5 comments about Sony Alpha DSLRA350K 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens.

1. I love this camera and all of it's many features. Don't buy the kit lens. It is not worth the extra money. I put a C. Zeiss 24-70mm lens on it and it is wonderful.



2. This camera is really unbelievable for the price. If we're talking about the camera body (with no lens), I prefer it over the Canon Rebel XSi anyday (and I've used both). The problem for Sony is that their lens is sooooo crappy that the image quality goes straight down the toilet, and Canons lenses are for the most part very sharp and colorful.
   
   The solution? Minolta lenses. I got my camera in the mail this morning and have played with it all day. From the second I unpacked the lens I was disappointed- even before I put it on the camera. It has an extremely cheap and plasticy feel, probably because it is cheap and made of only plastic. I'm actually pretty sure there's not a single piece of glass in the lens (which means, for those of you are new to this, that it sucks). I put it on and sure enough the results were not pretty. Don't run off to Canon's page so quickly, though- remember that this IS a 5 star review.
   
   What makes up for sony's crappy crappy lens is the fact that you can use any Minolta lens from the past 20 years. In anticipation of purchasing this camera I brought 2 Minolta lenses from a garage sale a few weeks ago for a hundred bucks, and when I put them on the camera it was like magic. The autofocus still works in an instant, and the sharpness and color combined with Sony's 14megapixel sensor have left this former film-snob utterly impressed.
   
   So my advice to advanced amateur photographers is to buy this camera. But just the body only. Save the hundred bucks to buy yourself a Minolta lens (or two). I thought I'd throw in the extra hundred bucks with this cam just to have an extra lens for my collection, and it was absolutely not worth it. I don't even know if I'll mount it onto my camera ever again. Seriously- It's a big plastic turd. I wouldn't buy it again if it was 20 bucks.
   
   Also- I learned the complete menu for this camera in less than a day. The only negative things about this camera (except for the crappy turd plastico lens) are that it's not a full frame sensor (look it up, and then decide if you really want to spend and extra 1300 dollars to get a full frame sensor DSLR), and that there's a really dumb and pointless digital zoom button that is a total tragic use of space. I could think of ten more used/usable functions that could have gone there instead.
   
   Really though, I couldn't be happier with this camera.



3. Not much can be said that hasn't been said. One Hell of a nice camera. Took out of box and began shooting excellent photos right off the bat. I did have to read the instructions to see what a couple of the control were and how to get to a couple of things. Excellent feel of the camera, Excellent location of control buttons. Love the anti-shaking, and live view. Owner of approximately 4 different sonys and have loved each, but the 350 is definitely the top dog. Have use the Nikon, and canon, they don't hold a candle to this camera. The company that sent the camera was also excellent, no problems, camera was waiting for me when I got home, no dented boxes.
   
   One recommendation is to buy the added lens.



4. It has been about 10 years since I put away my old olympus SLR camera away to gather dust for a few nifty small digital point and shoots. I bought this Sony about a month ago and have taken almost 2,000 pics. Took me a while to brush up on my technique and understand the new dslr lingo, but for anyone who has ever used a traditional SLR, I think you'll be most pleased. SUPER clear/hi res pictures, exceptionally quick focusing, even in live view mode, and easy to access options. Chances are, the things you are looking for the most are just a button, dial or quick click away. The ISO button is super handy, and with the touch of a button, you can change the setting up to 3200 to suit your needs.
   
   I skipped the kit lens option and decided to buy the SAL18250 (18 mm - 250 mm. Stick with the Sony lens folks. It is solid responsive, and a great overall wide angle/telephoto lens. Why schlep around 2 kit lens' when you can virtually have it all in one? (:
   
   OK back to the camera. OK now, some cons: The camera is a bit on the heavy side (But then again I'm really used to a point and shoot). This camera also lacks the ability to do a super magnified manual focus on the LCD during live view. This is not a real big deal to me for my needs. Auto focus works great, and manual focus works fine for me those rare times I use it.
   
   I love the tiltable 2.7 in live view screen. Got some incredible shots at ground level looking up (From a dog's eye view) I should say an ants eye view! That with the wide angle... wowza.. seriously creative shots without breaking your back or twisting your neck!
   
   I've been able to hand hold existing light shots down to 1/20 of a second, thanks to the anti shake feature. Pretty cool. I would have never thought I could take such a slow hand held pic without it being all blurred.
   
   I highly recommend purchasing an 8 gig CF card for this camera to maximize your data storage. You should get about 1,700 fine res .jpg pics per disk. Go for the faster speed CF card like the SanDisk Extreme III. They're cheap now, under a hundred bucks. I also recommend getting a UV filter and circular polarizer. Again, stick with Sony filters. Now that you have such a great camera, you'll want the really nice quality filters.
   
   You'll have fun with this camera and your friends will drool over your pictures!!!



5. To start off, I don't really write reviews on products, and I am new to digital photography, so you can really take this review with a grain of salt... However, I just thought I would share why I gave this product a 5 star rating.
   
