Is it too late to buy an a700??

[mattbuser]

<p>The reason I am asking this is becouse I bought an a100 last year about this time and it was discontinued. I love the camera and will continue to use it. I would have liked to get an a700 then but didnt have the money and chose to go ahead with the a100 instead of the then new a200. Now with all the talk of possibly an a800 coming out and of course they will start discontinuing models, is it foolish for someone to buy last years(or last 2 years) models. Of course the a700 is more camera than the a100, but I guess I am just wondering what your thoughts are on buying something "old and outdated" instead of the newest version. I would like to have a 2nd camera for various reasons. </p>

<p>Matt </p>

[irusan]

<p>Yes, there is talk of the α800, but ask yourself this: if you had bought the α700 last year, would you already be looking to upgrade? Probably not.</p>

<p>The α100 is definitely an entry-level camera and one that, although very good, is one you will outgrow. Will you outgrow the α700? I can't answer that for you. :-)</p>

<p>Here's the real question - what is the α100 lacking that the α700 will give you and what, if/when the α800 is released, will that give you that the α700 won't have (and will you really need it)?</p>

<p>I am still shooting (professionally) with the Minolta 7D and I am looking to upgrade. I'll probably pick up the α900 but my father-in-law has the α700 and it out-performs what I am using now. I guess what I am trying to say is not to get too worked up about having the latest and greatest all the time. It's the one thing that frustrates the hell out of me with digital. Used to be that, when I wanted to "upgrade the technology" in my film camera, I changed films. Now, I need to drop $3000+ on a new body.</p>

<p>Good luck with the decision making - I say go for the α700 now - by the time you outgrow it (if you do) there will be several newer and better bodies out there in 4-5 years.</p>

<p>Cheers</p>

[ilkka]

<p>The camera is not any worse than it was before. You might get it cheaper next month or in six months time, but that always happens with digital. Personally, I would try to find a second hand model at greatly reduced price, or then wait a while to see what comes if I can. But there is no point waiting half a year or more if you need the camera now. The A800 is not necessarily 'better' than the A700. It has more pixels, but so does the A350. It depends on what you need.</p>

[mattbuser]

<p>Rob, Ilkka, </p>

<p>Thank you for your replies, I dont necessarily "need" to get one, yet I would like to for one, to have a 2nd camera if something should happen to the first, and also to have some of the functions that the a100 doesnt have. Anyway, I agree, I dont really want to get caught up in the desire for the latest and greatest becouse it wont be the latest come next year. And you are right, the a700 will always be the a700, that is really why I went ahead with the a100 when I did, becouse it was way better than the 2mp point and shoot I was using at the time, even though it was going to be discontinued. </p>

<p>Thanks for your input, just wanted to see what other folks thought. </p>

<p>Matt</p>

[irusan]

<p>Matt,<br>

No problem, glad to help! That being said, can you wait a few more months until the α900 drops in price? You are definitely gaining by going that route: full frame, fast fps rate, very low noise, etc.</p>

[ricardovaste]

<p>Wait until after PMA in March. See what is released. If you can afford the A800, go for it. If not, wait a little longer and prices on the A700 will come down further. Good luck, Rich</p>

[mattbuser]

<p>Rob, doubt I would ever have enough for the a900, I think it would have to come down quite a bit before my wife would give the go ahead, but one can always dream right.</p>

<p>Rich, waiting wont be a problem, just wasnt sure if I should spend the money once I have it if in 6 months everything is new. I think I am still going to believe that the a700 is a good camera, regardless of what they come up with next. </p>

<p>Thanks. </p>

<p>Matt </p>

[irusan]

<p>I understand - I was "informed" by my ex-wife that buying a digital medium format outfit would also come with divorce papers. Turns out I should have bought it anyway HAHAHA</p>

<p>Actually, with the α900 now out, you'll probably see a fair amount of quality used α700s on the market.</p>

[steve_c.5]

<p>I think the A700 will be viable for quite some time, because it's the first serious camera Sony put out. It's MILES ahead of the A100 in every respect (I've had both). I have two, and won't be upgrading any time soon.</p>

[mattbuser]

<p>Thanks Steve, I appreciate your input. I think I was kinda hoping to hear that.</p>

<p>Matt </p>

[paul_de_ley]

<p>Hi Matt,</p>

<p>It sounds like I bought my A100 just a few weeks before yours. Two weeks ago I got the A700, so my personal answer to your question is definitely "No, it's not too late!" In fact, if you're on a budget then it's more likely that the answer should be "It's still a bit too soon!"</p>

<p>Or at least you should wait and see what comes out of Sony's hat at PMA. A lot depends of course on what you plan or hope to do (or do better) when you upgrade to the next body, and how much or how little it will cost.</p>

<p>If the a800 really materializes soon, and if it turns out to be a significantly "better" body than the a700 (as in: better for your particular purposes), then it will presumably start out at a price in the $1300+ range. If you are willing and able to spend that, then you should definitely wait for PMA.</p>

<p>If your budget is lower and/or if the rumored a800 specs are not truly better for your purposes, then you might as well keep an eye out for a real bargain a700 already, and if such a bargain doesn't show up yet then wait to see whether any new announcements or releases at PMA are likely to push down prices on the a700 by spring or summer. That was pretty much my reasoning these past two months.</p>

