Sony alpha DSLR-A200 10.2 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera Body with Lens Kit - 18 mm - 70 mm

Sony Alpha DSLR A200

Strengths: Price, Easy To Use, Price, Image Quality, Price!

Weakness: None! some say lack of live view but I actually like it without

Had looked for ages for my 1st DSLR & was finding it hard to decide between Canon & Nikon Until I stumbled upon a review on youtube! until then I had not even thought about Sony as an option, I done more research & went for it & all I can say is wowwww It is a very forgiving camera as most of my pictures look fantastic even though am a complete beginner I am having so much fun exploring all it's...
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Had looked for ages for my 1st DSLR & was finding it hard to decide between Canon & Nikon Until I stumbled upon a review on youtube! until then I had not even thought about Sony as an option, I done more research & went for it & all I can say is wowwww
It is a very forgiving camera as most of my pictures look fantastic even though am a complete beginner
I am having so much fun exploring all it's features
I brought the camera zoom lens spare Battery camera bag for less than I was looking on spending on the Nikon!
Cant recommend this enough, if your just starting out this is a fantastic introduction

Dave

By Happidave73 - Aug 27, 2008

a good entry DSLR

Strengths: great feature-set, great value in a DSLR, noisy at high ISO but manageable...a much better implementation than the km5d and a100

Weakness: needs to be separated from that kit lens!

...this is just about the perfect entry-level DSLR. It has everything that you need to get great shots out of it, without the high price tag or a bloated feature set. I'd definitely recommend it. It's not the best, technically, but it's a great learning tool, performs well under stress, and an expert can get great shots out of it across the ISO range and in all lighting conditions. I would say...
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...this is just about the perfect entry-level DSLR.

It has everything that you need to get great shots out of it, without the high price tag or a bloated feature set. I'd definitely recommend it. It's not the best, technically, but it's a great learning tool, performs well under stress, and an expert can get great shots out of it across the ISO range and in all lighting conditions. I would say that this will become legendary for its value as a DSLR. It's the closest thing to a "throw it up and shoot" cheap little box film camera that you can get in a DSLR. But it still takes great photos, it's very fast, nice and small, obviously cheap, and very easy to use.

I would really want this with the SAL18-250, the 18-70 is adequate but gets slow fast. This camera at $750 with the SAL18-250 would just crush the low-end DSLR market. I see these kits as nothing but "lens-dumps", the only one of any real use is the SAL18-250. There is a good argument for waiting for these to show up "body only" on eBay but no one in their right mind would buy one of these and sell it. It's just too damm good at too low of a price.

By touristguy87 - Jul 12, 2008

Sony Alpha DSLR A200K a Great Buy for the Money

Strengths: In-body Stabilization, compatible w/ Minolta lenses

Weakness: Larger than most other base model DSLR's, but might not be a drawback for some

The in-body stabilization works well, but don't expect miracles (using a tripod always works best). I happen to have a whole box full of Minolta lenses and that's the main reason I chose to go with Sony. But if you don't, you can easily buy them pretty cheap. All in all a great camera w/ many features that's priced less than the competition.

By ty240 - Jun 17, 2008

Great value and excellent camera

Strengths: Very simple to use. Built In image stabilization. Feels more solid than Canon XTi. Kit lens is higher quality than some other comparable dSLRs. Lots of features compared to simliarly priced dSLRs

Weakness: No "live" view.

The strongest feature of this camera is its simplicity. The menu system is very easy to understand. For newbies going to dSLR for the 1st time like myself this is a great choice. The lens choices are also very good too since all Minolta lenses from the past 20 years work with this camera. I researched dSLRs for a long time before making this choice and I don't regret this purchase one bit. There...
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The strongest feature of this camera is its simplicity. The menu system is very easy to understand. For newbies going to dSLR for the 1st time like myself this is a great choice. The lens choices are also very good too since all Minolta lenses from the past 20 years work with this camera. I researched dSLRs for a long time before making this choice and I don't regret this purchase one bit. There a lot of good choices for an entry level dSLR but you won't regret your purchase of this camera.

By shop4deels2 - Apr 28, 2008

Great value for an entry level DSLR

Strengths: Feature packed, good image quality, easy handling and compatible with older Minolta auto focus lens.

Weakness: New Sony lens are expensive. Some noise at high iso.

I have to say I'm very happy so far with my choice. The auto focus is fast and accurate. The shutter response is quick. The image quality is very good with lots of detail. The exposures have been very accurate with a minimal number of photos with blown highlights. The image stabilization kicks butt. The dynamic range optimization really does pull highlights out of the shade. The sensor noise is...
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I have to say I'm very happy so far with my choice. The auto focus is fast and accurate. The shutter response is quick. The image quality is very good with lots of detail. The exposures have been very accurate with a minimal number of photos with blown highlights. The image stabilization kicks butt. The dynamic range optimization really does pull highlights out of the shade. The sensor noise is really unobjectionable to me up to iso 800, iso 1600 is usable, and iso 3200 is noisy.

The jpgs with default camera settings are a little soft, so I've bumped the in camera sharpening to +1. After the adjustment, I think the results are very film like. I've tried further sharpening with software on a few of them but the results from the camera are satisfactory for me.

My only wish is that faster lens were more affordable. One reason I have read is some of the lens are still handmade. Being of Minolta heritage, the camera can use most all Minolta auto focus lens going back some 20 years.

By GaryW48 - May 30, 2008