Customer Reviews:
 Best choice for the first time dslr buyer who wants to stay amateur/ hobbyist July 17, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This one is for first time dslr buyers who do not want to go the nikon or canon way, yeah theres olympus, pentax, lumix, so on...so whats special about the Sony A200? The A100 has proved that Sony can live up to the levels of the big players. The A200 has a feature set for a price a 100-300 $ cheaper than rivals...
....thats not it....
I made up my mind on the A200 only after I played with in the store, it felt great on my hands, more like a mid range than entry level, and the most ergonomic. Do not decide solely on internet reviews and flickr images, you have to feel and handle a camera before you buy, and then you can decide if you really want to spend an extra 300 on the canon.
Picture quality is much better than the best point and shoots, but the bundled lens is average. Like any dslr you have to invest in better lenses, may be next year.....
Its a great choice for an entry dslr to learn and grow with.
A great DSLR July 4, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a great DSLR at an amazing price. It is a very sophisticated camera yet easy to use. The fucntions you need to change most often are easily accessable, not buried in a menu.
Although this is considered an entry level DSLR, it's far more advanced then that description would imply. You have total creative control over the image as well as in body stabilization.
I would have given this camera 5 stars had it not been for the lens included in this kit. The lens is an old Minolta design that probably worked well with a 6MP camera but its limitations are clear with this 10MP CCD, the lens exhibits a limited area of sharpness and produces retatively flat images.
My suggestion is to buy the body and look elsewhere for the glass.
 I simply cannot BELIEVE this kit is priced so cheap! June 24, 2008
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
Prequel: I am coming from a strict Nikon background and due to having my $4000 kit(D80, 3 VR, 3 2.8 pro lenses, etc) stolen out of my car, am starting all over again.
That being said, I don't have $4000 to plop down at once, so I decided to get an "entry to mid-level" system and after many internal battles, decided to try something different and go with the Alpha system. My thoughts were if things didn't work out with this setup, I haven't spent that much and could use it for a carry-around camera. So far I see absolutely NO reason to go back to Nikon. Yes, this system is THAT good.
First off, the built-in Image Stabilization(Super Steady Shot) works wonders. I was able to hand hold the camera at a shutter speed of 1/5th of a second with an ISO of 400 and still get usable output.
Second, the kit lens is actually pretty darn good! There are some signs of CA(purple fringing) and softness wide open, but they are kept to a minimum. This lens is CERTAINLY better than the kit lens offered with the XT and Xti (I haven't had a chance to try out the XSi kit yet) and equivalent to the excellent 18-55mm Nikon kit lens(The De facto of kit lenses). Not to mention the image quality the body brings to the table! I have printed out and framed a picture taken at (ASA) ISO 1600! Now don't get me wrong, theres noise at that level, but its nothing like the 1st gen, a100. Of course, it goes without saying, lower ISO shots are very vivid and sharp.
Lastly, the menu structure and usability are second to none. Everything is laid out in a fashion that just makes sense.
All-In-All, this is a system I have NO problems recommending to ANYONE!
Excellent camera June 22, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is really an excellent camera. I definitely don't consider myself an expert in DSLRs (I have only spent time shooting with Nikon D200, D70, and Canon Rebel XTi), but I've been very pleased with this one so far.
Image quality is extremely comparable to the Rebel XTi, except in the greens, where it appear to be superior. Noise reduction is where the Sony sort of fails- low ISO noise is very acceptable, and definitely on a par with the Canon, possibly even better depending on the image. Once you get up to ISO 1600 the Canon appears superior and the Sony is beginning to look fairly noisy- check out sample images on camera comparison sites to see if it's acceptable to you. ISO 3200 results in very noisy images, but frankly the Canon can't hit 3200 anyway, so at least there's that! In short, at low ISOs the Sony holds it's own or slightly exceeds it's competitors, at high ISOs it looks worse, but at the same time it's capable of hitting ISO 3200 whereas the competition isn't. Kind of a toss up, I guess.
The kit lenses are about what you'd expect- a little soft, but overall not something the average user is likely to complain about. Image distortion and chromatic aberation don't really appear to be a significant issue. They're decent lenses, overall, definitely comparable to the kit lenses you'd get from any other maker.
Battery life so far is totally acceptable. The Dynamic Range Optimization isn't as powerful as I'd like, but does work and is actually fairly cool. The in-camera image stabilization is truly a great feature, and works well. From what I've seen it maybe buys you two speeds' slower shooting that without it.
The thing that really sets this camera apart from the others I've played with is accesibility- it's truly easy to use. I mostly got this camera for my wife, who's interested in SLR photography but generally unfamiliar with it. She's had absolutely no trouble or intimidation in picking up and learning the camera quickly.
Overall a very good little camera that's an excellent choice for learning and having fun with, and is also capable of taking great pictures in experienced hands.
 Sony A200 June 16, 2008
3 out of 77 found this review helpful
The Sony A200 camer, I did not get a clear picture out of it yet, the reason that I gave it a 2 stars, because it will not take AA battery, and it will not take standard flash,( like my Vivitar, 283, 285.) The reason that I bought it, beacuse, I have all other camers already, and I like to try out for a sony, and turn out this is the worse camer that I have, because it will not take standar flash.
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