Sony A200

Size / Portability (8.00)
The Sony A200 is marketed as a portable, lightweight SLR, though it’s only slightly smaller and lighter than its predecessor. The A200 measures 5.24 x 3.74 x 2.8 inches, while its predecessor, the A100, measured 35.25 x 3.75 x 2.875 inches. The size difference isn’t very noticeable. And although Sony touts the A200 as a lighter model, it weighs the same 1 pound, 3 ounces (545 grams) that the A100 does. This is still fairly light for a digital SLR, but certainly requires the included neck strap to tote around.

The A200 features two chrome neck strap eyelets, one protruding out of the right side of the camera, and the other recessed into the left side of the camera’s top. The neck strap is a sturdy black fabric with an orange border, complementing the A200’s orange highlights.

For an SLR, the A200 is fairly portable. It has appropriate size and heft, but isn’t as bulky as more professional models..

Handling Ability (7.50)
With a rubberized grip for the right hand and a wide space on the bottom for the left, the A200 makes handling easy. The hand grip is slightly textured and molded so fingers can easily and comfortably grasp the camera.

The back of the camera has one slight contour on the right side to help support the right thumb. The weight is well balanced on both sides of the camera, with the lens on the left balancing the weight of the right hand grip.

The A200 feels comfortable and well-balanced.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (7.25)
The A200 is festooned with dials and buttons, some dedicated to a single purpose, some with different functions depending on what you're doing with the camera at the moment. Overall, there doesn't seem to be much logic involved in what went where.

Let's start with the parts that make the most sense. The control dial on the top left of the camera is a standard knurled knob which clicks into place with a satisfying snap as you turn it. Printed in white on top are the letters PASM (Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual) plus seven icons for the preset shooting modes and the word 'Auto' with a green background, the near-universal color coding for 'don't worry, be happy, we'll take care of everything for you.'  The four-way controller on the back is also standard fare, with one exception. In addition to serving as the OK button when working with menus, the central button in the four-way will trigger autofocus while you're shooting, without having to press the shutter halfway down. Not tremendously useful, but it might help keep heavy-fingered folks from accidentally taking pictures by mashing down on the shutter too hard when focusing. So far, so good.

On the left side of the top are two buttons. The furthest right one serves a single purpose: it brings up the on-screen ISO menu while shooting. Not sure that's a feature that most users of this consumer camera are likely to use frequently, but it's clearly labeled and certainly doesn't hurt. To the left of this button is the Drive mode button, which triggers another on-screen menu: choose between single-shot or continuous shooting, choose the self-timer or set up white balance or bracketed shooting (exposure or white balance bracketing). That's a lot of not entirely related functions, and the dual icons don't begin to hint at the variety revealed when you mash down on this button.

The buttons along the back left side of the camera are straightforward and mostly well labeled , though printing the delete and playback icons in blue makes them nearly invisible against the black camera body.  

The real clunker among the controls, though, is the tiny Control dial positioned right in front of the shutter.  Only a tiny bit of the circular dial peeks up above the camera body and, what's worse, the position on the top rather than up front (as seen on the Nikon D60 and Canon XSi) proves extremely uncomfortable in practice. This is especially true when attempting to use the Program shift function. You need to hold the shutter down halfway in order to take a light reading, then move the dial to adjust shutter speed and aperture while still holding the shutter down to preserve that overall exposure. But if you're using your index finger to hold the shutter, what appendage are you supposed to use to turn the dial?

Single-purpose buttons are easy for
newbies to understand.

Menu (8.00)
The on-screen menus are bright and easy to read, with white type on a dark grey background and a festive Halloween-orange highlight bar that's impossible to miss. The typeface is clearly legible, and the icons are crisply designed and easy to understand.