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:
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |