Sony Alpha 300

scottduffy

scottduffy

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Is this camera as good as the Canon 450d? If anyone has used both i would appreciate your feedback.
 
The A300 Is about £150 cheaper, so I would go with that and buy a flash or lenses.
 
I already have the Canon 450d but i was just wondering what the Sony a300 was like. A few of the folk in my college class have been asking about both and i thought i would ask on here if they were similar in performance.
 
IMO the Canon will be slightly better made and have better quality parts, but the sony will have more features (and it's cheaper!)

I looked at buying the 450D but decided on the a200 as I thought it would be better suited to me being a beginner. I've never regretted going down the Sony route.
 
they are different.
1st off they handle differently & 1 will suit 1 person better & another will prefer the other.

If you want to use LiveView for moving subjects the Sony will blow the Canon away in terms of AF speed but if you want to use LiveView for critical focusing in a studio environment then the Canon is better.

The Canon has a better optical viewfinder (Sony's LiveView works by using a secondary sensor which takes up some space resulting in a smaller optical vf).

The Sony has image stabilisation built into the body & wireless flash ability as standard.

Both are capable of excellent results.
 
i chose a300 for live-view, it does come in handy

i came from a nikon d40
i do prefer the feel and weight of the d40 though with smaller hands, as the sony is heavier especially with battery grip and the lens i'm using
 
p1tse said:
i do prefer the feel and weight of the d40 though with smaller hands, as the sony is heavier especially with battery grip and the lens i'm using
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but iirc the Nikon doesn't offer the option of a battery grip so that's an unfair comparison ...
 
What ever camera you buy you will always wished you had gotten this camera or that camera. 450D is better built and better make as well as loads of hidden stuff and the a300 is cheap and has better live view and tilting screen.
 
Specifications are meaningless if you don't like the way a camera handles. I've tried Sonys, I've tried Canons and I can't get on with either. Even when it comes down to Nikon, if someone offered me a D70 or a D40 to use, I'd chose the older camera.

Despite the D40 having a better processor etc the D70 is a nicer camera to work with and ultimately that's all that matters - if you don't like using your camera then all the bells and whistles are pointless.
 
Andy said:
What ever camera you buy you will always wished you had gotten this camera or that camera. 450D is better built and better make as well as loads of hidden stuff and the a300 is cheap and has better live view and tilting screen.
Click to expand...

"Make", by which I am assuming you mean brand, is subjective and down to personal preference, so when you state better are you refering to reliability, customer service, marketing, range of products, value for money?

When you make your initial camera purchase you are buying into a system. Sony isn't a bad make/brand, neither was Minolta.

It is often touted that Sony dont have the lens range that Nikon and Canon do, whilst some of the extremely unusual lenses aren't represented in a minolta fit BUT the range is wide enough that everything 99.9% of photographers would need is available (the range of specialist shift/tilt lenses etc is not available in a Minolta fit). Also the minolta AF lenses fit the sony mount so there is extensive secondhand minolta glass available too, though prices rise as Sony release more models.

Although Sony dont have a long track record I haven't heard of issues with unreliable equipment or with their service, unlike some of the Canon service issues I have read about on this forum.

Value for money is certainly on the high side, especially with the in camera stablisation meaning you aren't paying for the same mechanism in each lens, again its personal speculation that the in-lens stability is better than that of in-camera.

I think that the Canon and Nikon marketing over the years has built the brand, once you buy into the system you rarely change, though Andy Fozzy went one way and Puddleduck the other, there are exceptions to every rule! A comment I see on this forum often is that its what feels right for you, see whats comfortable in your hand and choose a camera that is in your budget and has the functions you will amke most use of. I think with Sony having a more affordable full frame sensor camera as well as well priced crop sensors it will over time increase its market share of the consumer market, it is whether it can get a foothold into the pro market that might define the way in which its future development goes.
 
heidfirst said:
but iirc the Nikon doesn't offer the option of a battery grip so that's an unfair comparison ...
Click to expand...


ok, fair comment
the body of the a300 is more weighty than the d40

depends for each person, i can live with both
 
Andy said:
What ever camera you buy you will always wished you had gotten this camera or that camera. 450D is better built and better make as well as loads of hidden stuff and the a300 is cheap and has better live view and tilting screen.
Click to expand...

define 'cheap'
do you mean lower cost to buy?

i would definatly have a play.
a friend has a 450D i wouldn't say in the hands it feels better built to categorise it in a different league

live view and tilting screen on the a300 there's no match
 
Also, give a lot of thought to the viewfinder. After all, it's the point of interface with your shots; what you can see, and how well, really makes a difference.

For me, although I like the Sony [for in body IS] and the Olympus 420 [for portability], I just can't shake the feeling I'm looking down a long dark tunnel at the shot.

Anybody who's stared down a D700's viewfinder [or even better, an alpha 900] will know how much 'airier' the shot feels, and how much more room it gives you for creativity. Leica rangefinder users see even more of the scene - a wonderful experience.

The D80 I own has one of the best crop camera viewfinders. It's also a prism, not a mirror, which aids good quality well lit views. I couldn't go 'down to a smaller viewfinder. It always amazes me how D80's on the TP sale sections don't go in seconds, yet D60's and 40's go for almost the same money, when they're completely outclassed in both form and function by the D80.

Anyway, strayed off topic there for a second. Is the alpha a good camera? Sure, they all are nowadays. But try one in your hand AND TO YOUR EYE first. If you don't 'get it' in the first minute or so [and I don't mean being at one with every last little control], then you know it's not for you.
 
that's a good point you make there

having come from the d40 the viewfinder was larger, but now i have got used to the a300

at the time of looking to replace my d40 i looked at the d80, but thought i would try something different
 
Zebedee101 said:
(the range of specialist shift/tilt lenses etc is not available in a Minolta fit).
Click to expand...
tilt/shifts are available but only very expensive ones like Hartblei.

p1tse said:
the body of the a300 is more weighty than the d40
Click to expand...
agreed, 105g heavier but that does include the extra hardware for LiveView inl. a tilt screen. An A200 would be a better comparison albeit still heavier than a D40.
The new A230/A330 are lighter though (the A230 is lighter than a D40 & the A330 17g heavier) & ~15% smaller than their predecessors.
 
new a330, what's new about it? little out of touch on new models
 
smaller & lighter, restyled
SD card support rather than CF
new battery
new, improved kit lens
HDMI port
in camera processing does look to have been tweaked
they've played around with the AF sensors in the OVF
improved tilting rear screen
dumbed down a bit with help menus etc. - these bodies look very much aimed at easing the transition from P+S to DSLR for 1st time buyers

the "new" A230/A330/A380 are evolutions of the previous series.

you can see previews @
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/AA330/AA330A.HTM
http://www.alphamountworld.com/previews/sony-alpha-a230-a330-a380-previews & no doubt elsewhere
 
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