shop or private

[mikehawthorne]

hi all
my son had canon that had lots of problems with focusing despight going back for repair.
that is why i whent for minolta in the first place, i am hoping that the next replacment for a700 is going to be better allround than the a 700 or i may just not bother with sony next time they keep churning out so many entry level models i am confused with them. They need less models with straight out of the box good images. not impressed with sam type of focusing lenses way behind canon.

At the moment a mate of mine is trying to decid to by canon d30 secend hand from shop or private personnaly i would go for shop with chance of taking it back if it goes wrong.
if this sounds like a rant its not meant to, its that my a700 is not getting any younger and i would like to see some thing to aim for if it packs up.

an thoughts


mike hawthorne

[David Kilpatrick]

There's no reason to assume the A700 will pack in. Many Canon lenses - such as the latest 18-135mm zoom sold with the 550D - are identical to SAM in the type of lens motor used. It's only the USM models which are better, and Sony has a match for those in SSM. Buying a used D30 is very foolish, rather like buying a Model T Ford; buying a 30D is not much more sensible, like buying a MkII Cortina... both are now outdated and much older than your A700 (and no way as good). In Alpha terms, the 30D is equal to a Konica Minolta 7D body with not-quite an Alpha 100 sensor.

I wouldn't worry much about the A700 successor unless you plan to change camera right now. The new models will be available in October, if they are not announced before that.

David

[bfitzgerald]

There are some decent Canon bargains about..you can still get new boxed 40d's around for a good price..and the 50d is pretty good cost wise too. IMO it's been a serious lapse of judgement to leave the A700 range empty. It's likely cost them some serious users moving to other mounts.

I'd agree the range needs to be chopped down. Just 1 entry level (bottom) body. 1 upper entry level body. I'd have something similar to a D90 in A mount for users to get stuck into..then the A7xx model would be up around the D300s performance. That would keep everyone happy, rather than bashing out 6 questionable entry level models and not much else.

[mikehawthorne]

Hi
Thanks for reply, i would not dump the a700 unless it broke or goes bang, it is as far as i am concernd the best camera i can get or ever had. i do. think though there is to many lower end models

The only reason i can see why the a700 replacment has been so long coming is getting the HD video to work with the anti shake system, although i could be wrong. I have never bought a camera second hand i tried to get my mate to have a look at new models especially as the older models might not have the updates and it may only be a couple of hundred pounds difference,even if it is for a entry level.

Any way that is my thoughts on things, thanks David and Barry for reply.

mike hawthorne

[WaltKnapp]

There's no reason to assume the A700 will pack in.

I used to run on that assumption, figuring it was so well built there were no worries. Until one of my a700s did break. The SSS unit broke it's suspension. And that camera had little shooting and was just over a year old. It was rebuilt under extended warranty I had. But it got me watching for reports of a700s breaking. What I've found is that the SSS seems to be the weak point and as the cameras age is being reported breaking more. When it happens you are instantly out of shooting. Either the focus or framing, or both will be off even though the camera will still fire. ( this same thing has been reported with SSS on other Sony SLRs as well )

I think one should have in the back of their mind always what they will do when their a700 breaks. Without warranty (in the US at least) the standard repair fee is huge. It does not take a lot to keep track of where Sony is at.

Walt

[bakubo]

I used to run on that assumption, figuring it was so well built there were no worries. Until one of my a700s did break. The SSS unit broke it's suspension.

...

I think one should have in the back of their mind always what they will do when their a700 breaks. Without warranty (in the US at least) the standard repair fee is huge. It does not take a lot to keep track of where Sony is at.

Thankfully, I haven't had any problems with the SSS in my A700. I have my fingers crossed. But, I have had ongoing problems with the infamous A700 control wheel defect even after sending it in to Sony for repairs. Not as serious as an SSS failure, but when the problem gets bad enough it makes the camera almost unusable since changing aperture, shutter speed, etc. causes it to jump around and you just have to keep playing with it to get what you want.

[Wes Gibbon]

I'd agree the range needs to be chopped down. Just 1 entry level (bottom) body. 1 upper entry level body. I'd have something similar to a D90 in A mount for users to get stuck into..then the A7xx model would be up around the D300s performance. That would keep everyone happy, rather than bashing out 6 questionable entry level models and not much else.

I think the model range is far more confusing than it needs to be. Effectively, excluding the A700 there are basically two models - the 230/330/380 and A450/500/550. Could they not have used suffix letters to indicate the options e.g. A230 for basic, A230L with Live View and A230XL for Live view with eXtra piXels. Dealers could let customers play with the A230L and say 'you can have it cheaper without Live View, or pay extra for more pixels'. Another problem is that Sony will be running out of sensible model numbers. What comes after the A330?... The next upgrade A340, then A345, then A347? After the A349 it will be the A349.5 unless the mid-spec model 'overtakes' the A350, but either way it's going to get very confusing if they bring out a new generation every couple of years or less.