Sony A200 review

Sony, in comparison to the other brands, is a newcomer to dSLR cameras. It recently took over Minolta-Konica's dSLR business, so things can't be as bad as some might expect. The Sony A200 is one of the cheaper offerings amongst the entry-level dSLRs in the market.

There is a 10.2 MP CCD sensor onboard the A200 and Sony bundles an 18-75 mm lens with the camera; this is a decent lens for medium distance photography. It's not as powerful as the Nikon's 18-105 mm VR lens, but is a small step up from the 18-55 mm lens supplied with starter dSLRs from other brands. The focus ring is positioned on the outer edge of the lens body. It has a fine gear-teeth-like feel to it as you focus. It's different from other lenses but some might find this distracting or awkward. It doesn't get in the way of functionality or performance, though.

The size also seems a tad larger than the EOS 400D and the EOS 1000D. It's easily the heaviest of the entry-level dSLRs. The quality of the camera is pretty good, although it feels of plastic almost all over.

The display quality of the 2.7-inch LCD screen is average. Sony has brought in colourful menus to the dSLR and everything looks very user-friendly, but there's little help to guide users through the menus. The buttons on the back for operating the camera are well considered. The direction key set, for example, lets you scroll through images diagonally. The buttons are flat, soft and effortless to use. But wear and tear on them through months of rough use might concern some.

The controls are placed in different areas of the camera and not cramped all together. This might be comfortable for use once you get used to this kind of layout, but it also means that you have to move your fingers all over the camera to access them. It's probably not the most optimal layout. While dSLRs try to give users the quickest access to controls, the A200 has a few settings hidden away behind a Function button. These include the flash mode, metering and autofocus mode settings. Noise reduction features for ISO and long exposure shots are also present.

We're quite impressed by the features and design effort that Sony has put into this entry-level dSLR. One such feature is a meter that measures the amount of movement while you are taking a photograph. A flashing indicator next to it warns you of it. The stabilization control is present as a simple slider on one corner of the camera and not on the lens. The stabilization is average, but just the warning is enough to get your attention and put that extra care into holding the camera steady.

The other very impressive feature is the flash. With almost everything automated, the flash is able to measure the light very accurately. We tried all kinds of shots with objects really close and some moderately far away. The amount of light fired is accurate and the backgrounds are rarely drowned in darkness. If you think that the flash on the Sony isn't sufficient, then you might face a problem. Sony uses a different flash-mount compared to Canon and Nikon, so purchasing a third-party flash might turn out to be a bit of a problem. It must be said that this mount feels more solid than the rest. The grip too is a little nicer than on the Canon cameras.

Image stabilisation is present on the camera and not on the lens with the Sony A200 Digital Cameras. A sensor detects your face in front of the eyepiece and then turns on the focussing and turns off the LCD, as with some of the other cameras. Those with high-definition TVs and monitors will be interested to know that this camera shoots at 16:9 aspect ratios. This means you don't have to go through the trouble of cropping every single photo manually or automating it using an image editor, which often can crop out areas of interest to you.