camera takes good picture, good for the price. It has everything i was looking for in first digital slr camera, super steady shot image stabillization is a plus for me, you can buy lens for half the price if you are on a budget. I also like the live view with its x 1.4 and X 2 which adds extra zoom to any lens(ONLY ON LIVE VIEW) the flip screen lcd is useful when shooting with live view, to shoot different creative shoots, overall i am satisfy with my camera and looking foward to learning how to shot great pictues and develope better skills in photography.

Having previously reviewed the Alpha 200 and 350, it seems a bit silly to review the Alpha 300. After all, the Alpha 300 is a 200 with Live View, or a 350 with 10 megapixels instead of 14mp. Right?

Well, pretty much that's the case. But there is also a corresponding price difference. Is Live View worth an extra $100? Is 14mp worth an extra $200?

For my money, yes, Live View is worth the $100 because of the way Sony has implemented this feature. Unlike most systems, you won't see a loss in autofocusing performance (or a loss of autofocus completely), nor will you alter the way the exposure and white balance are determined. Add to this the articulated screen that makes extremely low or high angle shots easier, and I say "YES"! Any drawbacks? Yes, this screen is a bit thicker, and pushes you back a bit when looking through the camera. Also, the way Sony implements Live View does mean you only see 90 percent of what you'll get on the image.

OK, is 14mp worth the extra $200? I don't know, but I don't think so. We really need more critical comparisons from people with true scientific methods of measuring the difference in image quality, but there are a few assumptions that will probably hold true, based on previous cameras. The 14mp will give a superior image in good lighting, when ISO values (the fake "film" speeds) can be set to higher quality settings. You won't see this difference on an 8x10 standard photo, but probably could in very big enlargements or severe cropping of photos. Keep in mind that the "1.4x and 2x teleconverter" option you have with Live View is nothing more than cropping, with 2x dropping your effective megapixels in half.

Past cameras would suggest, however, that the higher pixel density of the 14mp camera would be a drawback in low light conditions, in particular when we have to raise the ISO settings. Thus, they may not even be as good as the 10mp sensor for these applications (but we still need critical testing to confirm this assumption).

So, for my money, I'd say the 14mp is probably not worth the money for someone shooting an even variety of shoots, but might be for a landscape/wildlife photographer.

Compared to other brands, I think the Alpha 300 wins on features compared to the Canon Digital Rebel XTi or Nikon D60 (Live View, stabalization in body). The new 12mp Canon XSi is more in the price range of the 14mp Alpha 350. In any case, with 3 new Alphas, and the new D60 and XSi, there's no more excuses! Get a camera and start taking great photos!

Sony Alpha A200K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
Sony Alpha DSLRA350K 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens

Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens
Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)

My first DSLR, and I am very satisfied.

Why I bought it:

Live View - excellent implementation. This was my number one purchase point for this camera. Fast switching to and from the Optical Viewfinder. You can use Live View outside of the studio and it acts just like a standard consumer digital camera screen. Screen tilts, which is handy.

10MP - this is the sweet spot for price and capability. The Alpha 350 has 14MP, but I decided to save the money and buy a few accessories right away.

RAW+JPEG - I wanted a camera that shot RAW+JPEG and didn't skimp on the JPEG. You can shoot high-quality JPEG and RAW at the same time.

Great photos - has to do that.

Good surprises after I got the camera and started using it:

Ease of Use - very easy to start using right out of the box (recharge the battery first).

Steady Shot - gives me the confidence to shoot without a tripod and it has a nice readout on the LCD that tells you when you're shaking.

Battery life - I've been taking quite a few photos the last week and have yet to recharge the internal battery.

Display Button - easy to press and review your photos. Very easy to get back to shooting.

Minor Bad Point - in-camera flash is very low and kit lens casts a shadow if you are too close to your subject. I got an HVL-F36AM external flash with the camera so I don't have to worry about this too much.

Some mention that the viewfinder is small, but I used it all day today because of the bright sunlight and was happy with it. I was sitting in our vehicle and noticed a tank in my side mirror. I decided to take the photo using auto focus but that didn't work, so I focused manually on the tank about 30 yards behind me through the driver's side window in the left side mirror and got a perfectly sharp picture using the Optical Viewfinder.

Great camera!!

