Sony Alpha A100K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 Lens by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony Alpha A100K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 Lens
Digital camera Review: An excellent choice
Summary: 5 Stars
The reviews below this one are thorough and written by professional-sounding photographers. So I'm going to give you my brief impression as an amateur. I have had this camera for 2 months now and use it regularly (several times a week). I am a flatwater kayaker and I use it mostly to take pictures of wildlife--shorebirds, deer, other critters--from the kayak. I purchased the 75-300 zoom lens to go with it. I also have the lens that comes with the kit, which I use for scenics or pictures around the house, etc. My previous cameras included the Sony DSC-H5 and the Canon S2 IS, both with teleconversion lenses.
Obviously, this being a DSLR camera, the pictures are crisper with better color. The image stabilization is effective enough to give me sharp pictures of birds taken from a kayak on moving water. While the 10 mp factor is usually (I gather) desirable from a printing standpoint, I find that it is helpful from a cropping standpoint. The zoom lens will only take me so close to a bird in a tree--cropping the photo enables me to, in effect, zoom in further on the picture itself, so the end result is that the little dot in the original picture can be cropped and zoomed to show up clearly and sharply as a belted kingfisher.
It's heavier than regular (non DSLR) digitals, a fact that put a friend of mine off it. It also has an unusually loud shutter noise (not the satisfying *click* of other models). I wish it used plain AA batteries instead of rechargeable--I am used to being able to replace the batteries on the go if necessary (instead of being SOL if they run out while I'm on the water).
But the fact is that you can't beat the price and I find the quality of the pictures I get with it to be excellent. It's my first DSLR and I am very pleased with it.
Digital camera Review: Awesome Camera, great for beginners
Summary: 5 Stars
Overall I am very impressed with this camera. If you do lots of out door shooting, or flash based shooting, this camera does a great job capturing vivid colors. The auto setting works for most situations. If you are shooting in low light ( night clubs ) and want to capture the people and the lights to give a really lively effect, you will need to purchase a different lense. f1.4 or f1.7 would be ideal. expensive but they will make a huge difference in the quality of the pictures. The only downfall to this camera is its new, and there are not a ton of lenses available for it. On the other hand the Cannon EOS you can find plenty of new and used lenses at great prices. I shoot over 600 photos in a single night with this camera, and it worked great. This camera is capable of shooting up to 3 pics / second. If you are using the buildin flash you will have to wait longer for the flash to recharge. This got annoying as I found myself missing shots because the flash wasn't ready to go again. Definately get an aftermarket flash for this camera if you need to shoot one after another with no delay. You are going to see alot of people bash this camera because they are brand loyal to cannon or some other brand. Don't let that deter you from getting this camera, Sony did a good job with this. Even though a photographer is only as good as their equipement. If you know this camera well enough it can shoot just as good as the much more expensive Cannon's.Digital camera Review: Awesome!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this camera when it first came out. At the time nothing came close to matching it for the price. Now there are some other 10 megapixel DSLRs that are affordable but i'd still get the A100 (only other one i'd consider is the Pentax). It has been fantastic and is now an absolute bargin. Awesome image quality (below ISO 800), fast AF, great handling and very fast shooting. The battery life is awesome. Its rated at 750 shots with 1/2 using flash and I belive it. I've shot hundreds of shots in a weekend and not come close to emptying it. So much better than my old batter hog point and shoot digital. The built in metering is also very good and the manual mode very easy to use. Built in image stabilization makes this camera much more useful in low light (you can use 1/3rd the shutter speed of other camera and still get it sharp) than an unstabalized Camera and makes any lens stabilized. With Canon or Nikon you have to buy stabilized lenses which cost a lot. The grip is also better than that of any other low end DSLR i've used. Substantially bigger than the one on the digital rebel or on my old film Olympus SLR. Makes the camera just stick to your hand. Shooting is so much more fun with the control you get from a camera like this. I find myself wanting to do nothing but go out and shoot on nice days and have taken some great pictures on this. I've blown enlargements up to 13x19 with good results. Haven't tried bigger yet.
The kit lens is good for what it is. Very high quality but a small aperature that makes it slow to focus at full zoom and not the greatest at low light. This is a problem common to all kit lenses. Personally i'd get at least one faster lens, or just get the body and a faster zoom. There are a lot of used Minolta lenses out there that are cheap and good that you can use on this camera. The 50mm f 1.7 is a bargin as is the legendary "beercan" a 70-210 f 4 with amazing bokeh. Sony lenses are a little overpriced at this point, imo, so i'd look to either the used market or to makers like Tamron and Sigma for your lenses.
Digital camera Review: Best Quality for the PRICE
Summary: 5 Stars
I am an amateur photographer that mainly takes family photos. I bought the a-100 to take the place of my older Minolta SLR camera. I had a few lenses and an external flash for the Minolta. So, the fact that the Sony a-100 would use those old lenses and flash was a major selling point for me. This was also my first digital SLR purchase. I have had experience with other point and shoot digital cameras, but never stepped up to the SLR experience until now. I was not disappointed. This camera takes great pictures. It also has great image stabilization built right into the camera (which can save $$$ on the cost of lenses over Canon and Nikon models). This combined with online printing from ritzpics.com or imagestation.com makes for great 4x6 prints (which is 99% of what pictures I take). Occasionally, I take a shot that is worthy of enlarging to 8x10 or larger. This camera can go up to 16x20 with no problem. All prints have been superb so far.
A great number of people complain about high noise at ISO settings higher than 400. I don't find that to be true. I have taken pictures indoors with a 1.7 speed lens (tripod mounted) with no flash that look great at 8x10. There is no noticeable noise. I haven't gone to 1600 ISO yet, but I haven't really had the need either.
In short, if you want a great digital SLR camera that has lots of bang for the buck, then you just can't go wrong with the Sony a-100. It is pretty much a remake of the Minolta 5D/7D, and I personally love the Minolta camera/lens series.
Digital camera Review: Best move from Minolta Maxxum to go digital
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a complete suite of Milolta Maxxum I have collected over the years and wanted to move up to quality digital but the cost of upgrading my suite of lenses was daunting. Then Sony buys Minolta photo and improves on it. I LOVE THIS CAMERA. It takes great pictures and uses all of my old minolta lenses without a hiccup or shudder. The Anti shake makes hand holding the camera and still getting perfectly focused and sharp pictures.
Amazing...