 Nice first Digital SLR from Sony |
| Review Date: August 5, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Hiram Grant, |
[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.]
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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.
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An excellent choice
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| Review Date: November 8, 2006 |
| Reviewer: P. Sherman, Greenville, FL USA |
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. |
Outstanding Camera for Price
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| Review Date: September 20, 2006 |
| Reviewer: J. Hollon, Albany, OH USA |
UPDATED:
I've had the Alpha since September and have shot more then 2000 photos now. I love it even more now then when I reviewed it in September. This is a great camera that takes awesome pictures in full auto for the person that isn't ready to venture out. But, it still has all the manual controls for the person that does the full manual photos.
I've done one wedding shower and one wedding with mine and the pictures I've gotten are amazing. If you watch you can get some great used Minolta lens for a decent price including some great low light lens such as the Minolta 50 f 1.7.
I would recommend this camera to anyone looking into a digital SLR. The in camera stabilization makes it possible to shoot with much slower shutter speeds which is awesome in low light situation.
It has a very easy to understand user interface. You don't have to hunt through an extensive and time consuming digital menu to find the most commonly used features. They are available with the knob on the top left and a push of the button. Custom white balance is fast and easy to set.
My only complaint is that if you shoot at 800 or above ISO you get some noise and grain but a good noiseware program takes care of that with no problem. So far I have only had to go to 800 once in all my shooting to get my shutter speed up enough that I didn't need a tripod. And if you shoot in raw you have even less problem with the noise then if you shoot in jpeg. I personally think the reason that many complain about to much noise is they shoot in jpeg and Sony does not apply as much filtering in jpeg as Canon and Nikon does. And for those that are still on the fence the sensor that Nikon uses in their cameras are a Sony sensor.
If anyone has any questions please feel free to contact me.
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. |
Great camera
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| Review Date: August 27, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Claudio A. Rodrigues, Brasil |
| 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. |
Big footprint
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| Review Date: September 8, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Protorom, Chi-Town, IL USA |
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.
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