   The five star rating simply put is because I love this camera. As stated earlier I am new to digital SLR photography so I won't be nearly as insightful as the Nikon/Canon buffs.
   
   Why get the A350? 14.2 megapixels. Live view. Ease of use. Super Steady Shot built into the camera.
   
   The high megapixels enable you to take high quality photos that will look great when blown up. Does this mean that this camera will take better pictures than a Nikon D300 because the megapixel count is higher... No, not at all that was a common misconception I learned. But knowing that I wanted to take a lot of pictures and make large digital prints to make my office look less lame, I figured I should go a step higher to get the blown-up image quality that I want.
   
   The live view is great for so many reasons. Right on the display, it tells you all your settings from battery life, flash, aperture, etc... all while giving a great idea what your image will look like. Keep in mind, what you see on the live view isn't 100% what you'll see when you load the photos on computer or photoshop.
   
   Ease of use: Grab the camera, go over the manual, play with the settings, take pictures. Coming from someone who knew nothing about cameras until about 2 weeks ago, the learning curve was easy with this camera. Right out of the box, you can set everything to auto and take great pictures just like a small digital camera. But for more advanced photos you simply learn by trial and error and the live view helps you see what you might need to adjust when taking photos. So even if you've never touched an SLR camera, you begin to learn what ISO, f/5.6, and all the other settings are and how to use them just by taking good pictures... or bad ones!
   
   Super Steady Shot: Clear images, built into the camera, not the lens like other manufacturers. Down the line it can help you save some money because you can buy less expensive lenses because you don't need to pay the extra money to get the image stabilization in the lens like Canon or Nikon.
   
   So why get this camera vs. other brands? First off, this camera is great for anyone wanting to get into digital SLR's. If you have old Minolta A-mount lenses you can use them with this camera. There are websites that give compatibility charts with some of the old lenses that you have.
   
   If you have a bunch of DSLR Nikon and Canon gear, well that sucks for Sony because you won't be buying an A350 anytime soon. If you did, then you're either dumb or have a lot of free time and money to blow. However, if you're thinking about getting a camera, Sony makes a great product and offers tons of features in the camera at a low cost. Down the road, Sony will launch more professional and higher priced cameras so if you're starting out on a DSLR journey, you can begin it with Sony and start collecting lenses, tripods, filters and all the other happy stuff that goes into the expensive hobby of digital photography.
   
   Side note: I think this camera was $100 cheaper when I bought it 2 weeks ago. I got the Sony A350X kit (The X is the 2 lens kit, the A350K kit is a 1 lens kit) so I don't know what the deal is there. But all in all, it's a great buy.
   
   Oh yeah, if you're trying to decide whether or not to buy the A300 or A350, in case you didn't know the only difference, literally is the megapixels. So unless you are going to blow up your images, go save yourself $200 bucks and get the A300. If you're going to make large prints like I am, then go with the A350.

No comments about Olympus E-520 10-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera Kit with 14-42mm Lens.

5 comments about Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens (Silver).

1. Got this camera recently and totally in love with it. Yep, it's not the new modet, but I does alot for the old model.
   Also, if you'd like to have something professional, take Canon EOS 5d)



2. By the time, I am writing this review, I have captured more than 10K pictures on this lovely camera. It takes superb pictures. The picture quality is stunning. I highly recommend buying Canon external Flash for better indoor shoots and Canon EF 70-200mm F4L USM lens for stunning pictures. Value for money and once you get used to DSLR, its hard moving back to point and shoot.
   Great camera.



3. I have owned this camera for about a month now, and it is my first digital SLR. I used to have a Canon film SLR, and a point and shoot as well, and loved them both. So when I decided to get an SLR, Canon was the only choice for me, and I was not disappointed.
   
   This is an excellent camera. It's easy to use, and the pictures are great. The software that comes with the camera is actually pretty good, and I have been quite happy with it so far. I really would recommend this camera to anyone looking into the digital SLR market. There have been documented exposure problems by other users, but I have not noticed anything wrong with the exposure.
   
   I really can't recommend this camera enough.



4. I purchases what I thought to be a "new" camera body. Upon receipt of the package and opening it, it was NOT new, but recently returned to amazon and still had the receipt from the previous purchaser. I can only hope that it was returned to some reason other than it was defective.



5. After taking thousands of pics of my two year old and my new born with my HP point and shoot, I finally gave up. None of the pictures were of the 'moment' or 'expression' I was trying to capture. I was always taking pictures of their backs or their looking away or xxx. Anything but what I wanted. Then the quality of the pictures were never quite right unless I took the picture in full blown day light.
   
