Sony A200, A300 or Nikon D60?

[Delvey]

Im thinking of buying my first DSLR, and have a budget of around £300. Ive seen the A200 and A300 for £280 and £300 respectively, and also the nikon D60 for £360. Which would be better for a newbie, especially as when I am finally shooting those brilliant shots (hopefully) I'll want to use this camera and not upgrade for a while. Im willing to stretch to the D60, if it really is worth the extra

 

[Yandros]

this theard a couple of lines down is pretty much the same...

http://www.avforums.com/forums/digi.../1006422-dslr-choice-heads-battered-help.html

If the D60 feels better in your hand and the layout makes more sense...then yes it's probably worth it,otherwise, get an A200. A200 offers VERY good value for money, but is a slightly less prestigious camera brand (ie there is brand snobbery in favour of Canon/Nikon), and has marginally lower image quality at high ISO.

Don't bother with the A300 if you're watching the pennies.

 

[MadaCup]

The A300 for £299.99 at Jessops seems a good buy.

I plan to start with either the A200 or A300 and see how I get on. Maybe then I can look to upgrade to the Canon or Nikon. Reviews suggest the A200/A300 is a fantastic starter camera.

 

[Pirate!!]

Check out Dyxum.com and the AVF Classifieds as well.

 

[Delvey]

the A300 is £20 more, and from ive read the screen is adjustable. Will need to have a pop down and have a look at all 3

 

[Crazy Guy]

Sounds like you have the same problem i had a month ago. I opted for the D60 in the end, and am glad I did. The camera feels much better quality than the Sony's. My worry was that i would miss out on the live view of the A300 - but I havn't missed it once!

However the one thing I would say is try to stretch your budget and buy the 18-55 & 55-200 VR lens bundle. I didn't and have now spent £166 on a new 55-200 VR lens.

 

[IRobot]

I'm in the same position as the OP. I went to the shops today and had a look at the A200, A300, D60 and Canon 1000D. I liked the look and feel of the Nikon the most but ended up buying the A300, cheaper than the D60 and extra features which might or might not be useful.

(Argos are doing the A200 kit for £260.)

Steve

 

[Delvey]

Hmmm think ill have to go for the A300, what is the lens like that comes with it?

 

[IRobot]

Hmmm think ill have to go for the A300, what is the lens like that comes with it?

The kit lens has a bit more zoom than the Nikon and Canon, 70mm on the Sony, 55mm on the others.


Steve

 

[anthony566]

Hmmm think ill have to go for the A300, what is the lens like that comes with it?

I find that the kit lens is quite good in good light and has a very useable range.

 

[Pirate!!]

It's OK, not stellar, but very useable. Budget for 2 or more.

 

[Delvey]

Right, think im going to buy the A300 over the weekend. Will be using the lens that is supplied for the time being, just to get a feel for it. Any arguments for/against the others?

 

[Pirate!!]

That question will last 20 more posts. Go with your gut and enjoy whatever you buy.

 

[chrism_scotland]

Right, think im going to buy the A300 over the weekend. Will be using the lens that is supplied for the time being, just to get a feel for it. Any arguments for/against the others?

I second what Pirate said, just go out and buy it you can't go wrong

 

[MadaCup]

Just reserved myself an A300 from Jessops along with a Lowepro Rezo 160AW bag for £301 using the voucher SPRING20

 

[chrism_scotland]

Just reserved myself an A300 from Jessops along with a Lowepro Rezo 160AW bag for £301 using the voucher SPRING20

Good choice mate!

 

[MadaCup]

I finally (after a days shopping with the mrs) have my A300 home. Why oh why does it take so long to charge the battery

 

[Pirate!!]

Why oh why does it take so long to charge the battery

Beacuse they last a long time.

Check this link out for software updates and .pdf user manual. If you need a vertical grip, there's one on Dyxum.com for £80.00 + delivery.

 

[Delvey]

Finally bought one today. Went for the A300. Was the display model, so got it for £280, which wasnt too bad. Just need a memory card. Do i really need a £30 Sandisk CF? Or can i buy a cheaper fuji one?

 

[chrism_scotland]

Look at 7dayshop.co.uk, I've bought some of the Kingston 4GB 133 cards, they're around a tenner each and they are excellent.

 

[Pirate!!]

Just need a memory card. Do i really need a £30 Sandisk CF? Or can i buy a cheaper fuji one?

That may depend on what you want to shoot and your method of shooting (single or multi shot).

A 266x will do you just fine. Have a look at this one and cross-reference for price. If you're not bothered in terms of speed, I've got a Dane-Elec 4Gb CF card (cased) available, though it's a tad slow by today's standards.

 

[Delvey]

At the moment I will be shooting single shots, so something like the 1st one would be fine. Is a higher speed better i take it?

 

[Pirate!!]

At the moment I will be shooting single shots, so something like the 1st one would be fine. Is a higher speed better i take it?

Hmm . . just a tad )

 

[Sy1441]

Went for a D60 myself today, pretty pleased.