About that flash: on Sony support pages they say that it kind of works but it is not supported:
http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&externalId=C422847&fes=true&mdl=DSLRA300
, or the same shorter: http://tid.ly/8ytUQY

About the last point of lens recommendation: "Nature" means for you animals, flowers, landscapes? Normally landscapes (my thing) are consumed via wide-angle lens, so if you got a kit lens (18-70mm, 16-105mm or 18-200mm) with your A300 you can get started with it quite nicely. My advice would be to get a tripod and use smallish aperture (somewhere between f/8 to f/11) to get best image quality.

Flowers normally require a macro capability, I suppose that Sony 75-300mm would work OK also as shooting flowers, etc detail. It is not a macro lens as such (it goes to 1:4 magnification, so a subject measuring 4 inches accross will barely fit into one photo in 300mm setting at distance of 1.5m). Just make sure that wind does not move the flower too much. .-)
This lens is described here: http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/detail.asp?IDLens=316. There are almost all lenses that fit directly into our Sony cameras there. It does not list lenses with generic bayonette like M42 or Tamron adaptall lenses, but only lenses that fit directly into the camera without any adapters.

But animals are normally shot with long lens, so that 500-1000 (or rather 500/1000) sounds like right ballpark. But If this is like one of those long but surprisingly light lenses that they sell quite cheap on eBay stores, you might be into some frustration with moving subjects. You might find similar lens with different names reviewed in the Net. Wasn't "Quantaray" a Ritz Camera's own brand that included lenses and accessories from many sources? Is it maybe something like this: http://tid.ly/CXeCJb

And yep, there are several AF lenses between 300 and 1000mm by different companies, but they can be quite expensive (as an example take this Sigma 800mm AF lens that Sigma recently stopped producing, the last batch went around 6000 USD, see http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/detail.asp?IDLens=162). A word of warning: there are some older Sigma and I suppose also Tamron lenses with a Minolta AF mount (mostly they were prime lenses with fixed focal length of of 400mm and 600mm), but they do not work with Sony digital cameras without an upgrade circuit added to them. So at least test well with your own camera before you buy such glass.

Welcome also from me. Feel free to shoot questions on the list. The better you can describe the problem, the better people can share their relevant experiences.
Cheers, Erkki

2009/7/2 Joe and Becky Shaw <jb86s@...>
>
>
> I am proud owner of the Sony A300 DSLR kinda a newbee to the DSLR..have question...
> I recently bought used flash unit..
> Minolta Maxxum 4000AF flash unit but it won't fit on my Sony without adapter  is there any issues with voltage matching ect I need to worry
> about with this flash???
>  
> also my daughter just bought used Quantary 500-1000 manual len has doubler unit it was  used so no instructions can anyone tell her how to use this lens or an advise on this lens it is on same camera Sony A300..
> yes,we both bought same camera:>
>  
> last thing we have the Sony 75-300mm lens love nature photography-family ect..ect  what zoom lens is recommended for Nature in Stay home Mom/wife Budget is everything larger than 300 mm not auto focus(I'm kinda Auto person for now)
>  
> Thank you
> Becky  
>
> THe Shaw Family


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Erkki Pöyhönen
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