Sony Alpha A200K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens by Sony
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Our Price: $350.00 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Sony Alpha A200K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
Digital camera Review: Sony Alpha A200K
Summary: 5 Stars
I'd been in the market for a new digital camera for a few months after my Canon point-and-shoot started showing an error message and stopped working. I've wanted to move up to a DSLR for some time and now was the perfect time seeing as the prices for many of the entry level cameras has come down significantly in the past few years.
It was really a toss-up between this and the Nikon D60. I threw the decision to some of my photo friends who initially laughed at Sony (one of them actually said, "Sony makes TVs...would you buy a car from a skateboard company?" The Nikons are very popular at the moment, but I've had luck with Sony products--computers, camcorders, and yes, tv's--so I figured to give the Sony a shot.
I've really had a great experience with the camera thus far. I was able to get some great shooting time this weekend as there was a large festival at my campus and many of the shots came out great. For some night shots I wish I'd brought my tripod, but overall the shots were really great.
I feel that this camera has a good balance of features--auto modes and presets that are actually pretty good as well as really intuitive manual controls--AND it takes Minolta lenses (for more info on this, do a quick google search). The camera is light compared to regular film SLRs or other DSLRs, but it still feels very substantial.
Though they're not specific to Sony cameras, RAW images are great to work with. As one webpage put it, working with RAW images is like having a film negative to work with (in photoshop, iphoto, etc) whereas jpegs are like having a flat print. If you're into photoshop or other types of digital enhancing/manipulation, RAW format is the way to go. Sure, the files are huge, but it opens up a whole new world.
Digital camera Review: Sony Alpha Rocks!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this camera for my wife after looking and studying for about a month. We've owned quite a few sony point and shoots and after the birth of our son, my wife wanted the ability to take multiple pics quickly to not miss those quick grins. I love the fact the sony has built in anti-shake and that the zoom is built in the camera. The lenses for the Nikon and Canon has the zoom built in them which increases the price for the lenses. I also like the fact that the old Minolta lenses work with this camera so our old 35mm set up is not collecting as much dust. The battery life is great. Right out of the box my wife was taking awsome pics that can be developed in at least 11x14 and look like a pro. My only complaint is that if you own Sony Memory sticks you have to buy an adapter to use them in this camera. You would not beleive the money this has saved by not having to go to a pro for baby pics!!Overall my wife says this is the best gift I have ever bought her and that is good enough for me.Digital camera Review: Sony Alpha camera
Summary: 5 Stars
Excellent camera. Why spend more money on other brands when this has all the features of the more expensive cameras. I love this camera, takes awesome photos and has so many creative aspects to photo taking. You can change the lenses for other types of photography; macro, etc...but the lens that comes with this camera does it all. You can zoom in when you need to. There is a pop up flash that senses low light. You can put it on all automatic; focusing, light metering or you can go creative and make your own settings. This is a very versitile camera that is great for the beginner or for the advanced photographer because there are so many possibilities. This takes creative photography to the max! I love this camera, my camera, and would recommend it to anyone!Digital camera Review: Sweet Camera!
Summary: 5 Stars
I got the camera on the expected arrival date, in excellent condition. Perfect. The only thing missing was the memory card, but the seller sent it to me when I emailed him.Digital camera Review: The best DSLR in this price range
Summary: 5 Stars
When you google "best starter DSLR", just about every result will tell you that your best option is either the Nikon D40 or Canon XS. Olympus and Pentax are sometimes mentioned, but Sony (formerly Minolta, as I found out later) is almost completely left out. It wasn't until I found a comparison chart of all DSLR's that I realized that Sony even produced them. I can only imagine that a consumer that does their research will be skeptical of Sony because of their relative obscurity.
I bought the a200 because it was the least expensive starter DSLR with the most features. I can say that this camera is exactly what I was looking for, with just about every feature that I need, all wrapped up in an interface that's easy to use. When you first start out using a DSLR camera, the number of things you can control in full manual mode can be overwhelming. On the a200, all the image settings are presented to you in an easy-to-understand display, with individual buttons and dials that control all the exposure and focus settings. Moreover, the in-body image stabilization and AF motor are great features too. Compare this to the Nikon D40, where both the image stabilization and the AF motor are built into the lens.
As for the image quality, I really can't complain. Since I'm still new to digital photography (my last SLR camera was a Minolta x370 from the 80's), I was blown away by how clear the images were. I could take a picture of a restaurant from across the street, and still be able to read the size 16 font on their menus posted in the window when I downloaded the images to my computer.
The only complaints I have about this model are the software and the lack of live view. The included software is mediocre, at best, and is only really useful for converting the camera's RAW images to TIFFs or JPEGs when you shoot in RAW mode. Also, you'll have to use the viewfinder due to the lack of live view, but for a DSLR in this price range, that's expected.
You really do get a lot for your money. If budget is important, this is the DSLR to get.