I have had a variety of cameras throughout the past 3 years with my new found interest in photography. I started small and worked my way up, from the FujiFilm 2800 to this Sony SLR and though photography is truly about the photograher, this camera definitely makes photos better, and overall makes photography much more enjoyable.

Well, I'll start with the breakdown of features:

1. 10 megapixel sensor: When I found interest in photography several years ago, my first camera had a resolution of merely 2 megapixels, yet the prints were still spectacular. With this camera, there is significant increase of overall quality, but you have to keep in my different factors such as ISO, and white balance, which also play a roll in good prints.

2. ISO: I found that in low light situations, for example during a party, or something, that when I increased the ISO to 800, pictures were slightly noisy, though not significantly. I feel that the noise-reduction system helped in those situations. As far as ISO 1600, it wasn't that great, but then again not all that bad. I would say 60% of my shots would come out nicely. For regular shooting I used the HI200 setting, which would keep the ISO at <200> (above or below), and pictures turn out really well with this setting, combined with some other modes.

3. White balance: The white balance is okay for the most part. I personally like the "shade" and "sunny" modes, but not so much the tungsten and florescent, I have also at times used the manual white balance, which proved to work well, though, I wouldn't use it as much as the preset modes.

4. Dynamic Range Booster: Great great setting. About 75% of the time I've used this setting, the dynamic range has been slightly if not significantly better. What this basically means is it extends the color capabilities of your picture. So let's say there is a red shovel in a large field of grass, the green of the grass may get prioritized, however once you press the dynamic range booster button, some settings are adjusted and the red looks a lot better than it traditionally would.

5. Other Color Settings: When you are in either manual mode, A mode, S mode, or P mode (my favorite),you get to choose from a menu what best matches the situation you are shooting in. There is a list of the standard preset modes like Macro and Landscape, but there is also a few color settings I like. They are: B&W, Adobe RGB, Standard, and Vivid. My personal favorite is vivid; I don't know what it is, but this setting surely does add the extra "umph" in pictures, kind of giving them a film look. I used it to take a picture of a sunset, and it came out slightly better than the pre-programmed sunset mode.

6. Sports Photography: SLR's are definitely the way to go for action photos. This camera sports a really good 3fps, and I've captured numerous shots that simply wouldn't have been possible had it not been for upgrading to a DSLR. However I must he sports mode on this camera is base-line average, and before I learned the settings to this camera about 70% of my shots would come out of average quality. What I do when taking action shots, is go into P mode and manually select settings, and pictures almost always come out better than the pre-set sports mode. I think that the sports mode fully utilizes the advertised 3 fps, however pictures just aren't as sharp. However, this really isn't a problem once you've had the camera for a week or two.

7. Ease of Use: Well, this was my first SLR of any sort ever, yet I was up and going, fully unlocking the potential of this camera in about two weeks. I flat-out couldn't just sit there and read the manual for two hours, so instead I would go around taking candids in my spare time, and switch some settings around, and then take mental note of what looked best.

8. Comparison: I was in a debate with myself for several weeks, wondering if I should get a Nikon D80, Canon Xti/Xt or a Sony, and when I looked at reviews, each one was saying the same about the other, and I finally chose the Sony. When it arrived I used it for a little bit, then went on to Best Buy to get some accessories, and I just happened to see both the Canon Digital Rebel Xti and D80. The Xti felt really cheap, like the plastic would fall apart if you dropped it once, and sensor and kit lens were both significantly smaller than those equipped with the A100. Another thing, both the Canon and the D80 lacked built in image stabilization of any sort, which really DOES come in handy for everyday shooting. As far as the XT/XTi go, the A100 clearly outshines them. Though on the other hand the Nikon D80 is much better than the Sony. It felt really sturdy, and from shooting with one for a full day, it overall produces much better pictures than I've been able to with this camera, the only factor which stopped me from buying it was the price of over $200 more. As far as camera releases go as this year goes on, I would highly suggest not getting a Canon XSi but instead a Sony A350, because from what I've read, the Sony has much more features and gives you more bang for your buck, especially since it's about $100 less than the canon. I can't really talk for Nikon though.

Well, I hope my review has contributed into your decision for a new DSLR, if you have any further questions, don't hesitate to comment for this review, thanks. -Sam

I love my Sony Alpha DSLR. There, I've said it, and I feel much better now. I obsessed over DSLR statistics, read endless reviews, flipped pages comparing the "big name DSLR's" (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax) to no end.

