The Alpha 100 is a nice first step forward in the digital SLR field for Sony. For those unfamiliar with the demise of Minolta (later Konica-Minolta), Sony took over production of SLRs, while keeping compatibility with former Maxxum lenses and flash units. Therefore, the Alpha is a logical step for those with Maxxum lenses and flashes (although they must be the later "D" series flashes). But the beauty in the Alpha 100 is what Sony has done to this upgrade.

Although based on the Konica-Minolta 5D camera, the Alpha has both finer lines, and a more solid, quality feel (often referred to as "build"). Dials have been improved in grip and visability.

The most obvious "spec" improvement is the CCD sensor, now improved to a class (under $1K) leading 10 megapixels. Being the actual manufacturer of this sensor is a definate advantage, but even more so coupled with their new "Bionz" processor. Sony claims this new processor can help increase "dynamic range", which means that it can help capture those contrasty scenes that have very dark to very light areas (and those that actually like working hours on a computer can turn this off!).

Sony not only kept the best thing from the 5D, image stabalization, but took advantage of it's ability to induce shake and creating an anti-dust feature.

A bit about stabalization. First, what stabalization will not do for you. It won't help you a whole lot taking photos of your kid at nighttime sports activities. A stabalizer allows you to hold the camera/lens combo steadier at slower speeds. For night time sports, the speeds where the stabalizer can help are much too slow to help for sports. It can help a bit for daytime sports, but faster shutter speeds tend to help freeze the action anyway.

The stabalizer will help you in low-light candid no-flash photography, but just as important, WITH flash photography. Every get that cardboard cut-out look? You know, the people are fine, and the background went black? The stabalizer allows you to shoot at slower speeds, which helps give us more background detail, making the scene more like our eyes saw it.

The stabalizer is also handy for long telephoto wildlife shots, even on a tripod (think "wind"), on in heavy woods.

The camera also has all the standard features you'd expect from today's modern SLRs, and a decent selection of lenses have been announced. Although I'm not a crazy "CZ" fan, the addition of Carl Zeiss optics will add another option to the already plentiful Minolta optics (& third party) available.

The Alpha 100 is the most compelling camera in its class. What might make you consider a different camera would be if you needed a heavier, more durable camera, and especially if you need 5 fps (frames per second) vs. 3. If so, look at the Nikon D200 and Canon 30D. If you need to save a bit of money, look at the Pentax K100D.

Otherwise, get the Alpha 100. Period.

I'm not a pro photographer, but my employee whom i bought this camera for certainly is. He uses a rebel XT, nikon D200 & canon eos-1ds. So in short he said to let u all know in his own words that "this camera owns".
And that u should probably pay some attention to the last reviewers history of bad reviews b4 making an informed decision on that review.
I think i'll be aquiring this for my christmas present :)

I have borrowed this camera today from a friend and have used it for a short period of time. For now I am only going to touch on the big supposed "selling points" of this camera.

First of all the PROS (Good Things)
1) The A100's 'Alpha' lens mount is the same as the older Minolta A-type mount, allowing it to work with all of the old Minolta A-Type lenses.

2) Sony has used the best aspects of the KM technology including the built-in Anti-Shake mechanism, lens mount, exposure system, and menus, and improved them by its own new CCD sensor, image processing and LCD screens. Out of these, the Anti-Shake is the best feature. Allowing you to get Anti-Shake for every lens. This is one of the only cameras right now in the market after the KM5D and KM7D were taken out. Canon and Nikon have this feature in the lens which adds between $300-500 to the cost of each lens.

3) The viewfinder looks a lot better than the others Canon 350XD, Pentax DL and Nikon D50.

4) The final result is 10.2 MP digital SLR with built-in anti shake capabilities which work with every KM lens, an anti-dust system, long life battery, advanced image processing and a nice large LCD monitor. For the average user, the price and specs are a great deal for about $950, you get a kit with 18-70mm lens.

Here are the CONS (BAD Things)

1) Although build quality for the A100 is good, it is unsurprisingly lower than the Canon EOS 30D or Nikon D200.

2) The use of the main 2.5inch LCD for all functions as well as current status (rather than the small LCD screen in other models) might impact battery life.

3) The battery despite being an InfoLithium design, does not display the remaining time like all the other Sony cameras

4) Weak external controls. The KM 7D completely blows the A100 in ergonomics. Even the Canon 350 and the Nikon D50 are a pleasure to use. I love it when any camera has direct dedicated input buttons for White Balance, ISO or Quality. Although arguably the Sony does have some direct buttons, it is made harder by some on the top dial, some on the back and using the LCD for everything..

Now for the more controversial items

5) NOISE: the A100 is noisier than any of it main cheaper rivals Canon 350D, even dirt cheap SLRs like the Nikon D50, and Pentax DL. Noise starts out at a low ISO400 and then goes up from there. Now I expected this.. with higher resolutions, when there is an increased pixel count without increasing the size of the sensor -less surface area for each photosite hence the signal to noise level is worse. However, some have compared the A100 to the Nikon D200 that uses the same Sony sensor and the noise is much more on the A100. A lot of peeps seem to be confused by noise and the Anti-Shake. Anti-shake does not make high ISO redundant. For example, at a party or family gathering. It is important because to prevent motion blur in the normal actions of people, you need a min shutter speed of at least 1/60s. In a room lighted with bulbs or any interior during daytime, the light levels are such that you must push up the sensitivity to 800iso or 1600 (even with a fast lens, and more so with zooms). Thus, if you want good indoors pics without flash for family gatherings, kids. You have to use ISO 800 or even ISO 1600.

6) Dynamic Range Optimizer: I could not see the difference. This again is more marketing hype. I took dozens of test pictures. I was better off with turning this off.

7) Anti dust system: Appears to be more hype. I did not test this extensively.

8) Menus: recycled from the old KM menu system. Hard to use .. not as intutive as the Canon, Nikon or even the other Sonys.

9) Carl Zeiss: I have noticed that so-called prosumers are rabid about this. .one more hyped up label to show off to their suburban neighbors. I have heard that the Carl Zeiss lens are only licensed coatings from CZ. Lens are supposedly made in the old KM factories or at Tamron.. I dont know.. these are the rumors circulating over the internet.

Bottom line. If you take most of your pictures outdoors-whats not to like. it becomes a great camera, 10.2 MP resolution, built-in anti-shake which works with all attached lenses, 2.5-inch high res LCD screen. Even comparing this to upcoming Nikon D80. The A100 body is expected to still be cheaper. With built-in shake reduction and anti-dust, the D80 is at a disadvantage. The Alpha 100 also has a better pentaprism. The D80 may not be able to get away with a pentamirror and removing the anti-alias filter (as it did with the D70). However if most of your pictures are indoors, at night clubs etc.. get the Nikon D50 or Canon 20d

Sony has finally come a full circle, by starting the digital camera, withdrawing from the initial SLR plans and now firmly back. Their first SLR is from the bones of a 20 year MAXXUM/DYNAX line from Konica Minolta. This is the initial camera in the Alpha line called the DSLR-A100, a 10.2 megapixel, three frame per second SLR mostly based on the Konica Minolta MAXXUM 5D. It is between the Canon D20 and the Nikon D200. Overall it is a really good value for your money and might suit your needs perfectly.

