Best Buy for $1200 to $1500?

[kwitonsky]

I want to buy a DSLR mostly to photograph birds. I was looking at the sony A65. Can anyone recommend the best in this class. Thank you, Ken

[Mandrake]

The a65 is comparable to Canon's 60D and Nikon's D7000. How well they work will all depend on your technique and knowledge of the system. Go to a shop that might sell all three and see which feels best in your hands.

I would personally prefer the Nikon or Canon over the Sony because I prefer the lens options they have. They also have the traditional flipping mirror box vs the slt tech which by nature restricts light to the sensor.

With that said if in video AF was your main goal then the Sony would probably be best.

Good luck!

[Andy Stanton]

Originally Posted by kwitonsky

I want to buy a DSLR mostly to photograph birds. I was looking at the sony A65. Can anyone recommend the best in this class. Thank you, Ken

I don't know if your price range includes the cost of the lenses. To photograph birds you'll need a good, long zoom lens. While you can buy a decent lens (300mm at the long end, or approximately 17x optical zoom) for about $200, a really good one can cost $500 or more. Longer lenses are even more expensive. You'll also need a general purpose lens. Keep this in mind when considering how much to spend for the DSLR body.

[Vogelbung]

I dunno, perhaps SLT's advantages - continuous shooting for example - play to you for this type of shooting.

I'm personally quite fond of the A65, and though I've kept the 60D available, it's pretty much dumped in favour of the Sony - just works more as I wished DSLR's did, though it's not perfect - the EVF still needs work before it could be considered truly a pro DSLR.

That said, Canon is kind of the industry standard - whatever you need to do, you're more likely to find some gizmo that's compatible with a Canon than a Sony. I've not felt restricted so far but what I do is pretty basic.