Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 First Impressions Review

Model Design / Appearance
The Sony A200 looks very similar to its predecessor with only a few changes in the buttons and a few adjustments to curves and contours in the camera body. Nothing drastic, of course. The biggest change is the minimal finger grooves on the back of the camera, as opposed to the deep grooves on the A100.

Sony retains some of the same elements of the Konica-Minolta DSLRs, including the power switch on the back and the USB port in the media slot on the side. This keeps Konica-Minolta loyalists familiar with Sony’s new products.

The A100 has a plastic body, and that has stayed the same for the A200. The plastic body feels low-quality, especially when compared to its relative, the Sony A700, with its aluminum and magnesium body.

The Sony α DSLR-A200 comes with a black shell with hardly any chrome elements. It seems to be mournfully black, with its buttons and controls clothed in black, too. There are a few orange highlights – including the α logo in the upper right corner of the front and a ring around the lens mount.

Overall, the Sony A200 looks bold and sophisticated with its black shell, but feels low-quality, as it is constructed of plastic that feels slightly thicker than a disposable cup.

Size / Portability
The Sony A200 is a typical DSLR. It is large enough to require a neck strap for quick shooting and a carrying case for lengthy transport. Sony markets the A200 as being much more compact than its predecessor. It is slightly smaller, but not enough to make it that much easier to use. The A200 measures 5.24 x 3.74 x 2.8 inches, while the A100 measures 5.25 x 3.75 x 2.875 inches. Its most significant reduction in size comes from its height.

On the right and left sides of the camera are chrome neck strap loops. They are positioned like Konica-Minolta DSLRs of old: the right loop is recessed into the camera body and the left loop protrudes outward. The asymmetry just doesn’t look pleasing to the eye. It doesn’t cause too much disturbance in the way it hangs around the neck, though. The A200 comes with a surprisingly sturdy neck strap. It is black and orange reinforced heavy fabric with a big Sony label; there is also a leather patch where the neck rests.

Despite Sony’s claim that the A200 is “lighter” in its press release, it is actually the same weight as the A100 at 1 pound, 3 ounces (545 grams). That measure is without the card and battery. The A100 and A200 use different batteries, but they are the same size.

The A200 is slightly more compact than its predecessor, but not less hefty.

Handling Ability
The Sony α (alpha) A200’s handling is similar to that of the A100. Both have ample space on the bottom so the left hand can support the camera. Both cameras also have a sizable hand grip, although the A100’s is taller. The A200’s grip still provides plenty of room for big hands. It has a curvaceous front with individual dips where the fingers grab the camera. The grip is also coated in textured rubber. The texture looks more like tiny holes in the rubber, rather than the faux leather look most DSLRs go for.

On the back of the camera are a few contours to aid in handling. There is a small bump on the back where the right thumb rests. This is helpful to hold the hefty DSLR securely. Without the lens, the right side is much heavier. With the 18-70mm lens, it is closer to equilibrium and even leans heavier on the lens side.

The overall handling of the Sony A200 is excellent. It has a secure hand grip, a comfortable eyecup around the viewfinder, and plenty of space on the bottom to support it.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size
There are a few control button changes on the A200. Unfortunately, they seem to save space rather than make features easier to use. Sony nixes the function dial found on the A100 and replaces it with a function button on the A200. The button opens a menu on the LCD screen, which users can then scroll through with the multi-selector. This isn’t as convenient.

Sony hides functions like white balance and Flash mode in the Function menu, but still keeps an on-camera switch for the image stabilization system. This seems unnecessary, as this is a feature most photographers will either turn on or keep off. It isn’t something most will constantly adjust.

The A200 and A100 access manual controls the same way. There is a jog dial in front of the shutter release button that scrolls through shutter speeds and apertures. In the full Manual mode, though, you must also push the exposure compensation button while rotating the dial.

The Sony A200’s buttons and controls aren’t anything fancy. There isn’t a rotary dial; there is only a traditional thumb-tiring multi-selector. The A200’s buttons are large and spaced far enough apart that it’s hard to push two at once.

All in all, the A200’s controls are not an improvement upon the A100. They are a step down. The function dial is reduced to a menu, and pushing the exposure compensation button along with rotating the jog dial isn’t exactly a comfortable process.

Menu
The Sony α DSLR-A200 has a new menu system that is very different from the A100. The A100 has decent organization and is legible, but has an ugly font.

The Sony A200’s menu uses better organization with more tabs and labeling features. The font looks OK, but there is a lot crammed onto the 2.7-inch LCD screen. The menu fits six options on the screen at once. When an option is selected, it appears with an orange background – here’s that bold orange Sony branding again.

Navigation is mostly intuitive, but can be an adjustment for newbies. When you scroll through the list of items, you must push the set button to select something before scrolling right into a sub-menu. Scrolling right first moves into the next tab over; for example, you move from the Shooting menu into the Custom Shooting menu.

This is the Recording menu, accessible from the menu button.

Image Size	10M, 5.6M, 2.5M
Aspect Ratio	3:2, 16:9
Quality	RAW, RAW & JPEG, Fine, Standard
Creative Style	Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Night View, Sunset, Black & White, Adobe RGB. Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation all with +/- 3 in full steps
Flash Control	ADI Flash, Pre-flash TTL
Flash Compensation	-2, -1.7, -1.3, -1, -0.7, -0.3, 0, +0.3, +0.7, +1, +1.3, +1.7, +2
Priority Setup	AF, Release
AF Illuminator	Auto, Off
Long Exposure Noise Reduction	On, Off
High ISO Noise Reduction	On, Off
Record Mode Reset	OK, Cancel