Sony A200: Entry DSLR Roundup
by Wesley Fink on October 20, 2008 1:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
Sony A200 vs. Canon XS vs. Olympus E420/E520
All crops are 150x250 pixels, and images were captured at f4, manually focused, on a tripod at the same position. Color balance in all cases was manually set to Tungsten as all images were illuminated with a single tungsten 100W bulb high to the right side of the image. All three entry models are based on a 10MP sensor.
The Olympus E420/E520 uses a smaller 2X multiplier instead of the 1.5X of the Sony A200 and 1.6X of the Canon XS. Therefore a 50mm lens was used for capturing the Canon XS and Sony A200 images and a 35mm Macro lens was used to capture the Olympus images. This was to allow the full-size images, which you can see by clicking on any crop, to represent the same field of view regardless of the multiplier used by the crop-sensor DSLR.
| ISO Comparison - Sony A200 vs. Olympus E420/520 vs. Canon XS | |||
| ISO | Sony A200 | Olympus E-520 | Canon XS |
| 100 |  |
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| 200 |  |
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| 400 |  |
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| 800 |  |
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| 1600 |  |
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| 3200 |  |
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Click on any of the above image crops for the full image. Note: Full size images are between 3.2MB and 5.2MB! |
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It should be apparent that all three entry cameras at ISO 800 are all but equivalent in image noise. However, as we move to ISO 1600, which is the highest value available with Canon XS and Olympus E520, the XS and A200 are very similar in noise but the Olympus E520 is a bit noisier. This is most likely due to the slightly smaller sensor used in Four-Thirds cameras. The A200 is the only model in this class to offer an ISO 3200 option. At ISO 3200 the A200 noise is apparent and it is noisier than the Olympus ISO 1600 option. You will likely find ISO 3200 useful in a pinch or when a small print is all that is required, but these actual pixel crops show the ISO 3200 would not be useful for large prints.
Color balance is something we have complained about on Canon before. All cameras were set to the Tungsten preset, but the Canon idea of Tungsten is very warm under our 100W tungsten light source. The Sony is slightly warm but close to accurate and many will find the Olympus the most accurate color balance at the Tungsten setting. In our estimation either the Sony or Olympus colors are fine but the Canon would require custom adjustment under this light source for more accurate color rendition.
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JarredWalton - Monday, October 20, 2008 - link
I think particularly in the entry level DSLR arena, using the included lenses for images is important. The pictures of even a moderate DSLR with kit lens should easily surpass what most P&S cameras can manage, which is one of the big attractions. As soon as you get into lenses, however, you open up a huge can of worms.As for the subject material... well, I'll leave it to the photography buffs to debate what should be used. I believe Wes is working on some photos showing what the A200 can do out of a static test environment, but in order to provide any semblance of apples-to-apples shooting comparisons I think you need to do something like the shots Wes uses. I know I for one wish the white balance on my XTi did better under Tungsten lighting.
nowayout99 - Monday, October 20, 2008 - link
"...it is easy to forget that many buyers are looking for the absolute best "bang-for-the-buck" in a camera."Really...? Therein lies a divide between AT and readers. Articles for high-end products really aren't appealing to that many people, yet that's almost all we've gotten for cameras.
Even this $500 cam is pretty high-end priced for the vast majority of people that just want something they can take around with them for fun. How about some comparisons of joe schmoe cameras?
strikeback03 - Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - link
On Sunday a friend and I went to a local state park to get some pictures of the leaves. He owns a Canon SD600, a relatively decent couple year old P&S. At one point he was asking me to get some close-ups of a rock face, so instead I tossed my Sigma 18-200 OS on my Rebel XT body (wasn't using either) and let him play with those. I think he is now in the market for an SLR, as some comparison shots he did with his SD600 just blew him away, and that was just in basic JPEG mode.GTVic - Monday, October 20, 2008 - link
This is what epinions and CNET is for. I don't think you will find too many serious reviewers who want to spend their time keeping updated on the sub $200 camera market. It is not interesting, there are too many cameras to keep track of and not many people do serious research on that level of purchase.adder - Monday, October 20, 2008 - link
well i hope u guys do some lens reviews,and for people who are going in for a entry level dslr may not know much about lenses other then the kits lenses.strikeback03 - Monday, October 20, 2008 - link
Is the grip the same as the A100? Between the length and positioning of the shutter release/dial, I found the A100 quite uncomfortable to use. For me either the shorter bodies like the Canon Rebels or the taller ones like Nikon D80/Canon 40D are far more comfortable.FATCamaro - Monday, October 20, 2008 - link
It is a great point and shoot camera. I use mine a LOT and couldn't be happier. I use it as a point and shoot except for ISO and flash control. The ISO control is incredible simple and useful. I would reccomend this to to anyone switching up to a DSLR from a shitty point and shoot.DanD85 - Monday, October 20, 2008 - link
It seems you forget the still available D40/D40x and I think they perfectly fit in the budget DSLRs you have here.Wesley Fink - Monday, October 20, 2008 - link
Ken Rockwell notwithstanding, the D40 is 6 megapixels and the D40x is the previous model to the D60. Both are capable entry DSLRs that have been updated in the D60, which we did test in our comparison.The D40/D40x are 3-point AF, have no sensor cleaning, and come with non-IS kit lenses. Their features have been upgraded on the D60, which is the entry model we tested.
xsilver - Monday, October 20, 2008 - link
also forgotten is the pentax line. The k200d doesnt have live view either but using old lenses on them is a joy.