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Sony Alpha A200K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

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Product Description A200 Series Digital SLR Camera - First Look! Features at a Glance Minolta A-type bayonet mount (amount) Super SteadyShot moving sensor Image Stabilization 10.2MP APS-C size CCD, Anti-dust cleaning system Eye-level penta-mirror OVF, 0.83x magnification 18-70mm f3.5-4.5 (27-105mm eq)3.9X zoom lens Dynamic Range Optimizer (Std/Advanced Selectable) Eye Start AF speeds shooting 3.0 FPS burst, limited only by media capacity 40 segment honeycomb photometry, 9point AF 2.7-inch 230K pixel Clear Photo LCD Plus display CF Type I/II Slot, Lithium Ion Battery, Stamina 750 shots Sony is advancing the digital SLR category for mainstream photographers with today's introduction of the new a (alpha) DSLR-A200 camera. The DSLR-A200 features upgrades influenced by the recently-introduced, enthusiast-class DSLR-A700 camera and replaces the former Sony DSLR-A100 model, which was Sony's first in the DSLR class. The new DSLR-A200 is designed to be faster, lighter and easier to use. Upgraded features include a wider, 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD screen for easy playback viewing; a more compact body and an easily-accessible mode dial; an easy-to-use function menu (camera function display); improved noise control for higher quality images; an auto focus speed 1.7x faster than the previous model; improved predictive control performance; quieter shutter sound; automatic pop-up flash; and a battery life indicator that displays the percentage of battery life remaining so you know exactly when to recharge. As seen in all a (alpha) camera bodies, the DSLR-A200 camera incorporates Super SteadyShot image stabilization in the body to allow shooting at shutter speeds of 2.5 to 3.5 steps slower than otherwise possible - a benefit realized with every compatible lens attached to the camera. Compatible lenses encompass all Minolta Maxxum mount lenses, in addition to Sony a (alpha) lens lineup - including Carl Zeiss lenses. Reviews I have owned this camera close to a year now and absolutely love it! I have looked at the Canon and Nikon as well as Olympus competitors and I choose this one over the others and I am happy with my decision. ( note I have also extensively used the Canon XS for about a year now and IMHO does not even come close the the performance or quality of the Sony A200 ) Battery: Battery life is outstanding I have never had it die on me even once sometimes I could go a few days without even charging it ( taking a few hundred shots each day ) In general I get about 600 without flash and about 200-300 with flash Kit Lens : The kit lens is surprisingly well built and has a surprisingly good quality. When compared to the canon XS's standard kit lens ( 18-55mm ) the build quality is much higher and the sharpness throughout the range is much higher then that of other kit lenses I have used. Lenses In General: one of the things I hear the most commonly from company biased employees at camera stores when trying to lore people away from less common brands like Sony is on the lack of lens options. This is simply not true I would not consider myself a pro but an advanced amateur, though I do know some pros who use Sony and agree that there is every lens you will ever need on the Sony camera's unless you do specialized photography ( like microscope photography or telescope photography ) you will not be bothered with the lens options sony gives you. Not only will all of the sony lenses work on the camera ( and there are a lot of sony lenses ) but also all of the Monlita lenses will as well and they work just as good and you can find great deals on used Monilta lenses. Not to mention all the major third party lens companies produce lenses for Sony ( Tamron, Sigma etc ) So if you hear someone saying there are not a lot of lens options for the Sony camera system then don't listen to them Ergonomics : This was one of the main reasons I choose this because the Canon camera's ( XS,XSI,XTI ) did not fit my hands very well ( I have big hands ) this Sony fit my hands perfect. I would also like to compliment Nikon for having great ergonomics on there cameras as well, the Nikons fit my hand great so it would seem Canon is the only one with ergonomic related problems that I have used and for my hands. Quality : The Quality is great on this camera and IMO almost identical to the performance of the Nikon D80. The Noise could be a little better but I find it usable to shoot at ISO 1600 if I turn of noise reduction in camera ( built in noise reduction is Horrible and makes the picture worse so turn this off ) and then use a program like Noise Ninja or Dfine ( I prefer Dfine ) if you use one these softwares it will let you use iso 1600 for small prints ( no larger then 8x10 IMO at this ISO ). Also at iso 100 the dynamic range is very good when shooting in Raw I can pull or push about 2 stops ether way without making it look too bad. Features : This camera has a lot of features that are extremely useful like IS ( image stabilization ) since IS is built into the camera every lens benefits and you don't need to pay extra for IS lenses like you do on NIkon and Canon. It also has dynamic range optimizer so that it pushes the shadows slightly and pulls the highlights slightly. One feature that was included in the A100 that is not in the 200 is Mirror lockup which is disappointing because it would have been very useful ( mirror lockup produces even sharper images by moving the mirror up before as to not shake the camera ). Build Quality: This camera is built very tough! For example about a week after I got it I had it on a tripod about 5 feet from the sidewalk ( yes concrete ) and it fell over when I bumped the tripod, right onto the concrete and all it did was put a scratch on the top of the flash. Not to mention it has been through very moist conditions, I have taken this out unprotected ( probably not smart ) during heavy rain storms and pretty much soaked it and have never had so much as a problem with this camera. All in all this is an amazing camera and IMO the best that you will find under 800 dollars as of right now. Remember you are buying into a system not just an individual camera. One thing that I dislike and hope that sony changes is that this has an unstandard hotshoe and requires an adapter to work with studio lights or other name brand flashes. Check out samples I have uploaded to Amazon I include one which was shot in 1600 ISO with built in Noise reduction turned off and using Dfine for noise reduction I love this camera, this is an excellent camera for outdoor portrait, pictures are awesome, it's a little heavy for small hands. If you take pictures above ISO400, you will get alot of noise with this camera. Well, I'm very please with this camera so far, I have it for over a month now. Have used this camera since last year and I'm buying this one as a Christmas gift for the family. I bought this camera in March of 2008, before it was in stores. I have loved this camera. But as I've started to become a better photographer, I am not so fond of this camera afterall. The problem I am having is this: what I see in the viewfinder is NOT what I get! I wonder if anyone else is having this problem? Mine is shooting high. I have used friend's cameras and theirs do not have this problem. I bought Sony to be different, to not have the same kind of camera as everyone else. It is looking like I should have gone with the norm.