   Finally decided to splurge. After extensive research on the Canon XTi vs the Nikon, I ultimately opted for the Canon. I bought it along with the portrait EF 50mm that seems to be highly rated by many. I later purchased the EF 28-105mm. Upon receiving the camera, I went to town taking pics of my little ones. What I found:
   
   Pros:
   - Fast. Very fast. Wow. I've yet to miss a shot.
   - Outstanding pics. Pics with the EF28-105 good. Pics with the EF 50mm, outstanding. Many look like they were taken by a pro. Trust me. I am no pro. I'm a working mom looking for some good pics to put on their website and send to Grandma and Grandpa. On average, with my point and shoot, I'd get 1 out 20 that were worthy of that. Now, I average 5-6 out of 10 at a higher bar of course.
   - Versitile. I can play around with different settings and Canon lenses. Fun but expensive.
   - Battery charges fast. Battery life outstanding. I honestly don't think I've had to charge the batteries but 2-3 times since I bought it five months ago and have taken thousands of pics.
   - The 4GB SD card keeps more pics than I could ever want.
   
   Cons.
   If you are a working kind of mom like I am and just want an awesome camera to take awesome pics, you've found it. However, there is one big downside: it's bigger...way bigger than a point and shoot. It's not as easy to throw in your purse and go out for a splash day. I have found myself leaving it behind because I just didn't want to lug it along with the diaper bag, a toddler and an infant...car seat, snacks, toys, bottles, wipes...etc. The bag is heavy enough. But, those pics are priceless as far as I am concerned and will sacrifice more often than not and find myself glad for having done so.
   
   LENSES. This took me longer to figure out than which camera to buy. I searched for a month before I committed. Given the affordability of the 50mm and its reviews, I opted to do without the kit lens.
   
   Admittedly, I regretted it at first. What!? No zoom. As you can tell, I'm a serious amatuer and didn't know what I was getting into. But, despite the one time I wanted to take a group pic that required me to step clear to the other side of the house to get them in, 99% of the time, I'm trying to get a good close up of my kids...many pics by default at this age tend to be close ups. Then, there is a subtle difference between the pictures I have taken with this lens and the 28-105--crisper, cleaner and outright beautiful color.
   
   The 28-105 is actually not bad especially if you use it with the hood. The zoom is about what I figure I will need at ball games and ballerina recitals when I don't have to worry about lugging a diaper bag and keeping after a climbing/crawling baby. For the price, I figure it's doable.
   
   There you have it, Amazon shopping Moms. I hope this Review was helpful. I found many of the reviews targeting semi-pros so it took a while to sift through it all!

1 comments about Olympus Evolt E-510 Digital SLR Camera/ Two Lens Kit with 14-42 mm & 40-150 mm Lens 2 GB CF Memory Card, Spare BLM-01 Lithium-Ion Rechargeable Battery, Slinger Camera System Bag.

1. I bought this camera with the two lenses from a different vendor. After researching DSLR's I found this buy to be a good one. Seeing this ad with all the components makes me wish I'd waited a bit longer. This is a good deal for a great entry level digital slr. The camera is easy to use and takes excellent pics. I'd suggest getting the DVD that explains all the features. It's worth the $20. I believe it's available through Olympus.
   I own several SLR's from professional to amateur, Canon, Minolta, etc. I waited for prices to come down to get into DSLR's. Olympus gave me a good reason. Consider Canon's and Nikon's offerings at nearly twice the price. Actually, a friend bought a Canon that went for $1400. I couldn't find a difference of $800 between the cameras or pictures it took.
   The extra battery, disc and bag are definitely worth it. This is a good buy.

5 comments about Olympus Evolt E420 10MP Digital SLR Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Lens.

1. I you want the performance of a SLR in shooting and focusing DON'T BUY THIS CAMERA, the three point autofocus is practically useless in-door and in low light conditions, it takes forever for the autofocus to lock-in. and manual focusing is not accurate and difficult. Face Recognition and live view switching is also extremely slow. I am social photographer and this camera is very frustrating and dissapointing, the flashing on the subject to autofocus takes forever. Other systems in the same price range use 9 point autofocus , this camera only has 3 points. Also others use an constant light to illuminate on autofocus, this uses the pop flashing and it is practically useless. Outdoor image quality is very good. The liveview preview autofocus and face recognition is less effective than other inexpensive point and click cameras. Changes made to variables in the automode return back to default settings, therefore you have to change the shooting variables everytime you shoot. I believe Olympus must update the software soon, Images are consistently under exposed and out of focus in automode and overall response is slow when shooting on liveview mode.



2. I have the e-410. The pictures are great. The camera handles well. I like the fact that I can carry it on a shoulder strap all day and not be tried of it. I have large hands, but don't find the camera to be too small for me to handle.
   
   The other reviewer was correct in criticizing the focus assist strobe because it is slow. Turn that feature off and the camera will focus quickly with natural light.