The final result is 10.2 MP digital SLR with built-in anti shake capabilities which work with every lens, an anti-dust system, long life battery, advanced image processing and a nice large LCD monitor. The price and specs are a great deal for about $950, you get a kit with 18-70mm lens. Again, this camera is in a class all to its own. Nothing really compares. Nikon has the D200 and the upcoming D80, Canon has only the 30D (which does not have Anti-Shake but has better ISO performance) and finally the Pentax has its K100D (which has anti-shake but lower 6MP resolution). All in all its a winner and would get 5 stars if they fixed the noise issues.


First of all the PROS (Good Things)

1) Sony has used the best aspects of the KM technology including the built-in Anti-Shake mechanism, lens mount, exposure system, and menus, and improved them by its own new CCD sensor, image processing and LCD screens. Out of these, the Anti-Shake is the best feature. Allowing you to get Anti-Shake for every lens. This is one of the only cameras right now in the market after the KM5D and KM7D were taken out. Canon and Nikon have this feature not in the body like the Sony, but in some of the very expensive lenses. Of course this is a cash machine for Canon and Nikon and they charge a premium of between $300-500 to the cost of each lens... nice work if you get it !!! In my view, I think this feature is the best selling point of the camera and if you buy at least 2 or 3 lenses from Sony, you would recover the cost of the camera just like that.

2) The A100's 'Alpha' lens mount is the same as the older Minolta A-type mount, allowing it to work with all of the old Minolta A-Type lenses. Minolta has made some superb lenses over the last 20 years equalling or better than the Nikon or the Canon L series. Some of these you will find used for cheap.


3) The viewfinder is big and bright and looks a lot better than its low cost competition. Likewise the 2.5-inch LCD screen (which on SLRs cannot be used for a live preview) is gorgeous with high resolution.

4) The A100 looks and feels excellent and looks vaguely like the Konica Minolta 5D, but the A100 is smoothly contoured. Overall the body has a black finish, except the front grip area which has a durable rubbery grip like the KM, and has a ridge to separate the middle finger from the ring finger for perfect alignment every time.

5) Flash. I have not tried the external flashes. I have heard good things that it appears to be wirelessly and remotely controlled by the A100. I am using a Canon SLR system, and have always been envious of the free built-in wireless capabilities of the Nikon D200 & D70 control of the Nikon SB800 flash. Hopefully this works similar. I cant wait to test it.


Here are the CONS (BAD Things). Take this with a grain of salt. As you can tell by my 4 stars, the positives far outweigh the negatives:

1) Although build quality for the A100 is good, it is somewhat more plasticy that the Canon EOS 30D or Nikon D200. but this is not a big deal.

2) Does not have a status LCD. The use of the main 2.5inch LCD for all functions as well as current status (rather than the small LCD screen in other models) might impact battery life.

3) The battery despite being an InfoLithium design, does not display the remaining time like all the other Sony cameras

4) Weak external controls. The older Konica Minolta 7D completely blows the A100 in ergonomics. Even the entry Canon rebel 350 and the Nikon D50 are a pleasure to use. I love it when any camera has direct dedicated input buttons for White Balance, ISO or Quality. Although arguably the Sony does have some direct buttons, it is made harder by some on the top dial, some on the back and using the LCD for everything..

Now for the more controversial items

5) NOISE: the A100 is noisier than any of it main cheaper rivals Canon 350D, even dirt cheap SLRs like the Nikon D50, and Pentax DL. Noise starts out at a low ISO400 and then goes up from there. Now I expected this.. with higher resolutions, when there is an increased pixel count without increasing the size of the sensor -less surface area for each photosite hence the signal to noise level is worse. However, some have compared the A100 to the Nikon D200 that uses the same Sony sensor and the noise is much more on the A100. A lot of peeps seem to be confused by noise and the Anti-Shake. Anti-shake does not make high ISO redundant. For example, at a party or family gathering. It is important because to prevent motion blur in the normal actions of people, you need a min shutter speed of at least 1/60s. In a room lighted with bulbs or any interior during daytime, the light levels are such that you must push up the sensitivity to 800iso or 1600 (even with a fast lens, and more so with zooms). Thus, if you want good indoors pics without flash for family gatherings, kids. You have to use ISO 800 or even ISO 1600.

6) Dynamic Range Optimizer: I could not see the difference. This maybe more marketing hype. I took dozens of test pictures.

7) Anti dust system: Appears to be more marketing hype. I did not test this extensively.

8) Menus: recycled from the old KM menu system. Hard to use .. not as intutive as the Canon, Nikon or even the other Sonys.

9) Carl Zeiss: I have noticed that so-called prosumers are rabid about this (one more hyped up label to show off to their suburban neighbors). I have heard that the Carl Zeiss lens are only licensed coatings from CZ. Lens are supposedly made in the old KM factories or at Tamron.. I dont know.. these are the rumors circulating over the internet.

Bottom line. If you take most of your pictures outdoors-whats not to like. IT IS A GREAT CAMERA for the price-10.2 MP resolution, built-in anti-shake which works with all attached lenses, 2.5-inch high res LCD screen. No current production camera from Canon or Nikon even comes close.

Even comparing this to upcoming 10 MP Nikon D80. The A100 is expected to be cheaper but with Anti-Shake, and better pentaprism viewfinder. The Nikon D80 is not expected to have built-in shake reduction and anti-dust. The D80 may not be able to get away with a pentamirror and removing the anti-alias filter (as it did with the D70).

However if most of your pictures are indoors, at night clubs etc.. consider the upcoming Pentax K100D which also has in-body Anti-Shake, sells for about $650 with 18-55 lens, but has an expected better ISO performance, but lower resolution at 6 MP.

PLEASE VOTE AND LET ME KNOW IF THIS REVIEW HELPED YOUR PURCHASING DECISION.

My comments are based on my ownership of both the Maxxum 5D (A100's predecessor) and the A100. Simple assessment - much larger gain in "NOISE" than detail in image between my 6MP KM 5D and the 10MP A100 --- resulting in 3 Star vs. 5 Star rating.

Great build, look and feel, LCD, and browsing speed, and of course the built-in image stabilization. Excellent image quality with good lighting. DRO was unpredictable. Found better overall exposure when using spot metering.

Image detail is slightly better than the ($600 KM 5D) but ISO 400 and above are exponentially more noisy. If you like shooting natural light indoor pictures, or high speed action on a cloudy day, the A100 noisy high ISO's is a limitation - otherwise it is a great camera.

Regarding the noise, I never used noise removal software until my A100. I find that NoiseNinja does a decent job on cleaning up my A100 images at 400 and 800, but falls short when trying to get rid of the noise on ISO 1600. The KM 5D will give you ISO 3200 (candlelight shots) that are better then the 1600 on the A100 - regardless of using NoiseNinja or not.