[jihemtee]

<p>Hello Matt,<br>

3 weeks ago I was in same situation than you. I bought my A100 + DT18-70 + Sigma 70-300 one year 1/2 ago and have been very satisfied about it. Then speaking with a friend of mine who just bought the D300 I was convinced that I had to move to a more expert body. I checked in some stores and lots of forums and website, then made my final decision to go for the A700 + DT16-105 2 weeks ago.<br>

This camera is a MUST! I made the V4 firmware upgrade, so there is nothing I can miss today compared to the competition (Live View?...) Apart from the superb LCD and View finder I particulary love the user's definable programs, the wireless remote control (strangely nobody talk about those brillant options...) or even the remote Camera Control software.<br>

I agree with everybody above, these top camera from Sony is far to become obsolete and you can be sure you can go for it...</p>

[starvy]

<p>you will outgrow all digital cameras. that is the nature of digital photography. i own an a100. i have tested an a700. i have read that the results are quite noticeably better with the latter. i have also been told that if you know what you are doing in photoshop, the end result could be just as good. the latter would of course require less work!<br>

if you don't have the money, then wait till the a800 comes out. a discountinues a700 would be a much better prospect then. i am using my a100 more lately, yet, just today, after being out and about shooting the snow at my local park, i am not totally keen on the results. so i have ransacked the back of the fridge, found a roll of ektachrome e100, put on new batteries on my battered old om4 and now heading back to the same park. i am only taking the zuiko 100mm f2.8 lens with me. i know it would take better pictures than the a100 because i love using this camera, it has not outgrown me as yet and chances are that it won't. it must be said that zuiko glass is better than the minolta af28mm i was carrying in my a100, however, even then, it is all about how you feel and what makes you happy. i know that my next hour would be happier than the hour spent in the park earlier.<br>

think about happiness and ease of use. the rest becomes easy!</p>

[mattbuser]

<p>Hey everyone, I really really appreciate you taking time to answer this for me. You all have good advice. I really do love the a100, in fact it was almost an obsession for me to get one and when I finally did, I was in heaven, I had been using a minolta 35mm camera and loved shooting, then it stopped working. The a100 was a dream for me and it is a year old now and doesnt have a scratch on it cuz I baby it so much. Like I said before though, I would like another body cuz I know it wont last forever. I am a long ways away from the skills of a professional or even to be considered an extreme ametuer. I think this is the main reason I would like the a700 as I feel I would be able to accomplish some more things I would like to with photography. Like Rob said, I am sure at some point I will outgrow the a100 but I think the a700 would serve me well in the years to come. I am glad to hear that you all are happy with your a700's so I will continue to watch the price and just be patient. </p>

<p>Matt </p>

[steve_c.5]

<p>Matt, when you get an A700, just take some good advice and either a) get the Sony insurance coverage on it to cover against damage or repairs (to repair anything like a broken LCD monitor is about $500 US and to buy the insurance is about $250 US) or b) at least get a good LCD screen protector. I fumbled one of my A700's on a shoot and pressed in too hard on the LCD and damaged it. $500 later, I realized that Sony does not put a stiff enough polycarbonate cover over these LCD monitors. An external LCD protector will be a good investment and cheap too.</p>

[r_taguinod]

<p>Is it true that the v4 firmware update of the A700 improved noise performance of the camera to the point of noise level performance of the Nikon D300? <br /> <br /> Please comment on this article with regards to the A700 noise performance. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.sonolta.com/sony-a700-v4-firmware" target="_blank">http://www.sonolta.com/sony-a700-v4-firmware</a> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.anandtech.com/digitalcameras/showdoc.aspx?i=3442&p=5" target="_blank">http://www.anandtech.com/digitalcameras/showdoc.aspx?i=3442&p=5</a> <br>

<br /> </p>

[jihemtee]

<p>I should make a test soon with my friend and his D300. We will take and compare exactly the same shots at different ISO.<br />The thing for me anyway is that I'm shooting RAW a lot and I now have the choice to apply NR or not but only afterwards in PS. This was a key minus in all reviews and it's now over!<br />FYI here is the link to the Sony V4 update page so you can check the updates list:<br /><a href="http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=DSLRA700&upd_id=3757&os_id=31">http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=DSLRA700&upd_id=3757&os_id=31</a><br>

Also I fully follow Steve concerning the LCD screen protector. I immediately bought this one directly from Sony:<br /><a href="http://www.sony.co.uk/product/dsa-other-accessories/pck-lh1am">http://www.sony.co.uk/product/dsa-other-accessories/pck-lh1am</a><br>

Last and again with my non Pro eye, I really feel a big gap in the pictures quality and details compared to the A100. Here is one of the first pictures I made. Sure the lens might be for something too...<br /><a href="http://www.pbase.com/jihemtee/image/108877514/original">http://www.pbase.com/jihemtee/image/108877514/original</a><br />Also you can see that the shutter speed was only 1/25s, so probably the antishake active, supposed to be better on this model too...<br>

Other pictures in the gallery were taken with the A100.</p>

[vrankin]

<p>Hey, Starvy - if you don't particularly like the results of the A100 in snow, try using the High200 ISO setting. It does a really nice job saving the highlight textures and detail of snow. I still think the A100 is great in what it does best - working with plenty of light. </p>