Nikon D60 or Sony Alpha a200??

videotape74

I bought the a200 last week and after playing with it I'm not sure how I feel about it. So, I'm thinking about exchanging it for a Nikon D60 w/AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 VR lens. I was just wondering if anyone thought it was a good idea. It's the exact same price as I paid for the Sony.

Any info about the D60 would be great. I know it can only take centain lenses because there is no on-body focus motor but as far as I can see...there are quite a few lenses I can still get for it. Any help/opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you...

Harryb

Both are good cameras. The question for you is where are you going with your photography? Once you have that answered then look at the two systems and see which one has more to offer you in attaining your goal.

ziggy53

If you want to see a side-by-side comparison of the Nikon D60 and the Sony A200:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydslra200/page22.asp

On paper they are very similar, and they may even share the same imager (at least very similar imagers and it's not unusual to see Sony imagers in Nikon cameras.)

Off hand the Sony has in-camera stabilization while the Nikon uses in-lens stabilization. The Nikon has higher flash sync speed (1/200th vs 1/160th). The Sony will support all late model Minolta and Sony lenes with autofocus while the Nikon does not autofocus non-AF-S lenses (which includes most primes.) The Nikon uses SD cards where the Sony uses CF cards. The Sony has a much more advanced AF section but it is less sensitive. The Sony has an optional vertical grip. I believe you have to use a third-party vertical grip on the Nikon. Nikon seems to do better at the very high ISOs.

ziggy53

PS Since those 2 cameras are so similar I am wondering if the Nikon is going to be different enough to be an improvement.

Use Harry's advice and do some self-assessment and detail your needs first. Maybe another model would serve your needs better?

swintonphoto

I agree with what's been said - However, in what ways is the Sony causing your problems? Simply switching cameras is not always the answer. Some more info on why your current camera is problematic would be helpful.