I had to choose between the a200, a300 and a350. Like another reviewer said, I think the a300 hits the sweetspot. The Live view is a feature that I might have to add to my list of requirements for future upgrades.

One of the things that annoyed me about shooting with a dslr were my glasses. To prevent them from being smudged, I'd flip them up when pressing my face against the eyepiece. Spend an entire day doing this and it becomes a royal PITA. I've only used the camera for about a week so far and I can already see that I'll be relying on Live view a lot.

The other major benefits of Live view are: 1) being able to shoot pics from the ground level perspective (great for kids and dogs) without multiple trial and errors or crouching/laying on the ground (my back thanks me), and 2) shooting over a crowd of heads, fence, glass partition, etc.

The image doesn't track as smooth as I'd hoped, but it's good enough for framing the shot. It shows you the autofocus points as well as providing a live histogram (i love it!).

I upgraded from a Minolta 5D and I think I'll miss the depth of field preview as well. Small price to pay for all the other great features.

In summary, get this camera if you're not heavily invested in other lens systems. I haven't checked out the competition since I'm one of the surviving members of the Minolta clan, but I'm sure others have competent implementations as well.

The A300 is, but for one flaw, an excellent camera. My pictures are consistently good. The controls are not bad. I would prefer more dials and less menus; however, the critical functions are readily accessible through the function button.

The flaw I mentioned deals with the vulnerability of the (LCD) liquid crystal display. Because that display swivels, it stick out further from the camera body than would otherwise be the case. As such it is more likely to be damaged or scratched. Note that, unlike the Olympus E-510, the LCD does not swivel against the body for protection. Incredibly, Sony does not make available, at least for the US market, any attachable protective covers. The "Lens and Accessory Compatibility Chart" on Sony's US website does list a plastic sheet (part # PCK-lS3AM) as available for the A300 (and the A350). The "Accessory" catalog, at pages 9 and 18, lists the same part. Nevertheless, this part is not available in the US. This was confirmed to me by phone with Sony Customer Support and by letter dated May 8, 2008, from Sony Customer Affairs, that Sony Marketing has made the decision not to make this protective part available in the US. No reason was given. The part is available in Europe, but, not for shipment to the US.

This is poor decision by Sony. Putting aside the question of listing the part as available when in fact it is not, the camera needs this part. Sony does make such protective devises available for the A200 and A700. The A300 and A350 need this protection more than the A200 and A700. The decision to deny American buyers the protection offered to Europeans is senseless.

I am sure that the aftermarket will eventually remedy this oversight. Until then, unless you have a compelling need for live view and/or a swiveling LCD, stick with the A200.

The is lowest price DSLR carera that has the realtime lcd view. It's very good and easy to use, the picture is very clear.

The A300 is not a dog but for relatively few bucks more you get a lot more with the A350 that I bought after the A300 was returned to Amazon. I got the 350 accidentally because of some misinformation about the shipping date from Amazon re the A300. Much to Amazon's credit they handled the return of the A300 well and expediently, because when it arrived I already had ordered the A350 in the interim because of the immediate need for it. They had posted information on my order that it could be a month before I'd get it but it was actually shipped within about three or four days of my ordering it and arrived within eight days. I never did get a response from Amazon about the conflicting shipping dates. As for the A350, I've used it several hours already and have no complaints (speaking as an amateur). I still have a lot of studying to do to get the maximum utility from it.

I really love this camera. It is very easy to use. I was so happy to know that my Minolta lens and flash were compatible. I would highly recommend this camera.

I've had the A300 for about a month now - I've been using it regularly and am very pleased. I did a lot of research before choosing this D-SLR and IMHO the A300 offers the best bang for the buck in its class. My decision was based on the image quality, Sony's innovative LiveView functionality, in-body stabilization, lens availability (without any confusion as to what lens is compatible, what lens is stabilized or has a focus motor...) and price.

I use the LiveView and OVF interchangeably and both work very well for me (and I wear glasses). I find LV and the tiltling LCD particularly useful when using a tripod as it's no longer necessary to contort my body to the OVF to see what the camera sees; it's also very useful for candid shots and to get over peoples' heads (or fences at zoos for example). I've found the LV/tilt-LCD incredibly useful to be able to place the camera on a wall or post or less convenient spots when there's no tripod, and be able to compose and shoot a great night shot.

