Digital Trends

Sony alpha DSLR-A200

February 25th, 2008 | by David Elrich

Features and Design

The Sony alpha DSLR-A200 looks like a younger brother to the 40D. It too has a black body with textured finish. Measuring 5.4 x 3.87 x 2.2, it tips the scales at 18.8 ounces without battery and lens, closer to 30 with them. The 40D weighs 37 ounces combined. The main reason for the difference is overall build quality—the A200 is made primarily of plastic compared to the 40D’s magnesium alloy frame. Yes, we know we really should be comparing this camera to the new 12.2-megapixel Canon XSi and 10MP Nikon D60 but they’re not available yet (April and March, respectively). And the 8MP Canon Digital Rebel XTi for $599 USD (body only) is really a graybeard although it’s a solid camera. Back to the A200…

Like all D-SLRs, the front is dominated by the lens mount. In this case, the camera accepts all Sony alpha glass as well as older Minolta a-type bayonet mount lenses. Sony doesn’t have the huge assortment as Canon or Nikon but as of 2008, there are around 30 including a new f/2.8 24-70mm for $1,750 USD. (This is the other reason camera companies want you to want the D-SLR switch—once you start a collection many people get obsessed like Amy Winehouse and her tats.) That said you really don’t have to go beyond the 3.8x 18-70mm supplied with the kit for everyday shooting.

The front also has a lens release button, AF/MF switch a flash open button and some subtle logos. The pistol grip is O.K., nothing like the heft of the 40D but it was comfortable. You know the drill—try any camera in the real world before you buy since everyone’s hands are different. Also on the grip are the shutter button, a jog dial to move through the menus and an AF illuminator/self timer sensor.

The top of the A200 is very plain—no handy LCD screen here—with buttons for ISO, burst mode and a main mode dial. This has all the settings first-time D-SLR owners would need including Auto, no flash, P for program, Aperture and Shutter Priority as well as full Manual. There are common scene modes as well including portrait, landscape, macro, sports, night portrait and sunset. This is not much different than what you’ll find on a quality point-and-shoot making it pretty seamless moving into the D-SLR arena. The top also has a hot shoe for optional flashes as well as a built-in flash that automatically pops open when the camera senses the light is too dim.

The back has a good 2.7-inch LCD rated 230K pixels. Since this camera doesn’t have Live View, the screen is simply for adjusting menus, checking status and reviewing your shots. Two buttons on the rear top right let you enlarge or reduce the size of the image. A nice feature is the fact the status menu properly orients itself as you move the camera from horizontal to vertical positions. The A200 has a bright viewfinder with a 95 percent field of view and a diopter control. It’s surrounded by a rubber edging for comfort and there are Eye-Start Autofocus sensors below the viewfinder itself. In theory Eye-Start is kind of cool—the moment you bring the camera up to your face, it starts focusing on the subject so you’ll be able to quickly capture a shot. Personally I found it annoying as the camera was constantly focusing as I moved about. Fortunately you can turn this feature off—which I did.

Unlike the 40D which had its main buttons on the bottom of a 3-inch screen, the A200 has them in the traditional spot flanking the left side of the LCD. There are buttons for Menu, Display, Delete and Playback, pretty standard stuff. What’s not standard—at least on Canon and Nikon D-SLRs—is the Super SteadyShot on/off switch on the bottom right. Sony alphas have sensor shift image stabilization so every lens you attach is stabilized, letting you shoot in available light with less blur. This is not a panacea as once you shoot at very slow shutter speeds (1/15 or less) and relatively low ISO your images are going to blur unless you’re made of steel. I had a lot of this using the supplied telephoto with its f/4.5-5.6 aperture. You can always opt for more expensive f/2.8 lenses, buy a monopod or use the flash. Still Super SteadyShot is a good thing and you don’t have to buy more expensive stabilized lenses like you do with the Big Two.

Note: Cameras with built-in sensor shift stabilization must be hurting Canon and Nikon since their new entry-level D-SLRs (Canon XSi, Nikon D60) come with stabilized lenses. Competition is a wonderful thing… 

Other controls on the rear include Fn (Function) to access items such as focusing and flash modes, AF area and the D-Range Optimizer, a setting that adds detail to shadowed areas. There’s also a four-way controller with center set button, one for AEL (auto exposure Lock) and exposure compensation. On the right side is a slot for CompactFlash cards but you can use Memory Stick Duo with an optional adapter. Here’s you’ll also find the mini USB out (cable supplied). The left side has a compartment for a remote control and DC-in (both items are optional). The bottom has the battery compartment and tripod mount.

The Sony DSLR-A200 comes with a basic package including straps, caps, cables, battery/charger, a quick start guide and a 160-page owner’s manual. The CD-ROM has Picture Motion Browser Ver. 2.1.02, Image Data Lightbox SR and Image Data Converter for transferring images and developing RAW files. As mentioned, it comes with a kit lens (18-70mm) for $699 or $899 USD with an additional 75-300mm lens.

With a charged battery and a 2-gig 100x Kingston card it was time to take some images.

Image Courtesy of Sony