The A300 sits between the featureless A200 and the A350. It's a good camera, with excellent dynamic range and one of the best Live View implementations out there. However, the kit lens is mediocre to say the least and as a result, the camera's performance is compromised. My camera was defective and even though the problem was not a serious one, I returned it and went for a refund, which I used to buy the new Olympus E520.

I just bought the A300 about a month ago, and it is everything a serious amateur wants in photography. I've compared it with other DSLRs of the same level from all sorts of big brands (Nikon, Canon, Olympus, etc.), and I decided to get the A300. Minolta has a lot of history and prestige when it comes to making camera body and lenses, and Sony just seems to make improvements on every product they get their hands on.

My girlfriend complains a lot about how I tend to move towards more bulky and heavy cameras, and so she stays clear of being the photographer when I bring the camera. But with the A300, she loves to use it because of its design/compact design, weight (pretty light compared to other DSLRs of the same level), and overall simplicity on operating the darn thing.

Sorry if this review doesn't provide the Pro's and Con's on specifications and other technical aspects of the camera; I'll leave the Specs page of the product description for that.

This is my second dSLR. My first dSLR was the Canon D350. It took excellent pictures, but dSLRs were still evolving and I found the 1.8 inch screen too small to view, and when I viewed pics taken on it, I missed defects in photos, like out of focus areas, because of this. Thus I sold it.

As an aside, I still have my film SLR Canon EOS 500 from ages ago. Took lovely photos but obviously not used anymore :)

Come 2008, I felt it was time to get my feet wet again. All dSLR's have huge screens (remember the 1.5 inch ones of yesteryear?) and there are more choices than ever before.

I tried to order the A300 from Amazon but they didnt ship to Singapore. I bought it from a Malaysian website instead for an equivalent price. As the camera comes with no memory card, I bought a 8GB type III compact flash card for SGD$120. I've since found ther camera is cheaper from Hong Kong. Any lucky travellers to HK wanting a Sony Alpha should go tot Mong Kok and ask around. Same for the Lens- 18-200mm was offered at HKD$3100- before any haggling!

Reasons why I chose the Sony Alpha A300:

1. Large LCD screen with tilt- I have loved tilting screens since I first got my Sony DSC 30 back in 2000. In fact, all my dig. cameras can tilt- Kyocera SL300R, Nikon S4, Nikon S10.

2. Price (of course!)

3. Longer zoom than the competitors. I've always found lens which stop at 80mm (35mm equiv) quite useless. It's just too little zoom for most people. Thus this lens was much better. In fact, combined with the 1.4x and 2.0x zoom ability (it's a button on the top right of the back of the camera) makes it even better. Doing this does reduce resolution from 10 to 5 megapixels, but it's there if you need it.

4. Good reviews from many people, including the 23 reviews on this site.

5. Relatively lightweight (see below)

How have I found it since?

I've only taken about 50 photos, but they have been quite good. As I am not a professional photographer who views photos under an electron microscope at the subatomic level, I have no problems with the photos at all. Ones taken in the day at great. Ones taken indoors are obviously not quite as perfect, but certainly quite useable. Face detection is good, and I always have vibration reduction on too.

In terms of user friendliness, It's not too bad. I can take most genral photos on auto, but I still need to consult the manual for some things, like how to zoom in when viewing taken photos.

The price of the camera means that I did compare it with prosumer cameras too. Many of them were had incredible zooms, but were correspondingly heavier eg Fujifilm s100fs is almost 1kg. I used to have a Sony f828, which was also almost 1kg, and it was a hassle to carry around for lengths of time. The weight difference between the A300 with kit lens and the prosumers is very noticeable and carrying the A300 is very easy.

I had intended considering the 18-200mm or 18-250mm lens, but at this stage, I dont think the weight addition offsets the benefits, especially since I can use the nifty 2.0x button I mentioned above. Obviously, using the 2.0x on a 18-200/250mm lens would be heaven itself, but for now, I'll make do :)

Woah, that's a lot of writing- if you made it to the end, thanks for your patience!

For the above 23 prior reviewers- thanks for your time in penning your thoughts. Every review helped!

Great camera for the price. Easy to use. Great pictures in the auto mode. Even better when I over-ride and try new things thru aperture or shutter speed variations. I'm really enjoying this camera!

I took the plunge, and purchased an Alpha 300; Sony being rather new to the SLR arena, there wasn't much information to go off of at the time. I'm happy to report that this camera performs VERY well, impressing all my Nikon and Olympus loyal friends during multiple photo shoots.

The Live View is very useful for awkward position shots; low down, up high, etc. and is the envy of most other camera owners.

Picture quality is very high, even in low-light conditions.

