Sony Alpha A200K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
by Sony
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony Alpha A200K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
Customer Review: Great Camera
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great beginner/intermediate camera. Definitely worth the money and the old Minolta lenses work perfect.Customer Review: Very Pleased !
Summary: 5 Stars
Have used this camera since last year and I'm buying this one as a Christmas gift for the family.Customer Review: It's lightweight makes it a good travel cam
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm using the A-200 now for a year and made about 40,000 pics with it.
PROS:
(+) Very light.
Yes, it feels like less quality because Sony used more plastic but it makes the camera way lighter than it's competitors and yet I haven't figured out any signs of wear or damage. If you want to carry more weight to have the perception of more quality, go for another SLR.
(+) Better kit-lens.
The 18-70mm is versatile enough to use it as your one and only lens, compared to the common 18-55mm kit-lenses. And it's incredible lightweight too. Spice it up with a Sigma 70-300mm for about $150 and you're all set (btw, that is one of the best tele- and macro-lenses you can get for the money!). Quality of the lens is okay, keeping in mind that all zoom lenses can't mess with prime lenses in terms of picture quality. An 18-200mm Tamron would be an alternative, but it makes a lot of distortion in wide-angel - had that one.
(+) Compatible with Minolta System.
You can use the old Minolta lenses. Bought a Minolta prime lens 28mm f2.8 with AutoFocus for $110 used. Works like a current Sony lens with full automode support, no difference (and it really makes sharp, crisp pics!). While the use of old film-era lenses is not a Sony/Minolta-only phenomenon, I have the feeling, people are less fighting for this stuff as Sony is not extremely common in the SLR sector, compared to Canon or Nikon. So you are more likely to get a good deal with the old Minolta stuff.
(+) Extra ISO Button.
Easy to reach, this is not absolutely common in the entry-level segment.
CONS:
(-) The stupid eye-start.
Well, what Sony sells as a feature is the most annoying, stupid thing ever. Imagine, a camera hanging at your neck will never ever shut off because your belly keeps the eye-sensor active all the time. And you can not deactivate this feature. Technically you can turn it off in the menu, but that has no consequences: The camera will stay alive forever if you wear it. I'm so annoyed that I have to keep a safety distance to the damn sensor for about a minute to let the cam shut off by itself.
(-) On/Off Switch.
Most cameras have their on/off switch on the right side where you can operate it with your index finger = shutter finger is able to turn the cam off without using your other hand. Not so this one which is on the left side. Combined with the eye-start issue it's the result of stupid product design.
(-) JPEG Compression.
The camera is compressing the JPEG-Quality images even in finest quality setting slightly too much. It's not really bad, though. As I'm shooting in RAW most of the time, this is not a problem for me and I think most of the people buying an entry-level SLR wouldn't even notice that. Picture quality of this one is nice anyway!
(-) Bracket limit of 0,7.
Bracket shooting mode enables you to shoot 3 pics with different exposure in a row while keeping the shutter button pressed. In other words, it will produce e.g. 1 underexposed pic, 1 normal pic, 1 overexposed pic. Great for post-producing HDR pictures. You can set the range of how strong the under-/overexposure is. Unfortunately unlike other D-SLRs, the Sony A-200 is limited to 0,7. "Why?" I would like to scream at a Sony designer. My old Pentax was able to make a bracket with up to -2/0/+2. A range of 0,7 is so ridiculous that you totally can forget about this feature.
I have to admit though, that most of the people buying this cam will never use this special feature.
(-) High ISO.
Okay, this is not only a problem with Sony. I read the manufacturers and consumers highlighting the awesome ability to shoot with ISO 3200. Forget about anything beyond ISO 800, pics will look terribly noisy. To make great pictures with ISO 3200 or even 1600, you need to spend $1600 or more for a prosumer or pro SLR. No matter what, those entry level SLR produce a lot of noise even at ISO 800 (though this is still acceptable). Maybe in a few years.
In ISO Auto mode the cam will not go beyond ISO 400 anyway - I guess that's because Sony know that the pics aren't looking that smooth anymore beyond ISO 400...
The Sony A-200 is a good choice, but I don't know if I would rather go with a Nikon D40 instead. I got a great deal one year ago and I don't regret buying it. But again, I think the D40 makes better pics, though it is more heavy and the kit lens needs more desperately to be replaced than the Sony kit lens.