I drove myself batty trying to get the best "bang for the buck" on this major (for me) purchase. I liked the Nikon D-40x, I have several Nikon film SLRs. Using my current lenses would be nice, but using them only in manual mode didn't pop my cork.

The Canon Digital Rebel 10 mp model looked great in the specs and reviews, but once I got a chance to hold the Canon Rebel, the camera's body was just too small for me to hold comfortably. I always had the feeling that I was always about to lose my grip and drop it.

The Pentax SLR was newer on the market, and I had not heard much about it, but I have an old K1000 Pentax, that is built like a truck. It has never let me down, even the time in Kenya when I dropped it in the dirt, running away from an charging elephant (long story, made short: if you need to keep zooming back to frame a picture, its because the thing you are taking the picture of is getting closer...)

I digress, back to the cameras -

As I said, I was so absorbed in specs, that I failed to see the big picture. Any of these fine cameras is going to take great pictures, and make you a very happy snapper (sorry to UK folks, that last term is NOT referring to what you think!, a "happy snapper" in the US is a hobby level photographer who takes a lot of pics))

Why did I pick the Sony, let me count the ways, umm reasons...

I love my Sony because of the built in image stabilization, the eye start autofocus, the immense battery life (over 700 pictures on a charge!), the feel of the camera in my hands, and a dozen little things that only become obvious when you are actually using the camera.

The autofocus is super fast, This past weekend, I got a black squirrel in mid leap, frozen in perfect focus! I had never seen a black squirrel before, so I was very happy to see I had gotten the shot. This was mainly luck on my part, but superb autofocus engineering on Sony's part.

I am sure I would be very happy with either of the other cameras I was considering, but I doubt that any of the other cameras would have gotten that shot.

I guess in the end, that you should not get all hung up in the specs game. There are so many rabid opinions out there, it makes the car guy's Ford vs Chevy fight look tame. Do a bit of study, go to stores where you can actually handle the various cameras, (this is how I found the Canon's body was too small for me to comfortably hold) and order the one that suits your style. Which ever one you get, I'm sure you will be happy with it also.

The important thing is to get the camera of your choice, and start enjoying it!

I have a large number of lenses collected over the years for my various Minolta film cameras. As of July of 2006, I was pretty much resigned to staying with film until Kodak and Fuji quit making it. Then the DSLR A100 came along.

It's a great camera. It has a few small flaws, but then nothing is perfect. Compared to my Minoltas, it's lighter, almost too light. The plastic housing seems somehow cheaper. I have an oily complexion and, like most DSLRs, I've found that my nose finds the middle of the LCD. My wife uses her Sony digital the way most people do, at arm's length. So using this camera has required a transition for her.

So far every lens I've used on it has performed flawlessly. I have discovered the same thing every other convert has probably already seen. My 500mm is now a 750mm, my 50mm is a 75mm, etc. It looks like I'll have to buy a 28mm.

The primary storage medium is compact flash, with an adapter for the Sony memory stick. But not the original, so our current stock won't work. But what the heck, I also found a 2GB Sandisk Ultra III on Amazon for $35! It is supposed to give me 450 or so shots at 10Mp and fine. So I don't need to take my laptop for most trips. And a battery claimed to take 750 shots means I can leave the charger at home.

The controls were pretty clear to me, having used Minolta SLRs for quite a while. The various menu screens have taken a while to decipher and I sometimes need some help on a few of them. It's an easy camera to get started with, but can be tricky to learn all the details on. Gary Friedman has a great book on the camera that can take you from being a good photographer to an excellent one (I won't say great, that takes a talent beyond technical competence). http://www.friedmanarchives.com/alpha100/index.htm

I've been using the card reader on my laptop, so I can't really comment on the USB interface.

Overall an excellent camera. Whether it's a first SLR or coming in with a bedroom full of Minolta lenses.