With the capability of 3 frames/second, I don't see any reason in going for the Alpha 350, which only manages 2.5 at best. 10.2MP is more than enough, even if you're shooting billboards, IMO.

All together a very versatile camera, with more than enough features and capability to keep you busy for a long time. I think only die-hard professionals would need much more.

I researched affordable DSLR cameras and chose the A300 for its rear screen viewing when desired, its 'in the camera body' anti shake system, its comfortable shape and weight, and its excellent picture clarity. The A300 is NOT a 'dumbed down' DSLR. Its sophisticated (yet easy to use)features should satisfy any photographer. Controls are perfectly positioned, settings are easily reviewed, delay time between pressing the shutter release and the picture being taken IS NON EXISTANT. Audio noise is unobtrusive. Bracketing is simply achieved. and the kit lens is fine for general use. As I take Nature photos, I opted for the Tamron 70-300mm zoom lens as a quality yet less expensive alternative to the Sony zoom. I would buy the Sony A300 again without hesitation. [Nevertheless, if you have an extra $400, the new 350 is an impressive choice indeed.]

This is a GREAT camera!!! The tilting lcd screen is fantastic and definitely worth the upgrade from the A200. I also bought a tripod (recommended) and so tilting the lcd screen came in really useful when the tripod went higher than my head! The camera feels great in the hand and the buttons are well placed. There is so much to this camera and I am excited about learning how to use everything. Definitely worth buying extra lenses, filters, extra battery etc to make this the perfect package.

I am not unfamiliar with DSLR's and in fact I bought this to replace a Nikkon D40. The sony is easier to use and takes great pictures. However, the flash is a pain in the rear because it is mounted very low. It will leave shadows (from the lens) if you are not careful. I don't use the flash much so it really doesn't bother me. The ability to preview your shots with the LCD is a nice feature, but only use it when you absolutely have to. I recently took 400 shots using only the LCD and the pictures all looked great on the LCD, but they were over/underexposed when I uploaded them to my PC. The photo quality was actually a little bit worse than the D40, which was a disappointment because of the higher megapixel. I have not bought a better lens yet, but that will fix the problem. The problem with that is I could have bought the Nikkon D60 kit for the cost of a high quality lens. I still give it 4 stars. The price is right and the LCD is handy, but do not rely solely on your LCD. If you have the extra money I would recommend the D60. This is a great entry level DSLR I just wish the kit came with a better lens.

This is an outstanding camera. A perfect balance between options and simplicity. And boy is it fast. I have small children and it is wonderful for catching fleeting expressions. Also, if you are looking at whether to get the A200 or the A300, get the A300. The live view alone is worth the extra money. I didn't think I would use it as much as I do, but its really handy. While I am not planning on splurging on any accessories right now, its nice to have the option out there.

I'm a long time digital camera user for more than 12 years. The last camera I had is a Sony V3 with a built in Carl Zeiss lens. A very good and a descent camera with a little problem at indoor shots (poor flash).I bought this camera for traveling and vacation with the family and this is my very first SLR camera. I upgraded my old camera hoping for a better quality pictures. The Alpha 100 had very impressive reviews at Amazon.com and that made me decide to buy the Alpha 300 with the kit.

I have taken several outdoor shots for both V3 and the new alpha and compared the image side by side. The result was not a big difference as far as clarity. The picture taken by alpha was just a little bit better only because of higher mega pixel. I had a very high expectation and I'm not too happy at all. With my disappointment, I thought of returning the camera but I decided to give another try. I have read opinion of other reviewers who are not too happy either and strongly recommend the 16-80 Carl Zeiss lens. Bought this to a local store and planned to return just in case.(I'm telling you, these lens are very expensive. The price of the lens is even more expensive than the price of the camera kit). Anyway I did another side by side test and the Zeiss lens performed a lot better especially when you zoom in at every detail of the image so I decided to keep it.

Overall the camera kit is okay when you are taking pictures without cropping or editing. Otherwise if you are very picky in term with picture quality and clarity then look around. You have to remember that I did not compare with the other brand of the same category. But the money I spend with the Carl Zeiss lens, I could have bought the more expensive version of Nikon or the other brand.

My only complain so far beside the cheap lens is the low location of the built-in flash. Raising up quarter of an inch could have prevented the shadow of lens to the subject taken at least 2 feet away. For this an external flash is required.

The things I like are.

Live View

I will tell you the advantage is. Because you can be tilt the screen, in the crowd you can raise camera and you can still see you subject as well as on low elevation.

I myself want to be in the picture once in a while. When camera set to live view, it will turn to a point shoot setting and people who have a very limited experience can still take good picture. My youngest kid he's 9 can take it 99% good quality pictures I guess with the help of the

built in stabilizer.

Low light and ISO

It can still take good picture quality without the use of flash.

Built-in stabilizer