[dugarner]

Originally Posted by geekgirl415

I'm giggling over this... I'm off of "auto"... i use portrait, sport, night.. heh heh...

Actually, it's timely since i've been wanting to take it up to the next level, and find myself drooling over good bokeh or flash lighting, and dreaming about a prime lens that will allow me to take low light shots... I just wish my DSLR was as easy to take everywhere as my P&S. I didn't know about Katrina's chats so that's good to know. Anyone have any tips on carrying the DSLR (or getting used to it?)?

You have the Sony Alpha 100? I have the 200, it's easy to carry in a small camera bag. I just have to choose which lens I'm bringing (until I can afford a larger bag). I still use the bag I had for my Fuji point and shoot, which was larger and heavier than my Sony. Go figure!

I am used to being the family sherpa, I carry all our gear, so a camera bag doesn't bother me. Having the option of getting the great pictures anywhere outweighs (no pun intended!) the frustration of lugging a heavier camera around. But that's just me.

Also, if you don't mind a used lens or older lens, the Minolta AF 49mm 1.7 is under $150 at many camera sites. We can use any Minolta AF lens and it will communicate with the Alpha series just like Sony lenses will (but you might want to double-check, I trust my source, but I don't trust my understanding of the information I was given!). The guy at the store where I bought my camera said that the lower-end Sony lenses aren't as good as the lower-end "generics" (Tamron and Sigma), but once you get into the $1500-$2000 range, the Sony lenses are worth buying.

So his advice was to go with the Minolta, Tammy, or Siggy lenses for everyday macro, fast, and telephoto.

We cannot mount any Canon lenses at all, the mounts are too short for an adapter. I've never checked on adapting for Nikon lenses, but for now, I'm going to go with Minolta. The Sony bayonet mount is unusual, so if you ever buy a Tammy or Siggy, you need to make sure it has the bayonet mount.

You probably know this already, but I'm always excited to see another Alphaite.

Hope this helps!

Sarah