I am looking for DSLR camera. How about Sony alpha 100 model? Any feedback. Pls reply.?

Question

Comparing Nikon D80 and Sony Alpha 100, which one is better interms of performance.

Answer 1

I had a Sony point and shoot camera for a couple of years after which it was burned out after only about ten thousand images. Sony is into electronics, not cameras. What I liked about the camera was that it was well built, robust and it performed relatively well. What I hated about the camera was that just about anything I wanted to do I had to open a menu to activate it and do it. While Sony may build good electronics, they do not understand how photographers work and use cameras and as a result they do not design them to place critical controls on buttons where they can be easily and quickly accessed. Now that may not be an issue for you if you're only going to use it in automatic mode, but it becomes a really big issue when it comes to trying to use the camera's controls.

The other issue with Sony is that they like to be proprietary. They use a memory stick which only Sony uses so expect to pay more for memory cards when compared to compact flash and secure digital, the current most popular cards. I also knew a guy who had a Sony SLR. He wanted to borrow my flash and discovered that Sony had designed the hot shoe for the flash in a non standard manner so that only Sony flashes could be attached to the camera.

Personally I don't like supporting companies that don't follow standards which enable you to obtain whatever accessories you need from more than one supplier. Ultimately that means you'll always end up paying more for an accessory with those manufacturers and you won't necessarily get a better product, usually it's only an average product.

So my first suggestion is to stick with a manufacturer that is in the camera business and always has been. Their cameras are designed in a way that work for photographers and while their lenses and batteries may be proprietary, at least you can get competing products at better prices. The four brands that come to mind are Nikon, Canon, Pentax and Olympus.

Pentax and Olympus however have reliability problems. So you're left with Nikon and Canon.

I have a Nikon SLR and I've been really happy with it from the day it came out of the box. It has all the critical functions in buttons. In the course of a few thousand pictures I might open a menu once, the rest of the time I control everything from external buttons and dials which enables me to capture all kinds of pictures I'd lose if I had to first go to a menu.

The other major difference is that you have far more options for solving photographic issues with Nikon. Their array of lenses is astonishing as are their collection of other gadgets too. If you don't like their prices, you can get Nikon compatible lenses from makers like Tamron and Sigma. It's almost impossible to find a lens for the Sony that is not made by Sony, there just isn't enough of a market to encourage someone like Tamron to make lenses for that brand.

The Nikon fits into the hand a lot better and provides incredible functionality. It has one of the easiest menus to use as well which is unusual for a camera maker. The Nikon D80 is not their professional line but it may as well be, there's very little that hasn't been built into the D80 so it's unlikely you'll have any aggravations in terms of camera limitations.

The other thing too is that owning an SLR is like a marriage, the moment you buy any lenses or other things you're married to that brand for life. So take a longer term view too. The digital SLRs are going to contuinue to evolve and you can bet on it that Nikon will evolve a lot more than Sony. If you need more sophisticaion in your SLR you can now buy a professional camera from Nikon though of course it won't be cheap. By the time you master the D80 there will most likely be a few new bodies on the market that are even more functional and effective than exist today. You can count on Nikon to have them but there's no way you can count on Sony to catch up. Keep in mind that Nikon and Canon set photographic standards, Sony simply tries to copy whatever it can to try to stay reasonably competitive.

Personally I feel more comfortable buying into a camera brand where I can see one or two additional, more sophistiocated, models above mine so that as my own sophistication grows I have access to camera bodies that can meet my emerging needs. At present Sony has only one SLR. If it frustrates you or has important limitations, where can you go for a more functional model? In time they'll likely have two or three models but they'll never have the range of models and options that Nikon offers.

If you were buying a point and shoot camera I'd not really care what brand you choose. But with an SLR it makes a lot more sense to buy into a company that specializes in cameras and has a long history of meeting the needs of professionals instead of buying into an electronics company that happens to build cameras on the side for amateurs.

My vote is for the Nikon D80.

Answer 2

My friend has a Sony, and it has served him well. Although, he is now looking at Canon and Nikon for his next one.

Why?

He wants to build up a wide variety of lenses. In fact, he will have more in lenses than camera very soon. He then wants to add a 2nd camera, and wants the lenses to fit either camera.

