Should i buy the Nikon D60 or the Sony Alpha200?

Question

i am looking for a great entry level DSLR. i hear that the nikon D60 has amazing color but has a slow auto focus, is this true? how slow? i also hear that the sony alpha200 has fast auto focus and more focus points but has no live view, are the speeds between the auto focuses really different? and does this really matter for a beginner?

Answer 1

Neither Of Them Have Live View..

.

The Autofocus isn't ' slow ' really..

i would get the a200, it has a bigger screen, 2 cm's more, which isn't a big difference, but it adds up, and you can use that to review your shots. They're pretty evenly matched, same megapixels, and everything, except the screen size, which the a200 is better. I think the a200 has more features too.

Answer 2

Personally I would buy a Canon Rebel. Out of the two you mentioned, I would go with the Nikon because they have more experience in the camera business. I couldn't tell you if it is slow to focus. Many times that is affected by the lens. My Canon XTi is focused instantly. It makes a huge difference with the quickness of focusing unless you are not worried about taking pictures of things moving. If you are trying to take a photo of you dog or kids playing, you don't want the camera to be hunting while auto focusing. Whichever you buy, make sure to always buy high quality lenses.

Answer 3

Who told you it was slow to focus? .... that is old news from long before the Nikon's digital cameras came a long.

I shoot sports and if I could not depend upon my Nikon's to provide "on-time" focus, I couldn't do my job.

Live view?  That has more to do in wooing the P&S gang than any practical application for an SLR user ... we have been shooting photos using a viewfinder on SLR's since 1959 ... with only one focus point.  We were able to produce professional quality chromes for our publishers ...

What I am hearing is that the Sony has a lot more features for those who don't have many photographic skills and are not in a hurry to learn them.

http://www.jdpower.com/electronics/ratin...

This is your first DSLR and is the entry level one.  If you ever want to take your photography to the next level you will have wished you had started out with a professional system.

And yes, I do have a camera with Live-view.  I use it when I am shooting through microscopes and telescopes ... about once or twice a year.

Please, please don't fall for the pixel count marketing scam.  

http://kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.htm