I was expecting on selling my KM 5D after receiving my A100...but because of the ISO/noise issues, I will need to keep it around to fill in the ISO gaps...that is the reason for not having a 5 Star rating.

I recieved my A-100 on July 25th, after pre ordering from Sony on the first day they took orders. Yeah, you could say I was very excited to get this camera. Sony makes waves every time they release a new camera, they simply don't mess around. This being my 5th Sony (and I've had the R-1 since Decemeber too), when I was emailed July 23rd and told i'd have to wait to get mine until late August, I just called Sony, and begged for it. "Already shipped sir!!", great, awesome I thought... since they shipped me my 75-300 lens about two weeks earlier, I was very anxious to get my hands on it. So the trademark Sony service is still there despite the tornado of phone calls they must be recieving.

So i've used it for a few days now (just recieved my 50mm macro lens yesterday) and my initial impression is that it is:

1. High in build quality.
2. Perfect size to hold very comfortable, and very light.
3. Versatile.
4. A huge bargain for what you get.
3. Features list is extensive.

Highlights are; 10.2 megapixel resolution, image stablization (super steady shot) built into body of camera (that makes any lens you have stablized), dust shaking and dust coating on sensor (to prevent those irritable spots on pictures), the benefit of a camera system vs. a body and only two or three lenses offered like some other brands, and PRICE. Let me say that again, PRICE. Worth mentioning are the menu dials (wow that makes quick exposure settings a breeze, and the ergonomics of the camera, very easy to learn for a DSLR.

For those DSLR shopping, you are probably going to read many reviews before you commit to a system or a new body and lenses. I am currently putting the camera through it's paces in regards to image quality specifics, and it would be unfair at this point to rate the A-100 in every category since I haven't tried everything with it yet. However, I will say that the 75-300 lens is a decent lens, but not superb. The Prime lens offerings are superb. However, if you are out and about taking pics of wildlife and need a good zoom, it should work just fine, in fact in some of my shots i've found it to be very very good in the midrange with albeit with some chromatic abberation issues. If you are professional and want the best image quality, better wait for the superzooms to be available. The 50mm Prime Macro lens is another story however, and my first shots indicate this is a fine piece of glass and im going to be very very happy I purchased it. It also gives the Alpha an all business feel to it, vs. the other lens.

I will do a follow up full spec and summary review of this camera in a week or two from now. Again, I wouldn't think it fair to do a full in depth review until i've had it long enough to make an honest summation of it. All indicators are very very positive however so far, and some of the images i've taken are quite impressive indeed. I hope this small summary review helps.
Some of my test images can be viewed here (labeled A-100 TEST SHOT SERIES ... only!).[...]

About the Sony A100k We'll make this short and sweet. I took 200 pix and tried 80-1600
ISO and somehow I have missed the noise everyone is talking about.
I got my camera about 1st of Aug 06. Works very well at 1600 in low light!!!!! With The anti shake I have took pix at 4 and 6 and they came out fine on auto.[picks ISO]

Love it

Ronnie Lankford

[Here's a reprint of the review I first wrote for the Camera + lens kit. Since that time, there have been some other, more scientific reviews, most notably, the one done on Digital Photography Review.

They had some additional positives, most notably the highest CF card throughput they've yet tested (even against top-of-the-line pro models). The biggest con listed was high noise at 800, and particularly at 1600. This might be a problem with anyone who's buying this camera primarily for low-light photography.

In conclusion, they gave this camera a "highly recommended" review, their highest mark.]

----------------------------------

The Alpha 100 is a nice first step forward in the digital SLR field for Sony. For those unfamiliar with the demise of Minolta (later Konica-Minolta), Sony took over production of SLRs, while keeping compatibility with former Maxxum lenses and flash units. Therefore, the Alpha is a logical step for those with Maxxum lenses and flashes (although they must be the later "D" series flashes). But the beauty in the Alpha 100 is what Sony has done to this upgrade.

Although based on the Konica-Minolta 5D camera, the Alpha has both finer lines, and a more solid, quality feel (often referred to as "build"). Dials have been improved in grip and visability.

The most obvious "spec" improvement is the CCD sensor, now improved to a class (under $1K) leading 10 megapixels. Being the actual manufacturer of this sensor is a definate advantage, but even more so coupled with their new "Bionz" processor. Sony claims this new processor can help increase "dynamic range", which means that it can help capture those contrasty scenes that have very dark to very light areas (and those that actually like working hours on a computer can turn this off!).

Sony not only kept the best thing from the 5D, image stabalization, but took advantage of it's ability to induce shake and creating an anti-dust feature.

A bit about stabalization. First, what stabalization will not do for you. It won't help you a whole lot taking photos of your kid at nighttime sports activities. A stabalizer allows you to hold the camera/lens combo steadier at slower speeds. For night time sports, the speeds where the stabalizer can help are much too slow to help for sports. It can help a bit for daytime sports, but faster shutter speeds tend to help freeze the action anyway.

The stabalizer will help you in low-light candid no-flash photography, but just as important, WITH flash photography. Every get that cardboard cut-out look? You know, the people are fine, and the background went black? The stabalizer allows you to shoot at slower speeds, which helps give you more background detail, making the scene more like your eyes see it.

The stabalizer is also handy for long telephoto wildlife shots, even on a tripod (think "wind"), or in heavy woods.

The camera also has all the standard features you'd expect from today's modern SLRs, and a decent selection of lenses have been announced. Although I'm not a crazy "CZ" fan, the addition of Carl Zeiss optics (including a completely new 16-80 design) will add another option to the already plentiful Minolta optics (& third party) available.

No camera has everything, and here's a few options you might like/need that aren't offered on the A100: No wireless remote; no vertical grip/extra battery grip; new battery not "info" type (althought they say it last longer); noise (grain look) not quite as good as Canon; and, no PC Terminal for studio type lighting (and the Maxxum type shoe makes it difficult to adapt).

The Alpha 100 is the most compelling camera in its class. What might make you consider a different camera would be if you needed a heavier, more durable camera, and especially if you need 5 fps (frames per second) vs. 3. If so, look at the Nikon D200 and Canon 30D (keep in mind these 5-Star cameras are 1.5x to 2x the cost). If you need to save a bit of money, look at the Pentax K100D (solid 4-Stars).

Otherwise, get the Alpha 100. Period.

