You might think that in the current economic climate, spending money on a high-end digital camera would be a luxury that most people couldn't justify.
After all, millions are being lost on Wall Street and in the city every day. High street sales are down, jobs are being lost and nobody is spending money on anything. How on earth could you think about trading up that little point and shoot camera for something serious?
Well, my friends, here's the good news. Sony has come to the rescue of your wallet with this, the Sony Alpha A300 - which is available online for a mere £330 including an 18-70mm lens. Now that is a super price for a digital SLR especially one that includes a live preview mode. And you know what? It's just perfect for some credit crunch-busting fun.
Excellent Hobby Camera
Once you've spent the initial upfront cost, photography is a hobby that' practically free to pursue. Get out into nature and shoot pictures of the beauty of the world. Use your imagination to create amazing shots that give you a massive amount of personal satisfaction. Or just use your photographic habit as an excuse to do something else that's free and interesting.
The Sony Alpha A300 is a great choice for all of these pursuits and let me tell you why. It's a 10megapixel camera with all the optical quality you'd expect from the latest and greatest in digital SLRs.
NERD
NOTE: The single-lens reflex (SLR) camera uses an automatic moving mirror system which permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system, as opposed to non-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly different from what was captured on film.
Standout Features
The headline feature is the live preview. Unlike other SLRs where you have to squint down the viewfinder, this one allows you to see the picture you're taking with the minimum amount of hassle and even makes an attempt at showing you exposure compensation and other settings incorporated. You can even fold out the screen to look at what you're doing from tough angles.
The menu system is very easy to get your head around and very quick to use, which is good news if you're a newcomer to SLR photography - because it means you can play around and really start to get the hang of all the shot variables.
There's the standard rotary dial which includes picture presets. There's a button to turn off the steadyshot feature, although why you'd want to do that I'm not sure, since it does a very good job of steadying your aim. The function button on the back allows you quick access to choose metering and focus options and when you're in viewfinder mode, all your selected options are displayed on the LCD making for a very quick and easy reference.
Now the pictures at the Sony Alpha A300 takes are very good and assuming you know your way around an SLR, you'll get some fabulous pictures out of this.
Photo taken with a Sony A300 by Flickr user Vampir16
Bad Bits & Final Thoughts
There are a few bad bits but, to be fair, the Sony Alpha A300 doesn't have very many. Burst shooting is a bit slow, with only a couple of shots a second which slows down even further if you're trying to shoot RAW. That's too slow. Although the live preview is fantastic, if you want to go old school then the viewfinder itself is a bit bizarrely small leaving you with a bit of a squint, and I also have to say that the plastic body doesn't quite have the same feeling of quality that competitors from Canon or Nikon have managed to achieve (The D40 feels a little better).
But these are relatively small quibbles on an entry-level SLR like this and nothing should take away from the fact that for the ridiculously small amount of money, the Sony Alpha A300 is a great camera, a bargain at the price and so I'm going to give it a well-deserved 5 stars.
This item is
available for purchase from Amazon.com
Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and on-line businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company in the world.
OtterBox
for iPod Mini On
the run, in the car, or at the gym, our iPods have gone with
us to the ends of the earth... except places near water. But
thanks to the OtterBox Mini you can now safely take your
iPod Mini near or even underwater.
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Apple TV Review You may have heard of that new Apple product, I believe it's called the, uhh, Apple TV. I understand that newspapers, other blogs, and your Aunt have already reviewed this thing, but I thought I'd add my two cents.
Mod
Your iPod Are
you a victim of the iPod's blossoming popularity? Feel like just another
pair of white headphones in the crowd? Maybe it's time you got
an iPod Mod.
H20
iPod Mini Case
H20 Audio has created a waterproof and impact
resistant case so that we can take our iPod Minis anywhere we
want… including the ocean free.
Digital
Picture Frames Why
give someone a single still framed picture when you can give them
an entire slide show? Most Digital Picture Frames can playback a
series of digital photos and videos on high-resolution screens.
JBL
Encounter Speakers In
a world of boring shelf speakers that are as fascinating
as the wires that connect them, the JBL Encounter draws people
towards it with its innovative tongue-in-cheek design and
then lavishes them with deep warm sound.
Wicked
Lasers Review What makes a Wicked Laser "wicked"? How impressive
is a military grade laser imported from China? Let's test it and find
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iTrip
Auto
Play your music through any car FM radio.
Email or 
feed.
Excellent Hobby Camera
Standout Features
Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and on-line businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company in the world.
JVC HA-NC250 Noise Canceling Headphones
JBL
Encounter Speakers
Software
Otterbox
for iPod Video
On
the run, in the car, or at the gym, our iPods have gone with
us to the ends of the earth... except places near water. But
thanks to the OtterBox Mini you can now safely take your
iPod Mini near or even underwater.
Wicked Lasers named their new flashlight the TORCH... and for good reason. The "TORCH" is technically a flashlight. It looks like a flashlight. Operates like a flashlight. But this is no ordinary flashlight. The TORCH is so bright that its beam can ignite flammable objects as fast as fire. 
The super-portable, super-simple Flip Mino makes it easy to capture and share high-quality video anywhere and everywhere. And thanks to its flip-out USB arm and intuitive, built-in software, Mino lets you view, edit and upload your videos to popular video-sharing sites instantly.
What if you could find a relatively inexpensive interface that could easily convert that analog signal to a higher quality digital output for all your apps? Well, the sleek, portable aluminum-cased Apogee Duet may just be the answer.
If you're looking for an inexpensive, lightweight pair of earbuds with fantastic bass, then Radius' Atomic Bass earbuds are the earbuds of your dreams.
Is a weak arm or physical stamina keeping you from taking your Nintendo Wii gaming experience to the next level? Perhaps you should look into getting the Nintendo Wii Nunchuck Controller. This accessory adds even more innovation to the next generation of gaming and does it all with less physical movement.
What's
the point of downloading your favorite songs on iTunes if they sound
like crap on your computer's built-in speakers? The sound quality
and volume these little babies emit, much to the chagrin of my neighbors,
is truly phenomenal.
You may have heard of that new Apple product, I believe it's called the, uhh, Apple TV. I understand that newspapers, other blogs, and your Aunt have already reviewed this thing, but I thought I'd add my two cents.
Are
you a victim of the iPod's blossoming popularity? Feel like just another
pair of white headphones in the crowd? Maybe it's time you got
an iPod Mod.
H20 Audio has created a waterproof and impact
resistant case so that we can take our iPod Minis anywhere we
want… including the ocean free.
Why
give someone a single still framed picture when you can give them
an entire slide show? Most Digital Picture Frames can playback a
series of digital photos and videos on high-resolution screens.
