first DSLR - Sony A290/390?

benners

benners

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Hi everyone

I've not had any experience of Sony DSLRs, has anyone had a chance to compare them to Canon/Nikon?

A friend is looking to get their first DSLR and is thinking of one of the Sonys. Is there any argument to go for Nikon/Canon instead? My first though is they would have a better choice of lens?

In which case maybe D3000 or eos1000 would be better for the same money?
 
benners said:
Is there any argument to go for Nikon/Canon instead? My first though is they would have a better choice of lens?
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that's only a valid argument if he is looking at some very specialised (e.g. MPE-65 or tilt/shift) or very expensive (£5k +) lenses.
On the other hand there are more lenses available for Sonys than low-end Nikons as all Sony Alphas support both screw-driven & in-lens motor AF & there are more image stabilised options for Sony than either Canon & Nikon because any lens becomes stabilised as it's in the body.

In terms of bang for the buck it's hard to beat an entry level Alpha (an A390 +kit 18-55 is ~£350 atm @Jacobs or Jessops).
There are no bad current production DSLRs atm but handling varies & what is comfortable to 1 person may not suit another so ideally they should handle a few options in a store.
The A290 & A390s biggest weakness is that because they use a CCD sensor their high ISO gets noisier quicker than a CMOS equipped body but imo they give better IQ at low ISO than CMOS.
& if LiveView is important Sonys Quick AF LiveView is by far the quickest focusing.
 
At entry level there is very little to differentiate between the brands. If your friend is not looking to build a system beyond the kit range, 18-55, 55-200 and a simple flash. Then its just a matter of personal feel and preference.

I would choose the 390 over the 290 as I think that has quick live view. But practically anything you choose now will be old tech a year later.
 
i had an a390 and as much as i loved using it the much older canon 30d i replaced it is a much better camera imo.

the 390 viewfinder was very small and not that nice to use at all, but as someone else said the quick af is great to use and is probably the thing i miss most. it's pretty compact though so if size is an issue it's worth bearing that in mind.
i had the 18-55mm kit lens, minolta 50mm 1.7 and minolta 70-210mm f4 and a jessops flash which helped me learn the basics of photography. it was sony's announcement that they will be using electronic viewfinders on all future alpha models which prompted my switch to canon.

noise was an issue at iso800 upwards, much more so than the 30d but at lower iso's the iq was great.
 
lexie said:
i had an a390 and as much as i loved using it the much older canon 30d i replaced it is a much better camera imo.
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it's a different class of camera not to mention new v second hand -that's like comparing a s/h last generation BMW 3 series to a new 1 series.
The 30D will handle better, has a better viewfinder ,has more fps & do high ISO better by ~1 stop but the 390 has higher resolution (73% more Mp), LiveView, image stabilisation, wireless flash & a manufacturer's warranty.
If s/h is an option imo he would be better looking at an A700/40D but even s/h body only they would probably be more than a new A390+18-55.
 
I think the a290 and a390 have been discontinued recently, so chances are that prices will drop a bit to shift the remaining stock.

As for noise, just shoot in raw. Any number of 3rd party apps will handle the noise far more effectively than the cameras built-in jpg engine. Using DxO, ISO 1600 is very usable on my a350 (CCD sensor).
 
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hi all... thanks so much for the feedback... it doesn't sound promising if the a290/a390 have been discontinued after 10 months.

the camera will be their first dslr, and they're unlikely to want to upgrade any time soon. if the budget is around the 350 mark, with the above in mind, maybe a 1000d would prove a more wise investment?
 
heidfirst said:
that's perfectly normal for Sony - on the lower levels they refresh/change annually.
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ah that's fair enough then, not something to be concerned about :)
 
My first sony was the a200, which I still have as a second body. I currently use the a450 which I find more than exceeds my knowledge and ability, but I hope to redress the balance as time goes on. As I progress I will stick with sony as that is the chosen system I have bought into and I really like them. My lens and others bits and piecies will serve me well on most alpha bodies.:clap:
 
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