I am an amateur photographer that mainly takes family photos. I bought the a-100 to take the place of my older Minolta SLR camera. I had a few lenses and an external flash for the Minolta. So, the fact that the Sony a-100 would use those old lenses and flash was a major selling point for me. This was also my first digital SLR purchase. I have had experience with other point and shoot digital cameras, but never stepped up to the SLR experience until now. I was not disappointed. This camera takes great pictures. It also has great image stabilization built right into the camera (which can save $$$ on the cost of lenses over Canon and Nikon models). This combined with online printing from ritzpics.com or imagestation.com makes for great 4x6 prints (which is 99% of what pictures I take). Occasionally, I take a shot that is worthy of enlarging to 8x10 or larger. This camera can go up to 16x20 with no problem. All prints have been superb so far.

A great number of people complain about high noise at ISO settings higher than 400. I don't find that to be true. I have taken pictures indoors with a 1.7 speed lens (tripod mounted) with no flash that look great at 8x10. There is no noticeable noise. I haven't gone to 1600 ISO yet, but I haven't really had the need either.

In short, if you want a great digital SLR camera that has lots of bang for the buck, then you just can't go wrong with the Sony a-100. It is pretty much a remake of the Minolta 5D/7D, and I personally love the Minolta camera/lens series.

When it came time for me to jump into the DSLR world there were a ton of choices. Having owned both Canon and Nikon in the past I had no loyalties either way, so I approached buying my camera with a clean slate. After a month of testing out each product (Rebel XT, XTI, Nikon D40, D50, D70, D80 Sony A100) I landed on the Sony alpha A100. I read every online review I could find on it and considered heavily before buying.

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What I like:

Built in AF motor

Built in IS (steady shot)

Built in CCD Cleaner on camera shut off

Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO)

Raw mode and editing software is great

Ergonomics (feels great in hand)

10.2MP for cropping (shares the same CCD as the D200)

Full manual control

Kit lens (produces Sharp crisp images more so than Canon/Nikon kit lens)

Twin top rotary dials (makes life a ton easier when switching quickly for action shots)

Continuous shooting mode until memory card full

Great battery life (400 or so pics with flash for about half of them)

Beautiful color reproduction

******Lens Interchangeability with Minolta Maxxum line*****

I have bought 2 lenses off craigslist (50mm f1.7 & 70-210 f4.5-5.6) for $20 each that would cost well over $200 a piece new. And Since the AF motor and IS motors are built in the are AF and stabilized!!!!!!

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What I don't like:

High Iso's get a little noisy--(read this before hand new it was gonna happen.) Only noticeable on long exposed night shots. To combat this I Fix my ISO at night to either 100 or low 80 and use a tripod.

With DRO set to highest setting, night exposures can get this weird artificial light gradient effect (note with kit lens).---To combat just switch it to a lower setting.

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I take it everywhere with me, and have already produced 2 full size (18x24" & 20x30") prints with it and their quality is amazing. After 1000+ shots, I fully endorse this camera and would recommend it to anyone.

As a keen admirer of sony i`d say if you are planning to purchase a digital slr go for alpha. Definitely a great product with great pics. I have a nikon as well. These two products are way better than the rest. If i`d choose i would go for sony.

Although not a big Sony fan, I purchased this camera because I had a lot of existing Minolta Maxxum lenses, which this camera is compatible with. After using it for nearly 2 months, I can say that we are pleasantly surprised with its performance. Of note is the image stabilizer: to be able to hand-hold an SLR, shooting in very low light at a 15th of a second or less, and get an image that's reasonably sharp, is a revelation! I'm consistently blown away by this camera's ability to shoot in low light at very slow shutter speeds, with a relatively slow lens.

To sum it up:

PROS: excellent grip, great ergonomics, very fast response time, image stabilizer is amazing, sharp images, great color/white balance, uses CF & Memory Stick Pro Duo (the latter with included adapter), lots of great features that are easy to activate. Compatible with Minolta lenses. If you're a past Minolta Maxxum film camera or dSLR user, this camera should be super easy to adapt to. All in all and excellent camera for the money and it feeeels good to use it--they really have that tactile thing down at Sony.

CONS: a bit noisy at ISO-1,600, if you use Memory Stick Pro Duo, you have to pull the memory out of the included adapter in CF format, Minolta Maxxum strobes do not communicate with the A100, so you're stuck with Sony's strobe--probably not a bad thing, but added expense if migrating from a Maxxum system. The old strobe does fire and zoom, but 'auto' functions do not work.

All-in-all, I'd buy this camera again and recommend it to everyone.

