Sony A200 Digital Camera Review

Sony A200

First Impressions Review

Jan 09, 2008 - By Emily Raymond
3.4 After a year-long stint as the company’s debut DSLR, the A100 finally has a successor. It isn’t much different, though: Sony markets it as “faster, lighter, and easier to use,” according to their January 6 press release. The Sony α DSLR-A200 comes with the same 10.2 megapixels and many of the same features, like built-in image stabilization and dust removal systems. When the A100 was released a year ago, it sold for $899 with a kit lens. The new Sony A200 will still come with a lens, but will retail for much less at $699. It will be available in February.
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Sony A200 Review


Likes
- Clear viewfinder
- Affordable $699 kit price
- Powerful flash
- Great handling
- Quick autofocus
- Battery indicator
Dislikes
- Unexciting
- Plastic body
- Cheap kit lens
- Menus take some initial trial and error

Conclusion
The Sony A200 makes several improvements upon its predecessor. Its autofocus system is faster, its LCD slightly larger, its viewfinder clearer. It also has an awesome battery level indicator that provides its exact power level in percentage points, rather than the ambiguous three or four bars on typical digital cameras.

The fact that I’m gloating about the battery indicator should throw out a red flag. The A200 is boring. It has a few small improvements but doesn’t introduce any new technology. It seems to be an obligatory release – almost like Sony needed to refresh the low end of its line because the A100 is getting old.

The Sony α DSLR-A200 may be the newest Sony digital camera, but it is still a footnote to the A700 on the company’s website. It didn’t even get a moment of glory on the Sony website; that should say something, too.
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