Years ago I used to use a Nikon F SLR with an assortment of wide angle, normal, and telephoto lenses. I would buy my film in bulk, load it into casettes, shoot, then develop and print in my home darkroom. Those days are long gone. Once digital arrived I used a variety of compact cameras whose main virtue was portability and convenience, which sometimes did not provide the sharpest pictures.

With the birth of a grandchild on the way, my wife decided to look for a "really good" camera. She bought this camera at a one day sale at Electronics Expo as part of a kit that also included a 75-300mm lens, tripod, cleaning kit, 4GB SD card, and Bower camera bag--all for $600. After she brought it home the "photo bug" that had been dormant for so many years bit me again. I absolutely love this camera. Here is why.

1. Picture quality is stunning. Don't be overly impressed with the 14.2 megapixels because unless you regularly make 16 x 20 pictures or larger, you won't really... Read more

I want to start by saying this is a great camera. However there are a few things that made me return it and get a different camera:
1. Continuous shooting. VERY slow. Almost too slow. They say it's 2.5 per second, but it felt like maybe 1.5 per second. It's not a huge issue, but my expectation was such that I thought it would be faster. It was really surprising and i couldn't get over it.
2. Battery. I took it out one afternoon and only got 50 shots before the battery died. Which takes me to my next point:
3. Accessories- i saw some accessories, but none of them where really clear as to whether or not they fit this model. Also-there where two types of accessories, expensive and bottom level. Other brands had a full range and clearly specific to models. Case in point: look for a battery grip for this model camera and you'll see what i mean.

Now, onto the Good-
1. you can use Minolta lenses with this camera. There are literally thousands upon... Read more

I am a college photography instructor and have had a ton of cameras over the years. This is my go-to camera and the first one I pick up. I love the fact that the image stabilization is built into the body and not the lens. The Live View mode makes teaching with this so easy, as well as for a student to understand. The color quality from this Sony beats my old Nikon hands down. For the price, this is an AWESOME camera, and super easy to use, whether it be on auto or manual.