Try getting it if you're so inclined, and review... Then can poison other telezoom luna-tics (me included!)...

Haha, the great CCD vs CMOS debate... I remember the days that CMOS cameras were regarded as crap and CCD ruled the roost, especially in mobile phones...

Times have changed, eh? One of the good things about CMOS is easier implementation of Liveview, but, a looooooooooooooong time ago, CMOS used to lag faaaaaaaaaaaaaaar behind CCDs in image quality... Nowadays better implementations of Canon's DIGIC in-camera processing chips (and it's equivalents from the other brands that use CMOS) make sure that it's the other way around...

And ask the salesperson, 400D got spot metering, DRO and in body IS?

If the guy was trying to sell you the upcoming 450D that's an entirely different story...

And DSLR CCD sensors from P&S cameras? Oh... My... God... What kinda ignorant idiots do they pay to sell stuff nowadays?

---

Added on February 22, 2008, 2:46 pmNow, my financial support has gotten through, I'm gonna go buy my Alphy-Tan tomorrow! So, people, what do you guys think are essential to get with my A200?

I'm planning to get:

1xA200 single lens kit
1xHVM-F36AM

And if possible, I'll try to get these things bundled with the A200: bag, CF card, tripod, UV Filter, cleaning kit... What else do you guys think I need?

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 22 2008, 02:51 PM

Roger that...

Maybe, if the price is right, I might also get myself a HVL-F56AM? Who knows...

Well, one thing might happen though, knowing it's Sony... They might just churn own the A210, A220, A230 in the span of a few years (or months, if we're unlucky enough)... THAT, my friends, would be a huge problem for us users already using an A200, as it will drive down resale value like nobody's business (but IF the A210, A220, A230 happens to be based on the same body only with different sensor/features/firmware, it might mean that spare parts are compatible, so not much problem in the "no-more-spare-parts" sense)...

Most probably... Knowing Sony...

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 22 2008, 08:05 PM

Classic Minolta lenses? Interesting lenses? Already set to poison the newbies, albnok? Bring along a KM beercan + a wide lens and I'm sold...

Haha, lets call it the first LYN Orange Army/Legion (I still like this word better) Gath...

*rant begins*

Although in reality, the plasticky nature of the A200 (check up TheVIOP's and other ppl's comments from other forums) sounds a bit off, although you can't beat the fact that it IS the cheapest DSLR that you can get brand new as of now (if you don't count the K100D, if you can still find it)... And then there's the problem with Sony's unbelievable ability to jack up prices for everything to astrological heights (i.e. lenses and other accessories)... Note to Sony, if you can bring the price down a biiiiiiiiiiiiit more (for normal lenses at least, the price of CZ lenses are excusable, to a point), then people wont be running away from your kit in droves...

To be fair, there's still a whole entire mountain of cheaper, better built KM lenses out there... Plus the third party lenses... But when that mountain is bought off - and people start wanting to have AT LEAST a few of their own brand's lenses rather then the bunch of Tammies/Siggies/Cossies/etc. that they already have - Sony should better think hard about the pricing of their lenses...

I mean, Sony, do you want 10 people buying 1 of you guys's lens each yearly for a huge mark up, or 1000 people buying the same amount (or even twice, if you try hard enough) of lenses yearly with a mark up that is slightly lower? Or would you rather people buy from Tammie/Siggie/Cossie etc... You can make even more money from satisfied customers, yah, coz then they can easily fanboi other people to your cause?

People aren't buying a product here, dear Mr. Sony, they're buying a system...

Sometimes I wonder if I should get a K10D, but the price of the body+kit alone is like RM3k+ (which automatically rules the NikD80 out as well, plus the lack of in body IS for the NikD80)... And the flash for the Pentax is even more expensive, and lenses are a rarity - sometimes even more so then A mount lenses (plus you don't see people selling bearcans and such for Pentaxes)...

And then there's the JPEG processing problem with the K10D (don't fire me, Pentaxians, that's what most reviews say out there anyway)...

*rant ends*

Well, let's see, how everything turns out when I go out camera shopping later!

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 23 2008, 03:19 AM

First and foremost, a HUGE thank you to ianho and albnok! Without you guys, we'd probably be like fish outta water...

Props to albnok for the HUGELY INFORMATIVE LESSONS! I'll never use my flash the same way ever again (well, like I ever had a flash - or a DSLR - to begin with for that matter)...

Now, for the report...

