Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony DSLR-A200K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera + Zoom Lens Kit (18-70 mm F3.5-5.6)
Sony DSLR-A200K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera + Zoom Lens Kit (18-70 mm F3.5-5.6)
See it at Amazon.co.uk for £310.00Average Customer Rating
(5.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share400 of 405 people found the following review helpful:
Better than D60 and EOS 400D (for beginner)
(5 out of 5) by ipsa scientia potestas est on Apr 20, 2008 (UK)Like many people wanting to move up from digital compact cameras to something which will take much better pictures, I found the whole DSLR thing quite confusing.
Essentially, after some discussion with friends who have been into photography for a while, my decision was narrowed to three choices: the Sony a200, the Nikon D60 and the Canon EOS 400D.
I decided on the basis of the following:
1. The Sony has built in anti-shake, which will work with any lens (unlike the other two)
2. It has the biggest, brightest and clearest screen
3. It's a Sony, and I have a lot of other Sony stuff (TVs, Stereo's, Compact Camera's) all of which have worked flawlessly
4. It feels more solid than the EOS 400D (though not the D60)
5. The Sony a200 worked out cheapest (especially over the D60 which, with anti-shake lens was approx £530) and I was able to use the difference to buy the other things that you really need, namely a UV lens filter, a memory card, a bag, and even offset the difference of another lens.
For beginners the Sony a200 seems to have everything covered, and after two weeks of using it I can say I am still very happy with my choice and have some great photos as well!
Hope this helps.
Essentially, after some discussion with friends who have been into photography for a while, my decision was narrowed to three choices: the Sony a200, the Nikon D60 and the Canon EOS 400D.
I decided on the basis of the following:
1. The Sony has built in anti-shake, which will work with any lens (unlike the other two)
2. It has the biggest, brightest and clearest screen
3. It's a Sony, and I have a lot of other Sony stuff (TVs, Stereo's, Compact Camera's) all of which have worked flawlessly
4. It feels more solid than the EOS 400D (though not the D60)
5. The Sony a200 worked out cheapest (especially over the D60 which, with anti-shake lens was approx £530) and I was able to use the difference to buy the other things that you really need, namely a UV lens filter, a memory card, a bag, and even offset the difference of another lens.
For beginners the Sony a200 seems to have everything covered, and after two weeks of using it I can say I am still very happy with my choice and have some great photos as well!
Hope this helps.
230 of 233 people found the following review helpful:
FANTASTIC CAMERA - look no further!
(5 out of 5) by A. Baugh on Jun 17, 2008 (Stockton on Tees, UK)Several weeks ago I decided to upgrade to a DSLR camera, and with my budget being low, I was restricted as to what I could afford. If you are anything like me, you will by now have spent hours on the internet using various comparison sites and reading review after review. After careful consideration, I shortlisted my choice between the Sony A200, and Nikon D40. Both get great reviews and seem pretty well matched. Anyway, I decided on the Sony A200, and what a fantastic decision I made. It looks great, feels great (quality) as you would expect from Sony, but more importantly it takes absolutely amazing photos with ease. On auto mode it does everything for you, so even a complete idiot can take great photos, but it also allows you to change settings to get the photo exactly as you want it. It has loads of features/gadgets etc. TO SUMMARISE: If you are unsure as to whether you should take the plunge - I can highly recommend the Sony A200 - you will NOT be dissappointed!
325 of 330 people found the following review helpful:
Perfect In Every Way
(5 out of 5) by John Owen on Oct 8, 2008 (Bristol, U.K.)I've had my A200 for a couple of months now so thought it was time to write my review. The easiest way to describe this is wow!
Like so many other reviewers this is my first slr but I am no stranger to photography. I did about 2 months of research using the internet, talking to people and reading the photography press. I wanted a camera to take high quality shots and wanted to spend around £500. I narrowed it down to 3 cameras. The A200, the Nikon D40 and the Canon Eos 450D. Now 2 months down the line I have absolutely no regrets. This camera takes fantastic photographs straight out of the box. Fit the lens and memory card, charge the battery, switch it on and select auto, point the camera and press the shutter release. It really is that easy. The first photo I took blew me away and that was just my DVD cabinet on the other side of my sitting room and viewed back via the camera's LCD screen. From that moment my new love affair has started and I rarely put the camera down. Wherever I go it goes. It's amazing the opportunities that arise just while going about your daily business and I've found it makes me so much more aware of my surroundings and I see things I've never seen before that I pass every day.
