Sony A200

Connectivity
Software
The Sony DSLR-A200 comes with a CD-ROM that includes a few browsing and editing programs. Picture Motion Browser Ver. 2.1.02 for Windows is included, along with Image Data Lightbox SR Ver. 1.0 and Image Data Converter SR Ver. 2.0 for Windows and Mac.

Jacks, ports, plugs
Sony includes the basic port options on its DSLR. The remote and DC-in ports are on the left side under a rubber cover. The USB/AV jack is located under a plastic door on the right side in the same space as the memory card compartment. This is a throwback to the Konica-Minolta cameras that hid their ports in the same places. The USB function can be set to mass storage or PTP, and the AV-out can be set to NTSC and PAL formats. There is a hot shoe on top of the A200 that can accept Sony and Konica-Minolta flashes.

Direct Print Options
The Sony α (alpha) DSLR-A200 is PictBridge and Print Image Matching III compatible. You can create DPOF orders in the Playback menu. The camera allows you to scroll through the images and mark them for printing. You can choose to print 0-9 of each image and add a date imprint if you want. Index prints can also be added to the order in the Playback menu. There is a running total of the DPOF order in the lower left corner of the LCD screen.

Battery
The A200 has a slightly different battery than its predecessor. The A100 has an NP-FM55H battery and the A200 has a new InfoLithium NP-FM500H battery. They are the same size and shape and even provide the same amount of power: 7.2v, 1600 mAh. Both snap 750 shots per charge.

The difference between the batteries lies in the indicator. The new InfoLithium battery relays more precise information to the camera about how much of its power remains. It shows up in exact percentages (eg. 96 percent) rather than the three or four-bar indicator on most digital cameras, which isn’t as reliable or accurate.

The rechargeable lithium-ion battery fits into a charger that comes in the box with the camera. The charger comes with a cable that connects it to an outlet; it isn’t as convenient as a straight wall-mount type of charger.

The A200, like the A100, is compatible with an optional battery grip that allows you to use two batteries instead of one. However, you can't use the same battery grip with the A200 and A100; the new VG-B30AM grip works with the A200 only.

Memory
The Sony A200 has a large plastic memory card door on the right side, which opens to reveal the large slot that fits CF I and II and Microdrive media. A 1GB CF card can fit 241 full-resolution JPEGs on it. Sony sells an optional adapter for its Memory Stick Duo media so they can fit in the slot, too.

Other features
Dynamic Range Optimizer – This is another feature included on the older Sony A100. The A200’s DRO, or dynamic range optimizer, is available in the Function menu. It can be turned off or set to DRO standard or DRO advanced. These settings are meant to expand the dynamic range of images and bring out details in shadows when subjects are starkly lit. The results aren’t astounding just from looking at the images in the camera, but this feature’s subtle results produced big performance numbers in the A100’s lab tests.

Dust Control – The Sony α DSLR-A200 has a dust control system that is exactly the same as the one on the A100. It has a static-free protective coating on the low-pass filter and on the image sensor’s shift mechanisms. In addition to the protective coating, the camera vibrates the image sensor to shake any dust off that may have settled there. The vibration occurs for a quick moment when the camera is turned off. You can also access the sensor for cleaning through the manual cleaning mode – as long as there is enough battery power. (UPDATE: a previous version of this article said that the cleaning system is activated when the camera is turned on and can be manually triggered; it is only activated when the camera is turned off)