Overall was a successful trade mission + a TOTAL POISON TRIP....

I mean, beercan, peleng fisheye, 50mm, HVL-F56AM, the A700 itself AND various other oddities and stuff that I could only begin to understand (albnok brand poison) + the huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugely comfortable battery grip (ianho brand poison)...

The beercan? Total sexiness... I can't say anything else other then I'm gonna get myself one from soulfly as soon as I get my backside down to Miri (around June?)... That plus the 50mm KM and the new 10-35mm wide angle Siggie/Tammie (my memory is failing me right now - too much walking, running, moving, snapping from 1pm to 9.30pm - so correct me if I'm going bonkers here, albnok...) supposedly coming out...

Okay, now with the POISON part of the trip well explained, lets move on to the trade part...

Okay, ladies and gents, the total damage is RM2770 for:

1 x A200 + 18-70mm Kit
1 x HVL-F36AM (it seems that the "minus-rm350-for-flash" voucher got strings attached one, more info below)
1 x Soft LCD protector (like the ones you apply on a HP)
1 x Tamrac Adventure Messanger bag

To get the bag, and still have enough money left for lunch/dinner AND a 4GB Kingston 133x (they were offering me a slow speed - probably 40x - card for RM70), I had to drop a CPL Filter (RM100) and the freebie tripod (RM30) from the original package... It was a lot of plus-ing here, minus-ing there... Thus what ianho said...

As for a UV filter, lets just say ianho is the first person I did photography related business with on that day, even prior to the hunt... Thanks man!!!

So, the price for the kit alone (minus 800 flash, 200 bag -> which I was probably sapu'ed for anyway) is RM1770 + the screen protector... Not enough luck for haggling it seems yesterday... And that was after surveying the whole entire Sg. Wang...

I'll have to ask my friend (the other guy in the pic) later about his price - which is minus the Tamrac and the F36AM and plus a UV filter and an Oly bag (of all things) - because it might be more useful for other people who might not be interested in the flash or the bag...

About the "RM350 off flash" voucher in the A200 box? Well, its ONLY VALID FOR THE F36AM, and its RM350 OFF RETAIL PRICE ONLY (1150-350=RM800)... So much for my grandiose dreams of getting RM350 off the F56AM... And, as ianho had mentioned before, you have to get the flash AS SOON AS YOU GET YOUR A200...

I'll just have to save up and wait for the elusive, rumoured, ultimate flash...

So, sub-RM3k for a DSLR + Flash + Acceptable Bag + Good speed CF? I'd say it's worth it. at least for me...

The answer for both questions, yeah... But guys, lemme get some rest first? My mind is going blank as we speak...

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 24 2008, 02:50 AM

Thanks man!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz *hands operating the A200 while sleeping*

If the diffuser works, I want one! And, is it possible to shape some reflective aluminium/or any other steel into a doughnut shape + the F36AM for a cheap ringflash? There are details on how to make a ringflash out of cardboard somewhere on the net, but it's a bit iffy and low power...

And the remote trigger? Maybe you can bulk a cheap solution on the low...

So, day two of owning an A200, 1037 pictures taken, only about 60% of them good (at least to my amateur eyes... I need to brush up on my skills...

Now, to get those 3.3GB worth of pics from my CF into my ExtHDD, clearing the card for more shooting!

Have to get the craziness out of the system first... MORE SHOOTING!

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 24 2008, 06:06 PM

Great links, albnok!

Another thing, anyone care to join me in pondering the viability of an all weather (or at least, a rain proof) shroud/cover mod for our A200s? Aquapac has some water-proof cases, but that's like too much and they're really expensive anyway... Not to mention the fact that the effectiveness of the Aquapacs seem really debatable (unless anybody here have used them, and they DO work)...

I'm asking this because I do a lot of shooting (at least with my old W810i camera phone) in rain or otherwise perilously near sources of water (try 2-3 inches from the surface of a river)... Okay, at least in rain, because the W810i survives hardily in even torrential downpours (seriously, without the litmus strip on the battery ever changing colour... maybe I got lucky?)...

I know it's a DSLR we're talking about here, but any plastic/metal/anything shroud/casing ideas, guys?

I think I was just talking to ianho and/or albnok about this just yesterday... Somebody suggested a waterproof plastic bag with a hole cut in it for the lens...

---

Added on February 24, 2008, 8:04 pmOh, and anybody wonder why after you register online with Sony Style, your warranty expiration still shows there as 1 year after your purchase date (like mine, 23/02/09)?

