"I am new to DSLR cameras. I was told to get a Nikon or Canon but ended up buying the Sony A300. After 3 weeks of ownership here is my thoughts. Pros: Low price, great picture quality, easy to use, great battery life, compatible with old Minolta lenses (which I had) and the "live preview" feature that the other similar priced cameras do not have. Also it feels more solid than the Canon or Nikon. Cons: flash is a little to close to the lens, (not a problem for red eye but does create shadows for very close-up pictures.)"

    "Sony a (alpha) DSLR-A300K Digital camera is a great addition and will be my primary camera. There are so many functions to play with that it will keep you shooting photos for a very long time.

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    "I bought the kit with the 18-70 and added the 75-300mm lens. Excellent choice. Many options. Steady shot in the body adds more options on lenses. 3 fps great for sports photography. Dusk and night portraits work well. Still experimenting with all modes. Much more options than I will every remember to use. Live view is great for those that are used to point and shoot cameras. Best DSLR in that price range. I was always a Nikon loyalist, but Sony puts out a good product, too "

    ""Long time digital camera user, first time DSLR owner. I am amazed at how quickly the camera focuses. For the first time, I am able to quickly take pictures of birds in flight. I am amazed at the quality and detail of the pictures.

I feel honored to be part of the DSLR revolution and fortunate to get a deal like I did from Best Buy - $649 for the body, plus two lenses - 18-70mm AND 75mm - 300mm.

The camera also has a 2x feature that allows you to take the 300mm lens and turn it into 600mm.

Fully automatic this camera does well. I took the camera birding and got a lot of brilliant and beautiful pictures. Despite taking the pictures in a bumpy van with dirty windows (I was with a group of people that drove around looking at birds), I got crisp clear shots. I had to do some tweaking in software, but it was fun to watch the pictures come to life and look like something out of a magazine!

I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone who wants to get into photography on a whole new level. Start with automatic and begin learning all that it can do. I was determined to take the camera out on a birding assignment within 12 hours of taking the camera out of the box and was very pleased with the results."
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    "One item that sets this 10.2-megapixel Sony Alpha DSLR-A300K is its live-view functions. One nifty feature is that it provides flexible live-view LCD works in real time. The list price is $550 (with a 18mm-to-70mm lens, you can easily find better prices). The camera offers tilt-screen tricks that may make it attractive to stealth shooters and to people who want to capture unique images. When I do my photography, subjects know they are being photographed, but this is definitely a cool feature when obtaining candid photos.

The 2.7-inch live-view screen is a more than decent size. Many cameras take pride in providing larger screens which is great for previewing. This screen is big enough to permit the photographer to compose your images before shooting.

Some photographers prefer viewfinders (my preference), some prefer the LCD. To satisfy each preference, Sony provides a mechanical switch to toggle back and forth between using the LCD and viewfinder. The Alpha DSLR-A300K's live view uses a separate mirror and sensor to transmit what it sees. This method does not slow down the senor’s management. The eyecup and diopter are comfortable.

The LCD folds out and extends only vertically. This is a bit of a disappointment. I've worked with other cameras with similar features and find them to be aggravating. This is something that can easily snap off at the wrong moment. This design allows you to use the camera like a periscope, but one way. To construct a fully swiveling screen sounds challenging, but we were able to land a man on the moon.

The burst mode is 3 frames per second (2 if you are using live view). The burst mode is best used for sporting events. It's also good when photographing fast moving kids or any type of action, even on a dance floor.

Sony provides in-camera image stabilization. For cameras of this type, this should be a standard feature.

If you are inexperienced with setting exposures, Sony provides exposure shift setting. First try setting a proper exposure and then the function helps make similar exposures. It uses different combinations of shutter speeds and apertures.

Even though I'm proficient with digital cameras, I found this feature to be enjoyable and practical. This works nicely with backlit scenes and you don't have time to really think things out. Yes, you can preview on the LCD, but that does not compare with a full sized image on the PC monitor or on a printout.

It’s great when there is a perfect shot out there and you are a bit unsure of how it will come out. Sony provides image enhancement features which include saturation, nighttime, and black-and-white settings if you wish to get artistic or improve the exposure.

Too often photographers think they can fix images on the PC. This is true. However, by spending a few seconds to analyze the scene before photography saves minutes if not more when retouching on the computer.

The weight is a bit over a pound, 16.3 oz. Some of you may find that heavy but for those who used to lug 35mm film cameras around, it is reasonably comfortable. It feels solid and balanced when using it. Some lightweight cameras are very awkward to handle and use. Menu controls are on the back. You can view all settings on the screen.

Noise-reduction and dynamic range expansion settings will make a significant difference during long exposures at high ISOs (which range from 100 to 3200). You may notice noise in shots that do not employ noise reduction. You may also notice some distortion that you may find slightly objectionable. Flash exposures are good.

Manual settings are easy to dial up, as are the aperture- and shutter-priority modes. This camera is great for anyone who wishes to upgrade from a point-and-shoot camera. It is reasonably uncomplicated so you can actually enjoy photography.
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