I find the camera responsive - no complaints there - AF is fast and accurate. Metering is flexible, accurate and consistent. Battery is great - lasts a long time and with the % display, I know when I'm running low.

The built-in image stabilization has saved many a shot for me where lighting was marginal - I would not want to have to do without this feature.

I'm pleased with the image quality (even when I forgot to reset the ISO from 800 after some indoor/no-flash wedding shots). The camera has lots of buttons so I don't have to go searching through menus and if I do need to do something that doesn't have its own button, the Fn button generally gets me there quickly - a well thought out interface that works for me.

I have the Sony 18-70 and 75-300 kit lenses and I'm happy with both as they provide great flexibility in range, and they're sharp enough for me. All in all I'm very happy with this tool and if my shots don't come out the way I expect them to, it's more likely my problem than any lens or camera limitation.

Knowing what I know now about this setup, I'd definitely make the same decision to buy it.

I have been using the a300 for about and a month and I love it. These are the best pictures I've ever taken. I am still learning to take advantage of all the dslr goodies, but it is simple to take professional looking shots right out of the box with auto settings. The articulating live-view and auto-focus are nearly perfect.
My dslr research led me to Sony and I am very glad it did. Amazon (and Electronics Expo) gave me a great deal and fast delivery. Great camera!

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

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.

After researching all the available DSLR's cameras online with in depth reviews from reputable unbiased sites, I found the sony alpha 300k, to be the best price/product available.

I have tried the nikon D 60, and then returned it,.I am aamazed at the sony alpha 300 ease of use and excellent pictures quality. All the features included, i.e.: tiltable screen, live view, extra foucs, steady shot and the 2 lenses i got with it, I thought this to be a steal...

I am a beginner with DSLR's but not with photography,..I thought i will be using the live view, but I find myself shooting more with the OVF.

All the reviews about the small size of the OVF are bull, you see what you are supposed to see and what you need to see to take excellent photos... the CF feature is great.

I bought the extra flash (199, ONLY 99 W/SPECIAL COMBO OFFER), the pictures qualities at night are amazing, it adjust automatically to the zoom degree to give excellent exposure.

I bought extra batteries, sony alpha bag, and uv protector lens. I think i'll be bying the 28-300 mm zoom sigma lens once the price drops some more..

Overall, after spending hourse of reserches, I was drawne to the this sony alpha 300,..i did not know about it befiore, but i am extrmely pleased with the pics quality. ps the 14 mp, does not make a lot of difference unless you are shooting in macro, as the lens mount is the same for the 300 and the 350, in fact it may blurr the puiture by trying to insert more mp through the same size lenses,.. i am glade i stuck to the 300 and saved me 200 dollars.


The camera built and feel is excellent very pro, and is very well designed even for the smallest fingers, has a great grip and feels well buils, unlike the nikon d-60.

So all of you who may be confused about the camera or what to get: the sony will not disapoint, I am picky by nature and can not find flaws in this machine yet... just make sure to get the extra flash (wireless), and some extra zooming lenses,.. you'll be happy you did.

Amazon deliverd the camera in under 1 week, excellent conditions. Just buy the CF, i found the transcend brand to be exceptionaqlly good and fast. get the 8 gb it is a bargain and do not forget the CF reader as most computer doe not have ability to read cf yet. it cost about 15-30 dollars depending on brand.
Happy photography dslr style.
paul 06 29 08

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 exactly what I have been looking for: A D-SLR that can be used like a point and shoot most of the time (just with better picture quality and a lot faster) but gives you the flexibility of a SLR when you have the time and leisure.

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 upgraded to this camera from a Konica Minolta 5D. I'm very happy with the quality and ease of use with this camera. I can use my minolta lenses as well, As a matter of fact, the kit lens on the sony doesn't seem to be all that great really. So I'm using my kit lens off my km5d and am a lot happier with the results. I like the live view preview ability but mostly still shoot through the view finder. I recommend this camera to anyone. From the first time dslr user to the pro.

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.]

I bought this camera recently. Modestly, I thought this was one of the best decisions I made! The camera is amazing, it looks beautiful, it takes very, very good pictures, and the price is unbelievably good! I am not a fan of Sony products, but I just loved this. I don't write reviews very often, but I so wanted to share my excitement!

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.

