SONY ALPHA A GOOD INVESTMENT

[DAJARK]

I'M NEW TO THE SLR GROUP AND WAS WONDERING IF IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO GO AHEAD AND INVEST IN SOME EXPENSIVE LENSES. I HAVE FOUND SOME MUCH CHEAPER LENS FOR CANON AND NIKON THAT SONY JUST DOESN'T OFFER. IF THEY DO, IT IS UNDER THE CARL ZEISS NAME AND THEY ARE QUITE PRICEY. SONY DOESN'T SEEM TO GE THE SAME RESPECT OR REVIEWS AS CANON. I'M NOT A PROFESSIONAL BY ANY MEANS, BUT I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY AND PLAN TO EVENTUALLY UPGRADE MY CAMERA. I'M JUST NOT TOO FOND GETTING LOCKED INTO A BRAND DUE TO THE LENS MOUNT. DO YOU THINK IT IS WORTH IT TO INVEST IN THESE LENSES OR SHOULD I JUST CUT MY LOSSES AND BUY A CANON?

[tabraha]

Be aware that Minolta Maxxum mount lenses work as well. Not just Sony branded lenses. The Sony line is limited but there's alot of VERY good glass for Minotla Maxxum mounts floating around!

[David Kilpatrick]

You need to look hard to find bargains in the Alpha mount because the system is now selling about 10X more bodies than Minolta used to, which puts pressure on the used market, and keeps new lens prices high. While I think some Nikon lenses are every bit as good as Minolta/Sony/Zeiss, I don't consider Canon to have quite the same merits unless you spend more than you would for a Sony. The main advantage they have is more fast tele lenses, their weakness is at the wide angle to midrange end, and this is where Sony excels.

David