Camera Labs

So i have a Sony a300. wanted to upgrade the camera for either a a350 or a550

i have gone through all the reviews on this site, but i just cant seem to choose, price at this point isnt really a big deal because i wanted to take photography more serious.


i would basically just like to get personal opinions on the cameras and what thoughts you may have (:

Sorry if this isnt the right place for this thread, new to this site.

A550 would be my choice. Why not the A350? It just isn't that big a difference from the A300, plus the A550 has a whole ton of new features in as well as a better sensor. And as a possible nail in the coffin, the A350 hasn't been on sale for a long time now.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

Welcome JaayyCeee to the Camera Labs forum! Don't worry, your thread is exactly where it should be.

I too would suggest getting the A550, and for the same reasons popo does. If the price doesn't matter too much, I see no reasons not to get it over the A350. It's too bad the A700 replacement won't be around for a while, since that'd be a great camera to upgrade to. However, so is the A550, so I say go for it.

- Bjorn -

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Street and documentary photographer | Google+ | Twitter | Tumblr

Leica M9-P (my article on Camera Labs) | Leica D-Lux 5 | 50mm Summilux

Thanks a alot i really appreciate the kindness!!

really made me more confident in getting the A550

and i know i might sound noobish for asking but since its a alpha i can just use the lens that i had for the a300 on it?

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Sony a300 ; 18-55mm lens & 75-300mm lens

Yep...no problem using the exact same lenses from your A300 with the A550. The A550 is a wonderful upgrade from the A300 - I made exactly that upgrade last year, and the A550 is a brilliant camera and great step up to the solid A300.

As mentioned, the A350 really is not different enough from what you had -the A300 & 350 were released at the same time with minor differences in resolution. The A550 on the other hand is a completely different type of sensor with completely different features. It is faster to focus, faster shooting, better metering, better LCD, better viewfinder, better live view system with two modes, better battery life, better function menu and user controls, better button/control layout, better high ISO performance, better memory card use/access with two separate slots, better stabilization system, better DRO system, the addition of in-camera HDR...it's really a great upgrade yet familiar feeling and at once comfortable for most A3xx series owners.

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Justin Miller
Sony DSLR-A580 / Sony 18-250mm / Minolta 50mm F1.7 / Sigma 30mm F1.4 / Tamron 10-24mm / Tamron 200-500mm / Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro / Minolta 300mm F4 APO
Sony NEX5N / 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 / 55-210mm F4-6.3 / Pentax K adapter / Konica K/AR adapter / bunches o' Konica & Pentax lenses!

Galleries:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg

Thanks so much for all that, glad to hear that i dont need to buy more lens for this different body

really appreciate all the help everyone has given me. really stopped me from making a mistake and buying the a350 because i wouldn't of gotten much out of it.

Thank you all (:

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Sony a300 ; 18-55mm lens & 75-300mm lens

another thing to consider is the sensor. the A350 has the same sensor as the A300. however, the A500/A550 have a new sensor: CMOS. it looks like it's going to be a very popular technology in the future, so it's something to think about.

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Sony A37, Minolta 70-210 F4, Minolta 50 F1.7, Sigma 28-105 F2.8-4, Zenitar 16mm Fisheye 2.8, Sony 35mm 1.8, Tamron 18-200 and Sony 18-55 kit lens