Sony DSLR-A200

[kris142]

My parents ordered me a DSLR-A200 by Sony as a Graduation present on Friday. It is scheduled to be here this Friday. I just got into photography 2 weeks ago and I wanted to know what you all think about the camera.

[fjbyrne]

I haven't used an A200 but I have an A100 and A700. According to what I have read the A200 has the same resolution of the A100 which is a really good thing and it addresses a couple of short comings in the A100 - namely AF speed and high-ISO noise. If the A200 is anywhere near the AF speed of the A700 (and I hear it is) you should be very happy. The A100 is a wonderful camera it ISO 100-400 but the noise really starts to be a problem at ISO 800+ IMO. Apparently the A200 is much better in this regard but I have no first hand experience. My A700 is much better at high-ISO shooting than my A100 so I would expect there has been real advances made there.

The in-body stabilization works well on my A100 and A700 so I suspect it will be great on the A200. This is a feature that doesn't get the press and accolades that it should. You will really like this feature.

There were some more advanced features removed from the A200 vs the A100 like mirror lock up. That isn't a huge issue with most people. There are a couple of others but they aren't show stoppers.

I'm sure you'll enjoy the new cam! Good Luck!

[kris142]

Thanks a lot!

What is mirror lock up BTW?

[rshunk]

Mirror lock-up (MLU) is the ability to lock the mirror up and out of the way a few seconds before the shutter opens. This helps prevent shake from the vibrations of the mirror "slapping".


Bob S.

[kris142]

Any body else?

[fjbyrne]

Originally Posted by kris142

Any body else?

Kris,

You may want to try some other sites and check out some A200 samples. Pbase lets you sort by camera or lens: Sony A200 Digital Camera Sample Photos and Specifications. There is also dpreview where you could post your question to the Sony forum.

Hope this helps.

[Inked Photography]

Hey Girl,
I use the Sony Alpha A200. I love it. For me it was the perfect camera to buy. It's easy to use and learn. But practice, practice, practice. I will go out sometimes and just shoot away when the weather changes. Shoot in different lights, time of day, early mornings, just practice and learn the camera. I have enjoyed mine very much and am sold on it. The in-body stabilization works very well. It takes great images. You will enjoy it very much.

[kris142]

Thanks a lot you advise seems to help everybody Inked. Karma for you .:]

[ront]

kris142, here is a good review for you to read and a good site to book mark also for all things Alpha.
Sony A200 Review - In Depth - AlphaMountWorld.com

I shoot the A700 and it is a great camera, but the A200 is also a great camera. I think you will very happy with it!

Ron

[frankwite]

Hey kris, I use the a200 and I really love it. It will do everything you need it to do and it has in camera stabalizer which is really good. I agree with my old buddy ink that you have to practice and also read the manual. I shoot everyday at anything and I learn more and more about this wonderful machine. The a200 has a good weight to it and it feels really good in the hands IMO. You can't go wrong with the benefits that it has to offer and if you need to sync your studio lights down the line you can order a hot shoe adapter for that purpose (about 10 bucks is what I paid for mine). Oh yeah the kit lens isn't that bad either so use it, you can get some great photos out of it. Just ask ink...Hope this helps.

My weapon of choice as well

[UnivModels]

Have a Sony rig - can't do better for quality or value.

[kkart]

Originally Posted by rshunk

Mirror lock-up (MLU) is the ability to lock the mirror up and out of the way a few seconds before the shutter opens. This helps prevent shake from the vibrations of the mirror "slapping".


Bob S.

Why on earth they did that Bob is beyond me....it's a firmware fix....for someone like me, MLU is a really important feature as I shoot with ND's for long exposures a lot

[rshunk]

I use the 2-sec timer on my A700 (the equivalent to MLU) quite a bit when shooting for HDR. Some of the exposures can be quite long.


Bob S.