DSLR Camera Pick of the Moment, Average Joe Edition

The new Sony Alpha 300 series of DSLRs have been making their rounds on review sites. David Pogue reviewed the A300 for the New York Times, and CNET and Digital Trends have reviews of the A350. Imaging Resource has a very detailed review of the 350.



Let me tell you why I'm a big fan of the Alpha 300 in particular. The differences between the 300 and 350 aren't huge, and if you've been reading any photography blogs in the past little while, you'll know that at some point, more megapixels result in diminishing returns, particularly in the areas of noise and write speeds.

Honestly speaking, the Alphas don't have the best picture quality or lens selection out there. Canon seems to rule the roost on picture quality, and Nikon seems to dominate with optics. Having said that, the Alpha are no slouches. Unless you're a hardcore photography buff (and therefore not the target of this article), you're likely to be more than happy with the pictures that come out of an Alpha.

The key, however, is to remember that the most important part of photography is the photographer's eye. Let me give you a good example: at my wedding, there must have been a dozen relatives with more cutting edge and expensive gear than the guy we hired to take pictures. When I look at the pictures I got from my wedding - there were many photos from relatives that may have been superior in clarity and colour, but none that were superior in composition or craft. Clearly it takes more than a great camera to take a great picture. Combine a great eye with great gear, and then you've got Daily Dose of Imagery.

The second most important part of photography is how easy the camera is to use. Sony's Live View is currently the best implementation on a digital SLR. At this moment, Live View is enough of a reason to consider the Alpha 300 series over its competitors. You can take pictures from low and high angles more easily than any other DSLR. By using a second sensor, there are no mirror tricks, and you get the same ease of use that you would from a standard digital point and shoot. The speed of the camera is pretty peppy, so all in all, it's a usable camera.



The Alpha 300 is a great camera for average Joes who are looking for a little more than a point-and-shoot or super zoom camera. It's affordable (for a DSLR, at least), at around $800 CDN with a zoom lens. Note that the Alpha 300's big brother, the Alpha 350 goes for the same price without a kit lens. At 10MP, the Alpha 300's picture quality is more than enough for most weekend shooters, and it's super easy to use. Add a Lensbaby 3G, and you'll be taking spectacular pictures in no time.

Just a little postscript to this recommendation: When it comes to lenses, I'm not a big fan of zoom lenses, but I'm a lesser fan of lens swapping. I tend to think that for most hobbyist photographers, these are the lenses that should be bought:

• Wide to Moderate Zoom, i.e. 20mm - 70mm
• Short depth of field lens, like a Lensbaby
• If you find yourself taking a lot of group shots, get a good quality wide angle lens as well

Note that I'm not a fan of telephoto lenses. They're expensive, heavy, and harder to use. Telephoto lenses are better for people who really know what they're doing. Sad to say, but a lot of people who have telephoto lenses don't know what they're doing.

Tags: sony, alpha 300, alpha 350, lensbaby