Sony A330??

[andrew.abercrombie88]

thx for the feedback Drake, i have the a330 with 18-55 lens kit i bought a Minolta A-70-210 on ebay for $60 so right now i am sitting pretty good.

[looking4OPH]

Wow, I knew there was brand-loyalty and strong preference in the photography community, but as a recent point-n-shoot move-up to entry+ dSLR, I'm wondering if I need to be cautious about saying; "Hi, my name is xxx and I'm a Sony a330 photographer."

I too am on a budget due to "currently looking for my next employment opportunity", but am taking this time to expand my horizons into photography for some mental stimulation. I love everything I've read here at DPS, including the over-exuberant opinions here. Just might make me pause a bit when talking equipment that isn't Nikon or Canon.

I researched (over-researched if you ask my wife) value for features in this space and came close to buying a Canon XSi or Nikon D3000, but getting away from the spreadsheet and putting my hands on them, they just didn't cut it. Maybe the feature-set of the a330 is targeted at a move-up like me. Live view may not fly with diehards, but it was important to me. Maybe Sony is more proprietary in it's accessories, but I own many other non-camera Sony products, so I'm familiar with that tradeoff. I actually wouldn't have touched a Sony if the camera ONLY supported their Memory Stick, but the a330's SDHC support was a winning factor. Where is image stabilization located? Just doesn't seem right to be in the lens adding complexity and cost in something you buy multiple times. So for me, the features I could get for a tight price-point were the decision factors for me. (Why do I feel I'm "justifying".....)