SOny Alpha 100, Canon XTi and Nikon D50?

Question

Why is it that when you like on many aviation websites you barely see anyone using a sony alpha 100 and see tons of Canons and Nikons. Does it have to do with the speed or what. THe Sony has Image Stabilization built in which i guess is as good as the lenses of Canon that have IS or Nikors that have VR.
Whats the deal with this?

Answer 1

hi..
i have the sony alpha ... it's my first DSLR after sony dsc-f828,sony dsc-h5 and sony dsc-r1....i'm not a sony fanatic but really don't know why i'm going with sony every time....
ok...now after 3 months with sony alpha ...i'm not very satisfied with it but i think it's doing the purpose (at least with me coz i'm not a serious photographer)...and i realised the following:

1.it has a lot of noise with ISO higher than 400...and i noticed some noise even at 400...but when talking about nikon and canon ....they r dealing better with noise at high ISO.....so nikons deals with noise better than alpha inspite of that nikons r using sony sensors((i'm confused!!))

2.loud shutter ((annoying)) i couldn't take a close up photo to any sleeping creature without waking him/her ..

3.i have an experience with sony....when buying a sony camera u have to stick to sony labeled accessories and that leads to spendig extra $ on everything u want to buy .

4.lense and accessories r very hard to find ((depends on where u live )).

5.for colours ,system flexibilty ,controls and others....i'm satisfied ...it has great results ((honostly not comparable to my father's nikon d200 in some situations ))but still great results.

u found tons of people using canon or nikon coz those 2 brands r the leaders in this field...worked for decades on slrs ..so people r using them for years and can't easily switch to a new line or going with some brand first edition in the dslr field...it needs a few couple years .
and if anyone reads my answer will definitly stay away from alpha and the net is filled with user reviews like this ....so it's not hard to realise why alpha comes the last.

but i still think it's a good camera ..... good luck.

Answer 2

1.- Canon XTi (or XT even)
2.- Sony Alpha
3.- Nikon D50

Like many have said, Sony's sensor is really noisy. Which should be interesting because it's exactly the same sensor found on Nikon's D200 and D80.

The D50 is a seriously limited camera, like Sam said, there are better options in Nikons lineup than that.

For professionals there is no question that in-lens stabilization works and in-camera stabilization doesn't, that's why Canon and Nikon have not offered it yet. With in-lens stabilization you can see the effect on the viewfinder, with in-body you cannot.

Hope this helps!

Ignacio

Answer 3

This is kind of an odd trio to compare, as the Nikon D80 is much more comparable to the other two cameras.

If you are not considering the D80, the Canon Rebel XTi is the clear winner here.

Check out this comparison review in Popular Photography:
http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3569/10mp-dslr-shootout.html

You will see that the Sony was dead last in 3 out of 4 categories considered. Then again, this is the same magazine that put the Sony Alpha 100 dead last in this comparison named it the camera of the year in the previous issue!

You probably don't see too many Sony's on the aviation websites because they just don't have the vast array of lenses that are available to Canon and Nikon users.

Among your group of 3, though, the Canon is the clear winner. If you want to consider the D80, though, there's my choice, but that's my bias as well. Did I say that already? :-)

Answer 4

Built in sensor imagine stabliztion is not as good as optical or lens imagine stablizitation. Thats why Canon or Nikon never both to put them in their cameras but in their lenses. Heres how I would rate them:
1)XTi
2) D50
3) Alpha 100

I would highly recommond the Xti, its fairly simple to use and once you learn how to use the camera its really fun ot use. Now some jerk has always given me a thumbs down and I think I know who, you freaken Nikon Fanboy, its a PERSONAL opinion. Not that all Nikon Fanboys are bad like Dr and OMG, thye give great information on both ot the best of their ablitiy. All I know is Nikon has better optics (generally among their consumer lenses, but maybe the same or even better htan Canon L lenses as they get their gold rings). Canon has faster auto focus thanks to their USM (Ultra Silent Motor), Nikon tried to incorporate that sort of design but it never seemed to have caught on for some reason. I also plan on moving up to the 5D in the next 10 years (probably be a newer verson though), so I wanted to get the full frame sensor like I would if it was on film. I had a few experiences with Nikon film SLRs but not much of their digital SLRs. Nikon and Canon a pretty much easly matched but of course like most things, it comes down ot about 80% personal preference. I used Canon, I am used to Canon, I bought a Canon. If you used a Nikon, used to a Nikon, then buy a Nikon. If your used to Konica Minolta, the Alpha dont buy it. =) The best choice out of the few cameras you listed would be teh XTi hands down. The Alpha is way behind Nikon or Canon, and the D50 is really meant for the "father who likes good pictures of their kid but what more control shots". However, the XTi is no means an easy caemra to learn right off the bat. Just like most higher end SLRs, there are a lot of menus to chose from. Learning to use all the controls and menus properly will take time.

My choice is the Rebel XTi.

Edit: Yea the jerk did it again. Will you stop giving everyone who gives an opinion about Canon a fing thumbs done, its quite childish.

Answer 5

Sony just started putting out DSLR. Althought they pretty much took over Minolta. They use all of Minolta's technology. So pretty much any Autofocus lens made for minolta will work on the Sony Alpha 100. I believe canon, and nikon camera limit you to the lens made specifically for that camera. I could be wrong, but it does limit some of the lenses that you can use. Thats why i chose minolta.

Answer 6

sony sensor is noisy. a100 is their first dslr. i'd wait for them to launch a few more slrs before i buy a sony.

canon xti is the best among the three. i would go for this if i had to decide.

d50 is cheap. if you r budget conscious go for this.

u see canons n nikons frequently because they have been in the business(DSLR) for ages.

Answer 7

if price is a concern for you got get D40, its really works great. many pro-photographer has this as back up. otherwise go for D80, its really good.