How did I get my first cam?

I decided out of the blue to buy a camera on 24th of December 2012. I drove to a nearby electronic store. I wanted more than a point and shoot camera, minimum requirement was that I could change the lenses. First I looked at Amazon, reading the customer reviews. Then at the store the Sony SLT-A35 looked good. The small size, the comfortable weight and the LiveView paired with a price of about € 500,– made the decision easy. The salesman tried to sell me a Canon, but I stayed with the Sony. I was happy with this camera, really well suited for novices.

Why a Sony?

Since my first camera was “accidentally” a Sony, and Sony did real innovations with the A7 series and first class sensor technology I stayed loyal. I like those small full format cameras and the Sony Zeiss lenses.

Which cameras should beginners buy?

You get a Sony SLT-A58 at about € 300,–, which is a very good price. The Sony-Zeiss 16-80 APS-C A-Mount lens at about € 600 is a good buy too. With these you would have a first class set.

The Sony A6000 (Sony A6300 or 6500 are newer, but more expensive) has an even more compact size for a price of € 500,– without lens. For the Sony A6000 you have to use E-mount lenses.

Also the Nikon D5300 (Nikon D5400 or D5500 are newer, but also a bit more expensive) are top class cameras with prices about € 500-700.

 

My Equipment:

SONY A7R II
 + Excellent photo camera for landscapes, architecture and portraits – tops A7R
 + Overwhelming details and resolution, best in class
 + Flexible usage and advanced focusing with different adapters
 + challenges middle format
 + silent shutter mode
O mabye there are better cameras for high speed sports and wildlife

RATING: 96%

Link to more infos and reviews at Amazon: Sony A7R Amazon

SONY A7R
 + Excellent photo camera for landscapes, architecture and portraits
 + Overwhelming details and resolution
 + Flexible usage with different adapters
 + light weight
 O only contrast detect autofocus
  – loud shutter sound

RATING: 88%

Link to more infos and reviews at Amazon: Sony A7R Amazon

SONY A7S
 + First class photos, especially in low light
 + Very good video quality
 + Flexible usage with different adapters for lenses
 O 12 MP not for everyone

RATING: 85%

Link to more infos and reviews at Amazon: Sony A7S Amazon

SONY A6000
 + Very fast autofocus with many focus points
 + Compact for fast snapshots
 + Beats many bigger cameras in speed, focusing and picture quality
 O In low light you should choose full frame

RATING: 85%

Link to more infos and reviews at Amazon: Sony A6000 Amazon

SONY ZEISS FE 55 1.8
 + Very sharp and fast
 + Excellent picture quality over the entire frame
 + Brings you top photos in your portfolio

RATING: 90%

Link to more infos and reviews at Amazon: Sony FE 55 1.8 Amazon

SONY ZEISS FE 24-70/4
 + Flexible zoom
 + Very good image quality, partially comparable to Sony Zeiss FE 55 1.8
 + low weight for its specs and performance
 O some bad reviews in the web, my copy is very good

RATING: 85%

Link to more infos and reviews at Amazon: Sony FE 24-70/4 Amazon

SONY G FE 70-200/4
 + Very good image quality, zoom with image stabilisation
 + high build quality
 + low weight for the offerd focal ranges

RATING: 91%

Link to more infos and reviews at Amazon: Sony FE 70-400 F4

SONY ZEISS SAL 24 F2
 + Fix focal length
 + Excellent image quality
 + Top build quality
 + High aperture for wide-angle lens

RATING: 90%

Link to more infos and reviews at Amazon: Sony SAL 24 F2

SONY LA EA4
Adapter for Sony A-Mount
 + Works very well, Autofocus-Points centred in the middle area

RATING: 80%

Link to more infos and reviews at Amazon: Sony LA EA4

SONY ZEISS SAL 135 F1.8
 + Fix focal length mostly for portraits
 + Top notch picture quality
 + Robust build
 + High aperture, super sharp in all areas

RATING: 90%

Link to more infos and reviews at Amazon: Sony SAL 135 1.8

SIGMA 35 F1.4 Art Lens
 + Fix focal length with high aperture
 + Excellent picture quality
 + High aperture, super sharp in all areas

RATING: 92%

Link to more infos and reviews at Amazon: Sigma 35 1.4

NIKON COOLPIX A
 + One of the best compact camras
 + Fix focal length with impressing picture quality
 + Better than most DSLRs
 + Very good build, highest quality and robustness
 + meanwhile very cheap price

RATING: 92%

Link to more infos and reviews at Amazon: Nikon Coolpix A

LEICA D-LUX 5
 + Compact camera with CCD sensor
 + Very good image quality with pleasing colors
 + High quality build and robustness

RATING: 80%

Link to more infos and reviews at Amazon for D-Lux 109 (D-Lux5 not longer offered): Leica D-Lux 109