There have been a few mentions of the poor quality of the lens and it's inability to be an "all rounder" I think it is amazing when you think that you are paying under £300 for the kit. The pictures are sharp, the colours are fantastic and they are in a different world to any I've taken with compact cameras over the years. As for the "all rounder" issue, I think it does an incredible job. No matter what you buy, not just for photography, if you want one item that is going to do the job of 2 or 3 seperate items then there is going to be a compromise. Having said that, you are going to be very critical to find too many faults with this lens. The other point to make is that the camera was so much below my budget that I was able to go out and buy another lens. I chose the Sigma APO 70-300 F4-5.6 DG macro and can't recommend it highly enough but that is a different review.
The battery life is outstanding on this camera. The manual says 750 shots but I have filled my 4gb card up which is a scrape under 1000 photos and the battery still had power left. Viewing the pictures back tends to drain it a bit quicker but if you need the maximum battery life the screen can be turned off. The battery meter is in the form of a percentage and is always on display. This is a handy feature as you always know where you stand. It's accurate too as there's no getting to 25% and then dropping like a stone like the fuel gauge on your car. The supplied charger is simple to use and very quick taking a couple of hours or so the charge from completely flat.
Supplied with the kit you get the obvious camera and lens, battery and charger, plus a lovely Sony strap, the software cd, better than average instructions, a couple of lens and accessory leaflets and a clever little gizmo that fits over the view finder to stop light getting in when you are doing long exposures on a tripod. This lives on the strap and you hardly know it's there.
The only extra you will need to get you going is a memory card. I bought a Sandisk Extreme III 4gb and it allows the camera to take photos on continuous setting until the card is full which is 990 images on best quality. These are under £20 now and sometimes even as low as £15. I also recommend buying a book or 2 to get you started on the finer points of SLR photography. I bought Sony DSLR a200 with Cards (Magic Lantern Guides) and Sony A200 (Focal Digital Camera Guides) (Paperback). They are around a tenner each and I bought mine from Amazon. They are very comprehensive and dedicated to the A200. One even has a little credit card sized guide to put in your wallet and carry with you. I have learned so much from these books and I still haven't got anywhere near finishing either of them. I recommend a good well padded bag too. You don't want your investment getting damaged for the sake of a few quid.
So to sum up, an excellent award winning camera and lens at an outstanding price that will make you a better photographer without even trying. Go buy one, you will not be disapointed.
Like so many other reviewers this is my first slr but I am no stranger to photography. I did about 2 months of research using the internet, talking to people and reading the photography press. I wanted a camera to take high quality shots and wanted to spend around £500. I narrowed it down to 3 cameras. The A200, the Nikon D40 and the Canon Eos 450D. Now 2 months down the line I have absolutely no regrets. This camera takes fantastic photographs straight out of the box. Fit the lens and memory card, charge the battery, switch it on and select auto, point the camera and press the shutter release. It really is that easy. The first photo I took blew me away and that was just my DVD cabinet on the other side of my sitting room and viewed back via the camera's LCD screen. From that moment my new love affair has started and I rarely put the camera down. Wherever I go it goes. It's amazing the opportunities that arise just while going about your daily business and I've found it makes me so much more aware of my surroundings and I see things I've never seen before that I pass every day.
There have been a few mentions of the poor quality of the lens and it's inability to be an "all rounder" I think it is amazing when you think that you are paying under £300 for the kit. The pictures are sharp, the colours are fantastic and they are in a different world to any I've taken with compact cameras over the years. As for the "all rounder" issue, I think it does an incredible job. No matter what you buy, not just for photography, if you want one item that is going to do the job of 2 or 3 seperate items then there is going to be a compromise. Having said that, you are going to be very critical to find too many faults with this lens. The other point to make is that the camera was so much below my budget that I was able to go out and buy another lens. I chose the Sigma APO 70-300 F4-5.6 DG macro and can't recommend it highly enough but that is a different review.
The battery life is outstanding on this camera. The manual says 750 shots but I have filled my 4gb card up which is a scrape under 1000 photos and the battery still had power left. Viewing the pictures back tends to drain it a bit quicker but if you need the maximum battery life the screen can be turned off. The battery meter is in the form of a percentage and is always on display. This is a handy feature as you always know where you stand. It's accurate too as there's no getting to 25% and then dropping like a stone like the fuel gauge on your car. The supplied charger is simple to use and very quick taking a couple of hours or so the charge from completely flat.
