Product Description

Truly a camera to shake up the DSLR market!! When Konica Minolta decided to withdraw from the camera market last year, they had just started on a collaboration with Sony. As a result, Sony bought the relevant assets & technologies from Konica Minolta, and continued on the development program on their own. This is the fruit of their labours, and it looks to be an absolute cracked of a camera the chip is a slightly tweaked version of that from the Nikon D200, as that is produced by Sony, the revolutionary Minolta CCD shifting anti-shake system has been overhauled by Sony engineers, now producing the effect of a shutter speed 3.5 stops faster that that used, and the ISO1600 setting is now usable as well. If this weren t enough on it s own to get the camera-buying public s mouths watering, the camera includes 2 separate anti-dust technologies we have already heard anecdotal evidence of people changing lenses in the desert with any problems - and look forwards to trying this ourselves! Added to this, compatibility with the large range of Konica Minolta Dynax mount lenses already in the market, and a range of Carl Zeiss optics being launched by Sony later this year, almost double the battery life of the equivalent cameras from other manufacturers, excellent build quality & well thought out design, it s no wonder that Sony are being very bullish about their future place in the DSLR market.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55870 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Sony
• Model: DSLRA100KB.CEH
• Released on: 2006-09-10
• Dimensions: 4.72 pounds

Manufacturer's Description

Super SteadyShot® Image Stabilisation; Unlike most DSLRs, the A100 has image stabilization built into its body, so that, unlike other cameras, any lens you use benefits from a stabilized image, and this includes many of the 16 million Maxxum A-mount lenses dating back to 1985. The Super SteadyShot system empowers you to take spectacular shots where un-stabilized lenses would give you blur. It's great anywhere a tripod is unavailable, or in museums and churches where flash is prohibited. It's also perfect for indoor sports, candlelit subjects that would be ruined by flash, or macro telephoto shots.

Quick Response; To capture life as it happens, your camera has to be fast. Most point-and-clicks have a delay of one to three seconds after you push the button before the image is captured. The Sony A100 brings the exceptional responsiveness of an SLR camera and adds innovative features that improve speed. With Eye-Start Autofocus, the camera begins focusing as soon as you put your eye to the eye piece, so it's ready to shoot when you are. And Continuous Burst Mode lets you capture up to three frames per second up to the limit of the memory card.

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A 21 Year Legacy of Lenses; The Sony A100 is built on the foundation of 16 million Maxxum A-mount lenses dating back to 1985. These include such cherished Minolta glass as the classic 135mm Smooth Transition Focus (STF), the awe-inspiring 300mm f/2.8 G and the 500mm f/8 Reflex - the world's only AF telephoto reflex lens. Not only is Sony retaining a wide range of these well-loved lenses, they're also introducing Carl Zeiss ® A-mount optics, taking a proud legacy into the future.

Anti-Dust Technology; A simple lens change can let dust particles collect on the image sensor surface, degrading picture quality. Once there, dust is difficult to remove. That's why the A100 has comprehensive anti-dust technology. A special Indium Tin Oxide CCD coating repels dust. What little dust gets past this first line of defense is dislodged by a unique CCD shake routine& and the result?...Clean, crystal clear pictures!

Dynamic Range Optimizer; Why can't a camera capture what the eye sees? Often, the culprit is limited dynamic range. Expose for shadow detail and you end up blowing out the highlights. Expose for the highlights and you end up crushing the blacks. That's where Sony's Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO) comes in. DRO Normal selects from the most appropriate of 400,000 gamma curves to improve shadow detail. DRO Advanced adjusts
area-by-area, to maximize detail in both highlight and shadow areas.

DSLR-A100 Digital SLR plus Standard Zoom Lens (DT 18 - 70 mm F3.5 - 5.6)Take your photography to the next level with the a100, the first digital single lens reflex (D-SLR) camera from Sony. The a100 is set to make advanced digital photography simpler, more accessible and more enjoyable than ever before! The Super SteadyShot built in to the camera body, a 10 megapixel CCD and our wide range of interchangeable Sony a mount and Carl Zeiss lenses deliver an impressive picture quality in any situation. Our Eye Start autofocussing system, 2.5 Clear Photo LCD Plus and an astonishing battery life (750 shots) ensures a comfortable high-speed response and easy usage. The standard zoom lens can be widely used for everything from everyday snapshots to portraits. These impressive features, combined with an advanced anti-dust protection system, ensure you get clean, pin-sharp results every time!

