Looking for Advice

[Schmitz Bitz]

Hey all; need a little imput here. Recently, my wife decided it would be a great idea to drop our Fugifilm S1500 onto ceramic tile, unseating the zoom and damaging the LCD display. Of course, all inclusive extra warranty I shelled out for has run out - and the repair is going to run us almost the price of the camera new when we bought it. So, rather than throw money at the repair guy, we've decided to buy a new camera - ostensibly an entry level DSLR.
After reviewing the options available in the price-range we are looking at, we've narrowed it down to a pair of Sony made cameras (the only Canon that fell into our budget is a very basic 12mp set-up). It's my understanding that Sony bought out Minolta; so I trust the optics don't completely suck... If you were looking for a starter model to learn the ropes of DSLR with, and had to choose between the following two cameras; what would you choose? Price isn't really a concern; I have sourced both within $50 of each-other.

Sony a37k DLSR
Sony NEX-F3K

 

[Hards80]

Well lets get a few things straightened out.

The Nex-F3 is not a DSLR. it is a mirrorless interchangeable lens system camera. Meaning that it does not have the mirror box that a dslr or any slr for that matter would have. This allows the lens to be smaller and placed closer to the camera making the overall package much smaller. But it retains the same larger sensor that a dslr will have, so image quality will be just as good. The downside is that on the F3 you will be composing on the LCD only, there is no viewfinder.

The Sony A37 is a bit of a hybrid design as well. It retains the same basic shape as a DSLR, however it does not have an optical viewfinder like a true dslr. Instead it uses a translucent mirror technology which still allows phase detect autofocus, which is an advantage of having a mirror. But instead of an optical viewfinder, you will be now using an electronic viewfinder or the LCD.

Image quality will not be different between the 2 cameras, as they use the same sensor. So in a nutshell, there are of course many other differences that I won't state here as it could drag on forever, but the biggest choice comes down to a smaller, lighter camera (F3) vs having an electronic viewfinder and having the phase detect AF that would improve action/sports shots (but keep in mind the kit lens is not a sports lens anyway, so if you are only using that, this point is not a big one)

Another thing you should realize is that the kit lens on both these cameras will be considerably shorter than the 10x zoom on your Fuji.

 

[ChiefWahoo]

A great explanation! I don't follow Sony/Minolta so this was very educational for me. Thanks!!

 

[cdrross]

Hards supplied a nice explination of the two cameras you supplied, but a question that would also help (and it may sway you to something else) is what do you like to shoot and in what conditions (low light etc)?
The EVFs (especially at the entry level) do have some limitations.

 

[Edcculus]

What exactly are you trying to do photographically? Neither of those cameras are true SLRs, but that does not mean you can't get great pictures from them. If you do want a true SLR, you may look at an older used model like the Canon T1i. Get one in good condition, and there is no reason it can't last. Don't feel the need to get sucked into the "next best thing" mindset. Reading digital camera reviews online can give you confidence in a camera one minute, then have you completely change your mind the next. Also, don't do the megapixel chase. You aren't a pro, you won't be making poster sized enlargements, so just don't worry about it.

Also, while still not a SLR, the Canon Powershot G12 is a pretty darn awesome camera. I used the G9 all through college and loved it. It is extremely easy to operate in fully manual mode, which is the single reason I bought it. It will also shoot in RAW and gives you a very good size full res file if you are inclined. I have a few prints from that camera in my house in the 20" range that my aunt (a photographer) printed for me on canvas.

 

[Schmitz Bitz]

Thanks for all the replies!

As for what I am usually shooting; it really varies quite a bit. Of course, I take a heck of a lot of pictures of my kids (read: action shots - buggers never sit still!), and also tend to shoot a lot of landscape and wildlife photography (long distance). Just to throw a kink into the works, however, I also spend a lot of time playing around with macro shots (namely pipes and tobaccos - although I have a sneaking suspicion that straight razors will soon find their way into my home-made light box) - hence the desire to move to a camera system that will allow me to play around with different lenses.

 

[Hards80]

One thing that I will caution you on then is your needs tend to cover the gamut. At your current budget you will only be able to get a kit lens for any camera you decide upon. The focal length range of the kit lens is 18-55mm, which counting the conversion factor in becomes ~28-84mm in terms of 35mm standards. Your Fuji 1500 has an 35mm equivelent focal range of 33-395mm. As you can see you are going to give up a considerable amount of magnification in the telephoto range, which will negate any wildlife photography. Also, the macro capabilities of the kit lens are not as good as most digicams, but it is sufficient for non-macro work like pipes and stuff. Even with the kit lens it will be a large step-up in taking action shots of your kids, provided you are close enough to them like playing around the yard, house, etc. It will also be a large step-up in low-light capabilities as the sensors are much much larger than digicams like your fuji. This makes higher ISO very useable and relatively noise-free up to 3200 and beyond.

So I guess I am trying to say that a DSLR/hybrid/mirrorless camera has the potential to give you the best photographs. But in order to cover all your needs, you will have to purchase additional lenses at some point. And until your budget allows, you will be constrained a bit in the kit lens.

Because of the constant-moving nature of children, you may want to consider a true DSLR with an optical viewfinder. It does make tracking them as they move a bit easier. The A37 has a great electronic viewfinder, but it still has a refresh rate and blacks out during shooting, which makes tracking moving objects more difficult than with a optical finder. You may want to check out last generation models from Canon and Nikon. For Canon you can look into the T2i and T1i, and dont be afraid to look for refurbished, I have seen T2i kits in your price range. Nikon the D5100 and D3100 should fall near your price range as well.

I suggest hitting up a local camera store, and trying the 2 Sony's and then trying a couple cameras with an optical finder. See what you find most comfortable.

 

[imfallen_angel]

I have the Sony a390, wanted a 500 series but they never brought them here so I had to go with what I could get.

Sony makes great cameras but due to them not being mainstream as the other brands, they don't get the some attention.

The NEX uses a new type of lens, and isn't an SLR type, it's basically a souped-up point and shoot with an exchangeable lens system.

The new sony "DSLR" are "DSLT", where instead of the mirror and through the lens for the viewer, the mirror is semi transparent (Transluscent) and the viewfinder is a small digital display.

There are a lot of advantage to this, while the only real disadvantage, is that it's not a TTL (Through the lens) view that you get.

The advantage of going with an Alpha model is that all Alpha lens, including all the old Minolta (auto-focus) lens will work. These lens were usually of excellent quality, and due to being old and not as popular, go for much cheaper than the other brands.

Remember that Nikon uses the Sony sensors, so for the exact same MP capacity, the Sony will usually be much cheaper. They just apply different software and such so you get slightly different results.

Personally I prefer a true SLR (with TTL), so Sony has more or less lost me with their choice to go with only have SLT, but I've talked to others that simply love it.

I might go and try to find the 580 (last of the TTL DSLR that Sony made) at some point.

 

[celestino]

Adam, good luck with the new purchase.

 

[saishoots]

It probably doesn't matter which company you go with in terms of picture quality, the lump of meat behind the viewfinder is what determines the quality of photos. I ended up choosing Nikon, but would happily have gone Canon. Why those two companies??? Because they have the largest range of third party lenses, accessories etc... might be something to keep in mind.