Finally decided on and purchased my new DSLR- Sony a200

[reg]

I'm just curious why you'd buy a camera from a company not known for cameras??

Since Sony builds Nikon's sensors, I know them quite well for cameras.

:thumbdown:

 

[Idaho21]

My new a200 just arrived via UPS about an hour ago. I'm going to charge the battery and take a couple of pics. I'll post them here shortly.

 

[Sirashley]

I have to chime in here because I have used a Sony a200 for almost a year now. Let me tell you, for an entry level camera, you cannot get more for your money. I'll take the pepsi challenge any day of the week with a D60/80, XTi/XSi, or any other entry/mid level camera. It's not the camera guys, its the photographer, as all three companies, Sony, Nikon, and Canon, make entry level cameras capable of amazing photographs.

I went with Sony first of all because it felt right in my hands. I have very large hands and the D60 felt like a midget camera in my hands. The XTi body felt cheap. Next, the control layout is freakin awesome on the Sony. After learning the controls, the buttons are positioned as such that you can fly through the settings, the XTi was second, and D60 third for me. Lastly, at the time I purchased the camera, the D60 was 749.99, the XTi was 649.99, and the a200 was 539.99. This was an absolute no brainer for me. Remember that this paragraph was entirely my opinion and why I chose Sony, not trying to bash Canon or Nikon.

Okay, as for the review... This camera has so many pros, that I really can't list them all. I have the kit lens, 17-70mm, and I have a tamron 18-200 (which is a freakin sweet walking lense.) Here are two pro's that I really thought Sony went all out on, first of all, BATTERY LIFE... Battery life is awesome on this camera. Next, the BATTERY PERCENTAGE METER, why haven't other electronic devices utilized this. The camera gives you an exact percentage of battery life left, and it's accurate and handy. Oh and lastly, the in-camera stabilizer is nice as you don't have to worry about lense's having it

Now for the cons: There is one major flaw with this camera. At high iso, there is a ton of noise. I would say that photos at 1600 iso are simply unusable without noise reduction software, and even then, its bad. While this would seem to really hamper the camera's performance in low light, you can overcome it and here's how. In low light, shoot at 800 at a little longer exposure. This can be done by hand and bracing the camera or with a tripod. I shot the inside of Alcatraz at iso 800 and given the great stabilizer in the camera, I was able to get some amazing photos. The built in stabilization really helps with camera shake during longer exposures.
One other minor annoyance, the usb input is on the inside of the trap door for the flash card. This means that you have to leave the door open while connected to it and downloading photos. This leaves you at the risk of breaking the door off, soooooo, do what I did and buy a USB flash card reader if you don't already have one

Now, I don't want to get off on a rant...LOL... You will love your a200, and if you have any questions on it, feel free to P.M. me and I'll try to answer them for you. So good luck, get out there and take some photos and tell us what you think...

 

[supertrick_05]

Sweet man, congrats! I too am looking to purchase a Sony DSLR...not sure if I wanna spend the extra to get the 350 or just say "hell with it, it's my first DSLR" and get the 200.

Right now I have a Panasonic DMC-FZ30, which is a fine camera and has lots of features that DSLR's do, but I want exchangeable lenses...and I want better picture quality that you can't get outside of DSLR's.

 

[Saddlebreds4me]

Congrats and good luck with your new DSLR! Forget who made it and go out and have fun with it!

 

[Idaho21]

Here is a quick pic that I took in B&W. My favorite drink- Johnnie Walker Gold Label.
I really need to read the manual and learn all of the features and functions of this camera. I'll post some more pics once I get familiar with it. I really like all of the detail on close ups. This was with the kit lens 17-70mm.

 

[supertrick_05]

It's not the camera guys, its the photographer, as all three companies, Sony, Nikon, and Canon, make entry level cameras capable of amazing photographs.

Agreed x10!!!! :thumbup:

 

[lids369]

im might get a sony but i hope they dont pull out like they did with sacd's and they are doing to with blu-rays.

 

[Dagwood56]

If Sony had purchased Minolta and kept the Minolta name for the cameras, many people would probably not have a problem the "brand" of the camera. I have been drooling over the Sony A100 for the past two years - FINALLY got a nice cash gift from some relatives and was able to pick up a brand new A100 body on e-bay. Too bad the weather has turned so crappy here in the northeast and I'm still recovering from some medical issues so I haven't had much of a chance to try it out, but I'm enjoying it just the same and the shots I have taken so far have turned out nicely. The best part is - my husband and I both use Minolta film cameras and had a variety of lenses that will all work with the Sony series of cameras. Enjoy your your new toy. It's a good camera.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

They're ok cameras, it's just that the ergonomics are the worst in the business next to Olympus.

 

[mitsugirly]

I was wondering how you guys and gals that own an a200 like them?

Well, you have owned this camera now for over a month. I just bought a Sony a300 and was wondering how you are enjoying your camera over the last month? Have you managed to buy anything for it yet? Lense, filters, anything? I would love to hear your views on it by now.

 

[dxqcanada]

What lenses do you prefer to use? I saw some good deals on Minolta Maxxum lenses, and they seem to get pretty good reviews. I am looking at getting a Minolta Maxxum 100-200mm lens.

Have you figured out what lenses you want ?

I assume that you got the standard kit with the SAL1870 lens. How do you like the focal length ?

I just picked up the Minolta Maxxum 28-135mm f4-4.5.
It it the sharpest zoom lens I have ever had.

 

[OldBrit]

Hi everyone, just joined today and posted my intro at http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/welcomes-introductions/153146-just-arrived.html

Having not held a camera in anger for many years now I'm going through the memory cell recall process; shutter speeds, ISO, exposure etc.

What I do recall is that Minolta made fantastic cameras at a reasonable price. When Sony acquired Minolta they basically re-packaged the Minolta 5D/7D as the A100 with a few Sony added features like moving from 6 MegaPixels to 10 MegaPixels. Why members that own other brands of camera would criticize someone for buying a Sony is beyond me. Maybe it's brand loyalty.

Anyway, my question is this. Does anyone happen to know if the A100 supports mirror locking? I read thru the manual, until my Great Dane puppy ate it, and didn't see any reference. I'm particularly interested in macro shots so it would be helpful if I could reduce shake by locking the mirror before I commit. If not, does anyone have any experience as to whether this is really an issue in modern DSLR's.

Thanks for your time!
Peter

 

[KD5NRH]

Sweet man, congrats! I too am looking to purchase a Sony DSLR...not sure if I wanna spend the extra to get the 350 or just say "hell with it, it's my first DSLR" and get the 200.

Shop around. One of the guys here just got either a 300 or 350 with the 18-70 and a longer zoom (75-300?) for $600 shipped. I'll have to ask him where he ordered it from, since that's barely more than I paid for my 200 with only the 18-70 back in August.

As for battery life, I think I've gotten it down to 68% once, while experimenting with bouncing/diffusing the popup flash and generally doing inefficient things for a couple of hours. They really got it right on that count; running hotshoe flash or radio triggers, it should be able to go quite a long time without a fresh battery.

 

[KD5NRH]

I read thru the manual, until my Great Dane puppy ate it, and didn't see any reference.

Sony eSupport - DSLR-A100 - Manuals / Specs / Warranty

User Guide at the bottom of the page goes to a PDF copy. AFAIK, the 100 doesn't have a mirror lock feature, but the later Alphas with live view would have to.