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

A fine DSLR that's good to use as well as having competitive functionality and excellent technical performance
I've used a film SLR for most of my photographic life. Then a few years ago I got into digital, and have had two Nikon Coolpix (including the splendid twisty-bodied 4500) and then an Olympus semi-SLR (the 8080 wide zoom, with bend-out LCD screen). Someone stole the Olympus. What should I do?
I was very tempted by the Sony DSC-R1, with it's live twisty LCD and excellent lens. And there is tremendous competition now amongst SLR suppliers, with new announcments from all the majors. But I chose the Sony, and after five days and many hundreds of pictures I'm very pleased with the camera.
You can read about its technical performance at www.dpreview.com. What I can add is that this excellent performance is easy and inviting to make use of.
The focussing screen is clear, crisp, and bright. I find I often want to use manual focus, and can switch back and forth from manual to auto by simply moving a switch. And there's a depth-of-field preview easy to hand.
These controls are typical- what you want is to hand, and works logically (at least, as I expect). With the Olympus after a year's use I was still going back to the manual to find how to do things. The Sony feels familiar after five days.
The camera feels good to hold- a good grip is a huge help with avoiding camera shake, which this camera helped further by an antishake system that works with all lenses.
And then there are the twiddly bits- for example the fact that the autofocus switches on and the LCD switches off when I bring the camera to my eye (although I find the camera can mistake my chest for my eye when I have it round my neck), and that the LCD image stays upright whether you have the camera horizontal or vertical.
These as well as the advantages you expect from this generation of DSLR- instant start-up, very quick reaction to pressing the button, and if you want it three frames a second until you've run out of space on the card (in .jpg).
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the standard kit zoom gets you pretty close up to a flower or an insect, and does this at maximum zoom so that you don't find your shadow is interfering with the picture. My first "extra" has been a secondhand Minolta AF 1.7 50mm standard lens, which I have found excellent for snapping people indoors by available light (find your way round Minolta lenses for the Sony at www.dyxum.com).
I miss the infra-red remote control supplied with the Olympus (there's a long and a short wired control for the Sony, but at large additional cost). And I'm sure I'll miss the ability to sight a picture down low or up high using a twisty LCD screen. And in some quiet "candid camera" situations the clunk of the mirror which is part of a true SLR can draw attention. But for me the advantages, starting with composing pictures on that fine focussing screen, far outweigh these losses.

99% of all amateur photographers will be delighted with this!
INITIAL REACTION: Have just started using the a100 and, after researching for a couple of months, it certainly lives up to its promise. Being a former Minolta film SLR owner, the Sony seemed to be the obvious choice with the alpha mount meaning that most Minolta lenses are compatible. However, since I only own the one Minolta lens, that wasn't really an issue. A MUCH bigger issue is the built-in image stabilization on the a100. It works amazingly well and combined with the feeling of holding a solid piece of kit in your hands, gives you great confidence. Comparing lens prices with Canon EOS400 and Nikon D40 models, it's clear that the Sony SuperSteady Shot is a long-term money saver.

Anyone reading these reviews will also undoubtedly be checking out other sources such as the excellent dpreview and yes, there will be those who have specific requirements - such as high ISO shooting - who may be better served by the Canon or Nikon. Personally, by checking out the models in-store, I found holding the Canon to be a little too cramped and a little on the light side - more in-line with my old Minolta - and I wanted something comfortable and substantial in my hand. The Nikon, on the other hand, just didn't justify me investing so much initially and over the long haul. With some Carl Zeiss lenses on the horizon, I'm fairly confident the a100 can compete in most situations. To sum up:

Pros: Great value (inbuilt image stabilization); Eye-start focus is great under the right conditions (and can be deactivated); Fantastic images (which can be sharpened if you find the default settings too soft) - at least up to ISO400; Confidence-building look and feel - makes you FEEL like a photographer!; Easy to use menu system (a little drab, but a first-class LCD with innovative features) and the same ease of use overall as previous Minolta SLRs.

Cons: Bundled lenses could be better - they do the job but the look and feel of them lets you know there is more potential lurking in the body; Outperformed by Canon and Nikon at very high ISO settings; Don't like the Compact Flash slot very much - on an otherwise great body, it's a little flimsy;

Great value, very nice camera
This camera comes at around the same price as a Nikon D40, and cheaper than a D40X...and I would say it is a better buy

The Image quality is really great, I am particularly impressed with the Matrix metering...its very reliable and much less "quirky" than the meter on the Nikon D40/D80, if you want great "no brainer" shots with auto matrix metering...the Sony is great, with a bit of care, blown highlights and washed out pics are virtually non existent with this camera

If you have ever used a Minolta 5D...well this is the same cam, only a bit better (10MP sensor, a bit nicer finish, menus a bit better organised etc) I find the kit lens pretty good, but this cam is also available with a 18-200 (11X) lens, which is a great range...and with the anti shake, makes a great alternative to a "superzoom"...so check out that other lens

Performance is about the same as other DSLRs...its fast enough for me with a great burst rate if you need it.....but best of all, the images are really lovely

Only thing I dont like too much, is that the flash has to be raised for the Autofocus illuminator to work....Nikon have it beat here, I must however point out, that the low light focus without the illuminator is very good right down to very low light levels, its just that Nikons will focus a bit quicker in very dark conditions....no big deal. One thing to be aware of is that if you buy the external flashgun (there are two Sony flashguns available)...even with the flash turned off, but mounted on the cam...the autofocus illuminator on the flashgun operates to assist focus...this is great, and with the flashgun attached to the camera, the focus speed in low light is improved even more, making it comparable to the D80

I have used both this camera and a Nikon D80 extensively, given the huge price difference, and the superior metering of the Sony....I would say go with the Alpha...its great.