Beginner II
Nikon D7000
Supporter
Score

Looking for advice on next camera after a580


Darwa | Asked  8 months ago | Last response was 5 months ago

I'm currently using a Sony Alpha a580, but it's getting a bit tatty now, so I'm looking for a replacement.

My photography (hobbyist/academic) is mostly made up of insect (macro), wildlife, and live music (dark rock concerts to earn beer money), with the occasional portrait and light painting shots.

I have 6 lenses, and 3 flashes for the Sony, so ideally I'd stick with that system, but my immediate 'advancement' in terms of body would be the a77 and having (briefly) owned the a55, I'm very wary of low light shots using an SLT camera.

I see my options as either getting the a77 and potentially struggling at gigs, or switching system to Nikon or Canon. I've used a Nikon D90 and got on well with it, but didn't like the Canon 450D I tried.

Any thoughts and advice will be most gratefully received.

Which camera do you recommend for Darwa?

Sony DSLR-A580 - $2,016
16 MP|APS-C CMOS|3" LCD
Sony A77 - $998
24 MP|APS-C CMOS|3" LCD
Nikon D7000 - $897
16.1 MP|APS-C CMOS|3" LCD
Canon 60D - $699
17.9 MP|APS-C CMOS|3" LCD
3 Answers
  1. Beginner II
    Nikon D7000
    Supporter
    Score
    7 months ago Darwa recommends the Nikon D7000

    I ended up renting all 3 for a weekend and went with the D7000.

    1. Visitor
      7 months ago Matthew-Swayze
      What was your deciding factor?
    2. Beginner II
      7 months ago Darwa
      Ergonomics and low-light noise. The A77 is pretty dire above iso 1200, and the 60D to 1600, whereas the D7000 was clear until 3200. I tested them by taking shots of my garden and a local pub gig. The Canon just feels 'wrong' in the hand to me. Of course, this was all done with the kit lenses (with the exception of the A77, which had a Tamron 17-50 f2.8), so the D7000 did amazingly with the kit 18-105. It's a shame that Sony decided to follow the SLT/NEX pathway as I'm going to lose a load on the lenses, but after using the Nikon, I'm not that bothered.
    Reply
  2. Intermediate I
    Nikon D7000
    Promoter
    -1
    Score
    5 months ago king-of-begars recommends the Nikon D7000

    you are having a lot of sony lenses... it is better to go back with sony in order not to waste the value of those lenses. but if you are willing to lose the money the the lenses i will encourege you the nikon d7000 it has all the excellent lenses you need such as...

    1. macro : AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED

    2. wildlife : 70-300mm vr

    3. portrait : 35mm f1.8G

    Reply
  3. Beginner I
    -2
    Score
    7 months ago Ryan-Rupprecht recommends the Sony SLT A77

    This is the exact problem I am having. love my a580 but looking to upgrade. I am struggling between the a99 and the a77

    Reply