I've been noticing some very positive, quite glowing, reviews of this new digital SLR camera from Sony - especially an extremely enthusiastic preview from Popular Photography - which is not merely a modest upgrade from the Konica Minolta Maxxum SLRs, that were produced by Minolta for approximately twenty years, until Konica Minolta sold this system to Sony. One of the new camera's best features is the option to use image stabilizing for each lens, since it is built into the camera body, instead of on some expensive optics only, as is the case with those from Canon and Nikon. Another excellent feature is the better ergonomics, with the camera's control knobs and buttons bigger and easier to handle, than on previous Maxxum cameras. Last, but not least, there is the promise of new superb-quality lenses from Carl Zeiss, manufactured by Sony under strict Zeiss quality control (This is apparently the case with Sony's numerous Cybershot digital cameras, especially with the more expensive models, which include elaborate Zeiss Vario-Tessar and Vario-Sonnar zoom lenses featuring Zeiss T* multicoating.); the first three lenses in this Zeiss Alpha line should be available to customers by year's end (One of these lenses is a fast, brand-new 135mm f1.8 Sonnar lens.). Those interested in a quality digital SLR should consider seriously the Sony Alpha A100K 10.2 MP Digital SLR, with an accompanying 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 Sony Alpha lens which should be useful for many photographic applications from wideangle to telephoto photography.

I had the Minolta Mavica 7D before buying this Sony camera. You can buy Sony's lenses but my Minolta lense fit this camera perfectly. Best features: It has an option where the autofocus will happen immediately as soon as your eye is up near the camera. If you are shooting animals, race cars, or moving kids, this will save you time. The focus is extremely accurate. You can also disable this feature and use the normal auto focus by pushing the shutter 1/2 way down. Manual focus is also available. Another neat feature is that the camera can auto select the best ISO (film speed equivalent) on light conditions. That's handy and works well. If you don't want to use it, you can pre-select the ISO whenever you want. This camera is more user friendly than my Minolta. It uses the same sensor as the more expensive Nikon D200. Quality all the way. Good job Sony!!! The ONLY negative is that the remote shutter release tab is flimsy and in inconvenient place. It would be better position on the side.

Body is good and light. It is better for the beginner.

I used to have a Maxxum 5 and was plannig an upgrade to either 5D or 7D. The first had some limitations (like the lcd resolution) and the last was a little expensive. When I saw that Sony had bought Konica's Digital Camera technology I couldn't believe that a camera with so many resouces could cost 1000 bucks. Taking advantage of being in US and of the Prime benefits, I deciced to buy the first release and so far I have absolutelly no complaints. I have taken many great pictures so far with the 18-70 mm that comes with the camera and with my old lenses that I used to use with my old Maxxum 5. The anti-shake technology is unbelievable! Allows great zooms with image perfection.

I have had the Sony DSLR since July 23rd. I took over 700 pix at the WSOP in Las Vegas, and several hundred since. I do have the Sony flash, and the SAL-18200 lens. I was a little leary about going from "point and shoot" to DSLR. It took some time to read the manual, study, and practice but I have had many compliments on the pix I have taken and printed. If you want to take the next step up in quality photography, get this camera.

I got some good results while learning to use the camera. The noise issue referred to in other reviews wouldn't bother me, because I rarely take low light photos.

Unfortunately, after about 150 pictures, the camera stopped working. I received an error message after taking a picture. I called Sony customer service. After 45 minutes and a couple of contacts, no one had heard of the error message (odd that they would program an error message and then not tell support people what it means). I had to return the camera to Sony for repairs, at my expense....with a 7-10 business day turnaround. Maybe I've been spoiled by quick turn arounds (and free shipping) by Apple, Dell, HP, and others, but that seems a little long.

To destroy a few myths about this camera:

1) Contrary to what many users or prospective buyers like to believe, in-body image stabilization a la Sony only works with lenses upto 200mm focal length, i.e. where most people least need it, and is therefore no adequate substitute for what Canon and Nikon have to offer in terms of image stabilization. Moreover, if noise levels at 800 and 1600 ASA were as good as in the competition's products, one could do without SuperSteadyShot altogether.

2) Unfortunately, the dust removal of the Sony 100 does nothing at all!

3) While battery-life appears to be good, the lack of a vertical grip is a real problem for many Western people because they have larger hands than the average Japanese. Canon and Nikon understand this (see the new D80 and 400D). Sony does not care.

I have used cameras, including digital SLRs from Olympus, Nikon, Pentax, Minolta and recently the Sony Alpha 100, and cannot express as much enthousiasm for this camera as the other reviewers.

I think it missed the mark.

I had purchased a Sigma 24-135 mm f/2.8-4.5 and a RiDATA 4GB 150x CF card to go along with the A100 body. Together they have a really good feel. Love the pictures as long as you stay away from ISO 800+ unless you're a fan of sand. Tip - set the sharpness to +2 and Vivid colors while keeping the ISO to a minimum number. The flash, even though it only has a GN of only 12, really isn't too bad. It went down my hallway and illuminated the end really well. I wish that it wouldn't be too noisy though - both the body and lens. Also, the flash does not have an auto pop up feature. If there is, I could not find it in the manual nor can I make it work. I would have to pop it up manually. After buying a circular polarizer, I am armed well and really love taking pictures.

After several days and several hundred pictures later, I was confident that I had the right know how to manually adjust the program settings correctly and to take some really incredible pictures. Finally, my left brain feels excited. This camera is great for novices - not too expensive and comes with a lot of bang for the buck. Definitely more features than the Canon Rebel and has some features over the Nikon D70. The antishake helps especially when in max telephoto range. Don't understand the DR and DR+ setting yet. I like the fact that you can adjust the type of focusing to use. Unsure if Canon or Nikon has this. It is a 3 fps camera, not too bad. It can't compete with the Nikon D2Xs but for one fifth the price, I think it holds its own.

If I had to do it all over again, I would. I love learning with this camera. If you are considering the Rebel or the D70, this beats both because of its features and megapixel size. I can't wait to see what Sony adds to their next DSLR. I will keep this no matter what. For a new entry into the DSLR field, they sure came down with a heavy footprint.

While I don't own this camera, I own a KM Maxxum 5D upon which the Alpha is based. The 5D is great and Sony seems to have taken this camera to the next level, improving the LCD, the anti-shake, ergonomics, megapixels, and adding in a Dynamic Range Optimizer that significantly improves the Dynamic Range of many photos.

In less than a year this model has moved from good to great based on this feature set. If you are thinking about a DSLR, definitely consider the Sony Alpha. I would still recommend my Maxxum 5D upon which the Sony Alpha is designed, but now the Sony comes with so much more for a very competitive price.

BTW - one reviewer states that anti-shake doesn't work above 200 mm. I don't believe this is at all accurate - certainly not so with my 5D. If you are concerned about this, check it out yourself. For a thorough review, also see dpreview.com.

I'm in love with my camera. I have had it for 2 weeks. The photos coming out of this camera are amazing. I have a picture of a flower with rain drops in perfect focus with the kit lens.

Someone also spoke about the anti shake, I have a 100-400 lens and I have taken several pictures at dusk with this lens not on a tripod and they are perfect. With the same size lens on a Canon rebel I can not get a picture without blur. So I say the anti shake works perfectly. I have also been able to take night shots without a tripod and still have no blur. I think the antishake is amazing.

My only complaint about the camera is that the shutter is a little noisy and if you shoot at 800 iso you do see some noise. But, I very rarely shoot at 800 so it's not a problem for me.

I would recommend this camera to anyone. And if you already have minolta lens it's a no brainer.

