So You Want to Be A Photographer….
By Lucas Carter on Jan 14th, 2009 at 7:40PM
Welcome to the wonderful world of of photography. As a welcoming gift, I’d like to inform you that you’re going to be putting in a lot of money into this hobby, and I mean A LOT. Technology in modern-age DSLR outfits has came down in price significantly, and today you can get much more for $700 than you could 4 years ago.
Right off the bat, I’d like to re-instate my unending and ever-present love for everything that Canon says, does, makes, produces, etc. If you’re looking into photography, and you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing, I’d have to actually recommend the Sony Alpha300.
This camera packs some serious punch for less than 700 bones. First of all, it sports an incredibly tight pop out screen that makes extreme-angle shots significantly easier. Also, the camera will auto focus in live view. Live view is a feature that newer cameras have that basically makes the high-end DSLR technology easier for those that are dependent on looking through the LCD rather than the viewfinder. For the record, the viewfinder is infinitely more reliable, but live view can assist in setting up landscape shots on a tripod for example. With the Sony Alpha300, you’re far less likely to get frustrated and give up on photography with the Sony, than if you were to go with other cameras in the price range (such as the Canon Rebel Xs or the Nikon D60).
One of the nicest features about this camera is its capability to shoot at ISO 3200. ISO basically refers to how sensitive the sensor (the digital film) is to light. It’s basically like shooting with 3200 speed film. This lets you get quicker shutter speeds at maximum apertures, or allows you to push the aperture if shooting in shutter priority to modify your depth of field.
What’s great is that you can pick up this camera AND a 55-200mm lens for right around 650 bucks from B&H photo. Also, Sony has dual compatibility for memory cards in their cameras (I know, it surprised me too). They’ll support the far superior Compact Flash as well as Memory Stick ProDuo, but here’s a tip. If you get this camera, don’t buy a ProDuo. You’d be throwing your money away.
Here’s a sample image from the Sony Alpha300 to show that I’m not just making stuff up.
1/400, f13, ISO 200, 55mm with kit 18-70mm lens:
photo courtesy of cameralabs.com