Supplied with the kit you get the obvious camera and lens, battery and charger, plus a lovely Sony strap, the software cd, better than average instructions, a couple of lens and accessory leaflets and a clever little gizmo that fits over the view finder to stop light getting in when you are doing long exposures on a tripod. This lives on the strap and you hardly know it's there.
The only extra you will need to get you going is a memory card. I bought a Sandisk Extreme III 4gb and it allows the camera to take photos on continuous setting until the card is full which is 990 images on best quality. These are under £20 now and sometimes even as low as £15. I also recommend buying a book or 2 to get you started on the finer points of SLR photography. I bought Sony DSLR a200 with Cards (Magic Lantern Guides) and Sony A200 (Focal Digital Camera Guides) (Paperback). They are around a tenner each and I bought mine from Amazon. They are very comprehensive and dedicated to the A200. One even has a little credit card sized guide to put in your wallet and carry with you. I have learned so much from these books and I still haven't got anywhere near finishing either of them. I recommend a good well padded bag too. You don't want your investment getting damaged for the sake of a few quid.
So to sum up, an excellent award winning camera and lens at an outstanding price that will make you a better photographer without even trying. Go buy one, you will not be disapointed.
291 of 296 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent value D-SLR and great quality
(5 out of 5) by M. Elliott on Jun 5, 2008 (Lincoln, UK)I had been using my trusty Minolta 7000 film camera, which produces fantastic photos almost everytime, it is easy to use and feels quality. That said, it is getting on a bit, and the costs of developing film is prohibitive. So I decided to upgrade to a Digital SLR. I initially looked at the Nikon D60 and D80, and the Canon 400D and 450D, as both companies have good reputations, especially in the D-SLR market. However, upon talking to a helpful shop assistant in London Camera Exchange, he informed me that the Sony A200 used the Minolta lens mount, meaning I could use my old lenses.
I started to research the A200 more in depth, and found an excellent spec list, especially considering the saving over Nikons and Canons. The built-in SteadyShot means I can use any lens Minolta have produced in the last god-knows-how-many years - which will save me money in the future. The 10.2 Mp sensor is the same as used in the Nikon, also interesting to find out. So I decided to splash the cash.
Upon unpacking the box, charging the battery, and installing a CompactFlash memory card (not supplied - but look at the 4GB SanDisk Extreme III at only £17.99 on Amazon), I was away.
The initial feel of the camera was good, it sat well in my hands, despite being smaller than the 7000. I found the A200 much chunkier, which is good. All the buttons are well positioned and needed only a brief look at the user guide to get to grips with. I'm sure I will pick up more advanced features as and when I need them. The LCD screen is clear and bright, and displays lots of useful information, without being cluttered. The bundled 18-70mm lens is light and good to use. The camera focuses quickly, and shots are generally well exposed. The flash pops up automatically in AUTO mode, and my one criticism is it is probably a little bright for portraits - however, you can change settings in the camera to compensate for this, but be prepared to blind subjects! Overall an extremely nice piece of kit.
People complain about no Live View, but coming from a film camera I think the viewfinder is enough, and it makes D-SLRs seems more like compacts or camera phones by using it. I have used a couple of Olympus D-SLRs I didn't like using Live View, however the owner of those cameras loved it. I have also heard complaints about the volume of the shutter noise. You may have problems with candid photography but when a bloody big flash goes off they might notice anyway! I found the shutter noise to be quite reassuring and mechanical, rather than the sound effect you get with digital compacts.
Overall the camera is great value when compared to D60 and 400D. The build quality is good, it is easy-to-use, but also has a host of useful features as you get more used to it. It easily merits 5 stars. Good work Sony, I just wish I could fit my old 2800AF flash on to it.
Positives:
Price
Handling
Built-in SteadyShot
Compatible with all Minolta lenses.
Picture quality
Eye focussing - maybe a gimmick, but fun nonetheless.
Negatives:
Lacks some of the advanced features cameras twice the price and more have.
Flash bright when Red Eye turned off
I started to research the A200 more in depth, and found an excellent spec list, especially considering the saving over Nikons and Canons. The built-in SteadyShot means I can use any lens Minolta have produced in the last god-knows-how-many years - which will save me money in the future. The 10.2 Mp sensor is the same as used in the Nikon, also interesting to find out. So I decided to splash the cash.
Upon unpacking the box, charging the battery, and installing a CompactFlash memory card (not supplied - but look at the 4GB SanDisk Extreme III at only £17.99 on Amazon), I was away.