Sony Alpha A100 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

One thing to add: the buying experience at Amazon was so much better than the discount camera stores, who try to upsell you and waste your time with credit card verifications, etc. With Amazon, I paid about $[...] more than the cheapest price I found, but the camera arrived when promised for the price advertised. No upsell, no bitchy verification agent telling me my credit card is fraud, etc, etc. Amazon is a truly great buying experience.

There some very detailed reviews, most of which I read before I ordered the camera from Amazon. There is ample evidence that professionals will find the camera useful. I want to take a minute to speak for the rest of us. The camera came a month ago and I've extremely happy with it.

Let me offer some perspective on my comments. The last camera I bought was a small SONY shirt-pocket-sized camera that I was using alot and it got me back into taking pictures. I decided that since I was taking so many pictures I wanted a camera that would take much better quality shots, WITHOUT my having to get a PhD in picture-taking. I opted for this camera with the 18-200mm lens. I now take the same pictures I took with the small camera, but with the zoom lens I can frame them better and with the 10.2 mega pixels I can blow them up and frame them.

There are dozens (hundreds?) of features that I will grow into, but for now I am delighted to use this camera right out of the box, with just minimal reading of instructions. Everything I remember from my 35mm days (my first camera was a Minolta SRT-101 that I bought in 1973) can be put to use, but what I forget, the camera remembers.

My point--this is a camera that is ready to meet you wherever you are and grow with you should you decide you want to go farther out and deeper in.

Ace Digital did a fine job in getting the order and sending the camera the same day. Tracking on UPS worked fine. It arrived in good order.

The A100K is a great camera. I have been a SLR photographer for a long time, pleased with the switch to PHD cameras generally (push here, dummy), but longing for the control and especially the accuracy of focusing that an SLR provides. The A100 does the job beautifully. Pictures are crisp and predictable. The 3 FPS cycle is fast. Battery life is awesome, including the sleep mode it drops into even when the flash is up. The literature claims 750 photos per charge, with every other shot using the flash, and I believe it.

The only thing I have found is that the Auto setting on the guide wheel is not what you want to use for everyday photos. If you are takng landscape shots, use the landscape setting. Ditto for portraits. Ditto for close ups. Auto does not do the best job for any of these conditions. In fact, I try to stay away from Auto, and I have found this curious. The problem is in focusing more than exposure.

The focus evaluation setting is really helpful. You can see if you had shake or subject movement very easily. The anti-shake function is really hard to evaluate: if the subject is a bit blurry, does this mean that the anti-shake didn't work, or that the subject moved? Tripod use improves focusing accuracy, but then it would on any camera.

I added the Sony 70-300 mm telephoto lens and I am really happy with that as well. Great resolution, especially at max tele settings. I live 30 miles away from a mountain with a lookout hut on top, and I can see the hut clearly at the 300 setting, using a tripod.

One last comment about tranferring photos. The Sony-supplied cable connection is 20x faster than removing the CF card and using the card reader on my HP computer. Since the 10 MP photos are 2.3 MB each, this time savings is considerable.

This is a great camera. I am very happy with it.

The Sony Alpha A100 is my third Sony digital camera and my first dSLR. Having been very pleased with my previous Sony cameras, and after thoroughly researching dSLR offerings from Nikon, I decided to go with the A100. I'm glad I did!

This camera has well exceeded my high expectations. It had its trial run on a high school class field trip to New York City, and I must say that it performed exceptionally well in a variety of shooting situations, from candid street shots, cityscapes, and class portraits in the NASDAQ studio (thanks to the wide-angle portion of the excellent 18-70mm kit lens, I was able to fit the entire group in the picture without a problem!). On a later date, I experimented with outdoor shots taken after a winter storm, and was able to capture stunningly beautiful images of snow-capped branches, dripping icicles and foraging bluejays.

Auto focus is fast and accurate; image quality is sharp and clear. The menu is easy to navigate and controls are intuitive. In my opinion, the digital noise over ASO 400 - a consistent negative I keep seeing in reviews about this camera - is NOT THAT BAD, and nothing that can't be fixed with good image processing software like Photoshop Elements 4.0.

If you are looking for an entry-level dSLR, you can't beat this camera. The image quality and performance of the A100 far surpass its low price. I foresee spending many hours honing my photography skills on this camera. But even when I feel it's time to move on to a pro-level dSLR, my Alpha will stay with me and, as its name implies, always be first.