Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 (with 18-70mm lens)
Cameras Buying Guide
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May 22, 2008 09:27
4.5/5
I started to look into dSLR's a while back and wanted a solid entry level camera at a reasonable price. A lot of factors such as "fit in my hand" (I have medium to large grip), Steady Shot, Versatile Lens' (not being sure how and what I will enjoy shooting), Ease of Use and Quality were very important.
The Nikon and Canon have great reputations but as hobby, it became clear to me that to get image stabilization and a good telephoto lens, I would be paying well over $1,500 to get started.
I then started to research the quality side of the dSLRs and I found many reviewers rated the SONY very high on "noise" in terms of quality (which seemed to be opposite to CNET). Other reviews spoke to the aggressive feature set that Sony built into the camera.
After reading the CNET review of the A200 I just didn't understand their rating and little supporting proof was provided. (I have not been a big fan of SONY over the years by the way).
However, the camera "fit in my hand" well and the menu system is ease to navigate and I have an 18-70 lens and 75-300 both with image stabilization (cause it's in the body, not the lens)
Three weeks in, I am loving every minute. If and when I become more than just a hobbyist, the $1,000 I spent on the A200 will have been well worth it. As for those who think I should have bought a Canon or Nikon (upgrade path I suspect); if and when I actually learn how to become an amazing photography and can afford $5,000 for an EOS body, I will not be lamenting the $1,000 bucks I spent on my first dSLR.
ps. I have been a Canon fanboy for many years (love everything about the SD line). -
March 16, 2008 08:48
4.5/5
Having owned 3 sony P&S cameras prior, making the adjustment to a Sony SLR was pretty easy. Quick AF and shutter response makes capturing multiple images easy, even with the flash. Large LCD and customizable options follow suit with the P&Ss. Now that the price has dropped $130, the a200k with the 18-70mm lens and image stab., this camera should get a lot of consideration for those looking for their frist SLR. -
March 20, 2008 05:08
4.5/5
I'm sorry for you here in CNET, because the Nikon D40x is not where near to the A200. The Rebel XTi is more competitive but it lacks IS, 3200 ISO and the kit lens are a crap.
As their advantages they have more lenses available, however, Sony has around 40 Konica Minolta lenses, 24 made by Sony, and 4 made by Carl Zeiss, and some others by Sigma and 3rd parties.Updated
It won the TIPA award of best budget DSLR, it's predecessor the A100 was named camera of the year in 2006 and best budget DSLR in 2007 by Popphoto, of course they now far more than you about those topics, but you're pitiful review may confuse new buyers. -
March 20, 2008 10:05
4.5/5
I chose this camera, predominantly to leverage my investments in Minolta Maxxum Lenses and Flash Units. Must say, they all work awesome now with the new camera, very well.
Flash unit (Minolta 3200i) seems too powerful for this, so, have to try that out in distance and low lights.
I have put in a 16GB CompactFlash card, and encountered some software glitches with this camera. While the camera fully recognizes the card, and works perfectly fine in storing the images, when I connect to the PC using the USB cable, Windows environment is not able to recognize the Card (Removable drive) properly, and it says that it need to be reformatted. If I choose to reformat, then it allows only 8GB of reformatting; however, if I pull the card out and insert into the machine card readers, the cards reads fine, all images appear safe. So, the USB Connection software is buggy. If you want to avoid this don't get more than 8GB of card; if you get more than this size, like me, you will end up buying a CF Card reader separately.
Picture quality is amazing, the software for working on the RAW (.ARW) files are expedient and good, overall, a thorougly impressive camera. Well worth the investment, except for some small irritations.
P.S. I even took some pictures with ISO 3200 and with right Exp/Speed, the picture quality is very good. -
June 13, 2008 11:59
5.0/5
This camera is great, I had originally purchased the d40 by nikon and used it to take photos riding the jetski, it was blurry and quality took a big hit due to the 6mp. I exchanged it for this camera just paying 50 dolar difference, got a better lens kit, and because of the in camera stabilization it fized my action shots from being blurry. The 10 mp this camera offer is wounderful. This is the camera to buy. -
May 5, 2008 07:51
4.5/5
I just picked this up yesterday and so far it has been amazing. Almost every picture has turned out beautifully.
The auto focus works really well and I'm looking forward to playing with the AF targeting for different framing options.
We spend the afternoon at the dog park and both still and motion shots turned out perfectly. Some of the preview photos on the LCD looked out of focus, but when I downloaded them they were all fine.
I don't have any previous experience with DSLRs, but for this price and the quality I wish I would have purchased one earlier. -
March 15, 2008 03:20
4.5/5
I'm loving this camera! This is my first SLR and I have yet to take a bad photo. My #1 reason for buying this camera was because the Sony a100 received so many great reveiws so I thought that the Sony a200 could only be better. My #2 reason was because the a200 fit my hand perfectly. Nikon and Canon were both too small. #3 was the image stablizatin in the camera and Nikon nor Canon had this. My #4 reason was because it was so perfectly priced. I've had my camera for about 1 month and there is nothing bad I can say it. Thanks Sony for offering such a great product. It was just what I was looking for. -
April 12, 2008 09:45
4.5/5
To the reader, my last SLR was a fabulous Canon A2. DSLRs have been out of my price range until now, and I actually won this camera in a sales contest. That said, I couldn't be happier. It takes GREAT, well balanced pictures compared to my point and shoot, and the multi function settings help the rest of us take pretty solid photos. Definitely, get a better, faster lens. The Sigma 24-70 2.8, and the new Tamron 70-200 2.8 should do nicely, though that Sony 70-200 2.8 is awesome. Rent one and you'll see what I mean. I've played with a Canon 20D, and this camera stacks up nicely at a lower cost. The IS is very good, though the in-lens IS in the Canon and Nikon are faster and better (they aught to be for $2G).
Bottom line, for the price, it's a winner. -
August 22, 2008 01:24
4.5/5
Strange CNET seems very anti-Sony in this review. Notice they don't mention that most all the other entry level DSLRs only have 18-55 lenses while the Sony is much wider at 18-70. Price was great, $499 at Circuit City. -
August 18, 2008 02:29
4.5/5
FutureShop.ca recently reduced the price of this camera by $70, which made it much more appealing to purchase vs a refurbished Canon Rebel XT that was 8.0 megapixel vs 10.1 that this Sony offers. This is my first SLR camera. I am shocked by the quality of this camera. This is by far the best purchase I have ever made when it comes to electronics. I can see myself having this camera for several years. Despite what the reviewer on CNET has to say about the sharpness, I don't see this being an issue. I always dump my images into PhotoShop to crop, etc. If I feel the need to have a bit more sharpness, I do it in there.
