get it if you have a different camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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