A quick A380 18-55mm sample pic

[Greg Beetham]

Exactamundo Henry, somehow we ended up with that rotten Nikon style on/off switch around the shutter button on the new ones, and I don't think anyone even asked for that.
Some people have been agitating for a useless top panel LCD for a long time as well but Sony has been showing remarkable restraint in that regard...so far.
Greg

[KevinBarrett]

Gosh I hope we don't get another top panel LCD. I like having buttons and switches there instead, and what would be more useful would be more info in the viewfinder.

[bakubo]

The 50 Best Cameras

http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/ind ... 58127.html

The A380 is the first one on their list.

[bfitzgerald]

Despite the name, UK readers will probably tell you, it's far from the most impartial tabloid around.

My question is..

How big was the brown envelope???

Top lcd's made more sense film days, most obvious place to put it. The film 7 was a glimpse to the future. It's of less use on digital, though handy for tripod work etc. I rather like the 7's mini top one, aperture and shutter..or frame counter. Good enough for me.

Have to agree with Don, Sony stuffed up the top plate design, much space is just wasted and empty..so they might as well just add a top lcd anyway. The dual dials were the Minolta thing, and Sony seem so keen to get away from it.

[bakubo]

Despite the name, UK readers will probably tell you, it's far from the most impartial tabloid around.

The way I look at it is that snapshooters who are using digicams and who are thinking about getting a DSLR then this kind of thing in a non-photography newspaper or magazine is where they often get their info. They don't do much research at all. They go to a store and just pick up something that looks good or see something in a general purpose newspaper or magazine. For them this kind of thing in a newspaper carries much more weight than something in a well regarded specialty magazine or website. Mostly because they will never see it in one of those places and also their eyes glaze over with all the technical talk.

Many times over the years when people have asked me for advice I have pointed them to websites where they can read reviews or even more years ago I pointed them to reviews in magazines. Almost always they later tell me they couldn't understand what they read and then just asked me to recommend a camera for them. They want a one paragraph recommendation with little or no technical info and without a bunch of pros and cons. They just want the bottom line.

I have no interest at all in these 3 new Sony DSLRs and I have no idea at all whether Sony will do well with them. I do think having them in these kinds of lists in non-photography related media though helps them a lot. It reinforces the idea that these cameras are not just for camera techie geeks.

[bakubo]

I cannot comment on the optics of new kit lens, but again..sadly...SAM on this lens is not worth a can of beans, it's just as noisy as a screw drive. Seems our calls for in lens motors were not followed though in the way wanted (aka make them "quiet")

A couple of hours ago I was thumbing through the new issue of Popular Photography and they have a review of the A330 and the 18-55mm kit lens. With regards to the SAM they said it was fast and virtually silent. I wonder if the lens you checked out was defective? I haven't seen the new cameras or lens so I can't comment on it yet.

[Javelin]

A couple of hours ago I was thumbing through the new issue of Popular Photography and they have a review of the A330 and the 18-55mm kit lens. With regards to the SAM they said it was fast and virtually silent. I wonder if the lens you checked out was defective? I haven't seen the new cameras or lens so I can't comment on it yet.

On the one I tried the sound didn't shock you or anything but it's definitely not as silent as the ssm motor. I don't really understand why that would be cheaper or necessary rather than just the screw drive parts

[KevinBarrett]

The next DSLR on the list is The Nikon D5000 in sixth place. Fifth place went to a Joby Gorillapod. I can't take the "50 Best Cameras" claim very seriously now.

[bakubo]

The next DSLR on the list is The Nikon D5000 in sixth place. Fifth place went to a Joby Gorillapod. I can't take the "50 Best Cameras" claim very seriously now.

This is purely a marketing thing and Sony did good to get it if they did something to get it or if the writer just came up with the list on his own then even better. You are totally missing the point.

[bfitzgerald]

I only tried the one body and lens. I know that in the past in body motors have varied in noise (I have 3 film 5's)
But I have to agree with DK's comments, the SAM seems to offer no particular advantage over the trad screw drive in either speed or noise.
Seems like Sony "ticked the box" but missed the point. I note how quiet Canon lenses can be, even the kit is pretty quiet too. I cannot blame folks for thinking sony might "do away" with the in body motor in future generations. Really depends if they SAM or SSM other lenses in the range, esp stuff like the 16-105mm/16-80mm CZm, 50mm f1.4 etc etc. I believe a newer 75-300mm D is on the cards, I would expect SAM for that.

[Greg Beetham]

Well I'm not getting it, with the lens focus motors that is, it adds bulk and weight to the lens that's not necessary, because there already is a focus motor in the body, if it was totally silent and as fast as the body motor maybe there would be some argument for it, but apparently it doesn't possess either quality so it gets a keh? from me.
I'm still waiting to find out how long that new smaller battery lasts now that the new bodies have that auto popup flash....trouble is, to give it an authentic test one would have to study the picture taking habits of the intended purchaser...hmmm lessee, hold cam out in front in nightclub staring at rear screen with finger on the shutter button for three minutes per shot....
Greg