I pre-ordered this camera from Sony because it uses the Minolta lens mount. I was so excited to be able to jump into digital and still be able to keep my lenses. I received the A100 on August 17, 2006 and the power went off and stayed off on September 24, 2006. I called their Tech support who did not recognize the name of the camera (their website doesn't recognize it either). The first question they asked was if I had turned it on! After we went through all the other possibilities I had alread tried, they suggested I hold the "power on button". Of course, this is a DSLR and has a slide switch for power. I was told to UPS it to them in Laredo, Texas. Everyone knows UPS has no respect for electronics and I was afraid it would come back to me in pieces. Also, I was told by the Tech that if something did happen to it in transit, it was my problem not theirs. I then called Customer Support. The girl who answered was rude, she got mad at me for being upset my five week old camera was not working. What did I expect a working camera for $900? I could not return it because they have very strict rules about the four week limit. Mine lasted 5 weeks. No apologies, no explanation, no "don't worry we'll get this handled". They made it quite clear that I was being very irritating with my call. I asked for a Supervisor and was told none was available, but she would have one call me within 3 days. It's day 2 and still no call. I wish I had never heard of the A100. Sony definitely does not stand behind it's product. I will never buy anything from them again. I wanted to put no stars on this review, but the system won't let me.

Having owned a Nikon F4a snd a Hasselblad C-500, I love this camera! Plenty of options, or program to point-and-shoot option--it's your choice. Excellent photos either way.

This camera has not timelapse recording!!!
(Cameras with a time lapse feature can be programmed to automatically shoot a number of frames over a period of time or with a certain time interval between each frame. For instance, a camera on a tripod in time lapse mode could be set up to shoot frames of a flower opening or a bird building a nest.)

I bought it since I had the old Minolta 5000i body and lens. And the lens do work on the Sony Body. Even my Sunpak Flash work on the body also. I am now in digital SLR world and with a 70-210mm zoom and 10 meg pixel, croping pictures that are far away are amazing at what you get compared to my small 2x opitcal zoom point and shoot digital camara.

The reviews below this one are thorough and written by professional-sounding photographers. So I'm going to give you my brief impression as an amateur. I have had this camera for 2 months now and use it regularly (several times a week). I am a flatwater kayaker and I use it mostly to take pictures of wildlife--shorebirds, deer, other critters--from the kayak. I purchased the 75-300 zoom lens to go with it. I also have the lens that comes with the kit, which I use for scenics or pictures around the house, etc. My previous cameras included the Sony DSC-H5 and the Canon S2 IS, both with teleconversion lenses.

Obviously, this being a DSLR camera, the pictures are crisper with better color. The image stabilization is effective enough to give me sharp pictures of birds taken from a kayak on moving water. While the 10 mp factor is usually (I gather) desirable from a printing standpoint, I find that it is helpful from a cropping standpoint. The zoom lens will only take me so close to a bird in a tree--cropping the photo enables me to, in effect, zoom in further on the picture itself, so the end result is that the little dot in the original picture can be cropped and zoomed to show up clearly and sharply as a belted kingfisher.

It's heavier than regular (non DSLR) digitals, a fact that put a friend of mine off it. It also has an unusually loud shutter noise (not the satisfying *click* of other models). I wish it used plain AA batteries instead of rechargeable--I am used to being able to replace the batteries on the go if necessary (instead of being SOL if they run out while I'm on the water).

But the fact is that you can't beat the price and I find the quality of the pictures I get with it to be excellent. It's my first DSLR and I am very pleased with it.

First, let me say I love the camera itself, and I REALLY, REALLY wish it was part of a system that a pro could use. But...SONY has dropped the ball. As of this writing, there is NO sync cord available to use the camera with a Stroboframe, etc. - and, even worse, it uses a proprietary hot shoe that is compatible with pretty much zilch. Sadly, it will remain a limited-use camera for me, or simply be replaced with something that is part of a full system. Too bad.

The camera has lived up to what I expected and was worth the price.

I've had experience with other DLSR's but this is the the first one I've owned myself.. and so far it's great.. with a good highspeed C card I can take pics all day on one battery.. I've got it dialed down to 5MPs and the quality is still great.. the availability of other brand accessories is still a little light but I trust the Sony name will soon encorage more companies to develop products for the A100 camera.. the internal image stabiliser is pretty cool but I dont have enough photogrhpy experience to know how good this camera really is.. but overall I like it and that's what counts.

I really like this camera. I had started with Nikon in the digital SLRs and then went to Minolta for the anti shake feature in the body. This feature remains in this Sony and the controls are easy to use, but powerful.

I just can't say enough about how much I like it. It is my first DSLR camera and it is very easy to use. I'll be honest, I have not made many adjustments, just snapping what I see and it turns out great. It handles well in my hands. Great stablization mechanism/software.
I lost the lens cap and it seems that Sony doesn't make replacements, although they do have body caps. Takes good pictures indoors without flash. It was a couple of weeks later that I discovered the flash. I would recomend it to anyone. I bought it at XXXX and then noticed that Sony had a great Bundle Price with the two lens. The two lens I ultimately bought (paying more than Sony's special). I'm a relatived novice (you may have picked up on that) and I like the camera.
I don't like that when you are not actively shooting you either have to turn the camera off or listen to the camera focus on & off.

I will make this brief as there are enough posts to give all the gory details.

1. After a VERY exhaustive review of all the other cameras out there and many demos in the stores this was, to me, the obvious choice. What swayed me was several well-respected magazines saying how great it was... none of them said anything to sway me away due to noise... and me first week with the camera has shown this decision to be correct one. If you are going to blow up a 1600 ISO snap to poster size after cropping it and putting it thorough Photoshop etc... well, then noise might be an issue.

2. As I am a recent convert from the Point-And-Shoot world of digital pictures I wanted a robust yet easy camera to use and shore with my tech-shy spouse. She has already picked up many many skills that made this and even better option. The buttons are well thought out and not easily pressed if not intended.

3. Again, as a recent convert, I also wanted to be able to transition into the world of intermediate to advanced photography. The lens that came with the kit is perfect for almost every application... save true macro shooting (which I suspect vary few of us do often)...

4. Lastly, the value decision was easy... I got a steal matching a big box retailer that also included the long zoom $250 300mm lens for $100 extra bringing the total to $850... of course you will need to buy a memory card... and I STRONGLY recommend the 4GB card so you can shoot in the combo mode of RAW/JPEG... (two formats shot at once!). PLUS... the option to use the Minolta Maxxum line of lenses and KEEP the image stabilization in the camera (the other brands IS is in the lens, making the price VERY expensive... ).

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind this is the best DSLR under $1000... and maybe under $2000... if you buy anything else you will very quickly wish you had bought the Sony!