3. I have had this E-420 with Zuiko 25mm Pancake for a month now and it is simply superb.
   
   I sold my Canon XTi and SD700IS because I wanted a smaller/lighter system without sacrificing DSLR image quality. I got portability with my Canon P&S but not the image quality; I got DSLR image quality with the Canon DSLR but not the portability. The question was: What should I do? Well, the timing of the release of this camera/lens was perfect. And the choice to get this camera was the best choice I have made with regards to photography. Now I have the smallest, lightest DSLR camera in the world with great image quality to match any 10MP entry-level DSLR. Having owned this camera for over a month now, I have realised that I am taking 2-3 times more photographs than ever before simply because it is such a joy to take out-and-about (perfect for street photography) and the results I am getting are excellent. Want to see images from this combination? Have a look at my photostream: [...])
   
   From using this camera, I am looking forward to exploring more of Olympus's infamous Zuiko lenses which are some of the best digital lenses in the industry. I tried the 12-60mm lens with the E-420 the other day and boy was the auto-focus speed fast! The continuous shooting is fast too: 3-4 shots (raw+super-fine jpegs) per second -- very impressive.
   
   Because of this purchase my passion for photography has been ignited which is priceless in itself. Photography should be about taking photos without feeling restricted by what you hold in your hands. This camera gives me that freedom and confidence that I can take great photos wherever I am. Photography should be FUN! And it is certainly FUN to use this camera.
   
   To conclude, do your research on the net on this camera and look at many photos. I am sure you will discover many other happy new owners of this camera. I have heard even some are using it not as a back-up to their pro gear but as a replacement because it is so portable! A great recommendation if ever you need one.
   
   Happy camera hunting!



4. So I was deciding between this, the E510/520, Canon's line, and Sony's. The thing about Canon is it's more expensive, even while you get better quality photos. Also, you miss out on the bells and whistles this camera's got, with live view, dust reduction, better kit lens, etc. Sony would have been what I'd gone with, had size not been an issue. For some people, there won't be much of an issue with size, but since I preferred a small camera, the difference was massive; Sony's lines are great, but only because they make their cameras quite a bit large that Olympus's. Also, the E420 has a nice improvement in terms of image quality and noise over the old E410, (which I wouldn't have bought. Image quality was just too poor on that old model) and the E510, and to be honest, the difference between it and Sony becomes negligible in everyday outdoor use and party/occasional indoor use upon close-up inspection. For prints and smaller images, there is no difference in noise, and you can easily compensate for the occasional over/under exposure. Really, for me, I was looking for a camera that could take good pictures, be handy, and come with some nice extras. Olympus met all those brilliantly, as did Sony did minus the 'handy' part. If you're worried about quality, don't worry unless blown-up images are your main concern. Then you might even want to invest more than the E420's price range and get yourself a slightly more expensive SLR altogether. Oh, and I would have loved the E520 (which is not much bigger, all said and done), but it wasn't coming out on time. IS (Image Stabilization) is real handy for night and low-light indoor shots, and if you're in need of a camera for that, go ahead and get the E520, it just wasn't available when I bought the E420. Good buy so far, nice bang/buck!



5. I have used nearly every OLYMPUS dSLR (exception being the E-300 & E-400). I use the Olympus E-3 for my paid work and find it a superb camera. But like many of you, I want a camera with SLR quality to carry around minus the weight of my workhorse E-3. Enter the E-420, an absolute jewel of a camera whose IQ is top notch especially when compared to its market segment (Canon Rebels, Nikon D40/D60/D80, Pentax K200D, etc.). The gradation is fantastic, rivaling even my E-3. And coupling this, the world's smallest dSLR body with the new Pancake lens (25mm f/2.8, equivalant to 50mm in Full Frame) and you have a near 'pocketable' (depends on the size of the pocket) dSLR capable of taking phenomenal photos. Now, is it a world beater? No. But it isn't meant to be. It is meant for folks who want SMALL, but for whom Image Quality MATTERS. And here, it scores a perfect 10 (or 5 STARS in this case). As to the negative comment about focus points (you want 51 focus points, go spend 5K on the Nikon D3... truly a great camera, but marketed to a different segment of shutterbugs). And I have no idea what the reviewer was talking about poor performance in low light (this is much more of a lens issue on any camera), all I can say is NONSENSE. It does fine. No better and certainly no worse than any of the other 20+ dSLRs I've shot with. In fact, I used it as a 2nd camera during a 50th wedding anniversary party I was hired to shoot. Used it Indoors. It did great. I got great photos and the client doesn't know what came out of the E-3 or the E-420. The images are that good. So if you want 'pocketable', but you do want to compromise on Image Quality, then go ahead and pick this baby up. The likelihood of Buyer's Remorse is far smaller than this camera. After that, You just do one thing more. ...Enjoy.

5 comments about Nikon D3 12.1MP FX Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).

1. This camera is simply the best Full Frame DSLR in the market........... Unprecedented speed, flexibility and low noise level are just one of the features no other DSLR could beat!!! This camera is ready for whatever shooting condition there is......It's simply the best! Enough said!



