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!

Excellent camera. Why spend more money on other brands when this has all the features of the more expensive cameras. I love this camera, takes awesome photos and has so many creative aspects to photo taking. You can change the lenses for other types of photography; macro, etc...but the lens that comes with this camera does it all. You can zoom in when you need to. There is a pop up flash that senses low light. You can put it on all automatic; focusing, light metering or you can go creative and make your own settings. This is a very versitile camera that is great for the beginner or for the advanced photographer because there are so many possibilities. This takes creative photography to the max! I love this camera, my camera, and would recommend it to anyone!

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

I'm a newbie in the dSLR world. I made a lot of internet research between the distinct models in the market, always looking for good features and lower price. I nailed my choise down to the SONY A200 with the 18-700mm lens, and I can tell you guys, I'm sooooooo happy with it!!! *- Feels VERY good in my hand. *- Optical stabilization in the body, not lenses. *- Very good build quality, for an entry-level dSLR. *- The kit lens have a bigger optical range (18-70mm) than the others entry-level dSLR (18-55mm). *- Superb IQ, nothing to envy the entry-level rivals. I don't hesitate to recommend all of you this camera, you'll not getting dissapointed going with this Alpha, but always keep in mind a couple of things: *- Is an entry-level budget camera, don't push it beyond limits, is not meant to extreme situations or weather. *- Remember is the photograph, not the camera who's gonna take the picture. So... GET CREATIVE!!!

The Sony A200 camer, I did not get a clear picture out of it yet, the reason that I gave it a 2 stars, because it will not take AA battery, and it will not take standard flash,( like my Vivitar, 283, 285.) The reason that I bought it, beacuse, I have all other camers already, and I like to try out for a sony, and turn out this is the worse camer that I have, because it will not take standar flash.

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 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.

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!...