Customer Review: I love this camera
Summary: 4 Stars
This camera marks my entry into the Digital Camera age. I take too many photos on vacations and it costs a fortune to develop them, so I decided to get a dSLR. After much debating, I ended up getting this camera because I found it for a good price and my existing lens (from my older cheap Minolta SLR) were compatible with it. By no means did I buy this because it was a superior camera. Rather, according to reviews, it held its own with the competition and had some options others didn't.
I recently finished my vacation and after viewing the images, I am quite happy with the performance. The first real test for the camera was an aquarium. Obviously, one doesn't want to use a flash while walking through an aquatic tunnel. The camera, however needed too much time to take a shot, so I, cautiously changed the ISO to 1600 and 3200 and took some pics. While obviously suffering from some grain, I was really pleased with the image quality. Certainly good enough for the Internet or a 4x6 photograph. I will note that the ISO button makes changing the ISO very easy.
The next test is the dynamic range required for waterfalls. I'm still developing my craft for photography, I'm hardly a pro, but I generally had good efforts taking waterfall shots with this camera. Some waterfalls were very difficult to photograph, however, because I was underexposed in some regions and overexposed in others. I have read that RAW versions of photos have more dynamic range, however, I haven't tested that out yet. Overall, I was pleased with who the camera could do with waterfalls.
The next test was rapid photo taking. I took a series of shots using the continuous advance of people going down a log flume ride. I was very pleased with the very rapid photo capturing. To be able to choose between continuous advance or single frame or delay, was very simple with a button up on top of the camera. The one thing I wish the camera had was a 3 sec delay in addition to the 10 sec delay. While the 10 sec is good for being able to get oneself into a shot, it is a pain and hassle to use when taking long shutter exposures.
As others have noted, you will need to buy a plastic cover for the camera's LCD screen. You can get it at Amazon or Sony. It needs to be protected. The cover is easy to put on, not too hard to take off, but it shouldn't fall off by accident. Another issue I found was that for the lens that comes with the camera, if you shot at 18 mm and use a normal filter, you very well could get blacks edges in the corner. I will probably need to get a thinner polarizer filter to prevent that.
I have found the battery lasts a good long time and it was never an issue of running out during the day. I would typically need to charge it once every few days of taking lots of photos (roughly 1250 over a week). The camera takes an Compactflash so you can get a good amount of memory without the hassle of it being as expensive as other media and the Compactflash media is standardized to continued growing in capacity and is more rugged than other media types.
Overall, the camera has performed very very well for me as an entry level dSLR. The camera does not have HDR capability, it can't make movies. At the entry dSLR level, you really need to figure out what you need. Some cameras perform better in some ways but poorer in other ways. It would probably be best to check out [...] and spend a good while reading through their comprehensive reviews to see which brand or model may better suit you. For me, this camera is working splendidly.
Customer Review: Excellent starter SLR. However options limited
Summary: 4 Stars
I was thrilled to purchase this DSLR primarily because I had a bunch of old Minolta Maxxum lenses and could once again start to use them on a DSLR. As I did my research, I did notice that this model has won good reviews all around, even though it is considered a basic entry-level model in the SLR market.
The pictures I've taken so far have been nicely exposed and sharp. But you would expect that. So what's not to like?
1. Shortage of third party accessories. You can't get a cheap flash from, say, Sunpak like you used to for the old Minolta cameras. I haven't found a definitive yea or nay on whether the Minolta flashes work with the Sony.
2. Proprietary battery. Sony will take you to the cleaners when it is time to replace your (rechargeable) battery. I could buy batteries for the old Maxxum for less than ten dollars.
3. You won't be mistaken for a pro. But that's OK because you probably aren't one, otherwise you'd be buying the high end Nikons and Canons.
4. People stepping up from point and shoots -- note you won't be able to use the LCD screen as a "viewfinder". This is because of the mechanics of how an SLR works. Regardless there are other models (more expensive) within the Sony range that work around this limitation.
Overall I'm happy with what I got. Try to search around for used but useable Minolta Maxxum lenses, and you can get yourself a fancy DSLR package on the cheap.