After doing many late nights of reviewing before making a purchase I was down to the Canon Rebel 400D or the Sony a100. The built in stabilization pushed the Sony over the top. I have a limited budget and can't see myself spending thousands on the canon lenses.
I have big hands and the Sony felt better. I've owned it for less than 2 weeks and I've taken over 500 pictures, almost all...like 95% are perfect,indoors with flash, without, outdoors with the white balance so easy to adjust. All I can say is ....Wow... I am not a pro but I do like to fiddle with all the settings...I found it to be very intuitive.
I'm really glad I chose the Sony. So if you're on a limited budget and you have bigger hands, I say choose the Sony. As far as the "noise" goes, most pro's say it has a lot, at higher ISO (1600). Not on mine...At least none that I can see. Pro's also say it is loud, like the shutter and chip is loud...Really it's not too loud and...I kinda like hearing it snap a picture anyways...but...that's just me. I bought the kit with 2 lenses the 18-70 and the 70-300 for 899....The rebel was the same price...but...again...with the built in stabilization...I feel I made the right choice. Try them both out...While you're at it try the Nikon D80 too. Most pro's say all three are just about equal less the stabilization on the canon and Nikon...I say test drive em all and whichever you choose will be the right one:)

This is my first single lens reflex camera. I love it and the reason you will too: it is fast! When you take a picture and you wanna take another, you just push the shutter release button again, and voila, the pic you would've missed with your point and shoot because it had to "recharge" or process the image. Even with flash, you can just keep clicking and taking pics. One big difference - with this SLR your eye WILL be looking through the eyepiece, and not at the 2.5 inch screen, because there is no image preview on the screen. But now, you WILL take good pictures in good light because you won't be depending on a washed out lcd screen in bright sunlight to see what you are capturing.

At this price, get one today! I remember buying my first digital point and shoot for over $500 (and a 1 megapixel sensor) and being excited - this is SO much better!

I bought this camera for Christmas after having spent several weeks reviewing test reports (such as on [...] and reading user opinions. I wanted to buy a DLSR because eight to six years ago I owned a nice SLR from Minolta and was very happy with it. After buying our first digital camera (a compact 6 MP SONY DSC-V1) we haven't really used our SLR anymore. We have used our compact V1 a lot, maybe shot 7,000 pictures over the last three years, and even though being happy most of the time there have been moments where I wanted to have a real SLR/DLSR back. So, at the end I decided for the SONY A100 over Canon or Nikon for a couple of reasons:

1) We have been very happy with our SONY V1
2) We were very satisfied with our SLR from Minolta and the A100 is based on earlier Konica/Minolta DLSRs
3) The image stabilization (steady shot) seemed to be a major advantage
4) Sensor cleaning (anti-dust) mechanism
5) I could potentially use an old objective from my Minolta

After having received the camera and after having shot maybe 100 pictures (not too many, I admit), most of them test pictures where I took the same scene with our old V1, I must say that I am quite disappointed of the picture quality. I don't know whether it is because of the 18-70mm lens that came with the camera (even though I have read that the quality of that lens is actually not that bad) but it turns out that the pictures with the A100K are worse than those taken with our V1, which I find quite amazing, and disappointing.

The test pictures that I have taken with both cameras were taken at home, with and without flash, in various modes (e.g. AUTO mode, program mode, shutter priority, etc.). I played with the ISO settings, the flash level and the EV settings for the exposure compensation and so on. The scenery was colorful (many objects/toys with different colors) and allowed a good comparison of color reproduction and sharpness.

What I can see so far is that for some reason the pictures with the A100K are quite blurred, even though I use steady shot (also with flash where steady shot would not be required) and even though I set the sharpness already to +1, as recommended by many users. Still, the image quality is disappointing, in all modes that I have tested so far. It turns out that our V1 gives really better results, even though it is a fairly small lens (from Carl Zeiss, though), a much smaller sensor and only 6 MP. The color reproduction on the A100K seems better and more natural, on the V1 the red is typically over-pronounced.

The other, very annoying impression is noise. I read about noise issues for ISO settings above 400 ISO but there were some users that mentioned that you hardly shoot at 800 or 1600 ISO, which I found convincing. However, now, in this typical "home environment" I can see that on some pictures even the noise at 250 ISO is significant, I mean, you look at the picture and one of the very first impressions is that it is quite noisy. You look at the EXIF info of the picture and it tells you that the ISO (I shot in ISO AUTO mode) is 250 or 320. This is really very bad. I didn't expect that I would have a "noise problem" for a typical daylight picture at home even, under certain circumstances, not all pictures, of course.

I will definitely return the A100K. I think I will try another DLSR, maybe the 10MP Rebel from Canon, otherwise I will stick to my V1 or look for a newer model. We realized in the last two days how superb the V1 is, actually, by having this comparison with the A100K ...

...I MUST add here an E-Book that Sony should include and that I just purchased... "The Complete Guide to Sony's Alpha 100 Digital SLR Camera" by Gary Friedman... It makes using this camera even easier and FAR better results than expected... it can almost make you a professional overnight!

I will make this brief as there are enough posts to give all the gory details.

1. After a VERY exhaustive review of all the other cameras out there and many demos in the stores this was, to me, the obvious choice. What swayed me was several well-respected magazines saying how great it was... none of them said anything to sway me away due to noise... and me first week with the camera has shown this decision to be correct one. If you are going to blow up a 1600 ISO snap to poster size after cropping it and putting it thorough Photoshop etc... well, then noise might be an issue.

2. As I am a recent convert from the Point-And-Shoot world of digital pictures I wanted a robust yet easy camera to use and shore with my tech-shy spouse. She has already picked up many many skills that made this and even better option. The buttons are well thought out and not easily pressed if not intended.

3. Again, as a recent convert, I also wanted to be able to transition into the world of intermediate to advanced photography. The lens that came with the kit is perfect for almost every application... save true macro shooting (which I suspect vary few of us do often)...

4. Lastly, the value decision was easy... I got a steal matching a big box retailer that also included the long zoom $250 300mm lens for $100 extra bringing the total to $850... of course you will need to buy a memory card... and I STRONGLY recommend the 4GB card so you can shoot in the combo mode of RAW/JPEG... (two formats shot at once!). PLUS... the option to use the Minolta Maxxum line of lenses and KEEP the image stabilization in the camera (the other brands IS is in the lens, making the price VERY expensive... ).

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind this is the best DSLR under $1000... and maybe under $2000... if you buy anything else you will very quickly wish you had bought the Sony!

I HAVE BEEN A SONY DIGITAL CAMERA USER FOR A LONG TIME AND HAVE STARTED WITH POINT AND SHOOT, THE SEMI PRO AND THIS IS THE TOP OF THE LINE. THE CAMERA HAVE A GREAT LENSES AND A USAGE FROMA A TOTAL AUTOMATIC TO TOTALLY MANUAL. THE CAMERA IS VERY LIGHT AND HAVE A GREAT. THE BATTERY USE LAST LONG EVENTHOUG WITH A FLASH USAGE. I HAVE TAKEN OVER 200 PICTURES AT LEAST 70 WITH FLASH AND THE BATTERY REMAINS COMPLETE. A GOOD RECOMENDATION BUT FOR PEOPLE WHO WANTS A PROFESIONAL CAMERA, NOT FOR AMATEURS.

