Sony A200 Review
Review Date: March 27th 2008
Author: Mark Goldstein
Leave a comment about this Review
|
Conclusion
 |
|
|
Ratings (out of 5) |
|
| Design | 4.5 |
| Features | 4.5 |
| Ease-of-Use | 4.5 |
| Image Quality | 4.5 |
| Value for Money | 4.5 |
Viewed in isolation, the A200 is an unremarkable re-working of the A100, with slightly improved auto-focusing, a more Sony-like, refined control layout with less dials and more menu screens, and the same great image quality up to ISO 800. Current A100 owners won't want to upgrade to the A200 - if they do, they'll actually lose the mirror-lockup and depth-of-field preview features that the A100 offers.
Viewed as part of Sony's grand master-plan, however, the A200 makes much more sense, forming the basis of Sony's DSLR future, with the A200, A300 and A350 all sharing the same body, dust-reduction system, built-in image stabilizer, battery and portrait grip. The A300 and A350 both additionally offer live view and a vertically tilting screen, whilst the A350 also increases the megapixel count, so consumers can now pick the exact camera that they want, albeit at extra cost. After heavy investment in the Konica Minolta platform, Sony now have a consistent and importantly competitive system that covers everything from the entry-level A200 to the prosumer A700, with the A300 and A350 sitting in-between.
If you have no investment in a DSLR system and you're looking for an entry-level model, the Sony A200 is a real alternative to the likes of the Nikon D60, Canon EOS 450D and Olympus E-510. It may not be the most exciting camera on paper, with no Live View and "only" a 10 megapixel sensor, but in practice it's an easy-to-use, solid proposition from which you can confidently upgrade in the future to a more feature-rich model. Which is almost certainly what Sony intended...
|
PhotographyBLOG
is a member of the DIWA
organisation. Our test results for the Sony A200 have been submitted to DIWA
for comparison with test results for different samples of
the same camera model supplied by other DIWA
member sites.