Calling all Sony Alpha users!

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Recent A200 buyer and have put together a Tokina 80/200 F2.8 / Minolta 50mm 1.7 / Tamron 17/50 F2.8.
Just missed a Sigma 170/500 on ebay ( went for £280 ish ).
Would a decent 2x converter work well on the Tokina at 200 or am I better going for a longer lens such as the 170/500 or 135/400 Sigma ?
 
Can we get a 'i love sony' smiley in here??

hehe

Oh yeah, and i got a Sony A100 so adding to this thread... Let's just say, love it already!
 
How's this ?

[S1]I :love: Sony[/S1]

....ooops sorry I shouldn't be posting in this thread ...... having switched to the dark side .......
 
Perfect!

*adds to siggy*

Aha! 'the dark side'
Aw well, aslong as it's not a Canon! :LOL:
I was almost gonna be a Nikon girl myself before i joined TP! Then i saw the light... :p
 
had my a200 for a couple of months now and love it :)

just need to get some cash to get some lenses to suit my motorsport needs
 
How's your a700?

I've read some excellent reviews of it (y)

I tell you what mate, it's stunning in my opinion. One of the best things is the dynamic range on the RAW (I only shoot RAW). I know there are various DR settings for jpeg but the results from RAW are very good if you take your time. I haven't got round to investing in a new poloriser filter yet for the larger lens threads that I now have, but the results so far have meant that I've not been in too much of a hurry to look out for one.

You can see the difference between the A100 and the A700 results straight away. You can use the multi segment metering for a scene that the A100 would struggle to render - especially if there are bright and dark areas in the photo. The first time I saw this was in some test shots I did just after I got the camera, I aimed out of the back door on a sunny afternoon with bright blue sky and bright white clouds. In the shot I had the 'horizon' split across the viewfinder, so the bottom half was our backyard (in shadow) and the top of the frame was the nice bright sky. I was expecting the sky to either blow out or the shadow area to near enough black out. Instead I got what I would call a perfectly balanced shot. I have since binned the shots as I was just playing about with a few tests. :bang:

The machine coped well with two recent weddings at the start of August, one on a very sunny day and the other was in the pouring rain and low light. We had to do all the photos for that wedding in the church as the rain was too bad to go out and do photos. The A700 thankfully has a quieter shutter than my A100 has so I could do more photos during the actual service and not be too conspicious to the guests.

With the price coming down on these cameras every month or so, I'd suggest getting one, I got mine from Camera World on line as they had a decent offer with a battery/vertcal grip, 4gb CF card, 16-80 Carl Zeiss lens and a fancy carry case for just over £1360 and I also got the £150 cash back offer from Sony.

I think I'll be investing in another battery or two though as I could always make use of more power.
 
I tell you what mate, it's stunning in my opinion. One of the best things is the dynamic range on the RAW (I only shoot RAW). I know there are various DR settings for jpeg but the results from RAW are very good if you take your time. I haven't got round to investing in a new poloriser filter yet for the larger lens threads that I now have, but the results so far have meant that I've not been in too much of a hurry to look out for one.

You can see the difference between the A100 and the A700 results straight away. You can use the multi segment metering for a scene that the A100 would struggle to render - especially if there are bright and dark areas in the photo. The first time I saw this was in some test shots I did just after I got the camera, I aimed out of the back door on a sunny afternoon with bright blue sky and bright white clouds. In the shot I had the 'horizon' split across the viewfinder, so the bottom half was our backyard (in shadow) and the top of the frame was the nice bright sky. I was expecting the sky to either blow out or the shadow area to near enough black out. Instead I got what I would call a perfectly balanced shot. I have since binned the shots as I was just playing about with a few tests. :bang:

The machine coped well with two recent weddings at the start of August, one on a very sunny day and the other was in the pouring rain and low light. We had to do all the photos for that wedding in the church as the rain was too bad to go out and do photos. The A700 thankfully has a quieter shutter than my A100 has so I could do more photos during the actual service and not be too conspicious to the guests.

With the price coming down on these cameras every month or so, I'd suggest getting one, I got mine from Camera World on line as they had a decent offer with a battery/vertcal grip, 4gb CF card, 16-80 Carl Zeiss lens and a fancy carry case for just over £1360 and I also got the £150 cash back offer from Sony.

I think I'll be investing in another battery or two though as I could always make use of more power.

Thanks for taking the time to provide all that info, Squire. Much appreciated :)

Yes, I've noticed that the a700 (and many other cameras, for that matter) are dropping in price all the time. It does seem like an excellent camera, but you know what?......

.....I might just wait till the a1000 comes out, buy one, and then gloat a bit! :D:woot:
 
.....I might just wait till the a1000 comes out, buy one, and then gloat a bit! :D:woot:

Is that the one thats coming packaged with the Zeiss 10-1200 F1.2? :LOL:

Seriously though, i've resigned myself to the fact that where consumer electronics are concerned, by the time i can afford what i think i want, they'll have released what i know i want for around £300 outside my budget. Damn you Sony. With that in mind, how long til we see an a750/a700x??
 
Seriously though, has anyone heard any more about the so called A900 yet?