This is the camera we have been waiting for...10+MP SLR for less than $1,000. We have had several other fixed-lens digital cameras, each one having certain positive attributes, but this SLR has everthing we were looking for. It would be nice if the LCD display could be used to preview a shot, rather than always having to use the viewfinder, but this has not proved to be a serious complaint.

The Sony exceeds my exceptions. All previous digitals including a Fuju 5600 lacked my 35mm Canon SLR experiences. I wanted a camera with fast switch on, rapid focussing but only driving the lens if I was actually about to shoot, good battery life and high quality pictures. The image stablilisation in the camera rather than the lens was very appealing. It met and exceeded all I asked for in terms of requirements and value for money. As a varifocal user it was ideal with the adjustment in the viewfinder; the functions, menus are fairly simple to drive but give enormous option for the adventurous but usually just let it get on with it.
I use a Pheonix flash synchronised gun for indoor work which has so much more power than the local flash and make distance flash photography practical and with bounce remove all the usual shadow issues. If I had a gripe it would be that the Sony's flash synchronisation would require a Sony flash rather than allowing a conventional hot shoe.
I am amazed that my family find it so much easier to use than their own point and click digital cameras which of course is the befit of through the lens photography; just have to make sure they don't 'steal' it!!
Paired with a large CF card you can take photographs till the heart is content as battery life is excellent and even re-charging is relatively rapid.

My husband has been very happy with this camera, but I don't like the issues with subject motion. When the subject moved, our photos show a "drag"...this is a problem with a little one on the way! I don't think my husband realizes that children don't just sit and smile for photos! After we learned the camera's features we were able to get good night photos.

Most of our photos are GREAT!

Great camera just in time for the hollidays.. Takes great pictures and easy to use.

Great service, product arrived in perfect condition, Now I just need to learn how to use it.

Let me say up front that I don't own this camera, but I did take an opportunity to test drive a new body with some of my older Minolta lens. That part of the interface was perfect - as advertised, the body works flawlessly with the old Minolta-compatible AF lenses. I was able to take a few spectacular images using the A100 in conjunction with my 28-80 and 50mm lenses in good lighting at ISO 100 & 200. I tried some indoors with my 100-300 zoom at an ISO setting of 400 and was completely disappointed. I also found the auto white balance to have a lot of trouble with fluorescent and mercury vapour lighting. I confess I didn't spend a lot of time dicking with the custom white balance system, but it seemed to be almost identical in performance to the AWB system on my Sony F717. Anyway, this camera has a sensor that does not like to be underexposed, and I found the noise above ISO400 to be intolerable - there's no way I could crop those images. I also found the menus to be less than intuitive. Finally, my old Minolta 7000i had a "P" for "program" button that you could press when you got too sidetracked with settings, or were in a hurry and wanted to set the camera to completely automatic (my wife called it the "panic button"). This camera is missing such a function, which I would miss.

To be really fair, I didn't get to know the camera as well as I would have liked to. To summarize, if you're going to be taking all your shots outdoors at ISO100 it can't be beat for the price, but as the light levels drop the performance of this camera suffers. I hopt Sony fixes the noise problem for the next model they release.

This is an excellent digital camera. It's 10.2 mega pixel capability give beautiful sharp photos even at large sizes. It has been easy to use too.

I bought this camera when it first came out. At the time nothing came close to matching it for the price. Now there are some other 10 megapixel DSLRs that are affordable but i'd still get the A100 (only other one i'd consider is the Pentax). It has been fantastic and is now an absolute bargin. Awesome image quality (below ISO 800), fast AF, great handling and very fast shooting. The battery life is awesome. Its rated at 750 shots with 1/2 using flash and I belive it. I've shot hundreds of shots in a weekend and not come close to emptying it. So much better than my old batter hog point and shoot digital. The built in metering is also very good and the manual mode very easy to use. Built in image stabilization makes this camera much more useful in low light (you can use 1/3rd the shutter speed of other camera and still get it sharp) than an unstabalized Camera and makes any lens stabilized. With Canon or Nikon you have to buy stabilized lenses which cost a lot. The grip is also better than that of any other low end DSLR i've used. Substantially bigger than the one on the digital rebel or on my old film Olympus SLR. Makes the camera just stick to your hand. Shooting is so much more fun with the control you get from a camera like this. I find myself wanting to do nothing but go out and shoot on nice days and have taken some great pictures on this. I've blown enlargements up to 13x19 with good results. Haven't tried bigger yet.

The kit lens is good for what it is. Very high quality but a small aperature that makes it slow to focus at full zoom and not the greatest at low light. This is a problem common to all kit lenses. Personally i'd get at least one faster lens, or just get the body and a faster zoom. There are a lot of used Minolta lenses out there that are cheap and good that you can use on this camera. The 50mm f 1.7 is a bargin as is the legendary "beercan" a 70-210 f 4 with amazing bokeh. Sony lenses are a little overpriced at this point, imo, so i'd look to either the used market or to makers like Tamron and Sigma for your lenses.

I've waited a long time to upgrade to a DSLR from my Minolta Maxxum. This was a logical upgrade, since the Sony is based on Minolta technology, and uses the same lens mount.
The camera is very nice, has all the features you'd find on any DSLR, and I mostly like the fast access to most settings you'll ever need to modify from the two knobs on top of the camera. I think it's missing an LCD on top with the most basic settings, instead you have to rely on the screen on the back.
I've compared it to my friend's Canon 20D, and although the Canon seems to be a little better camera, but I'm happy with my purchase since the Alpha is almost half the price. The Canon seems to have better picture quality (more vivid colors), but then again, my friend is using lenses that cost way more than my whole camera, and I have low end lenses. So the comparison is not fair, but that is what I've experienced.
It's a good solid base for my photography to get better. It's 10MP res is as good as I'll ever need, battery life is awesome, I'm not sure how you could drain a fully charged battery in one day of use. The feel of the camera is great nicely balanced, good grip, nice screen, Sony quality all around; and my wife loves it. I would recommend it for the above average user, who needs more than a point-and-shoot, and if you have owned a Minolta Maxxum and have lenses lying around.

I have been using Minolta Cameras for over 15 years now. When I finally decided to switch from Film to Digital I hated to start over with a new camera line. The main reason was all the lenses I had accumulated over the years. I seriously considered the Maxxum 5D & 7D models but was reluctant since Minolta was selling out. So I decided to wait on the Sony Alpha Body. After receiving the camera I played around with it using just the auto settings. I found that most of my images were badly underexposed doing this indoors. Outdoors things went great. I also found the foccus sensors to be a bit sensitive but after using the camera for awhile I quickly adjusted to it. Overall I think it is a great camera. From a technical standpoint I think it compares evenly with comparable cameras. I think for a minolta user it is a great step up from previous models. All and All if you are looking for a solid mid range digital SLR this would be a great camera for you.

