Sony A200: Entry DSLR Roundup
by Wesley Fink on October 20, 2008 1:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
Sony A200 Full Specifications
Weights and Measurements
- Dimensions (Approx.): (WHD) 5 3/16" x 3 7/8" x 2 13/16" (130.8 x 98.5 x 71.3 mm)
- Weight (Approx.): 1 lb. 2.8 oz (532g) body, not including battery, lens and media
Convenience
- Burst Mode: Up to 3FPS; Unlimited to capacity of media (JPEG L/M/S); Maximum 3 frames (RAW + JPEG); Maximum 6 frames (RAW)
- Color Mode(s): Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Night view, Sunset, Black and White, Adobe RGB (Except for Adobe RGB, all other color modes use the sRGB color space)
- Red-Eye Reduction: On/Off (all modes)
- Self Timer: Yes (10 seconds, 2 seconds, Off)
- White Balance: Auto plus 8 Modes (Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, Color Temperature/Color filter, Custom), each with +/-3 adjustable step
Hardware
- LCD: 2.7" TFT (230k pixels) LCD with Clear Photo design
- Microphone: N/A
- Viewfinder: Optical: TTL, 0.83x magnification with 50mm lens at infinity; 95% coverage
Power
- Battery Capacity: 7.2V, 1600 mAh; CIPA standard: approx. 750 pictures
- Battery Type: NP-FM500H Lithium-ion rechargeable battery
General
- Imaging Device: 10.2 (effective) APS CCD Sensor; 23.6 x 15.8 mm; RGB primary color filter
- Megapixel: 10.2MP
Convenience Features
- AF Illuminator Light: Yes, On/Off Select
- Clear RAW NR: N/A
- Histogram Display: Yes - RGB, playback only
- Movie Mode(s): N/A
- Multi-Pattern Measuring: 40 Segment, Center Weighted, Spot
- Scene Mode(s): Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night View/Night Portrait
Processor
- BIONZ Engine: Yes (LSI with Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO/DRO+))
Optics/Lens
- EV Compensation: ±2.0 EV, 1/3 EV Steps
- Exposure: Program Shift: Yes, Command Dial
- Focus: Auto Focus: TTL Phase Detection, Multi-point: 9 Area, 8 Line, 1 Cross Sensor, Auto Focus Mode: Yes, Adjustable Spot AF: Selectable Sensor, Visual Focus Confirm: Direct via Spherical Acute Matte Screen
- ISO: Auto/100/200/400/800/1600/3200
- Lens Type: Interchangeable A-mount
- Shutter Speed: 30 < 1/4000 sec 52 step, Bulb
Software
- Operating System Compatibility: Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, ME, XP Home and Professional; Macintosh OS X v10.3 or later (OS must be installed at the factory)
- Supplied Software: Image Data Converter SR ver.2.0, Image Data Lightbox SR ver.1.0, (all Windows and Macintosh), Picture Motion Browser Ver.2.1.02 (Windows only)
Operating Conditions
- Flash Effective Range: GN12 at ISO 100 (39 feet/ 12 meters)
- Flash Mode(s): Built-in Auto Pop-up: Auto, Fill-flash, Rear flash sync, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Wireless off camera flash (with Flash HVL-F56AM, F36AM)
Inputs and Outputs
- Output(s): Video: Yes, NTSC/PAL Selectable
- USB Port(s): Yes, Supports USB 2.0 Hi-speed
Service and Warranty Information
- Limited Warranty Term: 1 Year Parts and Labor
Accessories Supplied
- DT 18-70mm f3.5 Zoom lens (27 - 105 35mm equivalent), 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Compact Super Telephoto Zoom
- NP-FM500H rechargeable battery
- BC-VM10 battery charger
- Video and USB cables
- Shoulder strap with eyepiece cap and Remote Commander clip
- Body cap
- Software/USB Driver CD-ROM
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deathwalker - Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - link
Broadway Photo has the A200 kit for $321..great deal.strikeback03 - Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - link
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Broadway_Phot...">http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Broadway_Phot...good luck with that. Here is what they look like:
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0006.h...">http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0006.h...
and
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0049.h...">http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0049.h...
