A little Sony advice please

Nawty

Nawty

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I gave my sister an A200 a few years back and it has died, she can't afford to replace it but she has a good eye and enjoys it so I thought I'd buy her another camera.

But what to do? she has bought herself a Sony 70-300 lens so staying with Sony would seem sensible and 2nd hand Sony gear seems to be pretty cheap as far as I can tell.

She killed the A200 by using it in very hot and dusty environments so I would like to know what the semi-pro Sony ranges are, I assume that semi-pro has better dust sealing, and whether or not they are any good. Does the A500 range do this or do I need to go to the A700 (at which point it gets pricey?).

Alternatively I may just get her a Nikon D200 and give her one of my lenses (but that seems like it might be more pricey and negate her purchase).

Thought please :)
 
The only Sony's with weather sealing are the 'Semi-Pro' bodies - A700, A850, A900 and the new A77.

You can probably pick up a s/h A700 for £350-£400, and it's a significant step up from an A200 - the viewfinder is bigger and brighter, handling noticeably improved, dual control wheels, magnesium alloy body, etc.

However, it is also noticeably heavier than an A200, which might be an issue for some.
 
If she's going to do the same to the next one it might be better to get another cheapish a200 for her to stretch to the limits ... dust sealing won't help if she's changing lens in a sandstorm :)
 
Sony has been messing around with consumer grade models for several years, cheesing off us enthusiasts into the bargain which means the only decently dust protected models are the A700, which has ceased manufacture and the full frame models A850 and A900. The new A77 just released will tick all the boxes but being a new model is expensive, around £1,000, and will take a few months before the price comes down.
Second hand examples of the A700 can be had for around £400, and although a few years old now it's still a nice camera, much more rugged than the A200 and with reasonable dust and moisture protection. I think the Nikon D200 is of a similar standard, also a fine camera but it lacks Sony's in-built steady-shot image stabilisation. If she's used to that then getting stabilised lenses may start to get expensive although she'd get a good price from the 70-300mm if it's the 'G'. I would urge you to get her to try these more substantial bodies first if you can before buying as they are both heavier than the A200 with different ergonomics.
The A500 is probably better built than the A200 but I don't think it's weather sealed.
 
Faldrax said:
The only Sony's with weather sealing are the 'Semi-Pro' bodies - A700, A850, A900 and the new A77.

You can probably pick up a s/h A700 for £350-£400, and it's a significant step up from an A200 - the viewfinder is bigger and brighter, handling noticeably improved, dual control wheels, magnesium alloy body, etc.

However, it is also noticeably heavier than an A200, which might be an issue for some.
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:thumbs:
The A700 is probably all any amateur would ever need, and at that price is an absolute steal.
 
Thanks people, I hadn't considered weight and she has a majorly bad back (keeps falling off horses) so maybe I'd be better off getting a lower end body (she doesn't go in sand storms THAT often!).

Have the models changed much? last time I knew about Sony the main differences as you went up the range was just that you got articulated screens.
 
Nawty said:
Thanks people, I hadn't considered weight and she has a majorly bad back (keeps falling off horses) so maybe I'd be better off getting a lower end body (she doesn't go in sand storms THAT often!).

Have the models changed much? last time I knew about Sony the main differences as you went up the range was just that you got articulated screens.
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If she has a back / neck problem then worth considering an alternate strap as well.

I use the Op/Tech Dual Harness (usually with just 1 body), others rate the Black Rapid Black Rapid

Both take the camera weight off the neck and onto your shoulders, makes carrying a camera for any length of time much more comfortable.

The Sony range has been updated several times since the A200 / A300 / A350 were released. They are now pushing their 'SLT' models, which replace the moving mirror with a fixed semi-translucent mirror, allowing much higher burst rates (at a given price point) at a cost of ~ 1/3 stop of light and an EVE rather than OVF.
The A77 is the latest of these, and is officially the A700 replacement.

I am still very happy with my A700 (and sometimes also carry the A200 as a second body), but would upgrade to an A900 if funds allowed!)
 
Given the potential issue with a heavy body, I'd recommend looking for a used a33 or a55. There are a few used copies coming on the Market now that the a35, a65 and a77 are out.
 
Thanks for your help people, I think I'll just wait for a good deal on something newer and better than the A200 to come up in the classifieds.
 
I'd also check out ffordes, carmarthen cameras, london camera exchange and harrison cameras for second hand bodies. Latter have a 12 month warranty.

A few also appear on cash converters but they don't really have the specialist knowledge.
 
Hi Mark, possibly but A) I don't need lenses so wouldn't want to pay extra for it and B) was hoping to get an upgrade in terms of ISO performance and the A300 has the same sensor as the A200 IIRC.

Still, I'm always partial to a billy bargain :D
 
Nawty said:
Hi Mark, possibly but A) I don't need lenses so wouldn't want to pay extra for it and B) was hoping to get an upgrade in terms of ISO performance and the A300 has the same sensor as the A200 IIRC.

Still, I'm always partial to a billy bargain :D
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yeah,thats fine..and understand...iu'm waiting to see how much she would want for it.as un upgrade in performance..the a700 is a great camera at around £400 S/H,or something like the a580..newer,and a little more expensive..
 
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