Whatever happened to the 6 more extra (supposedly) months?

And yeah, the F36AM is impossible to register online... Will have to call people up on Monday...

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 24 2008, 08:04 PM

If he absolutely needs Liveview, then he probably doesn't have much of a choice...

But anyway, poison list for this year, for me anyway:

1 x Beercan
1 x KM 50mm
1 x Manfrotto (or any other good) tripod
1 x Tammie 10-24mm or Siggie 10-20mm
1 x Decent cleaning kit (mind sharing where you got your can-o-compressed CO2/air from, ianho?)
1 x CPL Filter
1 x All weather shroud (home-made or otherwise)
... and A LOT OF silca gel packs...

That should be enough, for now...

Preparing the to write the full fledged A200 review as well, but will probably have trouble doing ISO comparison shots...

But before that, I present you:

THE SONY ALPHA A200 MINI-REVIEW

After my lil' bro got his Pentax K100D some time ago, the DSLR poison started circulating agonizingly around my system until I just couldn't stand it any more... Plus the fact that taking pictures with my W810i has more or less hit the limit...

So, after quite some time contemplating (I considered 2nd hand KM 5Ds, 7Ds, Nikon D80s, Cannon 30Ds, Pentax K10Ds; and brand new C 350D/400D, N D40/40x), I finally settled for the A200. Why? For me, it was probably the KM legacy: the wealth of great 2nd hand KM lenses left over + the fact that I can use it with a brand new body...

AND the fact that the A200 feels darned simple to operate, which is a good thing for first timers like me.

So, what's good? At least to a untrained, self-taught amateur like me fresh into the DSLR world without any bias towards any camps (maybe except Pentax):

- Simplicity, in a good way. Especially the UI and info display (though not as cool as the D40's shutter/apature centric info display).
- Comfort -> especially with the battery grip in place.
- Compatibility with cheap, second hand KM lenses.
- CF slot (I like CF better, and I can review/edit pictures straight through my Dell Axim)
- Price to performance ratio
- Spot metering (I actually use this, somehow...)
- Acceptably fast 9 Point AF
- In body IS (really, really useful)
- In body wireless flash controller (also very, very useful)
- Very comfortable D-Pad

What's bad?

- Plasticky plastics -> feels a liiiiiiiiiiiitle bit cheap, but even the 400D is not far behind in the plasticky race.
- Lack of certain features (MLU, DOFP, whatever... But I did pay below 3K for it + flash, so I'm not gonna grumble much... Plus the fact that most of the features lacking are of little real use for people like me who don't do specialised photography anyway)
- Fragility of CF slot hatch -> it seriously feels fragile and a bit loose... Maybe Sony should have used a more robust hinge and latch?
- Slight problem with the sports mode -> defaults to slower shutter speeds for some unknown reason, and it blurs everything (via ianho)... Is it supposed to do this? I thought sports mode was supposed to freeze movement?
- Mode dial on left side -> bye-bye true one handed use...
- Power button on left side -> see above.
- TRUE unlimited 3FPS requires a very fast card -> it slows down to about 2.8-2.5FPS (my approximation) after 20+ shots on a Kingston x133 CF card... Maybe its the Kingston...
- Problems registering flash warranty online (not a camera fault, but more Sony's fault).

So, that's the extent of my observations so far... Again, I'm an untrained, self-taught amateur, so correct me if I'm wrong...

Seconded... Maybe it will help me trim and firm?

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 24 2008, 11:22 PM

Roger that, but then we'll have to handle the noise on ISO1600? But yeah, most sports sessions are done in bright daylight anyway, so with ISO400 it should be more then fine...

Oh and another thing, people were saying that the A200 can go up to ISO3200, or is this just unsubstantiated rumours (and there's the fact that the noise on 3200 is going to be a whole new ballgame)...

I LOLed at this... hard...

But the dual sensor setup on the A300/350 should be interesting... Can't wait for a productions model to roll into my hands (for testing only, I'm too in love with peering at the world through the limited confines of a viewfinder)...

Anyway, I FINALLY got some batteries to use with my F36AM, so have been having some wireless flash fun in my dorm house: closing all the lights and flashing everyone... muahahahahaha...

Wait... That didn't sound quite right...

To clarify, do I need to take the batts out of the F36AM or is it safe to leave it there? And if it's ok, for how long?

