Sony Alpha A200K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens

My very first major brand 35mm SLR was a Minolta SRT 101. I made some excellent photos with that camera, but was unimpressed with the construction quality and the quality of the pictures taken under fluorescent light. Otherwise, it took excellent indoor and outdoor shots. Moved on to Canon. Talk about impressed...nowhere in 35mm photography could you find a better combination of meter and lens! Tack sharp lenses that gave VERY detailed shots of greenery, true to life color registers and a construction quality to rival Hasselblad's! Something happened to BOTH Canons I had! It was like they were cursed, so my next purchase was a Nikon FM. So, let's leap ahead to 1985, and back to Minolta. The Maxxum 7000 comes out, and I can't resist this camera that does everything but go up to the subject and tell it to say "Cheese!". Autofocus, motor-driven, auto-rewind, aperture preferred, shutter-preferred, match-needle AND program modes!! Interchangeable Fresnel screens, facility to enlarge battery source, all for about $300.00!! What I had was a Nikon FTN with all the fixins' for about one third the price! Served me beautifully until, after 20-some years, it started to show its wear. So, I perused the 'net to see what was for sale and saw a Maxxum 50 for the unbelievable price of $164...INCLUDING the lens!! Got it. A definite improvement over my old 7000 at half the price! Then disaster! After merging with Konica...Minolta gets out of the photographic camera business! However, they pretty much sell all their rights to Sony, and Sony proceeds to produce a line of excellent DSLRs that use the Minolta AF lens mount. Wanting to go beyond just the regular point and shoot viewfinder digitals, I buy a Sony a200K and couldn't be happier! The shots I've taken so far look like something out of a 4X5 view or "ideal format" medium format camera. VERY sharp! The feature that really has me fascinated is the way the LCD menu will adjust to the way you're holding the camera, from vertical to 90 degrees off axis....VERY thoughtful feature! The battery's ability to be charged even if it's not totally depleted is nice, too! Anti-shake, an in-camera dust-cleaning feature, 10.2 megapixels....shutter/aperture priorities, match-needle and program......I'M IN HOG HEAVEN!! This thing is a studio all in one camera!! Couple that with the amazing price I paid for mine and the fast as blazes delivery time I got from my vendor, and I'm sure I'll be a Sony DSLR man for a looooong time! Recommended and a half!

I have used a wide variety of film SLRs and digital point-and-shoot cameras before. The Sony A-200K is by far the finest I've used. I simply haven't found anything this camera can't do--and that's a surprise, given its teeny-tiny flash. Indoors or out, pictures are invariably sharp and well-lit. (Letting the camera make the decisions has worked well to date; I haven't needed to get into the manual settings.) The 18-70 mm lens is lightweight, amazingly sharp, and, at a 35 mm equivalent of 27 mm to 105 mm, is an almost ideal range for around-town and travel use. Built in image stabilization (Super Steady Shot) and sensor self-cleaning are features you don't get in comparable Nikon or Canon models. One of the major selling points of this camera is its backward compatibility with Minolta Maxxum film lenses and flashes. This means that lenses can be acquired inexpensively, on Craigslist or elsewhere--to evaluate a lens for your needs, just multiply its focal length by 1.5. I haven't yet tried my very complicated Maxxum 5400xi flash with this camera, but Sony says it will work. Dollar for dollar, there's no better entry-level SLR on the market today. I'm thrilled with this camera.

Great buy for NEW old stock. Camera is flawless. Works perfect.

I recently bought the Alpha 200 and took it to Alaska cruise trip and I am happy with it so far. Before to purchase this camera, I was waiting for the Canon 40D to drop price but I could not wait further more so I got my Sony the day before my trip. I also bought Sony HVL-F36AM for USD100 and Sony camera bag + battery for USD30. I don't think you can get a better deal than this from other brand like Canon or Nikon. I took the camera and Tamron 17-50 2.8, Minolta 50 1.7 to the trip and took beautiful portrait pictures of friends on the stairs of the ship Princess Saphire with 50 1.7 iso @800 no flash. My friend with Canon 5D, Canon 28-300 5.6 IS + Canon 430EX got ugly pictures. I got so many cameras and lens, maybe more than some pro photographers. But I consider myself an Amateur because I am not making any money from Photography. My camera collection varies from Contax with CZ lens. Varieties of Nikon film bodies and Fuji S2 with a lot of Nikkor lens. Canon 20D with several Canon lens and one of them is 70-200 2.8IS. To my personal preference Sony CCD sensor is better than Canon Cmos sensor. Colors are more saturate and brillant similar to Fuji sensor but faster because of newer technology. My next purchase will be Sigma 70-200 2.8 DG macro when it's available and I will sell my Canon 70-200 2.8 IS.

This camera was cool except for the fail control for shutter speed and aperture broke leaving the camera useless

This one is for first time dslr buyers who do not want to go the nikon or canon way, yeah theres olympus, pentax, lumix, so on...so whats special about the Sony A200? The A100 has proved that Sony can live up to the levels of the big players. The A200 has a feature set for a price a 100-300 $ cheaper than rivals... ....thats not it.... I made up my mind on the A200 only after I played with in the store, it felt great on my hands, more like a mid range than entry level, and the most ergonomic. Do not decide solely on internet reviews and flickr images, you have to feel and handle a camera before you buy, and then you can decide if you really want to spend an extra 300 on the canon. Picture quality is much better than the best point and shoots, but the bundled lens is average. Like any dslr you have to invest in better lenses, may be next year..... Its a great choice for an entry dslr to learn and grow with.

I bought this camera for my wife after looking and studying for about a month. We've owned quite a few sony point and shoots and after the birth of our son, my wife wanted the ability to take multiple pics quickly to not miss those quick grins. I love the fact the sony has built in anti-shake and that the zoom is built in the camera. The lenses for the Nikon and Canon has the zoom built in them which increases the price for the lenses. I also like the fact that the old Minolta lenses work with this camera so our old 35mm set up is not collecting as much dust. The battery life is great. Right out of the box my wife was taking awsome pics that can be developed in at least 11x14 and look like a pro. My only complaint is that if you own Sony Memory sticks you have to buy an adapter to use them in this camera. You would not beleive the money this has saved by not having to go to a pro for baby pics!!Overall my wife says this is the best gift I have ever bought her and that is good enough for me.

I recieved the camera this week. First of all. You can't use it till you buy a memory card. The manual is ok at best. However if you have a little experience with cameras. You will be happy with the A200 (alpha).. DO NOT LOAD THE SOFTWARE UNTIL YOU BACK EVERYTHING UP!!!..The first time I tried to load it? My computer would not restart until it went thru troubleshoot mode. So I tried it again..Like the idiot I am... Then it locked my computer up for good. The only way I could save my computer was with SYSTEM RECOVERY... I lost all my files and started from scratch...Then tried it again..After loading new software for a printer and a Canon camera...With the same result... Locked up on SONY.. The camera is OK...Beware of the software!...