Sony A200 Digital Camera Review

Sony A200

Digital Camera Review

3.6   Many features of Sony's A200 are identical to its predecessor, the A100: 10.2-megapixel resolution, an image stabilization system built into the camera body, and an automatic dust removal system. The price, though, is significantly different. The A100 originally sold for $999 with the kit lens. The A200 is now selling for just $500 with an 18-70mm kit lens, a bargain price in anyone's book. But does a low price mean low quality? We were pleased to discover that it doesn't, at least in this case. The A200 stands out as a solid, non-fussy piece of gear at a reasonable price, The hands-on testing results that led us to this conclusion follow.
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Sony A200 Review

Value (8.00)
It's tough to argue with a full-featured SLR with acceptable performance that sells for $500 with an 18-70mm lens. You're getting as much resolution as any consumer needs, controls that are easy to use once you've learned them, and construction that feels solid and reliable. There's not a lot of flash to the A200 (well, there's that eye sensor thing, but we're lukewarm on that one). At the same time, if your photos don't come out well, you're not going to be able to blame the camera any more.


Comparisons

Canon XSiThe XSi is indisputably a superior performer overall, with its outstanding color reproduction and faster continuous shutter speed.  It's also indisputably more expensive at $830 with the 35-70mm kit lens, and that lens doesn't offer the wide-angle possibilities of Sony's 18-70mm. The Canon does offer Live View, allowing you to frame a photo on the LCD screen instead of peering through the optical viewfinder. However, our reviewer was less than thrilled with the performance of this Live View feature. The variety and high quality of Canon lenses are a factor in this camera's favor, though, as is the standard hot shoe for flash units versus Sony's proprietary shoe.

 Nikon D60 Priced at $830 with the kit 35-70mm lens, Nikon is in for some real competition with the A200. The D60 enjoys a substantial advantage when it comes to low-light performance: if you do a lot of nighttime photography without flash, this is going to be a much better choice. A standard hot shoe for flash and the extraordinary wealth of available Nikon lenses are also worth considering. When it came to color accuracy and dynamic range, though, the Sony actually posted superior scores to the Nikon, both noteworthy victories. And the D60 uses an unimpressive three auto focus points, while the Sony offers nine.

Nikon D300 The 12.3-megapixel D300 is clearly in a different class of cameras from the others discussed here, with its $1799 price (body only) and tank-like build. What do you get for going with the Cadillac instead of the Hyundai? A much faster, more accurate autofocus system (with 51 focus points) and superior image quality across the board. It's unlikely you'll outgrow a Nikon D300. Then again, you're paying over four bucks for a gallon of gas, so you pays your money and you makes your choice.

Pentax K10D There are some specific points that distinguish the Pentax in this roundup, notably a weatherproof body that stands a much better chance of surviving that Everest climb than the Sony A200. It also delivers a slightly more refined autofocus system and additional control options, and matches Sony's in-camera image stabilization system. It didn't blow us away in the lab, though, and the price is nearly $1000.

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters
Just turn the control dial to the green AUTO setting and have fun. Our only quibbles: there is no Live View, which will turn off some veterans of point-and-shoot cameras, and if you do want to venture into more precise control of your photography, the scattered buttons and tricky manual control could be off-putting.

Budget ConsumersStep right up, we have your camera… probably.  If you're the type who yearns for lots of manual control, we'd recommend looking elsewhere, even if you have to spend a few dollars more.

Gadget FreaksYou get the haunted eye sensor and that's about it for groovy gimmicks

Manual Control FreaksIt's not that manual controls aren't built into the system, or that they don't work as advertised. But accessing them with a single tiny control wheel and poorly conceived button combos is too much trouble.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists – Nothing here for this crowd. Even if you own a beloved collection of Konica Minolta lenses and want an inexpensive body to mount them on, you're better off looking at Sony's higher-end cameras.

 

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