nathan01
Fish Crazy
Hi does anyone have views on the above camereas, which one would they say is the best, and any prices for packages as i dont know what you get with each of them e.g lenses would be greatful
Sony Alpha 100 Or Nikon D80
- Thread starter nathan01
- Start date
I don't have much experience with the Sony Alpha, but I have shot with Nikon. The leaders in the digital SLR industry are surely canon and nikon, so I would pick nikon over the sony SLR. There are more lenses available and they have a sure foothold in the SLR world. I personally shoot with a Canon Rebel 30D, and LOVE it.
doubledee
Fish Crazy
If you're on a budget and like the feel of the Sony, go for it. It can be bought in silver from Argos for �380 inc. kit lens here or in black from Currys for �380 as well here. It is compatible with Minoltas old lenses which you can pick up pretty cheap on ebay. Minolta 50mm 1.7 can be bought for next to nothing and is well regarded. The Nikon is obviously a higher spec'd camera and opens up more options regarding lenses. The Sony has built in stabilisation, which you have to get via Nikon's VR lenses (expensive). However, Sony's original lenses inc. Carl Zeis are quite expensive if you go for the newer ones. Sigma and Tamron obviously offer good quality lenses cheaper than Sony/Nikon/Canon etc.. Have a look at Sigmal 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro for a start, which gets good reviews. It can be bought pretty cheap here. I've ordered a couple of things from them and they've been excellent. Check out dpreview.com for opinions but TBH, have a play in the shop and you should see which one feels right. In the end, there's not much between any of the DSLRs picture quality wise. I recently read, re-read and read some more and only made my decision (Canon 400D) based on my budget and how it felt. I have an old Minolta SLR but only one of my old lenses was compatible, so I thought I would start afresh with Canon. Another contender is the Pentax K10D (or K100D/Super).
Both the A100 and D80 come with 18-70mm kit lenses. You can get a 18-135mm for a few pennies more on the D80. I would avoid the 18-55mm lens on the D80, it's (much) cheaper for a reason. Also have a look for refurbished models on jessops' ebay site. I think it's clear-r-gear or something. I've seen D80 bodies going for �380 or less (Wish I had went there now!). Currys were doing the Sony with a twin lens kit. I initially wanted the A100, then changed my mind to the D80 but when I tried them in the shop, I ended up preferring the Canon. It's lighter and more compact and I felt right to me.
Camerapricebuster should tell you the cheapest prices.
Both the A100 and D80 come with 18-70mm kit lenses. You can get a 18-135mm for a few pennies more on the D80. I would avoid the 18-55mm lens on the D80, it's (much) cheaper for a reason. Also have a look for refurbished models on jessops' ebay site. I think it's clear-r-gear or something. I've seen D80 bodies going for �380 or less (Wish I had went there now!). Currys were doing the Sony with a twin lens kit. I initially wanted the A100, then changed my mind to the D80 but when I tried them in the shop, I ended up preferring the Canon. It's lighter and more compact and I felt right to me.
Camerapricebuster should tell you the cheapest prices.
SLC Flyfishing
Fish Crazy
That's a tough call! I'm more inclined to recommend the Nikon over the Sony, however as doubledee has stated there's not much difference picture quality wise between the two. Did you know that Sony makes the image recording sensors for the Nikon cameras, and all others except for Canon for that matter.
Sony did buy out Minolta and the A100 is just an incarnation of their legendary maxxum digital series. I got into the DSLR game shortly after the takeover and have come into contact with many die-hard Minolta users. It is true that Sony's new DSLR lenses are practically extortionist; but Nikon's can be as well.
I own a Pentax K10D and I have to say that I'm completely thrilled with it. I don't know what kind of deal you can get on the Nikon over in the UK but here in the USA the Pentax is usually about $100 less than the D80 and right now it's about $200 more than the Alpha A100.
The difference between the K10D and the D80 is based around 2 things. First Pentax accessories are much less expensive than Canon and Nikon accesories. Lenses that cost $1,200-$1,400 dollars from Nikon and Canon can be had from Pentax for $600-$800, these lenses have the same build quality and generally score as good or better than the Nikon and Canon counterparts. The second difference between the K10D and the D80 is shared with the A100, this being in camera image stabilization. In case you don't understand what that is I'll give a short synopsis.
Cameras such as the Pentax K10D K100D and K100D super, Alpha A100, and Olympus' new models have what is known as in camera image stabilization. This feature functions by physically moving the image recording sensor to compensate for the natural unsteadiness of the human hand. The camera is equipped with gyros that sense the direction and intensity of the "shake" and send the information to a computer that operates a series of magnets that push or pull the sensor in the direction it needs to go in order to have the image come out crisp and blur free. This system was originally mocked for being less efficient than the systems offered by makers such as Nikon and Canon, but it has made huge strides and appears to be catching on with consumers. Nikon is rumored to be listening too, I've read sneak peek rumors that state that the Nikon updates to the D80 and D200 will have in camera image stabilization. Pentax has come into their own in the DSLR world on the back of this technology. Pros of this system are mainly in that it works with every single lens you choose to attach to the camera.
The Pentax and Olympus in camera shake reduction systems are the better of the two, this being simply because they are able to compensate for shake in not only the up-down and side-side directions, but also in the corner-corner directions and the Pentax can even compensate for a swirling pattern which is teh most common shake pattern with long focal length lenses.