According to photoclubalpha.com, theres an announcement due mid September. rrp speculated at £2-2.5k. Anyone gonna make the leap to full frame Sony goodness?
 
i'm up in london next thursday and friday,so i may just call in to see if they have one there (y)

Maybe worth phoning the store before you go if you are that serious about getting one. I was going to go to the Lincoln store of LCE to get one but they were not in stock and they were going to charge me £30 on top of the lens price to get one shipped over from their Nottingham store for me to pick up in Lincoln. I said no, went online and ordered from their Sony store and the postman delivered it the next day anyway - with only £5 postage.
 
hey JPS...where did you get your sony 70-200 F2.8G from?(i think thats what you had anyway)i'm now in the market for a decent bit of glass..:woot:

I could be up for one as well, redundancy cash comes in a couple of weeks. Was looking at Warehouse Express as they were £20 cheaper than camera World, but they won't be getting any more stock until the end of October.
 
I could be up for one as well, redundancy cash comes in a couple of weeks. Was looking at Warehouse Express as they were £20 cheaper than camera World, but they won't be getting any more stock until the end of October.

i'm also looking at the sigma 70-200 F2.8 EX DG plus 2X teleconverter..it's half the price of the sony G lens :rules:,but unfortunately,that isn't going to be available until end of september either.
 
i'm also looking at the sigma 70-200 F2.8 EX DG plus 2X teleconverter..it's half the price of the sony G lens :rules:,but unfortunately,that isn't going to be available until end of september either.

I've not seen a comparison between the Sony and Sigma, but what I've seen from the Sony has been quite superb! Also the Sony 2x Teleconverter is built specifically with that lens in mind. And it's white!! :naughty::LOL:
 
I was wanting the Sigma/Tamron 2.8 but as with all things I couldn"t wait and have bought a s/h Tokina 80-200 AT-X 2.8 plus kenko converter.
Just been playing with it in back garden.
 
Hello all!

I've just discovered this place. So nice to find a group of other Sony users. I've been spending way too much time working recently and not enough time having fun (i.e. using the Sony a100 I've had for 6 months) so am hoping to pick up lots of tips here.

It's my first DSLR and I thought long and hard before buying it. The Nikon D40X and Canon 400D were the other contenders. Read more reviews than I care to remember. Looked at mountains of test shots. In the end, the in-camera stabilisation was probably the tipping factor. So glad I went with the Sony. I got the double lens package and have just (yesterday) added the HVL-F36AM flash, which I got at a knock-down price as it is being discontinued. Am on the look out for a prime lens or two when finances permit, and then I think I'll be pretty well set for a while. Long term, I can see myself staying with Sony, as the 'high end' cameras seem to get very good reviews too.

Don't want to set the world on fire - just want to enjoy finding out more about taking good photos in diffferent genres and maybe get myself a Flickr account where I can start putting together a gallery or two - when I feel there's something good enough to show, that is. Also looking forward to learning from you lot! :)
 
Welcome Frisbee. I started with the A100 (still got and use it) and I'm sure you'll have great fun learning and using it. Look forward to seeing your pics.
 
:wave: Hi frisbee!
Welcome to the forum. Sure is a great place, lot's of knowledge and experience.
And lot's of other Alpha users :naughty:

Any questions, just fire away.
No question has gone unanswered yet on TP :D

A question for you, if I may....
Where did you get your flashgun?
 
welcome to the world of sony,frisbee (y)
on the subject of prime lens...look at some of the konica minolta lens,in particular the 50mm F/1.7 prime..it's a fantastic lens great for low light,portraiture etc and superbly sharp...you can get them on e-bay for £40-£50,and worth every penny as others will confirm.
 
just added another infolithium battery to the collection,so thats 3 i have now...will probably get another next week,just in case ;)[/QUOTE
Have you got them for a reasonable price ? , cheapest I saw was £40 on Amazon I think.
 
Has anyone imported from HK and avoided duty on a lens ? , I am after a Tamron 90 macro or poss Sigma 105 .
Onestop dont do either in Sony fit so was wondering of any recomends or is it purchase in UK ?

Thanks
 
:wave: Hi frisbee!
Welcome to the forum. Sure is a great place, lot's of knowledge and experience.
And lot's of other Alpha users :naughty:

Any questions, just fire away.
No question has gone unanswered yet on TP :D

A question for you, if I may....
Where did you get your flashgun?

Hi Andy. Currys it was. I rang the local store and got them to search the Derby/Nottingham area on their system and they came up with 3 stores that still showed stock, one in Derby, one Nottingham, one Loughborough. Reduced to £99.97 - but mine was the display model, so I knocked them down to £90.
 
rusty...it was a flash decision,so i got it from argos for £50..yes i know i could have got it cheaper,but it was an "i want it now" decision :LOL:

you had a bargain with the flash,i paid £90 for mine second hand(but as new)from a member on here.i'll give you a tip though..get a sto-fen diffuser for it,as it makes a big difference to the outcome of your shots (y)
 
Thanks for the tip, Stan. :)

I have no experience of diffusers. In what way does the diffuser improve the outcome? Is it simply the 'evenness' of the flash? Do you have / know of anywhere that has any shots that show the difference?

Also, do you mind if I ask where you bought yours?
 
Just for info in case people are unaware the Sony "M" series camcorder chargers work fine with the A200 batteries.
They can be picked up cheap £10/15 off ebay and usually include a car charger.
 
Thanks for the tip, Stan. :)

I have no experience of diffusers. In what way does the diffuser improve the outcome? Is it simply the 'evenness' of the flash? Do you have / know of anywhere that has any shots that show the difference?

Also, do you mind if I ask where you bought yours?

all the info you need on them is here....plus some pics to show the difference.



http://www.newprouk.co.uk/stofen.htm

this is where i got mine from..ordered it on friday last week,and it was delivered on saturday moning :clap:

the one you want is ref no om-pz8
 
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