NEW Sony A200

[ricardovaste]

More info to come soon i guess. Looks like a nice little camera though. Only

performance will tell, but the specs but it as quite an attractive camera.<p>

 

<a href=http://www.newsdesk.se/pressroom/sony/pressrelease/view/sony-200-

prisvaerd-och-laettanvaend-systemkamera-med-hoeg-upploesning-och-hoeg-

bildkvalitet-188410>click here for different views of the camera</a><p>

[ricardovaste]

200 Key Features

Camera type Digital SLR with built-in flash and interchangeable lenses

 

Lens mount Compatible with Sony  lenses and Konica Minolta/Minolta MAXXUM/

DYNAX lenses

 

Image sensor APS-C size CCD with anti-dust system

 

Sensor resolution 10.2 effective megapixels

 

Image processor Sony BIONZ engine

 

Image stabilisation Super SteadyShot with approx. 2.5 ? 3.5 EV decrease in shutter speed (actual stabilisation depends on shooting conditions and lens)

 

Noise reduction Long exp. & High ISO NR at ISO1600 / 3200

 

Creative Styles Preset modes: Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Night View, Sunset, B/W, Adobe RGB. Adjustable parameters: Contrast, Saturation, Sharpness

 

D-Range Optimiser operating modes: Off, Standard, Advanced

 

Scene Selection modes Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports, Sunset, Night Portrait / Night View

 

Viewfinder Field of view: 95% / Magnification: 0.83x

 

AF system TTL phase detection, centre-cross 9-point

 

Sensitivity ISO100 - 3200 equivalent(Recommended Exposure Index)

 

Light metering 40-segment honeycomb with multi-segment, spot and centre weighted modes

 

Flash modes Auto, Fill-in, Wireless, Rear, High Speed Synchro and Slow Synchro (Wireless and High Speed Synchro modes require optional accessory flash HVL-F56AM or HVL-F36AM)

 

Built-in flash system Auto popup (GN 12) with manual popup button

 

Shutter speed range 1/4000 sec. - 30 sec., bulb (Flash sync speed 1/160 sec.)

 

Continuous shooting rate Up to approx. 3 fps

 

Max no. of frames JPEG Fine/Std: unlimited (until memory card is full), RAW+JPEG: 3, RAW: 6

recordable (continuous)

 

Monitor screen Transparent TFT / 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD (230k dots) with AR coating

 

Histogram display Brightness, RGB

 

Function menu Camera Function Display with direct control of Flash Mode, AF Mode, WB, Metering Mode, AF Area, DRO

 

Battery type NP-FM500H with InfoLITHIUM % power remaining display on screen

 

Battery life Approx. 750 shots (CIPA measurement)

 

Vertical control grip VG-B30AM (optional) accepts up to 2x NP-FM500H batteries

 

Recording media CompactFlash card: Type I, Type II (Microdrive)

 

Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo with optional adaptor.

 

Dimensions (WxHxD) Approx. 130.8 x 98.5 x 71.3 mm (excl. protrusions)

 

Weight Approx. 532 g (w/o batteries or memory card)

[ricardovaste]

There you go, easier for everyone to have a brief overlook now hopefully :)<p><a href="http://s160.photobucket.com/albums/t185/ricardovaste/?action=view&current=sony_dslr-a200_bild_1_medium.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t185/ricardovaste/sony_dslr-a200_bild_1_medium.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><p><a href="http://s160.photobucket.com/albums/t185/ricardovaste/?action=view&current=sony_dslr-a200_bild_2_medium.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t185/ricardovaste/sony_dslr-a200_bild_2_medium.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><p><a href="http://s160.photobucket.com/albums/t185/ricardovaste/?action=view&current=sony_dslr-a200_bild_3_medium.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t185/ricardovaste/sony_dslr-a200_bild_3_medium.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[tommyinca]

Where are the beef (imporovement over A100)? The only one I could see from the spec above is 2.7" LCD over 2.5". Lower ISO 1600 noise? That would be big.

[ricardovaste]

ISO goes to 3200. So we can assume that noise at lower levels will be much improved. We can also assume that AF will be improved as that is another basic upgrade. It comes with a grip, thats an upgrade. You mention the screen, that too. Battery is lithium so we now get the actual percentage left indicated. Minor changes to the interface.<p>

 

Remember the A100 is discontinued, so this can be seen as some sort of replacement i guess, though i am unsure.<p>

 

<b>Important</b> there are THREE more models to come. Obvious there is the A900, which will be full-frame. BUT there will also be a model inbetween the A700 & A200... (A500? Maybe). So there has to be gradual improvements in specs between each model. The model between the A200 and A700 will be an interesting camera i believe and <b>anyone</b> that is disappointed with the A200 specs should consider that there is another model <b>"up"</b> to come yet :).