After using point-and-shoot digital cameras for several years I've decided to switch to a DSLR. My two main reasons were: shutter lag and low-light performance.
Having 2 Canon point-and-shoot digital cameras, I naturally got interested in the new Canon Rebel XSI (aka EOS 450D). An interesting features for someone like myself who is used to point-and-shoot cameras, is the Live View shooting mode which allows you to frame the picture using the screen instead of the viewfinder which is very similar to the way most of us use point-and-shoot digital cameras. When researching further I discovered that the way Canon implemented the Live View mode is not suitable for fast action photo taking, but more for tripod based accurate photographing. A couple of months I heard about the new Sony DSLR cameras. I was surprised since I didn't know Sony manufactured DSLR cameras. I knew that the Sony brand is well known in audio and video equipment market but I wasn't familiar with the fact that they had professional DSLR cameras. After some reading I've discovered that Sony is indeed a newcomer to the DSLR market and that their entrance initiated in 2005 by jointly developing DSLR cameras with Konica-Minolta and eventually buying their entire DSLR business at 2006. Again, what caught my eye was the live-view feature that Sony implemented in a innovative way which does not hinder the camera's performance (especially the quick focus) when using it. Another feature that the new Sony cameras have (and Canon's don't) is in-body image stabilizer which works with every lens you attach. On the downside Sony's cameras do not perform as well as Canon's in high ISO settings and they have a much smaller variety of lenses available. Eventually, I've decided to buy the Sony and I don't regret it. Live view performs very well and the view finder is very good (although many reviews say that it is too small). I was also very fortunate to get 2 Minolta lenses from a relative so that was a very pleasant surprise and together with the in-body image stabilizer they produce wonderful photos. The camera is very agronomic and you can get to most settings with very few button clicks. High ISO setting noise starts to appear above ISO 400 but whether this is an issue depends on the size of prints you are going to produce. Other then that, the image quality is wonderful, of course this depends a lot on the type of lens you attach to it and there are very high quality old Minolta glass that matches this camera.

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!

Don't get me wrong; I do like this camera. BUT, if you're an old DSCF707 or DSCF828 user--such as me (I have both), forget about any of your old stuff working on this camera.

I'm disappointed that even the lens cap does not have a lanyard anymore. The high-end flash for my 828 will not fit the A300 and forget about the batteries, chips or even the USB wire plug being the same. Making matters worse my two Sony remote control tripods won't plug in to the new camera.

I'm more than a little bummed that as an avid Sony Pro-user (daily) that everything has to be bought again. The old 828 unit even came with a charge plug slot, now this new one you have to remove the battery. They could have done better. But, alas, in fairness, I paid more $$$ for the 828 so they had to cut somewhere...just didn't expect EVERYWHERE!

i'm not a professional nor a novice, i have researched most of the entry-level DSLRs (going to the nearest bestbuy,is the best bet).Compared oly 510, canon xti,pentax 200d,and believe me this is over-all,one of the best built and most functional DSLRs in the market..altough two of them have in-camera image stabilization..the amazing lcd and the excellent live-view are just few of the features that got me hooked,the kit lens is not that bad either and the image quality is highly commendable..so what if it has a proprietary flash-shoe, it's not like u would buy all the accessories at once.. save up and buy the best(ahem, pardon me for the bias)if you are in the "professional" zone you wont be looking at these cameras anyways.. moreover sigma and tamron are already making excellent quality lenses for sony SLRs, stop fretting about flashes and lenses, if the body feels right, whether it's sony,canon or olympus,go ahead.. get the rest of the accessories slowly..i'm more than happy with this cam.

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!

For the money you cannot get the features this camera from any other competitor. Make sure you read all of teh features and what this camera can do, for one it has 2x Teleconverter built in! that means my 300mm lens is now a 600mm lens. Wow! Even with the standard lens you have good telephoto! Plus it has live view! and an adjustable LCD? for $599? out of this world for an extra $100 over the A200, i bought that at Wal-Mart and took it back and orderd the A300 with overnight shipping!

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.

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.