AkumaX - Friday, October 24, 2008 - link
It's hard to decide which camera to go for the coveted Entry Level DSLR position. Plenty of friends consider Canon or Nikon as the major players, and own either one.Having the opportunity to pick up the A200K for $413 shipped/no tax from SonyRewards last June helped factor in that decision. As a person who had zero experience or knowledge of the SLR domain, this was quite a gamble.
So for the past 4 months, haven taken over 8000 pictures (in RAW), and been to 2 foreign countries, this was definitely worth the investment. The biggest thing Sony has going for them is the backwards compatibility of the Minolta AF lens line.
I picked up a 50mm f/1.7 + 70-210mm f/4 (the "beercan") off CraigsList, since these seem to be "the" lenses to get. Having researched throughout these past few months about aperture, ISO, crop factor, etc... I'll probably pick up a 28mm f/2.8 also.
All in all, the Sony A200K offers a lot: 18-70mm kit lens - bigger than the rest, Minolta AF (Maxxum) Lens backwards compatibility, and plenty of alpha-based accessories. This one seems like a winner.
What am I doing? --> blog.anandtech.com/manthisiswhathappenswhenyoucantsleepandramble
cafmike1 - Monday, April 19, 2010 - link
I am waiting on the replacement SLR for the Nikon D90 herehttp://www.cameta.com/Nikon-D90-Digital-SLR-Camera...
Does anyone know when this thing is going to be announced?
Wineohe - Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - link
Hmm. I'm more critical of the ISO performance of the Sony A200. It just doesn't seem that good above 800. The Nikon and Olympus are decent and the Canon is affected by some softness and chromatic aberrations at all ISO settings, something that I attribute to it's junk lens. Given a better lens it would probably show it's stuff, but this is a budget comparison and that would be unfair. I wish Canon would spend even $3 more on making their cheapo 18-55.In general all of these camera packages boarder on being just too much of a compromise. However as I mentioned above the Olympus and the Nikon come close to being acceptable. Frankly I really don't care how many features the camera has if the output is just mediocre. An adequately equipped body with a step up lens is far better advise.
Heidfirst - Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - link
shoot RAW & pp. Sony's jpeg engine isn't the greatest.strikeback03 - Thursday, October 23, 2008 - link
I'd agree for higher level bodies, but the distinction probably isn't relevant for most consumers at the $500 price point.Wesley Fink - Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - link
The Canon lens used for testing was their excellent 50mm f1.4, so you can't blame the results on a cheapo lens. All of the tests used 50mm f1.4 primes execpt the Olympus where a 35mm macro was used because of the 2x lens factor. ALL these lenses are in the best part of their resolution curves at f/4, which was a requirement.Snapshots and regular images published in our reviews do use the kit lens, but not our noise tests.
Wineohe - Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - link
Oooh, my bad, I missed that. I actually have a 50mm f1.4 that I use occasionally on my 5D. It struggles in low light but otherwise is a fine lens. I was convinced the characteristics were that of poor optic since they seem to exist at low or high gain. Now I'm left scratching my embarrassed head. So much for the XS, it is getting long in the tooth.haplo602 - Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - link
I think you are using a few features in the A200 that are not even used by the buyers in this price range.wireless flash ... I mean come on ... what is the lowest priced Sony external flash that will work with this ? I found the HVL-F42AM as the lowest level model for about 1/2 the price of the A200 kit. No entry level DSRL user will shell out that much money for external flash, they will buy a better body in the first place.
generaly the people getting into this class DSLRs come from the P&S user group. They will still compose mostly with live view, so number of AF points is irelevant. Anyway what's the performance of the 9 focus points ? Only center one is a cross sensor ? Then the other ones will be a source of frustration for the P&S crowd in most conditions :-)