CZ 16-80mm... Now that's a dream lens, beyond poison already... But sure I'm gonna get it later... Just much later...

Just for the record, how much is it, the CZ 16-80mm?

About the flash... Lets just wait for the multi-swivel marvel, shall we?

LOL LOL LOL...

But in the end, I've still some ways to go before I can truly master the DSLR in the first place... So, anyone here with a few pointers with where I should start studying first? I mean, composition, lighting or whatever?

If you say I just gotta take A LOT OF PICTURES, at the rate I'm going (approx. 500 shots per day, based on the 1100+ I already took these 2 days alone), I'm gonna probably ruin the shutter in 100 days (assuming the shutter breaks down after 50000), give or take a few...

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 25 2008, 01:21 AM

Hmm... I'd say get the single kit + a good 3rd party lens (wide angle, telezoom, depends on what kind of pics you wanna take) if you're more into outdoor pics... OR the single kit + flash if you're more into indoor + portraiture...

But take my recommendations with a pinch of salt, I'm a newb too... I got the flash because it seems bit cheaper bundled, but sadly enough, it's selling at around RM800 even without using the voucher anyway... Just plus like RM30-50 only...

Now I'm a bit sad I didn't get a beercan with that money... Wireless flashing is darned lotsa fun though...

I'll have to dig deep in my archives... I'll post something here later...

But don't fire me if it's crappy...

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 25 2008, 01:27 AM

Here are some flash pics, no crop resized:

My room, pitch dark, no lights on, Slow Sync flash bounced off the celling + Auto mode (just wanna play2 only):



The living room (if you can call one in a college dorm a living room), pitch dark again, wireless hand held flash bounced off the celling + Auto mode:



Funny how the lights traced around in slow sync... Need to get a laser and a tripod pronto for some light play!

@ablnok: Alrighty...

Maybe I can join the flash lesson, if I'm free? I mean, the more flashes the merrier, right?

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 25 2008, 01:50 AM

I dunno, mine went through about 350-400 shots also show about 55-56% left... So the 700 shots estimate Sony gives us isn't too far off...

If anyone needs any more, the HUGELY comfortable battery grip would extend that to around 1400 + plus make any A200 look like a mini EOS 1D (in other words, sexxay)...

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 25 2008, 02:04 AM

Roger sir! By exposure, you mean the whole deal with ISO + shutter speed + aperture = not too bright, not to dark picture... right? Sorry if I sound too much like a newb here...

I've been following the little meter on the info screen (the EV scale) most of the time + taking a heluva lot of pics to gauge if my pics "look right"... Some spot metering + AEL lock helps too sometimes, while in AP mode...

Any tips, rather then just taking a lot of pics to build up a whole bunch of scenarios of what to use in a certain situation?

---

Added on February 25, 2008, 2:54 amNah, it's just the "no-tripod-syndrome"....

If the flash poison seesion is gonna be on a weekend, I can most probably drive to KL no problem... I'm back in SA most weekends anyway...

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 25 2008, 02:54 AM

Now that's some poison worth lusting for...

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 25 2008, 10:56 AM

Nice, don't have enough experience to comment much though...

Was in LYN and Sg. Wang again today as one of my pals needed to get a new laptop (Benq S41)...

Somebody said earlier that with a DSLR, you stop a helluva lot more often to take pics... I definitely can confirm that... Have class right now (I'm late!), so will post some of my experiments afterwards for critical review from the taikos...

I've turned SSS off only once, confirm that it wasn't the cause of my 3FPS bursts slowing down to 2.something after 20 shots (it wasn't, I think its the FAT16/32 file system differences that 2/4GB CF cards have, and I'm using 4GB which is supposed to be slower)...

Other then that it's on permanently...

*Darth Vader Voice*

The shake is strong with this one.... *heavy breathing*

Something NOT TO DO while using a DSLR...



A buncha other photos turned out awfully underexposed/generally crappy looking, although they looked fine on the LCD after I shot it... Must be a case of "sunlight-reflecting-off-the-LCD-and-making-everything-look-nice-and-dandy"...

This post has been edited by Eiraku: Feb 26 2008, 02:12 AM

Where IS Digicolour, BTW? I'll probably need to upgrade to a bigger bag once I get a few new lenses anyway...

And don't worry, the buying won't stop anytime soon... The poison is too strong in here...

Great... now I have a problem whether to get this or a beercan as my first telephoto...