2. What can one say about this great camera that hasn't already been said?
   Well I think it's the sexiest thing that Nikon has done since the F2 (with of course photomic head :-) ), and I had one of those back in the day. Indeed as an experiment I put an old f1.8 50 mm lens from around 1972 that used to be on that F2 from time to time onto the D3, told the D3 its focal length and max aperture, and it worked perfectly! Focusing it was even easier! Finally I can use all my old 35mm Nikkors and DX lenses as well as new ones (eat your heart out Canon :-) ).
   A great camera.



3. The ability to take pictures in extreme conditions that actually look good. I tried to hold on with the D70s for the longest time, just investing in lenses until my album company just said I needed something more. So the other day during dusk I took the 70s and the D3 (I know, absurd comparison) to take some pictures with a 1.4 lens. The D3 basically allowed me to take pictures without flash for an extra 20 minutes. So it can literally take pictures that your old camera could not. Other than that, the construction and speed is robust and Nikon shooters already know about the excellent ergonomics and button layout.
   
   One note though: There are a few dead pixels in live view mode. I exchanged it for another brand new one which ALSO had dead pixels (although fewer). Since I never use live view, I let it go but just a warning. It doesn't affect the actual picture output though. I wish I could give it 4 1/2 stars because of this. Other than that, you get what you pay for.



4. Nikon D3 FX 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) - includes Mack 3-Year Diamond Warranty The D3 is a solid built, on the heavy side, intuitive camera. I prefer the heavy feel, I disliked the light plastic, cheap feel of so many of the cheaper SLR's. I owned the Minolta 7D before which is a very good camera, but can't compare to the D3. I was told the D3 was such a complex camera from a friend that read a review, that you couldn't just take it out of the box and take pictures. I disagree. If you can charge a battery, and read the quick start section, this camera can take good pictures almost by itself. Your only task is to read the quick start, which makes sure some of the buttons, default, have not been moved. You point and push a button, if all the buttons, and little switches have not been moved you take a good shot. I know my experience with the Minolta helped but I was taking pictures within 10 to 15 minutes. A complete novice would have to take more time. I understood many of the control dials and settings and loved the positioning and feel of the controls. To take what I hope is great shots, will take more time and effort, this camera can do so many things. I couldn't believe that when using an ISO setting of 3200 you could see the object and as clear as you can see it. The shutter lag to me compared to my film camera is none existent, could'nt tell the difference. Couple this camera with the famous renouned Nikon lenses and you have in my opinion an unbeatable combination. I know Nikon will probably come out in a few years with a camera of same caliper with more pixel count. My only wish is that the D3 had a few more pixel count but I don't know why. I think I have been brian washed with pixels, because when I print the pictures on my wide EpsonEpson Stylus Pro 4800 Color Inkjet Printer the results are amazing. I would highly recommend this camera to those that are Pro's or like me a serious want to be Pro who has been taking pictures for almost 50 of my 58 years.



5. I have been a Canon user since 2004, a year ago bought Canon 1D mkIII, and of course i was not happy with the AF, which made me of thinking of switching to Nikon.
   
   the Nikon D3 is an amazing camera it has perfect colors, incredible ISO performance, its built like a tank, and the features are just amazing especially when you want to convert to DX mode " but 5 mp is not good at all" it should be at least 8.
   
   AF is way better than what i had with Canon 1D mkIII, even at the DX mode.
   
   LCD is also amazing.
   there is a little disortion but still better than 5D's disortion.
   sharpness is so poor in D3 and the rest of Nikon, even the Canon 40D is way better in sharpness, and thats the only thing that made me give the camera 4 stars.

5 comments about Sony Alpha DSLRA350X 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 & DT 55-200mm f/4-5.6 Zoom Lenses.

1. I love this camera and all of it's many features. Don't buy the kit lens. It is not worth the extra money. I put a C. Zeiss 24-70mm lens on it and it is wonderful.



2. This camera is really unbelievable for the price. If we're talking about the camera body (with no lens), I prefer it over the Canon Rebel XSi anyday (and I've used both). The problem for Sony is that their lens is sooooo crappy that the image quality goes straight down the toilet, and Canons lenses are for the most part very sharp and colorful.
   
   The solution? Minolta lenses. I got my camera in the mail this morning and have played with it all day. From the second I unpacked the lens I was disappointed- even before I put it on the camera. It has an extremely cheap and plasticy feel, probably because it is cheap and made of only plastic. I'm actually pretty sure there's not a single piece of glass in the lens (which means, for those of you are new to this, that it sucks). I put it on and sure enough the results were not pretty. Don't run off to Canon's page so quickly, though- remember that this IS a 5 star review.
   
   What makes up for sony's crappy crappy lens is the fact that you can use any Minolta lens from the past 20 years. In anticipation of purchasing this camera I brought 2 Minolta lenses from a garage sale a few weeks ago for a hundred bucks, and when I put them on the camera it was like magic. The autofocus still works in an instant, and the sharpness and color combined with Sony's 14megapixel sensor have left this former film-snob utterly impressed.
   
