Newb advice for Sony a33

[deepseasnake]

I’m brand new to photography and getting ready to purchase my first “real” camera. I’ve been reading and doing research for the last couple months and have gotten to the point where without the actual camera in my hand I’m just skimming meaningless words.
I’ve absolutely decided to purchase a Sony a33, we are having our first child and I need to post HD video as she grows up so that out of state family can feel connected. What I really need help with is lens choice I’m struggling between these options

a33 + kit lens on Amazon for 650ish
or
a33 + Sony 75-300 for 700 with a lens discount


I think I want to work with a 50mm f/1.8 for indoor baby/family pics and then something for everything else. Basically I want to try everything with a “general” use lens. We live in Tucson AZ and I can honestly see shooting scenic, travel, action, macro and whatever else I can find. I just don’t know what I like because it all sounds so interesting to me at this point. Are there better options for me out there? Should I just stick with the kit lens until I figure out what I like to shoot?

Thanks for having me
Ian

[Jim Bryant]

The cost of the rest of the lenses will eat you alive. WHy purchase a camera made by an electronics company?

[smcilree]

I've had an a33 since last September and love it. I have had many cameras, both film and digital, over the past 45 years, and the a33 is by far the best. Don't let anyone persuade you that the a55 is much better, unless you need a built-in GPS, there is little difference between the images they produce. And certainly don't listen to anyone who tells you that an electronics company can't make cameras. Minolta and now Sony have been smart enough to put the anti-shake mechanism in the body rather than the lens to keep the price of lenses down.

I purchased both the lenses you are contemplating when I got the camera, and like them both very much. They probably spend an equal amount of time on the camera. BTW, the Sony Alpha cameras will take the later Minolta lenses, making quite a few great bargains on used lenses.

[Biomech]

The cost of the rest of the lenses will eat you alive. WHy purchase a camera made by an electronics company?

Because they bought out Minolta and work with Zeiss, which means you have a solid base and LOADS of lens choices

I was looking at the A55, I picked one up and then bought the a580 - a MILLION times better and there was about £20 between them. The SLT series have fast burst modes but on that a33 it has an electronic viewfinder, some other stuff I didn't like and it's tiny, there's no meat to it.

Digital single-lens reflex camera - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Single-lens translucent camera - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[SwissJon]

I have an a55.. It takes superb pictures.. There's TONS of second hand lenses on the market, most of the Minolta AF lenses work fine in AF.

I would buy:

A55 Second hand. The A33 is about to be discontinued (Simply because it was undermining the A55 market) . It has dfewer megapixels than the A55. Since the A55 was released last October, you won't find many for sale, but so I wouldn't buy one.. Or I would wait and buy one when the discontinuation is announced and the new ones are discounted. (Next month I believe) The A55 won "Camera of the year" award in the UK last year, so I think it's pretty safe to say it's a damn good camera.. I like the GPS, I'm a landscape photographer. The 10FPS is great if you're into sports. I would buy the body only and buy separate lenses.

I would get the Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* DT 16-80 F3.5-4.5Z. It's an extremely sharp lens and has a much more useable range than standard. This lens lived on my A55.

I would get a Minolta 70-200 "Beercan" second hand. It's sharper than anything on the market bearing the Sony logo for under $1000 and it's likely to cost you about $100

I would get a Minolta 50mm Prime second hand, probably less than $80 and a damn good lens.

I would buy spare batteries from Fleabay.. They're cheap, they won't be as good as the Sony ones, but in an emergency you'll be happy to have them.

I'd spend the rest of your budget on a remote shutter release, and a decent tripod.

I liked the Electronic View Finder for the fact it meant I could have everything displayed exactly like the Live View screen. It takes a little getting used to, but it's pretty good. And the fact that the camera weighs about half as much as the equivalent Nikon or Canon makes it pleasent to carry around.

This is a decent camera, and I liked many things about it.. My A55 is for sale if you're interested.. I jumped ship and went to Nikon because there aren't many Sony dealers here in Switzerland.

[deepseasnake]

Thanks guys that's great advice, unfortunately some lady at my wife's work convinced her that we should just buy a 200 dollar point and shoot. I'm still going to get the A33/A55 (mostly likely which ever one I can find cheaper) but now I'm probably going to have to wait for a few months so that I can just buy it myself when I can find one used.

Thank you so much for the advice I will be back soon