Sony Alpha A100 on the way

[rsatat]

My Sony Alpha is on the way from Ritz Camera and now I need to get some accessories. I bought the basic A100K Kit (Body + 18-70 lens).

I need to know whats the best CF card I should get? I read somewhere that the 2Gb card is compatible. Can I get a higher capacity card as long as it is Type II? What is the recommended Read/Write speed I should go for on the CF cards and any brand suggestions?

Anything else I should be getting for starters? This is my first SLR and have never done any serious photography.

Thanks.
rs

 

[AmigaMan]

I just bought an Alpha from B&H and got a Sandisk 2GB CF card with it. While it works pretty well, I'm considering getting a 4GB card from newegg. The Transcend one seems to have pretty good reviews. I'm also going to get a cleaning kit, a circular polarizer (mainly for lens protection), and a mono-pod (already have a tripod). Then you'll probably want to get a carrying case of some sort and maybe a tele-photo zoom lens. I have a cheap 70-300mm zoom lens from a Minolta SLR I have (which no longer works). Tamron makes a nice 18-200 lens for $389 that I'd like to get at some point.

 

[ZOXXO]

The Alpha supports FAT32, so you should be able to use cards larger than 2Gb. Sandisk has garnered a lot of exclusive adherents. Kingston is another trusted brand.

If you don't already understand aperture, shutter speed, ISO and how each affects the others, a good basic photography book may be helpful.

There's a long list of items most photographers end up owning but I recommend using your new camera for a while to see what needs arise from your particular style and usage patterns.

Myself, an OpTech Pro Loop strap and a battery grip were one of my first purchases.

ENJOY

 

[ElFenix]

i use these riteks

they're highly rated at robgalbraith.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Honestly, I've never had a memory card fail, and I haven't heard of one failing. I've heard of some having compatibility issues, but never an instance where the data just disappeared from the card.

The A100 should be fine with any of the flash cards. It does have issues with microdrives, so avoid those.

I don't recommend using a polarizer as a lens protection filter. Actually, I don't recommend using anything as a lens protection filter. But a polarizer is a poor choice because you lose 1.5-2 stops of light so you don't want to use it indoors. If you really feel that you must use a filter, use a UV filter for lens protection.

Other than that, there aren't too many accessories that you need. I would say to pick up an extra battery just for convenience. And look into finding a flash.

ZV

 

[rsatat]

Thanks folks for all the tips. Will get a CF, Strap, Camera Case for starters.

rs

 

[ZOXXO]

Originally posted by: rsatat
Thanks folks for all the tips. Will get a CF, Strap, Camera Case for starters.

rs

The camera kit will come with a strap that you may find acceptable. I just found the wide, stiff, web strap that came with my Nikon too uncomfortable. The Optech strap was far better and well worth the price to me.

Enjoy your new toy and let us know how you like it.

 

[rsatat]

Is the Sony Memory Stick Pro better than a Compact Flash? I have a Vaio laptop so was considering going for the Sony stick instead of a CF.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: rsatat
Is the Sony Memory Stick Pro better than a Compact Flash? I have a Vaio laptop so was considering going for the Sony stick instead of a CF.

i think they're more expensive for similar capacities. no idea about the speed, though. CF seems to be on the cutting edge as far as speeds, usually.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: rsatat
Is the Sony Memory Stick Pro better than a Compact Flash? I have a Vaio laptop so was considering going for the Sony stick instead of a CF.

Stick with CF. IIRC reviews found that the memory stick adapter pretty much limits it to the speed of a 50x CF card.

ZV