Very budget way on to dslr ladder?

Bobiw

Bobiw

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Bob
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Hi,

Please forgive me for potentially wasting space on this superb forum.

Whilst my bridge camera can take some nice shots i'd like that bit more flexibility.

I'd like to get a dslr but am on a VERY tight budget.
My main points of interest are landscape and macro, now, from what I gather on here and googleing the lenses from the Minolta Dynax (28-80 and 75-300) I picked up at a car boot sale will work on Sony alpha bodys?
I've seen a few on ebay and other places, a230's under £150 and a330's a little more, i've found a few negative comments about these, mainly with regards the look of them and the small grips, neither of which would bother me as i'm only interested in the end results (plus I have fairly small hands and use a tripod most of the time :lol: )

Am I thinking about this completely wrong?
Are these actually just cheap, nasty cameras that are waaay out of date?

:help:
 
I have never used a Sony DSLR but my reading is that they are an excellent camera and, yes, you will be able to use Minolta lenses on them. I think that you would not be disappointed if you were to purchase either of the cameras you mention above, bang for buck you will struggle to find better value. I'm not sure if you can buy from the classified section but there are always good bargains to be had on Sony DSLR's and I generally prefer buying from here rather than evil-bay.

Cheers

Andy
 
Their a lot of great DLSR out their even on an tight budget,from Sony Nikon Canon.

Work out your top budget inc any lens you may want to start of with,then maybe put an add in the wanted section here,and see what people have to offer :)
 
Either of those Sony's would be pretty good choices. For that sort of money they're really good value and the fact that they have the older Minolta mount means there are a lot of used lenses available for reasonable prices.
I don't think the size and weight of them is a problem, its just a personal preference.
Also, cameras don't just suddenly become rubbish when a new model comes out, they still do the job they are supposed to do and will still produce good quality images.
 
I like to avoid ebay where possible but I think it's 60 days before I can see the classified section on here (which I can totally understand having seen abuse of forum classifieds on other sites)

"cameras don't just suddenly become rubbish when a new model comes out"

I was thinking along the lines of, buy a new computer today and its out of date next week situation, Wasn't sure if 3 years or more of sensor development etc would make any really noticable differences :thinking:

Cheers guys,

Fathers day coming up, I've just been hinting at the kids with their mum in earshot :lol:
 
Bobiw said:
I like to avoid ebay where possible but I think it's 60 days before I can see the classified section on here (which I can totally understand having seen abuse of forum classifieds on other sites)

"cameras don't just suddenly become rubbish when a new model comes out"

I was thinking along the lines of, buy a new computer today and its out of date next week situation, Wasn't sure if 3 years or more of sensor development etc would make any really noticable differences :thinking:

Cheers guys,

Fathers day coming up, I've just been hinting at the kids with their mum in earshot :lol:
Click to expand...

As far as I can make out, the biggest difference by far in more recent sensors is improvements in dynamic range/low light performance. The megapixel war has recently resumed, but I'd still ignore it.

I sold my Nikon D40 (6MP, usable up to ISO1600) with kit lens and a bunch of bits for £170 recently, purely as I was able to splurge on a D7000 and already have a D90. If I wasn't able to afford the D7K or had the D90 too, I'd still happily be using the D40 :thumbs:

There's plenty of people here still using older bodies and still churning out great images, and I know lots of people still using D50's and the like. Bodies most definitely don't become complete junk in a short period of time, they just get much, much cheaper :) Could be worth having a look on flickr, where you can search for images by camera body, see what people are doing with them.
 
Fuji S3 - £130 (and you won't get a better crop body for Landscapes either)

Using a Sigma 17-70 on mine which can be had for less than £150 and is a very capable lens, which will be able to foray into both Landscape and Macro (but is naturally not the best you could get for either situation)
 
Actually I take that back, an S5 would be the best, but that's around triple the price!
 
I have a Sony Alpha 230 as a second camera to my Canon equipment and it's a fantastic camera.

I have shot some excellent sports action shots (in my opinion!) with a Minolta 75-300 zoom (manufactured 1996) attached to it.

Absolutely no complaints here!

:cool:
 
You might want to look at this thread, the Canon 350D is an excellent camera my first DSLR, I still use mine from time to time instead of my 7D. Whichever camera you choose bear in mind that it tends to lock you in to that brand for the future unless you want to start again from scratch, so also think about the future.
 
I don't know if they still do them, but some Jessops' branches used to carry refurbished Sony dslrs and often you'd see essentially "new" cameras (with a 1 year warranty) for the sort of money the op is talking about...
 
I know i'm not talking about a big purchase here but all this info is great thanks.
Whilst i'm still swaying towards my first idea of Sony as no-one's said anything to put me off, infact quite the opposite, my sister in law is going to lend me her Nikon (I think it's a D40) to have a proper play with for a couple of days :cool:

Now, who else do I know with dslr :thinking: :lol:
 
If you're looking for a second hand Sony DSLR, it's worth keeping an eye on dyxum ( www.dyxum.com ), you should be able to read the classifieds as a new member and PM sellers - all trades are conducted by PM apart from the inital advert.

That site also has a database of all alpha mount lenses and cameras, with user reviews of all the lenses.
 
Bobiw said:
I know i'm not talking about a big purchase here but all this info is great thanks.
Whilst i'm still swaying towards my first idea of Sony as no-one's said anything to put me off, infact quite the opposite, my sister in law is going to lend me her Nikon (I think it's a D40) to have a proper play with for a couple of days :cool:

Now, who else do I know with dslr :thinking: :lol:
Click to expand...

TBH I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with any brand of DLSR, certainly I've never read a review or heard an opinion that a specific model is completely pap... The biggest difference I can see between Canikon and Sony (and Pentax too) is the difference in lens/accessory availability, but the lens gap looks to me to be at the professional end of the spectrum, and accessories not necessities. If the sony feels good, go for it :)
 
Just one word of caution.

As everyone has said, the entry level DSLR's from several years back are capable of taking great shots, but there is a downside.

DLSR's allow you to upgrade by buying additional lenses, flashguns, tripods, filters, etc.

And however hard to try to resist, you will always have that nagging doubt that your shots could be even better if only you had that extra bit of kit...

A small initial budget can lead to a much larger expense as the years go by :lol:
 
Hi Bob

If you are willing to spend a few more quid I think you will find lots of used Sony a700's for around £300 which I can highly recommend. I got one of these just for fun really and ended up so impressed I bought into the whole Sony system !

I also dabbled wth quite a nice little Panny bridge camera a year or so ago and hated the lack of proper controls (everything was menu driven) and unresponsive shutter, dodgy viewfinder etc.. Even a budget DSLR is a huge upgrade from a bridge IMHO.

Also, one of the best things about the Sony system BTW is the cheap-as-chips but high quality Minolta lenses, as you have already discovered.

Hope you find something to suit.

Gary
 
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