Let me be honest, this is my first DSLR...and it is AWESOME!!! Ok, so I've already established that I'm no expert and by all means, take my review as you will. I do have to say that my brother, who is a serious amateur photographer (has his own studio, but it's not his main profession), has a Canon D40 (I think that's the one) which was a bit more expensive than mine. Well at his daughter's second birthday we put our cameras head to head and the Sony a300 consistantly came out ahead. Boy was he mad that in the category of overall picture quality the Sony came out AHEAD of the Canon! Who would have thought that? Sure, sure, he has more options, better positioned buttons and might have a frame (or fraction thereof) per second faster. Either way, what counts most - picture quality, ease of use, reliability and speed - are DEFINITE winners for the Sony a300. I'm sure if you're reading my review you've already read a few others touching on the tilt LCD screen, the OVF eyestart auto-focus, the in camera stabilization, and much much more. I can say for the money, you won't find a better DSLR out there. I've only had the camera for about a month and a half and taken almost a thousand pictures and have yet to find a drawback. I'll update this once I do, but don't hold your breath....

Following one week of using my Sony A300, it was no longer working. Upon Sonys' request, it was sent to one of their repair centers, who advised me that the LCD (an interior piece)was broken and not covered by the warranty. I contacted Sony who stated that it was my fault, that the interior piece was broken and that I had to pay for the repair ($151.00), they called me about four times to restate, that I was responsible, it seems that with Sony the customer is always in the wrong.Sony Alpha DSLRA300K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens

This is my very first DSLR Camera. I spend some time reading articles and magazine reviews trying to decide which maker/model to buy. I was already inclined towards either the A-350 or A-300 so I decided to look and try them on a store, which happened some 6 weeks ago at a Sony Style Store.

Both models are beatiful and ergonomic, with 200 US$ being the difference in price for and additional 4 MP I finally went for A-300X kit, and bought the vertical grip with the 200 bucks I was saving.

I have taken some 600 shots with the camera so far, and I am really glad with the results. All in all this is an excellent kit for the price, and the vertical grip makes handling the camera more confortable for me dur to the additional height it adds to the grip area.

The Sony Alpha a300 is an excellent choice for a modern DSLR at Sony's very attractive price point. The fully functional Live View [with real AF, tilt LCD and automatic viewfinder curtain] adds an exciting and useful facility [especially on tripod with a remote shutter control]. The Super Steady Shot feature [Sony's in body image stabilization] works very well and makes the function available with any lens. The a300 user [even more so the a350] will likely appreciate the full image quality available from the image sensor using Sony's pricier lenses, but the Minolta A-mount allows continued use of the many fine Minolta AF lenses and accessories. The Smart Teleconverter [digital zoom] is useful on all lenses and works very well. The build quality is good, but the camera should be handled with some care. All in all the a300 is a very useful DSLR and very attractive at Sony's pricing point.

I purchased this camera about 6 weeks ago with the optional Sony 75-300 mm lens. I took over 1100 pictures, including landscape, air show (w/ 300 lens) and on vacation in mountain terrain. I should note this was my first camera purchase in over 5 yrs, having used a Sony Mavica 5MP camera all these years. On auto mode the pictures were hit or miss, sometimes the sky was washed out in color, I'm talking about taking one picture after the other just seconds apart on a sunny cloudless day, other times it looked fine. I used aperature and shutter priority modes with mixed results, again just inconsistent exposure one shot to the next. It did not help that I got dust on the sensor when I put the very first lens on!
The one constant on all the pictures regardless of which mode I used was a lack of sharpness with either lens, in any zoom range. I have read the kit lenses are not the best and that detail suffers, I have to agree. When I looked at photo's taken using my old 5MP I noticed no difference, and acturally preferred the old camera's quality. I'm sure in an experienced DSLR user the results would have been different. In the end, the issue of dust on the sensor, did not realize this is common among DSLR camera's (of note I tried the camera's cleaning mode to no avail), the lack of pop in the pictures (a $500 lens upgrade would take care of that I imagine)and on top of that lugging around a bag with the other lens just took the fun out of taking pictures. I now know I was not ready or did not realize how much time a DSLR would require. So I returned the package, and have now purchased a prosumer camera, much easier to operate! I wrote this review mainly for people like me that have used a simple point and shoot for a few years and got carried up in all the hype the DSLR camera's have gotten lately. They will take the best pictures in the right hands, but for me an upgrade to DSLR was just too much of a jump. I gave 3 stars for disappointing detail and softness of the lenses. Just know what your getting into.

