Sony Alpha A55 Camera Body Only 429.95 with free case

Quote from jreuschl : I like my A55 a lot, including the GPS feature. Here's a couple of pictures I took at the Vatican, ISO 1600 F/2.8 hand held: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaso...272216605/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaso...272216605/ I use a Tamron 17-50mm 2.8 as my main walkabout lens, and it takes great pictures. I'd suggest an extra battery or two (at at least initially generic batteries didn't fit properly, I don't know if there are any that work well, check dpreview.com Sony SLR forums)

Thanks for sharing.

The battery life has been a concern for me. How many shots can you get off on one battery with the a55?

Quote from Centient : Thanks for sharing. The battery life has been a concern for me. How many shots can you get off on one battery with the a55?

I guess I haven't paid attention.. Maybe a few hundred? I don't shoot video often and 2 batteries last me a whole day shooting in Europe. There have only been a few times where I needed to pull out my 3rd battery.

I know that isn't great, but, I've learned to live with it!

Just got a shipping confirmation with FedEx tracking number.

Quote from BigCTM : Not really...Sounds like a one time deal to me...

My local BB has an open box for $439. It is missing the battery and the charger though.They would not reduce further.

Was going to go in for 1

But the video overheating issue ruined it for me

Great deal for pic camera though

Opened mine today and it was clearly a used camera. I havent had a chance yet to run it through a shutter count program, but I can tell as all the packaging was unsealed, there are fingerprints all over the LCD and signs of use where the lenses attach. I am very dissapointed and will be giving cameta a piece of my mind tomorrow.

Has anyone else gotten a used one?

Quote from jnicholson1437 : Opened mine today and it was clearly a used camera. I havent had a chance yet to run it through a shutter count program, but I can tell as all the packaging was unsealed, there are fingerprints all over the LCD and signs of use where the lenses attach. I am very dissapointed and will be giving cameta a piece of my mind tomorrow. Has anyone else gotten a used one?

I got mine and haven't noticed anything. Had to charge the battery for ~2 hours, camera asked for date/time on first start up, and image files started at 00001 (but that counter could have been reset). Your post made me curious -- how can I check the actual shutter count?

Quote from skystorm : I got mine and haven't noticed anything. Had to charge the battery for ~2 hours, camera asked for date/time on first start up, and image files started at 00001 (but that counter could have been reset). Your post made me curious -- how can I check the actual shutter count?

Unfortunately unlike canon or nikon sony doesnt make it easy to determine shutter count. It appears the only way to tell is by image file name, which as you said can be reset.

I know from buying an A33 what the packaging should have looked like. The alpha cameras come sealed and have stickers on the top and over the lcd. The stickers just describe the functions of the camera like one says full HD and the lcd stickers gives specs the the screens resolution. Both of those were missing on mine.

Did yours have them?

Quote from jnicholson1437 : I know from buying an A33 what the packaging should have looked like. The alpha cameras come sealed and have stickers on the top and over the lcd. The stickers just describe the functions of the camera like one says full HD and the lcd stickers gives specs the the screens resolution. Both of those were missing on mine.

No stickers on mine. But after googling around for a bit, there are many people reporting no stickers on new, sealed A55s (see e.g. this thread [dpreview.com])

Mine didn't come with stickers, but it did come with V1.10 firmware. Current version is 2.0.

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/...group_id=6

Considering it came out 9 months ago, I suspect my box was sitting in a warehouse for a year.

Quote from skystorm : No stickers on mine. But after googling around for a bit, there are many people reporting no stickers on new, sealed A55s (see e.g. this thread [dpreview.com])

Good thread and some reassuring info. However mine still does not look brand new and had clearly been handled. It has a bunch of fingerprints on the LCD. Im just concerned it was a floor model or a refurb.

Also one person said in another thread:


"if your camera doesn't come with the sticker on the LCD, a stuck on plastic flip up sticker on the top of the flash mount and a small booklet type info pamphlet tie wrapped onto one of the strap loops you're has been opened and manipulated. I wouldn't keep it. I'd insist on an unopened unit. This is how the new camera should be coming to you or it's not really "new" by definition."

Quote from jnicholson1437 : Also one person said in another thread: "if your camera doesn't come with the sticker on the LCD, a stuck on plastic flip up sticker on the top of the flash mount and a small booklet type info pamphlet tie wrapped onto one of the strap loops you're has been opened and manipulated. I wouldn't keep it. I'd insist on an unopened unit. This is how the new camera should be coming to you or it's not really "new" by definition."

Except several people on this thread and others said just the opposite. YOU may have gotten an odd used unit somehow, and that sucks. But that doesn't mean we all did, or that that post is factually correct.

Quote from jnicholson1437 : Unfortunately unlike canon or nikon sony doesnt make it easy to determine shutter count. It appears the only way to tell is by image file name, which as you said can be reset. I know from buying an A33 what the packaging should have looked like. The alpha cameras come sealed and have stickers on the top and over the lcd. The stickers just describe the functions of the camera like one says full HD and the lcd stickers gives specs the the screens resolution. Both of those were missing on mine. Did yours have them?

As per Sony customer service: "Only the first run of A55 cameras will have the stickers and hang tag. Later production runs will (thankfully) not have the stickers and tags. If you are concerned about the condition of your new camera, please return it to your place of purchase." I purchased my A55 elsewhere and was also concerned about not having the stickers everyone was complaining about. I called Sony and they assured me that none of the later shipped cameras were prepped for retail display and so would not be stickered and tagged.