Have A350 thinking of Nikon D90...?or Better Glass?

[FotoCrazee]

Hello all...
I have had a Sony a350 for a little over a year now. I only have the kit lens (18-70) and it does not seem to have the clarity that my friends Nikon has. I have thought about changing to a Nikon D90 because of this clarity issue. If I decide to buy better glass instead, will I find this issue correct itself? If so, what glass do you recomend for portrait work? What do you recommend for extreme close up work? Please keep in mind that I am a stay at home mom so I have a small budget to work with. Still...I don't want bad equipment because I want to eventually make this a profession and a ministry. Thank you for your help in advance!!
FotoCrazee

[faganst]

Hello. I am new to DPS but have a Sony a100 and a350. I have had excellent clarity with the kit lens. However, I usually use a 75 to 300 Tamron lens for portraits and nature photography. The images are quite good. I also have a Sigma 28-105 lens that produces clear images too.
Hope this helps.

[LoveDSLR]

From DPReview:

"The default JPEG output from the A350 is distinctly soft (and this is exacerbated when coupled with the rather below-par 18-70 kit lens), though detail is being recorded and can be recovered if you're willing to shoot in RAW and post-process."

Better lenses and RAW processing will help a lot in your case but the Nikon D90 is a better camera.

The biggest advantage of the Nikon D90 is having the D300's low noise high ISO (~3200) sensor technology.

[FotoCrazee]

Now Love,
You are supposed to give me some revelation into why I should stay with Sony and not spend the money to change to Nikon.......
FotoCrazee

[inkista]

Get an old Minolta AF 50mm f/1.7. That should help. keh.com has 10 of them varying in price from $99-$215. If you can spring for a little more, there's also a 50mm f/1.4 for $275. B&H and Adorama probably have a bunch in their used sections, too.

That'll show you what your A350 can do without breaking the bank and going Zeiss.

In terms of post-processing, try using Levels and Curves adjustments--in Curves, an s-curve will increase contrast.

And didn't they just announce the α380?

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by FotoCrazee

Now Love,
You are supposed to give me some revelation into why I should stay with Sony and not spend the money to change to Nikon.......
FotoCrazee

But I'm a Nikon and Canon user.

Seriously that depends on your budget and how would you like to approach photography (even at home).

You have to use your camera body all the time while some lenses some of the time. You will enjoy photography more if the camera fits your expectation, experience and workflow (how much you like to spend on doing post processing).

All brands are good but which one is better for you. I often shoot with a p&s and enjoy every minutes of it.

[DonSchap]

One of the unique attributes of the SONY DSLR is its compatibility with Minolta lenses all the way back to 1985. The A-mount was extremely popular and there are literally thousands of lenses out there, that can be had for a reasonable cost, unlike all the New Nikon or Canon lenses you would have to buy to do effectively the same thing with a Nikon or Canon body.

The biggest advantage and it is a little difficult to explain the capability unless you actually try it out and use it, is the built-in anti-shake of the SONY DSLR. ANY LENS you mount, has stability "Super SteadyShot". Neither Nikon or Canon will offer that. You have to get it from their lenses ... and anti-shake lenses are usually pretty pricey.

Anyway ... my suggestion is to get a reduced price SONY A700 or the brand new SONY A500 (September). Good luck and take great stuff.

SONY also just released a 50mm f/1.8 DT PRIME lens which can offer some really nice looking focus and sharpness to your intro A350. The lens is priced around $150.

[MSidPhoto]

Firstly....probably the problem is the jpeg format.....try to shoot on RAW and see if the results are satisfying...

As far as D90 is concerned.....its an excellent DSLR......if you have the money, go for it

Originally Posted by FotoCrazee

Now Love,
You are supposed to give me some revelation into why I should stay with Sony and not spend the money to change to Nikon.......
FotoCrazee

But keep in mind to compare both cameras before taking maybe because Sony has few small but significant edges over others like Nikon and Canon...like Sony has anti shake in the camera while Nikon and Canon have it in their lenses which make the lens more expensive

Good Luck

[MSidPhoto]

Sony also released 3 new cameras recently......namely A500, A550 and A850......look into those too.....it might interest you ....
And if you buy another better Sony...if a better camera is what you are looking for than......why go for a new camera so you have to buy all the new lens again....why not stay on Sony ....that way you are gonna save much money

This are the link to the reviews of A550 which seems a GREAT camera

Sony DSLR A550 Hands-on Preview: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

[zappo]

Save your money for the new body and buy a better glass. Nikon / Canon / Sony / etc... doesn't matter if you use a bad lens. You will get a tamron 17-50 2.8 for a pretty cheap price, alternativly a sigma 24-70 2.8. This will do a LOT more than changing your body.