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Just wondering if this is a good buy for a beginner camera for me?
Sony A200 10.2 mp with two lenses (DT 18-70mm f3.5 Zoom lens and 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Compact Super Telephoto Zoom) for $599.
I am going to a local state park this weekend and would like a camera that will allow me to take pictures of birds from far away. My point and shoot just isn't cutting it anymore.
If you're currently in the market for an entry-level DSLR and you've come across the Sony DSLR-A200 one of the first things you have probably noticed is its incredibly tempting price point. If your budget is limited the A200 is by default one of your top options. But does it actually provide value for money or would you be better off spending a little extra and getting a competing model?
As usual, there is no easy answer and it will entirely depend on your specific needs. Feature-wise the A200 provides all the essentials but there are better specified and more customizable cameras in the entry-level segment. Most notably the A200 is lacking a live-view system which is featured by most of its direct competitors. Only you can tell if you actually need this (and if you do, and would otherwise be happy with the A200, you should probably consider the Sony A300) but is has almost become a standard, even in the bottom bracket of the market. On the other hand you do get dust reduction and an efficient image stabilization system, something you could not necessarily expect at the A200's price point.
The A200's plastic surfaces look and feel a little cheap but the overall build quality can be described as solid. The control layout and the menu structure are simple and intuitive but from an ergonomics point of view there is one major point of complaint. When in shooting mode the multi-controller to the right of the screen is programmed to trigger the AF. For most people this might not be a problem but it was for us. A number of left-eyed photographers in the dpreview office repeatedly, and unwillingly, operated the button with their noses when looking through the viewfinder. This caused quite a few out-of-focus shots and can be extremely annoying. So if you're considering the A200 I can only recommend you check beforehand if it is compatible with your facial features.
The A200 is not the quickest performer we've ever come across but does generally a solid job. The camera takes a little longer to start-up and display an image in record review than most of its direct competitors but in a real-life situation that's hardly ever an issue. Just leave the camera switched on if you want be prepared to take an unexpected shot (the excellent battery life is certainly useful when doing that).
Image quality on the A200 is a bit of a double-edged affair. While at base ISO the Sony's output is fairly clean and detailed (though not very good at low-contrast detail) things go downhill once you dim the lights and switch your camera to a higher ISO setting. The A200's noise reduction is pretty aggressive and causes visible smearing of fine detail in the camera's JPEG output. Most of the A200's direct competitors can produce visibly better results in challenging light situations. Shooting RAW to reduce the noise reduction's impact is a good option and makes sense even at base ISO where you can squeeze visibly more low-contrast detail out of an image (compared to its out-of camera JPEG counterpart).
In conclusion, the Sony DSLR-A200 is a solid overall performer that does not have any major flaws (AF button issue aside) and comes with a feature set that is more than adequate for its very attractive price point. Therefore it just earns our Highly Recommended badge.
You probably already know this, but one word of caution when reading the reviews at DPReview: you really need to read the entire review and not just the conclusions on the page. Each person has different goals, desires, and wants w.r.t. cameras. The review itself will help a person determine if the camera performs well in the the most important areas - that is, the areas that matter most to her/him.
Thanks for all the responses.
I went ahead and purchased it.
This will be my first DSLR, so I am extremely excited about it.
I don't know a great deal about photography, hence why I didn't want to spend a great deal of money at first. I hope with this camera and its numerous auto features (for us noobs) and manual features, I will be able to slowly learn and understand how to use a DSLR.
Thanks for all the responses.
I went ahead and purchased it.
This will be my first DSLR, so I am extremely excited about it.
I don't know a great deal about photography, hence why I didn't want to spend a great deal of money at first. I hope with this camera and its numerous auto features (for use newbies) and manual features, I will be able to slowly learn and understand how to use a DSLR.
This will be my first DSLR, so I am extremely excited about it.
I don't know a great deal about photography, hence why I didn't want to spend a great deal of money at first.
Good call. I think cameras are like boats... you almost always move up in price range as time goes on. I do not know much about that specific camera... but the review sounded pretty good to me. Good luck and happy shooting!
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