Equipment question

[bjohnson0311]

Hello folks. Hopefully this post in in the correct place. I currently own a Sony A330 with a 50mm 1.8, 18-55mm 3.5 and a 75-300mm 3.5. I will be attending the New England School of Photography this fall where I plan to major in wedding/portrait photography and I know that I need to upgrade, but my question is, do I stick with Sony or switch to Nikon or Canon?

I can't afford the Sony A900 ($2,700) and the next camera in the line would be the A580 ($800). Sony doesn't have as many lenses to choose from as Canon or Nikon, but I guess that there is always Tamron and Sigma lenses to choose from.

I've been looking at the Canon 60D and Nikon D7000. So essentially I'd like to know what you all think I should do. Continue with Sony since I already have Sony gear or make the switch.

Any input is GREATLY appreciated! Thanks!

[scootermcq]

A fellow I sometimes shoot weddings with used to use Sony. This year he switched to Nikon.

Like you mentioned, there is the lack of glass to deal with. There is also a cost for the Sony name. I think it is currently around $50 a letter.

Another big issue is every peripheral comes to market for Canon or Nikon first. If you think about wireless triggers, I used Stratos (for the TTL pass through) and have had them for about a year before they brought Sony to market. Even if you are not worried about TTL etc, you need a hotshoe adapter to use just about any brand and that adds expense to your purchase.

Another thing that upset him was they never seemed to release firmware for his cameras, and problems were just fixed in the next upgrade, but they never went back and took care of the legacy bodies.

I am sure I am about to get flamed for saying this, but there is also a preceived professionalism about Nikon and Canon. When you show up at a wedding and bust out a Sony, people associate that with consumer, where they thing prosumer with Nikon & Canon. Sometimes it is about the image.

Lastly, if you want to dive into the used market, there is an abundance of used Nikon & Canon equipment on the market keeping the prices down. Not so much Sony, so supply & demand says they can get more for their used stuff.

All the above said, Sony makes a fine camera and Nikon uses their processors in bodies such as the D90, so who am I to say?

[TomHarmon]

If you're just entering school, there's absolutely no need to get a $3,000 camera. I'm a nikon shooter, so I cant comment on Canon, but there are way too many options NOT to go with one of these systems. Get yourself a decent body and some cheap fast glass. I heard the D7000 was an awesome camera and I've seen some incredible stuff produced with it. Then get yourself some nice used glass, or the 50mm 1.8 and the 35mm 1.8. Both are $200 or under.

[bjohnson0311]

Thanks for your replies. You've pretty much confirmed what I pretty much knew but didn't want to face. Hopefully I can get decent money selling my Sony gear.

[bjohnson0311]

Bump. Any more input from folks?

[SwissJon]

Yes.. I sold my Sony and bought a D7000.. I had more glass than you and it's taken a while to get back to where I was. There's really nothing wrong with the Sony.. The photos are good, it's just the moment you start a training course, they're going to teach you on a Nikon or Canon.

It's pretty much neck and neck as to whether you go D7000 or 60D.. I ended up where I was because there were certain aspects of the D7000 I liked better.. I'm glad I made the choice I did, but my feeling is, I'd be equally glad i chose the 60D if I had.. They're both brilliant camera's

One thing I've discovered is that, with a little adapter, you can put Nikon glass on a Canon, but you can't put Canon glass on a Nikon. Whethe that makes any difference to you or not is questionable.. you might want to get a Canon, so you can have the coice of glass, or you might want to go down the Nikon route, build a collection of Nikon glass, so you have a choice of camera bodies in the future.. Either has their advantages, but one thing's for sure, I wish I'd gone mainstream when I first got into photography.

Only suggestion I can make is find out on your course if they have a preference between Canon and Nikon.. You may find the course leader has a Canon and can teach better to Canon students, or vice versa with Nikon.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

...Only suggestion I can make is find out on your course if they have a preference between Canon and Nikon.. You may find the course leader has a Canon and can teach better to Canon students, or vice versa with Nikon.

QFT. It's a rare teacher who is equally conversant with both systems.

[Jim Bryant]

Originally Posted by inkista

QFT. It's a rare teacher who is equally conversant with both systems.

True!!!!!!! Those that can't do teach!

[gturner]

Originally Posted by inkista

QFT. It's a rare teacher who is equally conversant with both systems.

an annoying fact at the one and only workshop I have ever done.

My thinking is that anyone who thinks are are clever enough to be teaching would at least spend half a day with the "other" brand, rather just mumble Idunno every time some asks a basic question.
Rant over!

[bjohnson0311]

Thank you all for all of the input. This is a nice forum. Truly thought out answers. As far as what the teachers know, I have no clue. It's a two year program so hopefully they're diverse in which cameras they use. I'm going to have to do a lot more research and luckily it doesn't start until October. With that, I'll continue with my little A330.