   So my advice to advanced amateur photographers is to buy this camera. But just the body only. Save the hundred bucks to buy yourself a Minolta lens (or two). I thought I'd throw in the extra hundred bucks with this cam just to have an extra lens for my collection, and it was absolutely not worth it. I don't even know if I'll mount it onto my camera ever again. Seriously- It's a big plastic turd. I wouldn't buy it again if it was 20 bucks.
   
   Also- I learned the complete menu for this camera in less than a day. The only negative things about this camera (except for the crappy turd plastico lens) are that it's not a full frame sensor (look it up, and then decide if you really want to spend and extra 1300 dollars to get a full frame sensor DSLR), and that there's a really dumb and pointless digital zoom button that is a total tragic use of space. I could think of ten more used/usable functions that could have gone there instead.
   
   Really though, I couldn't be happier with this camera.



3. Not much can be said that hasn't been said. One Hell of a nice camera. Took out of box and began shooting excellent photos right off the bat. I did have to read the instructions to see what a couple of the control were and how to get to a couple of things. Excellent feel of the camera, Excellent location of control buttons. Love the anti-shaking, and live view. Owner of approximately 4 different sonys and have loved each, but the 350 is definitely the top dog. Have use the Nikon, and canon, they don't hold a candle to this camera. The company that sent the camera was also excellent, no problems, camera was waiting for me when I got home, no dented boxes.
   
   One recommendation is to buy the added lens.



4. It has been about 10 years since I put away my old olympus SLR camera away to gather dust for a few nifty small digital point and shoots. I bought this Sony about a month ago and have taken almost 2,000 pics. Took me a while to brush up on my technique and understand the new dslr lingo, but for anyone who has ever used a traditional SLR, I think you'll be most pleased. SUPER clear/hi res pictures, exceptionally quick focusing, even in live view mode, and easy to access options. Chances are, the things you are looking for the most are just a button, dial or quick click away. The ISO button is super handy, and with the touch of a button, you can change the setting up to 3200 to suit your needs.
   
   I skipped the kit lens option and decided to buy the SAL18250 (18 mm - 250 mm. Stick with the Sony lens folks. It is solid responsive, and a great overall wide angle/telephoto lens. Why schlep around 2 kit lens' when you can virtually have it all in one? (:
   
   OK back to the camera. OK now, some cons: The camera is a bit on the heavy side (But then again I'm really used to a point and shoot). This camera also lacks the ability to do a super magnified manual focus on the LCD during live view. This is not a real big deal to me for my needs. Auto focus works great, and manual focus works fine for me those rare times I use it.
   
   I love the tiltable 2.7 in live view screen. Got some incredible shots at ground level looking up (From a dog's eye view) I should say an ants eye view! That with the wide angle... wowza.. seriously creative shots without breaking your back or twisting your neck!
   
   I've been able to hand hold existing light shots down to 1/20 of a second, thanks to the anti shake feature. Pretty cool. I would have never thought I could take such a slow hand held pic without it being all blurred.
   
   I highly recommend purchasing an 8 gig CF card for this camera to maximize your data storage. You should get about 1,700 fine res .jpg pics per disk. Go for the faster speed CF card like the SanDisk Extreme III. They're cheap now, under a hundred bucks. I also recommend getting a UV filter and circular polarizer. Again, stick with Sony filters. Now that you have such a great camera, you'll want the really nice quality filters.
   
   You'll have fun with this camera and your friends will drool over your pictures!!!



5. To start off, I don't really write reviews on products, and I am new to digital photography, so you can really take this review with a grain of salt... However, I just thought I would share why I gave this product a 5 star rating.
   
   The five star rating simply put is because I love this camera. As stated earlier I am new to digital SLR photography so I won't be nearly as insightful as the Nikon/Canon buffs.
   
   Why get the A350? 14.2 megapixels. Live view. Ease of use. Super Steady Shot built into the camera.
   
   The high megapixels enable you to take high quality photos that will look great when blown up. Does this mean that this camera will take better pictures than a Nikon D300 because the megapixel count is higher... No, not at all that was a common misconception I learned. But knowing that I wanted to take a lot of pictures and make large digital prints to make my office look less lame, I figured I should go a step higher to get the blown-up image quality that I want.
   
   The live view is great for so many reasons. Right on the display, it tells you all your settings from battery life, flash, aperture, etc... all while giving a great idea what your image will look like. Keep in mind, what you see on the live view isn't 100% what you'll see when you load the photos on computer or photoshop.
   
   Ease of use: Grab the camera, go over the manual, play with the settings, take pictures. Coming from someone who knew nothing about cameras until about 2 weeks ago, the learning curve was easy with this camera. Right out of the box, you can set everything to auto and take great pictures just like a small digital camera. But for more advanced photos you simply learn by trial and error and the live view helps you see what you might need to adjust when taking photos. So even if you've never touched an SLR camera, you begin to learn what ISO, f/5.6, and all the other settings are and how to use them just by taking good pictures... or bad ones!
   
