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Front (7.5)
The Sony A100 has a rubber grip on the left side. There's a ridge across the middle of it, which may help some users hold the camera more securely. The self-timer light is on the top of the grip. The depth-of-field preview button is on the left side of the mount toward the bottom, reachable with the pinkie or ring fingers. The lens locking button is on the right side of the mount. It is large and easy to use. The focus mode switch is below it. The internal flash pops up from the viewfinder hump. The Sony logo is on the hump, and a red “α” alpha character is on the right shoulder. It's a simple, straightforward interface.
Back (6.25)
The power switch is in the upper right corner of the alpha's back, next to the very large, soft rubber eyecup. The viewfinder seems small in that great expanse. Two sensors just below the viewfinder, in the embrace of the eyecup, detect when the camera is at eye-level and activate the auto focus. The diopter adjustment is tucked under the right side of the eyecup, and the exposure compensation and lock buttons are to the right of it. The 2.5-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD is centered under the viewfinder. Four control buttons run down its left side. They control the menu, data display, file deletion, and playback. A 4-way controller is to the right of the LCD, but it's more accurate to call it an 8-way controller. In addition to detents for moving up, down, right and left, it controls diagonal movements. At lower right, there's a large switch for the Super SteadyShot stabilization system, and along the bottom edge is a jack for a corded remote control.
Left Side (7.5)
The left side of the A100 features a broad, stamped-metal strap lug, and a flexible rubber door over a DC power supply jack. The strap lug is sturdy and out of the way of the user's left hand. The rubber door is more durable and seals better than a hard plastic door.
Right Side (7.5)
The memory card door takes up the rear half of the Sony alpha A100's right side. It's a hard plastic door, and very large. It snaps closed without a latch, and seems relatively delicate. The right-side strap lug is set flush with the upper edge of the camera, which keeps it out of the way, no matter how the user grips the camera.
Top (6.0)
There are two big dials on top of the Sony α (alpha) A100: a standard mode dial on the right side of the viewfinder hump, and a similar-looking function dial on the left. The function dial has a button in the middle, which activates its controls. Sony's nonstandard flash shoe is on top of the hump. The burst mode control is a button between the mode dial and the strap lug. The black plastic shutter release is on top of the grip, and a control dial pokes up from the top of the grip, forward of the release. It's a simple, clear layout.
Bottom (7.5)
The bottom of the A100 features a metal tripod socket centered under the lens axis, and a battery compartment door. The door latches closed, which is more secure and durable than a friction closure. A metal label nearly surrounds the tripod socket, and unless the user is very careful, the label is likely to get scratched as the camera is mounted on a tripod. That wouldn't detract from the function of the alpha, but we'd rather see a textured surface that would conceal minor scuffs.
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