I tried this at the CES show in Vegas, knew I had found a great camera and went searching for the best price. I found I could buy it for about $860 and Amazon's price was $1018. Then I found out that at the $860 price these crooks were taking out the battery and the charger and selling an offshore Alpha that had no Sony US warranty so I would be stuck if it ever needed repair after their one year phony.

Adding the battery and charger back in meant I would be paying these online crooks more for an offshore version than the "Sold to America" version from Amazon that Sony America would service.

The first day I used the camera I shot 396 pictures with and without flash and the image stabilization was perfect in all but a couple flash shots at the end of the the 200mm range. There is very little shutter lag and you can see your shots immediately to be sure you got what you wanted.

The Sony Alpha 18 to 200 mm lens is amazing in versatility. Previous to this I had used an Olympus IS-3 35mm camera because it had such a great wide angle to telephoto range and Olympus really dropped the ball in not bringing out a single lens with the zoom range of the Sony 18-200 lens for their digital cameras.

I can't think of any real advantage buying a Nikon or a Canon would give me in taking event pictures or portraits as the ease of use in this one lens and large file size fits all my needs.

I've waited for the digital SLR to come of age at a reasonable price and the Sony Alpha with the 18-200mm lens really does the job.

The Sony Alpha offers a sturdy plastic (steel inner cage) body that doesn't feel remotely flimsy. All controls are easy to navigate, and operate crisply. The LCD is bright and sharp, as is the viewfinder. I found the menus easy to work with and understand. The overall size is a step up from some of the affordable DSLRs, which allows for more actual mass to get your hands around; thank you Sony. Build quality does not leave anything on the floor. Overall, a nicely built and user friendly photography tool, and reasonably priced. Recommend.

I own a Minolta 7D and recently borrowed a Sony A100 to use on a trip. If Sony would combine the two cameras, they'd really be onto something. The 7D has its controls laid out in a way that the photographer wants them, and this is just as important to me as image quality. What good is a 10.2 MP sensor if you don't get the shot you want because you were screwing around with a bunch of menus? To a photographer, the 7D is absolute heaven but it lacks an up-to-date sensor.

Then again, how often do you change settings while in the middle of shooting something? When you have to you have to, but generally it's not necessary. I'd say the A100 is a wonderful camera for most people. The photos are great, and the menu system is also a problem on competing cameras from other companies.

Anyway, Sony is probably the only company who's poised to compete with Canon. Nikon, Olympus, etc are too small. Sony is huge, and unless I'm mistaken they actually manufacture the sensors for Canon. Sony really needs to get on the ball and do something that Minolta neglegted to do: develop a line of lenses that will compete in the professional market. The Minolta lenses are good, but a pro demands a wider variety than Minolta produced. If Sony goes forward with that, they'll get some users who used to use Nikon. Pros. And once they do that, they'll get the reputation needed to attract up-and-coming photogs.

Regardless of whether or not Sony decides to compete with Canon for the professional market, I think they'll be around a long time. That makes for a safe investment in a Minolta/Sony system. And the advantage of in-camera stabilization shouldn't be overlooked. Minolta pioneered this and Sony will continue to improve it. Any lens from the old Maxxum line (spanning three decades) becomes "IS", which allows a person to purchase a wide variety of quality inexpensive used glass. Good Canon lenses are much more expensive on the used market.

The Sony/Minolta system deserves strong consideration from anyone: first-time dSLR buyers or former Nikon users. Remember that it's not the body that's the long-term investment: it's the lenses. If you're serious about photography it will not take much to eclipse what you spent on your first body. Bodies will come and go, but the lenses you buy now can be used almost forever.

Amazon.com has in what I consider the worst ordering system on the internet. If an order goes astray and if you are able to contact their sales personel you will probably be told that they cannot give you any information and that the item or items will be handled by a secret organization within their company and no one has access to them or their phone number. Think Im kidding, try it. In my opinion this company is in a moronic state and of course run by morons.
The camera is very good, and I had to pay more money as a result of their incompetance.

i was using my husbands 35mm minolta (which looks a lot like the sony a100) but i wanted a digital. he has two distance lens that i was hoping i could use if i bought a digital camera. i found out that sony bought out minolta and that the a100 should be able to fit his lens. i made sure they did by going to a local camera shop to try them out.

we got the body only for christmas and i was so happy! i have a good eye for photography but am brand-spanking-new to digital cameras. there is a lot i need to learn but this camera is the best. it is well worth the effort of learning all the functions the camera has to offer (if you are a computer idiot like me) and if you already know what you are doing then you already know that this camera has a lot to offer.

i made sure that i got a lot of memory... knowing me i'll take pictures of anything. i am using a 2gb memory card and so far so good! i have taken over 1000 pictures in about 2 months time (i do make sure i empty the memory every so many shots and resize the pictures to my liking) and it is amazing how wonderful th pictures look.

you cannot record sound or movies, which is fine by me (i wanted a camera not a camcorder) but if you hold the focus on your subject you can set the camera up to take multiple frames one after the other making the pictures look as if they are moving (the old flip book idea).

the camera does have a loud "click" sound when taking pictures but i don't know if that is normal or not for digital cameras. the birds i take pictures of hear it and seem to look for the source of th noice which actualy helps get them to change position for my pictures.

over all i just love this camera. i just wish the lcd screen was recessed or moved over as i keep putting my nose on it and leaving smudge prints lol

now i just need an even better lens then the one i have.... MORE ZOOM!

For anyone who had Minolta 35mm cameras with lenses, this camera lets you use those expensive lens so I only had to buy the body to get great shots.

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.

I purchased the Sony Alpha A100K digital SLR camera because I needed a really good camera for my web design business, but knew nothing about photography. This camera is good for novice photographers who want a good point and shoot digital camera. I also like the camera because I am hoping to develop more photography skills and take advantage of all the features the camera has that a more advanced photographer would know how to use. I like the zoom lens that comes in this kit, and have taken some good quality photos by zooming in manually and shooting in the auto mode. Amazon had the best price on this camera kit compared to Wolf Camera, Dell and Best Buys. Seriously, I thought Amazon only sold books, but was doing a search for this camera, and through a price comparison web site, I found the camera at Amazon. So far this camera has been a great buy!

Love this camera! Was my first Digital SLR! Takes very good pictures, long battery life, and includes built-in flash,neck strap,and ISO settings 100-1600.Takes 2-3 hours to charge the Lithium-Ion battery. Takes 120 photos with 512 MB Memory Card! Highly recommended!

Though I am beginning in the photography, I have could extract good probecho to the chamber(camera), wait to relate mas to her(it) to give a final verdict..

I have enjoyed using my camera. I have been able to get some great pictures. The stabilization feature work well.

Great camera, no wonder it was named "Camera of the Year". Fast, clear and accurate describe the camera and the photos it produces. I have had the camera for a month and it has been all I expected. The super steady feature truly gives two f stops. The kit lens is useful and quite a bargin. I use it more than I thought I would. I truly get the same feel and results that I did with my old Maxxium SLR.

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