   Super Steady Shot: Clear images, built into the camera, not the lens like other manufacturers. Down the line it can help you save some money because you can buy less expensive lenses because you don't need to pay the extra money to get the image stabilization in the lens like Canon or Nikon.
   
   So why get this camera vs. other brands? First off, this camera is great for anyone wanting to get into digital SLR's. If you have old Minolta A-mount lenses you can use them with this camera. There are websites that give compatibility charts with some of the old lenses that you have.
   
   If you have a bunch of DSLR Nikon and Canon gear, well that sucks for Sony because you won't be buying an A350 anytime soon. If you did, then you're either dumb or have a lot of free time and money to blow. However, if you're thinking about getting a camera, Sony makes a great product and offers tons of features in the camera at a low cost. Down the road, Sony will launch more professional and higher priced cameras so if you're starting out on a DSLR journey, you can begin it with Sony and start collecting lenses, tripods, filters and all the other happy stuff that goes into the expensive hobby of digital photography.
   
   Side note: I think this camera was $100 cheaper when I bought it 2 weeks ago. I got the Sony A350X kit (The X is the 2 lens kit, the A350K kit is a 1 lens kit) so I don't know what the deal is there. But all in all, it's a great buy.
   
   Oh yeah, if you're trying to decide whether or not to buy the A300 or A350, in case you didn't know the only difference, literally is the megapixels. So unless you are going to blow up your images, go save yourself $200 bucks and get the A300. If you're going to make large prints like I am, then go with the A350.

5 comments about Canon Digital Rebel XT 8MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 Lens (Black).

1. This is my first digital SLR camera and I was a bit hesitant at first to spend almost $500 on a camera. However, it was well worth the amount. I've had a lot of fun with this little camera and I've already taken some pretty amazing shots. It's real user friendly. A real small body so it's easy to travel with and the battery power is outstanding. I will purchase a different lens soon. The one that comes with the body is alright if I had to rate that I'd probably give it three and a half stars. I've had a real hard time with trying to focus on people with that lens when trying to take portraits. Other than than that it creates sharp images. I suggest this to anyone who is new to the digital SLR cameras.
   
   enjoy!
   
   [...]



2. excellent value for price. Clear sharp images, good color. the camera is easy to use with a short learning curve. It is small and light. there is a wide variety of lenses available both from canon and third party vendors. the only drawback is the view finder which should be extended slightly further from the body of the camera.



3. la cámara es increíble, pero el lente al ser un Zoom no es muy luminoso, por lo que hay que compensar con el iso de la cámara, incluso 1600, pero ahí la imagen pierde nitidez aparece el grano.



4. The Rebel XT is an excellent base digital SLR. It is easy enough for a beginner photographer to use, but it allows more advanced users the freedom to express themselves with manual controls. It takes great photos and the battery lasts a long time. I've taken over 500 photos (without the flash) on a single charge. An excellent camera.



5. When I received this camera I took a lot of test shots, they were quite impressive. I didn't use the camera for about a week and found it didn't work because of a dead battery, even though it had been fully charged.
   
   I bought a spare battery thinking it may have been defective, same thing even though I made sure the battery was fully charged and the camera was off.
   
   I then searched the online forums and found that this was a fairly common problem. When I called Canon support they first tried to blame it on something I had done. I told them that there were numerous people with the same problem and canon should be aware of it and asked if they had a download that could fix it.
   
   Their reply was to remove the battery except when I was using the camera. I said: "That is was not acceptable as too often once in a lifetime shots would be missed while fumbling to install a battery."
   It was agreed that I should RMA the camera and although it was still under warranty it cost $$ to insure and ship it.
   
   When it was finally returned (I missed all the holiday pics) they claimed to have re-soldered a circuit board and replaced the tripod socket.
   
   I don't believe they did anything and now the little latch that holds the battery in place is worn out and I use a rubber band to hold the battery in. It still takes good pictures though.

5 comments about Nikon D80 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens.

1. An avid photographer, I was upgrading from a Sony Cybershot that I had had for 5 years and that had essentially been another appendage. So I read review after review... knowing simply that I wanted my next camera to be user friendly, have more pixels/take clearer photos than my previous, have greater zoom, a larger LCD screen and give me editing options for photos taken. Well, my Nikon D80 delivers all of this and more. I've had it for 1 month today and I've taken over 200 photos... and to give you another's perspective, friends have commented on the clarity of all the photos that I have shared with them. I'm a thrilled with it. It was worth EVERY PENNY!



2. I won't go into the individual specs because every other review does that. Ever wonder why it is compared to the professional Nikon D200? Most people don't know this but the D80 and D200 are brothers! The little brother, D80, has most of the same functions, CPU programs and CCD image sensor (10.2 mega-pixel) but the D80 must be preprogrammed to set up your shot (unless using AUTO), a time consuming process, and the main frame is made of plastic.
   