Canon and Nikon have been touting an in lens image stabilization system, this meaning that the elements in the lens move to compensate for camera shake and keep the image centered on the image sensor. It works well, but is is very expensive. For image stabilized lenses you can expect to pay an extra one or two hundred dollars. Also it is beginning to come out on the review sites that image stabilized lenses are much more prone to mechanical difficulties than non-image stabilized lenses. It would be terrible to pay a lot extra for a lens that is less durable.
If I were to choose between the D80 and the Alpha A100, I'd pick the D80 simply because I've handled them both and the build quality of the D80 appears to be better, also the viewfinder in the D80 is much better. Image quality can be tweaked in-camera to come out the same in any DSLR out there. If I were to pick out of the crop of DSLR's out there and not just these 2 I'd be getting the Pentax K10D again.
SLC
Sony did buy out Minolta and the A100 is just an incarnation of their legendary maxxum digital series. I got into the DSLR game shortly after the takeover and have come into contact with many die-hard Minolta users. It is true that Sony's new DSLR lenses are practically extortionist; but Nikon's can be as well.
I own a Pentax K10D and I have to say that I'm completely thrilled with it. I don't know what kind of deal you can get on the Nikon over in the UK but here in the USA the Pentax is usually about $100 less than the D80 and right now it's about $200 more than the Alpha A100.
The difference between the K10D and the D80 is based around 2 things. First Pentax accessories are much less expensive than Canon and Nikon accesories. Lenses that cost $1,200-$1,400 dollars from Nikon and Canon can be had from Pentax for $600-$800, these lenses have the same build quality and generally score as good or better than the Nikon and Canon counterparts. The second difference between the K10D and the D80 is shared with the A100, this being in camera image stabilization. In case you don't understand what that is I'll give a short synopsis.
Cameras such as the Pentax K10D K100D and K100D super, Alpha A100, and Olympus' new models have what is known as in camera image stabilization. This feature functions by physically moving the image recording sensor to compensate for the natural unsteadiness of the human hand. The camera is equipped with gyros that sense the direction and intensity of the "shake" and send the information to a computer that operates a series of magnets that push or pull the sensor in the direction it needs to go in order to have the image come out crisp and blur free. This system was originally mocked for being less efficient than the systems offered by makers such as Nikon and Canon, but it has made huge strides and appears to be catching on with consumers. Nikon is rumored to be listening too, I've read sneak peek rumors that state that the Nikon updates to the D80 and D200 will have in camera image stabilization. Pentax has come into their own in the DSLR world on the back of this technology. Pros of this system are mainly in that it works with every single lens you choose to attach to the camera.
The Pentax and Olympus in camera shake reduction systems are the better of the two, this being simply because they are able to compensate for shake in not only the up-down and side-side directions, but also in the corner-corner directions and the Pentax can even compensate for a swirling pattern which is teh most common shake pattern with long focal length lenses.
Canon and Nikon have been touting an in lens image stabilization system, this meaning that the elements in the lens move to compensate for camera shake and keep the image centered on the image sensor. It works well, but is is very expensive. For image stabilized lenses you can expect to pay an extra one or two hundred dollars. Also it is beginning to come out on the review sites that image stabilized lenses are much more prone to mechanical difficulties than non-image stabilized lenses. It would be terrible to pay a lot extra for a lens that is less durable.
If I were to choose between the D80 and the Alpha A100, I'd pick the D80 simply because I've handled them both and the build quality of the D80 appears to be better, also the viewfinder in the D80 is much better. Image quality can be tweaked in-camera to come out the same in any DSLR out there. If I were to pick out of the crop of DSLR's out there and not just these 2 I'd be getting the Pentax K10D again.
SLC
nathan01
Fish Crazy
Thanks for the adivce, looking at the Price of the D80 i dont think i will be getting it 
, are there any similar ones to the D80, and has anyone got sample shots of the Alpha 100 or D80, or possibly the D40X although it dosnt have anti dust.T
Thanks
, are there any similar ones to the D80, and has anyone got sample shots of the Alpha 100 or D80, or possibly the D40X although it dosnt have anti dust.TThanks
doubledee
Fish Crazy
There's a review of the A100 HERE with some comparison shots. You will find reviews on all the DSLR cameras there. Another useful A100 site is Dyxum which covers everything for the Sony DSLR inc. Minolta lens compatibility. If you search flikr you can find groups linked to a particular camera. Here's one for the A100 from a whole load here. I considered the D40/x but due to the lack of AF-S lenses, I discounted it pretty quickly. Sigma are making their version HSM but in the end the lack of AF motor was too much of a downside for me. Hence, why I went for the 400D. Let us know how you get on.
SLC Flyfishing
Fish Crazy
Stay away from the D40X, only because it has a limited compatibility with Nikon lenses. It can only accept AF-S lenses because it is so small that they couldn't fit the autofocus motor in the camera. You have to buy the new motor-in-lens lenses and they cost more.
SLC
SLC
nathan01
Fish Crazy
ok, does anyone own the Alpha 100?
SLC Flyfishing
Fish Crazy
Like I said I've got a K10D Pentax, I could post some images if you like!
SLC
SLC
nathan01
Fish Crazy
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