Bottom line. He needs a mfr that has a solid camera, variety of lenses geared for indoor & outdoor situations, high quality, and multiple camera bodies.

This is the typical situation once anyone gets a dSLR. When you eval the dSLR vendors for general photography, you'll see things fall into about 4 categories:

PRO - the 40mp Hasselblads for ultra pro
High - the high spped, high res, weather sealed cams like Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Semi-Pro - the Nikon D200, Canon 30D range. High volume workhourses
Prosummer - you know, XTi, D40x, Alpha etc.

A lot of people, after a while, you end up with a basic and a better camera, and share the lenses. So looking at the future, like many others, you shoud probably choose a Canon or Nikon D80.

Answer 3

The February 2007 issue of Popular Photography has an article where they compared the top 10 MP DSLR's. I took the scores and ranked the cameras similar to the way Formula 1 gives championship points. I just gave 5 for 1st place down to 1 for last place, splitting the difference when cameras tied in their catagories.

They evaluated Image Quality (giving this twice as much weight as anything else), Ease of Use, Control, and System Flexibility.

The final order and my scores are:

Nikon D80 - 17.5 points
- BEST in Image Quality, Control and System Flexibility
Canon Rebel XTi (400D) - 13.5 points
- Tied for best in System Flexibility
Pentax K10D - 11 points
- Tied for best in Ease of Use
Samsung GX10 - 11 points
- Tied for best in Ease of Use
Sony Alpha 100 - 7 points
- LAST in Image Quality, Ease of Use and System Flexibility."

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! (In a follow-up to this seeming error, Pop Photo published the explanation that only the D80 and the Sony had been tested by the end-of-year deadline for choosing the Camera of the Year. Sony won on the strength of low price and built-in image stabilization. The other 3 that beat Sony in shoot-out were not tested until after the Camera of the Year was selected, because they were not yet available.)

Go to the original question and read the responses for more opinions.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiG00eHyd0oq5b.X7J.jiULzy6IX?qid=20070113133139AAHWJY0

If you want to get the "best" for the real world, consider the Nikon D200 or Canon 30D if you can afford it. For about $300-500 less, look at the results of the recent PopPhoto test and choose from that list according to your taste.

Personally, I use a Nikon D200 and would recommend it without hesitation to someone who has some knowledge of photography. For someone who wants the "best," but is starting with somewhat of an "entry level" knowledge base, I'd suggest the Nikon D80.

There are people out there who will state their preference for the Canon cameras and I will not argue with them. The Canon 30D and 400D are excellent cameras as well. You would have to visit a camera store or camera department and pick them up and see what you think.

This article is available online at:

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3569/10mp-dslr-shootout.html

Here's another reference from outside the photographic press. Consumer reports compared the Nikon D80, Canon Rebel XTi and Sony Alpha. Personally, I'd say that the Nikon came out on top here, also. It beats the Sony in "noise-free ISO" with an acceptable rating at ISO 1600 (kind of optimistic, I think...) compared to the Sony's ISO 400. It beats the Canon (in my opinion) by having a spot meter that the Canon does not offer.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/news-electronics-computers/november-2006/shootout-10-megapixel-digital-slr-cameras-11-06/overview/0611_digital-slr-shoot-out.htm

Here's another comparison of interest:

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Canon-Rebel-XTi-vs-Nikon-D80-vs-Sony-Alpha-A100-Head-to-Head-to-Head-Digital-Camera-Review-.htm
[Note the navigation menu near the top of the review]

The next thing to consider is what lens to start with and where you go from there. If you are new to this, I'd say to just get the "kit" lens, which seems to be the 18-135 lens for the D80, and get started. Once you know where you really want to go with your photography, Nikon has an almost unlimited family of lenses to choose from.

Answer 4

If you really want to buy DSLR, go for Canon or Nikon bcos they are the leading brands in DSLR market and their experiences, choice of interchangable lens and other accessories are more than other brands.

Take a look at this link..U will have more clear picture about what u r going to buy..

For Entry level, Canon EOS350D,EOS400D,NikonD40 and Nikon D40x are the best choice..