Sony Alpha A100K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 Lens
by Sony
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Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony Alpha A100K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 Lens
Customer Review: Solid DSLR with a few minor features missing
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the Sony Alpha A00 as an upgrade from a Canon Digital Rebel (300D). Overall it's a great camera, but there are a few minor features missing.
Highlights:
The 10MP sensor is very sharp and seems to reproduce colors very nicely, and the anti-shake mechanism works incredibly well - I've managed to take .6sec exposures without any camera shake in the image.
The AF is about the same as I was used to on the 300D. It does the job reasonably well in bright light, but struggles in the dark. If the flash is up, it will use the AF assist light, but only sometimes.
The controls are all fairly well laid out, and the function dial is a good way to easily get to commonly used functions.
The screen is bright and I have had no trouble seeing all the information even in bright daylight.
Both the battery and memory card covers seem very well built and much more sturdy than the 300D.
Missing Features:
Unfortunately, there are a few minor features that were present on the 300D that sony has left out of the A100.
There is no wireless remote available.
The automatic bracketing only works to two-thirds of a stop (as opposed to 2 stops for the 300D) which is probably a bigger problem for me than for most people, since I frequently shoot HDR images.
The Sony alpha cameras use Minolta AF lenses which, though somewhat rarer than Canon lenses, seem to be significantly less expensive for similar quality.
All in all, I'd say the Sony A100 is a solid contender in the 3rd generation of consumer-level DSLR cameras. With only the 300D to compare it to, I would say the A100 has exceeded almost all of my expectations, though a few minor issues would need to be corrected for a full 5-star rating.
Customer Review: FANTASTIC CAMERA!
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this camera for my husband for Christmas 2007. He had had his eye on this camera for a long time after doing a lot of research on what would be best for him. The main reason for his choice is....not only is it a Sony brand but all the lenses used for his film camera would fit this body....he was very happy! My husband carries his camera with him EVERYWHERE...I also used the camera during the holidays and it is very easy to use and took GREAT pictures of our newborn baby girl and our son at this specail time of the year. I would reccomend this camera and feel for the price paid was worth every penny! Customer Review: sony a100
Summary: 5 Stars
There was a lot of good information about the camera which told me i could take pictures of things that other camera could not.If one does not look good , delete it change some setting and take it again.Or just take a few shots and chage setting to get it set up for in invierment you are taking pictures in..Customer Review: Sony has revived Minolta with the A100
Summary: 5 Stars
The Sony Alpha A100K is a fantastic camera. The included lens is extremely versatile. Battery life is superb (hundreds of shots before a recharge, at least 400 in my experience, possibly many more as I'm still on the first charge).
The Alpha Mount system allows me to use all my old lenses from my Minolta Maxxum 5 35mm camera. Also, Sony kept the standard Minolta hotshoe (the flash-mount-point that resides above the lens), and simply rebranded the Minolta flashes, so my old flash works too.
If you are a fan of Minolta cameras, and have been looking for a new DSLR, this camera is a great choice. If you need a bit more professional a setup, and can afford $1500, consider the A700 instead.
I have absolutely no complaints. Normally, I hate Sony products, but this camera doesn't feel like a Sony. It feels like a Minolta. The camera doesn't take Memory Stick, it takes Compact Flash. This is a move Sony has almost never done before. They love their proprietary formats. This time, they went with the industry standard, however.
You'll want to pick up a 55mm UV Filter (multicoated if possible) to protect the lens coating. The added effect of this is that cleaning or replacing a filter is much easier than cleaning or replacing a lens. The UV filter I've described can be had for between $3 and $20 depending upon brand and store.
Also, a 2GB card will give you 460 JPEG images at full quality, or around 100 RAW images. If you're going to shoot JPEG, 2GB should be all you'll need for a while. If RAW, look into a 16GB card (can be had for $120).
One last tip: this camera has a very fast write speed, so using older slower flash memory devices will only impede performance. Get at least a 133x (20 Megabytes per second) CF card.
Customer Review: Solid entry-level camera
Summary: 4 Stars
The A100 is discontinued and has been replaced by the A200 / A300. But it's still a solid entry-level camera. At one time you could land one at Best Buy in the $250 range. Definitely don't pay full price for one of these. Check eBay or Craigslist.