The initial feel of the camera was good, it sat well in my hands, despite being smaller than the 7000. I found the A200 much chunkier, which is good. All the buttons are well positioned and needed only a brief look at the user guide to get to grips with. I'm sure I will pick up more advanced features as and when I need them. The LCD screen is clear and bright, and displays lots of useful information, without being cluttered. The bundled 18-70mm lens is light and good to use. The camera focuses quickly, and shots are generally well exposed. The flash pops up automatically in AUTO mode, and my one criticism is it is probably a little bright for portraits - however, you can change settings in the camera to compensate for this, but be prepared to blind subjects! Overall an extremely nice piece of kit.
People complain about no Live View, but coming from a film camera I think the viewfinder is enough, and it makes D-SLRs seems more like compacts or camera phones by using it. I have used a couple of Olympus D-SLRs I didn't like using Live View, however the owner of those cameras loved it. I have also heard complaints about the volume of the shutter noise. You may have problems with candid photography but when a bloody big flash goes off they might notice anyway! I found the shutter noise to be quite reassuring and mechanical, rather than the sound effect you get with digital compacts.
Overall the camera is great value when compared to D60 and 400D. The build quality is good, it is easy-to-use, but also has a host of useful features as you get more used to it. It easily merits 5 stars. Good work Sony, I just wish I could fit my old 2800AF flash on to it.
Positives:
Price
Handling
Built-in SteadyShot
Compatible with all Minolta lenses.
Picture quality
Eye focussing - maybe a gimmick, but fun nonetheless.
Negatives:
Lacks some of the advanced features cameras twice the price and more have.
Flash bright when Red Eye turned off
44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
Fantastic Camera - Buy It Now
(5 out of 5) by Mr. Dm Lawson on Aug 29, 2008 (UK)Had one of these for about 4 months now and it has never disappointed. . Comfortable to use, brilliant set of features, does everything you would expect and more. . .
Image stabilisation is on-camera, not on-lens like others, so this keeps the cost of add on lenses down, its high ISO pictures are remarkable, and the Dynamic Range Optimisation really pulls detail out of the shadows.
Plus as its Minolta fitting, ebay is full of quality second-hand lenses. It takes fantastic pictures and gives you so much control over the whole process.
I do have a small wish-list. .It would be nice if the remote was wireless, and bundled with the camera. Also depth of field preview would be nice. . . but these are only small points and in no way detract from how sweet this SLR is.
If you use ebay, you can get a protective film at the correct size for the LCD for a few pounds. You may even be able to get them here on Amazon. A friend recommended this to me, as I found that my nose was smearing the LCD as I was taking pictures. . They are fantastic, and stick on by some form of surface tension, so do not use adhesive. They wipe clean so easily, and if you ever sell your camera, you just peel the film off to reveal a pristine LCD.
I also got a great Tamron Zoom lens off Amazon for about 70 quid and it really takes great shots.
In conclusion I would say that the Alpha 200 is a marvellous bit of kit, that does all it promises, at a price that makes it nigh on impossible to ignore if you are in the market for an SLR that will do all you want right out of the box. Add a telephoto lens and a decent tripod, and you have a sweet setup that will last you years.
Image stabilisation is on-camera, not on-lens like others, so this keeps the cost of add on lenses down, its high ISO pictures are remarkable, and the Dynamic Range Optimisation really pulls detail out of the shadows.
Plus as its Minolta fitting, ebay is full of quality second-hand lenses. It takes fantastic pictures and gives you so much control over the whole process.
I do have a small wish-list. .It would be nice if the remote was wireless, and bundled with the camera. Also depth of field preview would be nice. . . but these are only small points and in no way detract from how sweet this SLR is.
If you use ebay, you can get a protective film at the correct size for the LCD for a few pounds. You may even be able to get them here on Amazon. A friend recommended this to me, as I found that my nose was smearing the LCD as I was taking pictures. . They are fantastic, and stick on by some form of surface tension, so do not use adhesive. They wipe clean so easily, and if you ever sell your camera, you just peel the film off to reveal a pristine LCD.
I also got a great Tamron Zoom lens off Amazon for about 70 quid and it really takes great shots.
In conclusion I would say that the Alpha 200 is a marvellous bit of kit, that does all it promises, at a price that makes it nigh on impossible to ignore if you are in the market for an SLR that will do all you want right out of the box. Add a telephoto lens and a decent tripod, and you have a sweet setup that will last you years.