   The metal D200, however is for the pro who has the camera to their eye everyday and knows the settings like the back of their hand, thus it can be programmed on the fly by rubber finger knobs and settings can be read in the viewfinder so they don't have to take the camera from their face. That's a lot of itty-bitty info for an amateur and although it can be used in AUTO, what self-righteous photographer wants that?
   
   In short, the D80 is meant for the semi-pro while its big brother, D200, is the D80 on steroids!



3. Nikon D80 is my first Digital SLR(In fact, first serious camera I bought), my previous camera was canon SD1000 point and shoot. Overall I am pleased with the picture quality. But I don't like the fact that Nikon D80 overexposes photos a lot in automatic mode. Many of the photos I took in bright sunlight is washed out. After reading and experimenting a lot, I learned to take pictures in manual model, with different metering(SPOT and CENTER WEIGHTED) to avoid this issue. But after spending about 1299 $, I don't like the performance of the camera in automatic mode at all. I hope Nikon will release a firmware update to fix the metering. If you are a novice DSLR person like me, and is considering buying a system, I suggest you go with Canon EOS 40D, I haven't used it, but after researching a lot online, I haven't come across major issues with EOS 40D. Experts can correct me if I am wrong.



4. The D80 is my first digital SLR, and my fourth Nikon camera. I've owned 35mm SLR cameras since 1975 or so. The D80 is already my favorite of them all. It packs a lot of features, Nikon reliability, and a good form factor into one well-priced package.
   
   I had first intended to purchase the D60, but after doing a side-by-side feature comparison, I decided that the D80 provided more bang for the buck. One feature the D80 has that was critical to me is a depth of field preview -- an important feature for macro photography, and not one you will find on the D40 or D60 cameras.
   
   People with small hands may find the D40/D60 easier to handle, but the D80 feels great in my average sized hands.
   
   I purchased the 16-85mm and 70-300mm VR lenses at the same time and I am very happy with my choices.



5. The Nikon D80 is an excellent mid range camera that works well with previously purchased lens for the Nikon system. The metering functions are great, and the processing power is awesome. This is a great travel camera with good weight and it feels good in the hand. I have no disappointments with the camera. The supplied software suite was easy to install and the interface with the camera worked well the first time I used it. I recommend this camera if one does not want to make the jump to the D300. Most individuals will be unable to detect the difference in 10 megapixels verses 12 megapixels. This camera should produce some great photo enlargements.

5 comments about Nikon D200 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).

1. 1st real camera and cannot find any reason to ever upgrade. with the 18-200 lens it is all I will ever need.



2. The Nikon D200 is an amazing camera. I consider myself an enthusiastic amateur, and the D200 fits my needs more than I could ever imagine. I recommend this to anybody considering a new Nikon, especially since the price is dropping as the D300 is released.
   
   It's fabulous!!!!



3. Before D300 was on the market - this was the best available for this money.
   
   Good for beginners if photography is you serious interest and you are ready for big budget. This camera - is a well refined technical instrument. No 'green' auto modes, only classic camera controls.
   
   It wants good lens. By good I mean f 2.8-4. Otherwise the camera body becomes too heavy and not at all value for money. If you decide to pay over $1000 for a camera and then save on lens - it's like a big expensive car with small thin tyres that don't really hold the road. So if you condider D200 with e.g. 18-70, or even 18-200 VR, go for D80/D40 instead.
   
   Photography is my hobby, I don't make money with it. I'm with Nikon since more than 10 years and my perfect combination now is:
   
   D200
   Nikon Zoom-Nikkor - Wide-angle zoom lens - 12 mm - 24 mm - f/4.0 G ED-IF AF-S DX - Nikon F
   Nikkor 35-70/2.8
   Nikkor 50/1.8 (almost no use since I got 35-70)
   Nikon SB-800 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
   spare battery



4. If you are a full-frame lens kind of guy, then you have your D3. However, that aside, having played with the D300, D200 and D3, I will have the D200 at my side regardless. As for why, it's just made better and it's cheaper. The added features to the D300 don't make it worth the money you pay and the D3 is simply out of most peoples price range. And, again, if you're a full-frame kind of person, just take a few steps back or forward and problem solved (Most of the time). The D200 rocks.



5. This is simply a splendid camera. I have owned Nikon F's F3 and F4s, so I was very happy to finally get back into the Nikon family when I decided to go digital. This camera is actually very very simple to use and one does not be afraid of having to read some extremely complicated manual. It is very self-explanatory and it is fortunately compatible with at least a great part of my previous Nikon lenses. One my need to buy the extra battery grip in order to get an improved balance of the camaer. The flash that is in the camera is great for most pruposes excpet when using some of the wide-angles or longer leses since there tends to be a shadow of the lens. The colors and resolution are arellz superb however and not much can be said against it except that probably it is already surpassed now by other Nikons such as the D-300.