Among the ocean of memory makers is an another drop from Sony. Yes, I am talking about a camera which can capture moments from your life. Is Sony Alpha 200, just another...? To answer this you got to try it. In my opinion, it is a bit more considering the fact it is an entry level DSLR. So lets see what makes this drop, get the edge of bit more. Note that it is an entry-level DSLR..!
Easy of Use* Good Picture Quality* Good build though made of plastic* Support for JPEG & RAW file formats* Very good battery life (700+ shots on 4GB Card)* Lot of presets for easy capture.
what I did not like:- Memory Card is a Flash Card, SD was a better option- USB port is proprietary, not the STD mini USB. Points to be noted:* Image Quality: Sony A200 produced images of very good quality during my tests. The 10 megapixel images are soft. Hence you might feel a need to sharpen it using some software. You can also change the in-camera sharpening to one of six different levels.
Chromatic aberrations were handled well, with very little purple fringing effects appearing only in high contrast situations.
Built-in flash worked well (12 mts) indoors with no red-eye and good overall exposure.
Night picture was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds and the Bulb mode offering lots of scope for your creativity.
ISO range of 100-3200, extensive and very usable. ISO 100-400 -> noise-free, while ISO 800 and 1600 produce more than acceptable results, and the fastest speed of ISO 3200 is acceptable. noise-free, while ISO 800 and 1600 produce more than acceptable results, and the fastest speed of ISO 3200 is acceptable.
Dynamic Range Optimizer: extracts more detail from the shadow and highlights, without adding any unwanted noise.
Overall, an impressive performance.
Lets check the specs:
Weight (Approx.): 1 lb., 2.8 oz (532 g) body, not including battery, lens and media
Dimensions (Approx.): (WHD) 5 3/16" x 3 7/8" x 2 13/16" (130.8 x 98.5 x 71.3 mm)* Megapixel: 10.2MP* Imaging Device: 10.2 (effective) APS CCD Sensor; 23.6 x 15.8 mm; RGB primary color filter
LCD: 2.7" TFT (230k pixels) LCD with Clear Photo™ design
Viewfinder-Optical: TTL, 0.83x magification with 50mm lens at infinity; 95% coverage
Microphone: NA
White Balance: Auto plus 8 Modes (Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, Color Tempature/Color filter, Custom), each with +/-3 adjustable step.
Self Timer: Yes (10 seconds, 2 seconds, Off)
Red-Eye Reduction: Yes: On/Off
Burst Mode: Up to 3FPS; Unlimited to capacity of media (JPEG L/M/S); Maximum 3 frames (RAW + JPEG); Maximum 6 frames (RAW)
Color Mode(s): Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Night view, Sunset, Black & White, Adobe RGB (Except for Adobe RGB, all other color modes use the sRGB color space)
USB Port(s): Yes, Supports USB 2.0 Hi-speed
Output(s): Video: Yes, NTSC/PAL Selectable
Focus: Visual Focus Confirm: Direct via Spherical Acute Matte Screen
Shutter Speed: 30 < 1/4000 sec 52 step, Bulb
Exposure Compensation: ±2.0 EV, 1/3 EV Steps
ISO: Auto/100/200/400/800/1600/3200
Exposure: Program Shift: Yes, Command Dial
Lens Type: Interchangeable A mount
Flash Effective Range: GN12 at ISO 100 (39 feet/ 12 meters)
Flash Mode(s): Built-in Auto Pop-up: Auto, Fill-flash, Rear flash sync, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Wireless off camera flash (with Flash HVL-F56AM, F36AM)
Battery Type: NP-FM500H Lithium-ion rechargeable battery
Battery Capacity: 7.2V, 1600 mAh; CIPA standard: approx. 750 pictures
Histogram Display: Yes - RGB, playback only
AF Illuminator Light: Yes, On/Off Select
Multi-Pattern Measuring: 40 Segment, Center Weighted, Spot
Movie Mode(s): N/A
Bionz™ Engine: Yes (LSI with Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO/DRO+))
If you a buying, then it is an entry level DSLR suited for people who want to move ahead from point-&-shoot, offering lot of easy to operate features....!
A 200 K: Rs 28, 000/-A 200 W: Rs 38, 000/-