Help Sony or Canon

[steve001]

Hi all,

Currently using a Sony A200 but am considering a move to canon possibly the 450 or 500 as I am hooked on this and feel being with Canon opens up more avenues to progress and also a much bigger second hand market but really can not make up my mind as i do not want to make the wrong decision, could you please give me your views and honest opinions to help me make a decision.

Many Thanks,
Steve.

[mastertrinity]

i wouldnt move, the onyl reason canon have what they have got is because they have been out for over 50 years, also sony are new and learning, not to mention what about th wealth of second hand minolta lenses lying about.

[adam*]

I'd only make the move if you feel that Sony are stopping your progression. Only move if you've fully exhausted what you've got. That's the way I feel anyway!

[Dogfish_magnet]

Have a look at this thread (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=181223)- as you can see with canon / Nikon there are a far more user's and this will give you access to a much wider used market both as a buyer and a seller.

[pete.rush]

Hi all,

Currently using a Sony A200 but am considering a move to canon possibly the 450 or 500 as I am hooked on this and feel being with Canon opens up more avenues to progress and also a much bigger second hand market but really can not make up my mind as i do not want to make the wrong decision, could you please give me your views and honest opinions to help me make a decision.

Many Thanks,
Steve.

Is your Sony letting you down in any way, what do you feel you are lacking with your current set up, what do you think switching to another brand will give you. Sony are new to this market, but they did buy out Minolta, so you do have the advantage of using their lenses, although if mastertrinity could give a good source of available lenses for Minolta that would help the OP. Sony are behind the big 2 of Nikon and Canon, but are producing decent offerings, it will just take time to establish the foundations.

The difficulty will be as with the main brands, finding the good lenses from the bad ones.

http://www.mhohner.de/sony-minolta/lenses.php
http://www.alphamountworld.com/forums/sony-digital-slr-talk/minolta-lenses-sony-a200/2008-4/498

[ianmarsh]

I switched from Sony to Canon about a year ago. Both are excellent systems, and each has advantages:

Sony:
1. In-body IS is great. Every lens is IS no matter how old or how wide-angled.
2. Ergonomics. Obviously very personal but I felt the Sony fitted my hand, Canons don't
3. Three distinctly different lens systems all on the same mount. Old Minolta G lenses have an amazing colour to them and produce some of the best bokeh. I had Minolta 85/1.4 and 200/2.8 and miss them hugely. Zeiss lenses are very clinical and sharp. Completely different approach to Minolta glass. Sony lenses somewhere in the middle
4. Dyxum.com - an excellent forum dedicated to Sony/Minolta and their lens database is very informative

Canon:
1. Much better AF then I experienced on a100 or a700. My brother's 40D and the 5D and 1D cameras I've used are all much faster at getting focus and hold it better.
2. Exposure on my a700 was unreliable, but Canon seems to get very close almost always
3. Software is designed to work with Nikon and Canon at launch but often doesn't work well with Sony until a few iterations down the line (Lightroom is a prime example)
4. No silly proprietary hotshoe, unlike Sony, so no need for adapters

Canon has a bigger system of lenses but Sony has just about everything most of us need. It lacks long fast primes and maybe something at the wide end but the 24-200 range is well served.

[mastertrinity]

i woudl say ebay is the best for secondhand minolta lenses. i did get tempted to move myself but i thought no, the photographer is more important i see no need to switch now, even though i think sony should sort out that stupid proprietary hot shoe.

[strumstrum]

I moved from an A200 to a 350d so on paper took a hit spec wise yet I felt the 350d was better and pretty much instantly got better results and felt my skill moved up a level on the tog scale. it also gave me a passion for the hobby.

[Beer_Stalker]

It depends on how much Sony kit you already have. Check out the new Sony A500 or A550 cameras, they are at least as good as, if not better than, the Canon/Nikon offerings.

[p1tse]

i recentlt moved sony a300 to nikon d90.

i had a d40 nikon prior to the sony and missed the feel and menu's.

i had the a300, ditched the kit lens for a tamron 28-75 f2.8 which was a good combo. (check link in sig for sample shots)

i knew what the nikon had to offer, but if not i wouldn't have moved