Digital cameras: Sony Alpha A100 or Canon XTi?
Sony Alpha A100 or Canon XTi?
by alanbed - 1/27/08 6:44 PMWe are trying to decide between the Sony Alpha A100 or the Canon XTi - can I get some input? My husband needs to take shots anywhere from displays that will be made into posters for a trade show booth, to close up pictures of insects and plant diseases. At this time we do not want to purchase any extra lenses. (We were all excited as we were told we could use our old Minolta X-700 lenses on the Sony, but now have been told they have a different mount, rats.) I take mainly nature shots and portraits, some landscape. I have had a Canon Powershot G2 for years and love it, would like to move into more than a point and shoot, and actually learn about photography! Thanks for any and all help 
Hmm.
by kalel33 - 1/27/08 9:06 PM In reply to: Sony Alpha A100 or Canon XTi? by alanbedFrom what you plan on shooting either would be a fine choice. I would recommend that you purchase the 50mm/f1.8 for only $80. It is a cheap lens that will do great for indoor pictures and takes awesome portrait pics with high depth of field. The macros that you plan on doing would more. Macro lenses allow you to get extremely close to your subject and still maintain accurate focus. With a non-macro lens, if you move the lens too close to the subject, the camera won't focus at all.
I have the G2..can't seem to let it go even though I replaced it last year(a great camera). I would use the G2 for the macro shots. If you decide later to use macros on the DSLR then go for the Canon. It has a more robust choice of lens, including multiple macro lens.
Why don't you ?
by jump1127 - 1/27/08 9:28 PM In reply to: Sony Alpha A100 or Canon XTi? by alanbedTake a look at the new Canon 450D. Visit www.dpreview.com for more information. It added more features and better performance than the 400D(rebel XTi). The price will be somewhat slightly more expensive than its predecessor. I'm sure that the price of Rebel XTi will drop further soon. Just want you to make a comparison. Good luck.
Yes but.....
by kalel33 - 1/27/08 11:17 PM In reply to: Why don't you ? by jump1127The Rebel XSi will start out at $900 and the XTi can be found for $580. The XSi won't be sold until April. There are some really good things that they added to it, but the image quality will not change. Most people wouldn't even notice the difference except for the larger LCD and live view. Lens will make the difference. For the difference between the two, they could afford the macro lens.
Comparison
by alanbed - 1/28/08 8:59 AM In reply to: Yes but..... by kalel33I did take a look at the new XSi, really looks impressive, but a bit overkill for us. I think 10 mp will be great for us, and we are looking to stay in the $500-600 (plus a little for the Sony if we go that way) price range. Is the anti-shake feature on the Sony really worth it? Neither one of us is particularly shaky lol. Long distance shots on the other hand (our daughter performing on the college football field)are difficult; yes, realistically a 200mm lens or more would be great! Can't think of any more questions at the moment - still a toss up! Thanks for help...
Antishake or image stabilization is definitely worth it
by hjfok - 1/28/08 10:27 AM In reply to: Comparison by alanbedYou will definitely benefit from image stabilization especially when shooting with a tele lens handheld. The tripod is the best, but not practical in many situations. Optical image stabilization is preferred because you can see the stabilization through the viewfinder while you take the shots. Sensor shift stabilization works but you cannot tell until you review the photos on LCD screen. One big reason to have image stabilization built into the camera is that it saves money. But some Sony lenses cost more than the Canon equivalent lenses with optical stabilization. And Canon is going to add some cheaper IS lens, so the cost-saving may not be that substantial in the future, unless you use third-party lens for the Sony. But the lenses are at least half the reason one pick a certain brand or manufacturer. Buying a third party lens is almost like getting only half the system. Well, if you look at the whole system, Canon has a much wider selections compared to Sony at this time. But the future is not clear yet. Sony is a mega company with lots of resources to build upon the Minolta foundation. It has all the elements to become great, from building its own sensors to partnering with Carl Zeiss to produce some stellar quality lenses. It is certainly a threat to both Canon and Nikon's dominance in the D-SLR market in the future.
At the higher ISO,
by jump1127 - 2/8/08 9:51 PM In reply to: Comparison by alanbedpicture noise level is noticable for those shots using Sony Alpha 100. Canon Rebel XTi or Nikon D80 will serve better. You can visit www.dpreview.com for more information. Besides, Canon and Nikon provide more lenses and accessories choice. You can't go wrong with eithe Nikon or Canon.
You sound like me last summer.
by nikondavid - 2/6/08 1:06 AM In reply to: Sony Alpha A100 or Canon XTi? by alanbedLast summer my friend and I decided to buy a DSLR camera. We had our differences on which brand we wanted and weighed in all the good and bads. Well thats when the Sony A100 came out. All the forums said it was an inferior camera compared to the D80 and XTi and so on, so I bought the Nikon D80 and my friend bought the Canon XTi rebel. To this day, I still like the heavier more rugged feel of the D80 over the Canon. (once your a customer, your a loyal customer ^ ^)
Anyways, looking back we both feel the Sony A100 was a good camera. Especially because it had image stabilization in the body unlike mine. For example, I 'm looking at a good 18-135mm lens with Vibration Reduction and its hitting way over $600 just because of the VR feature. Either way, the Sony A100 is a great camera for a first time DSLR user. It's straight forward, user friendly, and you get a bunch of features. The Canon is also the same, but I personally believe the Sony A100 is slightly better because its so user friendly.
Well whatever you choose, good lucky ^ ^.
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