I purchased the Sony A300 5 months ago through J&R Music World. The camera came to me quickly and with no apparent problems. Since then I have used the camera several times to take photos of my grandchildren and also some landscapes. I always mount the camera on a sturdy tripod. When it is not being used, it is stored in a padded camera case. The last time I turned on my camera the LCD showed a white screen with just a couple of lines running through it. I did not bang it, drop it or otherwise abuse it. The camera comes with a 1 year warranty. Since I purchased a Sony product I did not expect to have a problem with them honoring my warranty. They gave me instructions to send it to Precision Camera Repair. After about a week I checked Precision's online repair status and I had a message saying that repairs were delayed because they were waiting for payment. When I called they told me that the camera showed some small scratches on it's base so the camera was obviously abused and therefore they would have to charge me $254 to repair it! I went ballistic. Precision's customer service person told me that maybe they could reduce the repair cost and immediately reduced the charge to $175. Now you may say that my argument should not be with Sony. It should be with Precision Camera. However when I called Sony Customer Relations they refused to intercede and told me I was out of luck. My argument is with Sony because they are using an obviously unscrupulous repair service. How do I know they are unscrupulous? Because I have since found out that what they did to me, they have also done to other people. There are many complaints about them at these websites: [...]
[...] Sony's Customer Relations Department turned a deaf ear to my complaint. I had no choice but to pay for a repair that should have been covered by the warranty.
I am very disappointed with the durability of this camera and the way Sony handled my problem.

I have had this camera for a little over a month and just love it. I did read the manual the second day and now I can get even better shots of flying geese using the motion setting and the anti-shake button. The auto focus is great for someone trying to get that once in a lifetime shot. It is easy to use even without reading the manual and I was really impressed with the quality of my pictures. I would recommend this camera to anyone. My only regret is that I didn't order the Sony 500mm lense, but maybe next Christmas.

As a Sony advocate I applaud the Sony Alpha! Sharp pics! Flip screen is awesome! Move over Canon and Nikon !
I upgraded from a Sony F828 (which I still use! and it's in excellent like new condition and trouble free since the day it arrived).
Sony stands behind their product!

The only glitch with the alpha is the must purchase of a convertor which allows one to use MemorySticks. Personally, I feel that for the price of this camera Sony should include the adaptor.

I purchased my SONY Alpha 300 several months ago. Since then almost 75% of my pictures are bad using the flash. This is not due to the plastic guard the attaches to the front of the lens. If it was the guard, the shadow would occur all the time. I don't think the Sensor is bad because the shadow occurs when using the flash...strange. The shadow is a black arc that appears at the bottom 1/4 of the image. I am waiting for a response from Sony on the cause. Regardless if they can fix it, I have a lot of good pictures that have been ruined. Maybe SONY should add Photo Shop in camera package to fix the bad pictures. I should have went with a proven camera, such as Canon or Nikon.

To be fair...
If you're lucky to purchase the camera without this problem, Congrats. I would otherwise rate the camera 5 Stars. The images are awesome. I purchased the camera after reading a Mag review stating the Menus blew away the competitors. Since I am new to digital SLRs the Menu ease of use was a big deal. The Menu is easy to use, I hardly used the users manual.

Just beware when buying this camera...are you confused now?
From my experience this camera is 1 Star.

I have been using various sony cameras right from P9, P10, some fancy handy types which came out as limited editions and lately using DSC-H1 past 2 years now. I decided to buy a new series alpha of sony and is when I finalized the A300 and bought. The contrast, clarity, liveliness on the true colours is all that is lacking in A300. My DSC-H1 is excellent comparing to A300. The pictures from A300 look as if somebody has set an extra film of colour which ruins the results and photos look like they have been stored for many years. I am talking of clicking the photos in either "P" mode or "Auto" mode. So not as expected. Otherwise, the look of the camera, price, some extra features are not matcahable with other brands. Sony stays quiet exclusive in those terms.

I received this as a Christmas present. Within 3 days of having this camera I had taken almost 600 pictures. I have owned many cameras (pentex, kodak, etc... ) NONE were this good. You really have to try to get a blurry picture. I was changing the zoom and took a pic and it still came out clear. I tried everything and kept it on the auto setting for type of pics and it was always clear. I am not a camera buff and it will take me some time to learn all the features, but so far so good. I would highly recommend this to someone without a lot of picture taking knowledge that just wants a good camera like I did.