Which Alpha camera to buy?

[UrsaMajor]

I would appreciate purchasing advice from those familiar with the current line of Alpha cameras who have also looked closely at the models that were just introduced - especially if you have hands-on experience with one or more of the cameras.

My daughter -in-law has been using a point & shoot camera, and took a class in photography at a local school a couple of years ago. She has now expressed an interest in getting a DSLR with the aim of getting more serious about photography, partially due to the arrival of her son six months ago, and partially just because she enjoys photography. I'm planning on giving her a DSLR for her birthday in September, and will probably make it one of the Sony Alpha cameras, partially because I have extra copies of several nice lenses - such as the 70-210 f:4 (beercan) - that I can give her at the same time, to fill out the entire range that she is likely to use.

I have not made an in-depth investigation of the advantages and disadvantages of the various DSLR cameras currently available from Sony, but it appears to me that the best choice for her current and near-term skill level might be the A300 or the A350, and that one of these might be a good match for her to use for some years into the future. The models recently introduced might have a few advantages, but they also seem to have removed a couple of features, and the price/performance ratio seems to clearly favor the older models at this time - I think.

I would appreciate input from others who have experience with the currently available cameras, or who have spent some time going through a similiar decision process. (FWIW, I am not locked-in to the Alpha cameras, but am favoring them because I have several excellent Minolta lenses that I can give her at the same time.)

With best wishes,
- Tom -

[bfitzgerald]

With current prices so good on the A300/350, I would think that they would be perfectly fine for a new user.

[David Kilpatrick]

A350 is a good choice value for money wise, but A300 if you can get one for under £300 would be sensible - the file sizes are a bit easier to manage/process/store, and it is slightly more tolerant towards older lenses.

David

[KevinBarrett]

Current prices on the a350 are tempting plenty of a700 and a900 users. The a300 is attractive as well, having a marginally lower resolution than the a350, it keeps all other functionality from that camera, shoots a little faster, and is disproportionately less expensive because it's always been the "middle kid" of the Alpha entry-level.