Selling A850 to switch to Canon

[KenRC51]

I have a friend that sold all his Sony gears (hes has alot) to jump ship to Canon possibly Nikon but I think he is leaning more towards Canon because of the Megapixle.

He has the A850 (about 2-3k shutter clicks), Carl Zeiss 24-70 f2.8, DT Carl Zeiss 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5, Sony 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 Zoom Lens, Sony 50 f1.4, Sony flash HVL-F58AM, Sony remote, and some more little stuff that I don't remember. He sold them for $3000, can you believe that?

He didn't like it because of the high ISO, he said that canon and nikon are more superior in that field. Which I sort of agree, but that wouldn't justify me switching to Canon or Nikon.

What you guys think? You think he made a bad decision?

[DonSchap]

Whoever benefited from this sale has my deepest respect.

Personally, with the quality of the gear that is available, today, if you can save big money by picking it up "second hand", more power to ya, pal. That's the game, from today on.

We all have our personal choices to make, but when it comes to big money glass and gear ... Nikon, Canon, SONY ... your man had a serious investment and he threw it away and paid the bonus to distribute good gear. Personally, I would thank him. His gear is still out there, doing work, and that's the best part.

I like driving my SONY a850. It does everything I could ask for and I'm not into movies. Do I have a hankering for Nikon or Canon ... not if they don't build anti-shake into their body. It is a simple thing, these days ... but, they STILL do not have it. I would have to worry about having it in all my glass. Uh, I don't think so. Not ONE of my lenses has Image Stabilization in it ... the camera does all the heavy lifting in that regard.

Now, admittedly, with several factories and their contents spread all over northeastern Japan, SONY and other firms have some serious issues to contend with, but that is no reason to abandon ship. They are a huge company and have a lot more resilience than most. If I were a betting man ... that's who I would bet on.

[KenRC51]

Oh I forgot, what also went with that deal was the vertical grip.

To me honestly I would of probably keep that camera since knowing how much he have invested into Sony. I think he spent around 6k and sold for 3k and all his gears are baby.

If I really wanted to jump ship, I would of probably just bought a Canon or Nikon and sell the Sony when I get a better offer.

[djohnfot]

I don't understand why your friend did this unless he found the Sony system totally unsatisfactory from an operational standpoint. Is his need for quiet ultra-high ISO shots and more megapixels worth the expense of moving into an entirely new and not inexpensive system?

Ultimately it's his money and time and the best we can do is wish him well.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by KenRC51

What you guys think? You think he made a bad decision?

Everybody's different, so their needs are different. Some people really need extremely good high ISO performance for what they shoot, and an extra stop of performance is going to make a big difference. Other people, not so much. What fits, fits. If for your friend Sony is no longer a good fit and Canikon are better, then he made the right decision.

There's no virtue in loyalty to a brand that doesn't deliver what you want. You find the tools that work best for you and you vote with your dollars on what matters more. I know of shooters who ditched Canon with full frame and L lenses and went to Sony because they wanted the A900's low ISO performance, larger dynamic range, and ZA glass, because they were landscape shooters. If your friend is a sports shooter, though, it may make more sense to do the leap in the other direction.

It's an individual taste thing. De gustibus non est disputandum, or as a friend of mine once put it, "different squids for different kids."

You have to stop seeing his switch as disloyalty to you and your decision that Sony is what works for you. This has nothing to do with you. If you really are his friend, then you should just be happy that he's found gear that works better for him.

[DonSchap]

It is nothing special to buy one camera (kit), one year, then -->,migrate to another camera (kit) the next, or whenever. Big deal. You're fickle or haven't found something that works for you, yet.

But, once you start casting money into the pile for the tall-order glass and other accoutrements ... well, then that changes, because if you rush the sale, you simply will not get the money out of what you bought and will take a bath. Salesman love doing this to people and it is a part of the game. They want that profit ... and if they can screw ya to get it, that's the plan.

With this sale, I would say that it is the best (or worst, depending on which side you find yourself) example of getting hosed for good equipment. Personally, I would find it embarrassing to the nth-degree, unless there was some mitigating reason to dump the gear (family emergency or what not) in a big hurry. To simply SWAP it for another camera system, at a 50% discount ... uh, not so much.

Demonstrating some intelligence still outranks being moronic, every time. It's nothing special to get taken to the cleaners. Well, unless you are posting such foolishness.

Brand loyalty aside. I'm just sayin'