Sony alpha a350

Sony alpha a350
Originally uploaded by Michael Nilsson

Yup

Counter to everything that I thought I was going to do I finally chose a Sony camera that doesn't really look or feel substantial enough to be a DSLR but that will be a base upon which I can start building a collection of Zeiss lenses and Minolta bits and pieces until my camera bag is fit to bursting and I decide whether or not this photo lark really is for me. Went against all advice and bought with a kit lens - but only because the kit was on offer and came in cheaper than the body alone. So now I have a great 'lensy' Christmas list (all you rich readers out there)

Pentax came closer than I thought to being the #1 choice too - but they blew it by blurring the edges between their offerings. The have a K20, K200 and a K2000. And as you add a zero to each you supposedly move down the chain. But then each of the models has an advantage or point of product superiority over the others --- and you end up wondering why it is that the K2000 is faster and has better ISO range and noise performance than the K20 for example. So I was so lost in 'which feature do I most want' that I left the brand entirely.

Canon had a whole bunch of cameras that were really well reviewed. But I have the shakiest of hands and the fact that image stabalization came in the lens rather than the body bothered me. Why should I pay a 'shaky hands' tax on every lens that I buy when I could pay it once and be done with it?

Ditto Nikon. I love the strap (and the yellow Nikon logo) and I love the image quality but again it's all in the expensive glass... and I don't want to do that yet.

Panasonic I liked. And the G1 would be a great choice if I wasn't looking for something that looks mre serious. I'm sure that it's a great format and that one day the world will use it. It's portable. There are some great lenses to be had and the battery life is excellent - but the truth of the matter is that models don't respond to dinky. They like to see weight and lots of length. And that's what I'm looking to give them.

So I am now (and forever I guess) a Sony guy. Wow. Who'd have thought it. But I'm excited. Camera should be here before the vacation. And that's gonna make for lots of interesting shots (I hope)

Plus I have the Panasonic Super Zoom for those 'get 'em unawares' moments and a tiny 'in the pocket but big zoom' for the 'flip flops and outta the house' days.

Expensive weekend. Oh well.