Sony A200 -> Nikon D80 upgrade

[this_is_gav]

If you can lay your hands on free glass, then that's always the best way... but you have to know you can get the glass when you'll want it.

Personally I seldom shoot under 70mm, and when I do want more, I desperately try to use my 150mm 2.8, but for certain occasions I need something more flexible, and that's where Lenses for Hire come in. I've just rented a Nikon 70-200 f2.8 for our year 8 school prom in a months time... something I'd dearly love to buy, but I just wouldn't use often enough to warrant the £1,500 price tag (yet anyway).... £65 for a top lens though... that's more than acceptable.

Really it depends on what you want to shoot, but don't eliminate what might be your ideal product just because you might have access to good glass on another system. If you expect to use a multitude of lenses, then you need to know you can get them. If you generally shoot short or long then want something else occasionally, then hiring might be a better bet, if it means you buy into a system that you're more comfortable with. Of course, if that system happens to be the one where you can also get access to good glass for free, then it's win-win.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The main reason I was just going to get the body was budget really. The plan was to get a couple of cheap minolta lenses now and then get better lenses later.

So far, I've seen a sigma f2.8 18-55 for £150, or a Minolta 35-105 Lens f3.5 – 4.5 and Minolta 100-200 f4.5 Lens for about the same price. So the question is do for the range or the quality?

I would probably go for the Sigma lens(as long as it is a good example and does not have AF issues) as it has a better wide angle range and the f2.8 aperture may have advantages in certain situatons. I have the 100-200mm and it is a nice, cheap and very compact lens which is has a decent level of sharpness. However it is not the fastest focusing lens and does not focus very close.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Spoke to a few guys at work, and one guys that's really into it, said I should go for canon (I know, not ground breaking advice) but he has loads of canon glass, ie over about 9 L series lenses. So I'm thinking of getting a 40D as he said he would bring in some glass for me to try, and he said he'd be willing to loan me a few of lenses.

The problems is that once you start using L glass from the get go anything else will not suffice and L glass is not that cheap! If you can borrow the lenses frequently then perhaps going for 40D is not a bad idea.

I have used the 40D and it is a nice camera. Why don't you go down a shop and handle all the dSLRs in your price range and get the one which works best for you? Also factor in the availability and cost of new and secondhand glass too.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Just a heads up guys all of the staff sales prices for the Alphas have shot up, expect possible price rises soon

It already has happened with the CZ 16-80mm and 70-300mm G lenses from what I have seen. I suspect lenses like the 16-105mm will also start going up in price and reach the price level of equivalent zooms from other companies.

[Lee`]

So, the offer I currently have on the table is a Canon 30D with the 28-135 IS lens. It was a backup to a pro so hasn't had much use. For £450, which seems like a pretty reasonable price and would provide a nice walkabout lens.

[brammers]

That's a very good price with the lens. I'm not sure I'd want that lens on APS-C myself, Canon's are 1.6x so that's a zoom starting at 42mm, but if you didn't find it wide enough you could sell it and then get something that went down to 16/17mm. Might even be able to do a straight swap in some places for a Siggy 17-70 or something.

I'd take a 30D over an a200. I agree about the budget alphas, the LV is very cool but you don't get a step up in spec until you hit the a700. I'd miss the built in AS and one or two of the Sony lens options, but a 30D is a very nice piece of kit. I've got some 20D shots that I still find really good when comparing to a900 stuff.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I agree with brammers that the 28-135mm won't be that wide on a 30D. Of course you could sell it and put the cash towards a 17-85mm(around 28-136mm in 35mm terms) which has USM and IS or a Tamron,Sigma or Tokina f2.8 zoom although IIRC with the independent lenses there is no IS.

[Lee`]

Got the 30D, so far so happy. Just been getting to grips with the way it works, and going to go out for a play with it this evening. My friend from work is going to take a few pics of the run going on tomorrow, so I think I'm going to go with him and get a play with some of his kit and take some real pictures.