 

<p>"BASE MODEL"<p>A200<p>"A500"?<p>A700<p>A900<p>That will soon be our full fledged DSLR choice. Its certainly a brigher future with Sony in our hands. Let us look forward to yet more model releases :)

[ilkka]

A bit surprised at this A200, so soon after the A700 came out. I am still waiting for the A900. I am sure I would have been perfectly happy with the A700 but since I know an even better model is coming out fairly soon, I will wait and see what it is. While it is good that Sony is bringing out new bodies, I wonder if it is really in the company's best interest to go about it the way they do. A100 was on the market for couple of years and is still basically okay. A700 is clearly a very good, almost top of the line body. I think it would sell even better if Sony had not announced that the pro body (A900?) is coming soon. And now when many people will plan to buy the A700, they introduce another, cheaper model to compete against it in the lower end as well. I only hope that they have the longevity to see this through, that they don't pull the plug from the whole DSLR business after some less than stellar sales numbers are bound to come up.

[ricardovaste]

Ilkka,dont worry, they are completely different cameras.

 

The A100 needed to be updated. It was just a quick go at a rebadged 5D as they needed to get something out on the market. Where things can be improved, why not improve them? Thats the way the DSLR market goes, thigns are fast outdated & so we see lots of models coming and going. No mistake there IMHO.

 

The A700 and the A900 are two COMPLETELY different cameras. Full-frame 20++ MP vs. APS-C fast/low noise. The pricing is also so different. Its going to go up against the new Canon 5D, which will be near ?2000 surely, if not that, a level up. Either way, there is certainly no way that an APS-C semi-professional camera will overlap wth full-frame professional camera. Or atleast if there is, it will as much as any equivelent brands body selection does - ie; D300 vs D3.

 

No need to be concerned :)

[._._z]

A little disappointing. Thought Sony was migrating everything to CMOS, but decided to stick with the noisier CCD for this low-end product.

[ricardovaste]

<i>"A little disappointing. Thought Sony was migrating everything to CMOS, but decided to stick with the noisier CCD for this low-end product."</i><p>Im disappointed with everyones negativity! It goes to ISO 3200, we can assume its noise performance will be much better. We shouldnt really assume this will be a noisy CCD until we see the results. There are many more bodies to come. This is the Entry Level Body rememenber...

[matt_kennedy1]

My understanding is that the A200 is using the same CCD as the A100, so that's good news detail-wise. We'll see if Sony has bettered their noise reduction efforts to clean it up a little.

[._._z]

"It goes to ISO 3200, we can assume its noise performance will be much better. We shouldnt really assume this will be a noisy CCD until we see the results."

 

Please let reality intrude. The D70, using another CCD chip made by Sony, could go up to 6400 via a special menu. Doesn't mean it wasn't crap at that speed, though.

 

In fact, I'm pretty sure they recycled the CCD that's in the A100, and we know that's not great (compared to CMOS sensors in other DSLRs) at high ISOs.

[ilkka]

"they are completely different cameras."

 

Maybe yes. But my point is that A700 is the current top of the line model. Some people are likely to wait for the A900, knowing that it is coming. This will reduce the sales of A700. Now that they have introduced A200, some people will buy that instead of the A700, again reducing the potential sales of A700. I think Sony is competing with itself a bit too much instead of trying to fight Canon and Nikon and Olympus, as it should. I would have brought the A200 out at the same time with the A900, since these bodies would not compete with each other at all and that would have given them a few months to focus on marketing the A700.

[ricardovaste]

The A200 serves as no real upgrade for someone already owning a A100. Those users will probably wait for what is to come next. What sony is doing is presenting a cheap body for 1st time DSLR users to buy into the mount, a very strong stand. I honestly believe that the A200 and A700 are so far apart that there will be no sales lost between them; the a700 is clearly a much higher camera.

 

If the model they released now was the model below the A700, what might be called the "A500" or whatever, i agree with you, that would probably be a mistake. IMHO there will be few people that can afford the A900 and they know that, so people who have bought the A700 have done for their own reasons.

 

What model TOO release? We know A900 will probably be here at PMA, but the next 'model' has always got to come out at some point & will offer people something slightly different. We can agree that its only good for us to have a full DSLR line up soon, when and how they release them is beyond me & will certainly cause more concern it seems.

 

I will sit back and welcome everyone of them, personally :).

[dave_bernard]

Sony is in business to make money. Although a 900 may be coming out, that will not sell in sufficient quantity alone to keep the SLR business viable.

 

Sony took a big chance in expanding into this market, and it needs to nourish its cash flow. Consequently, it needs marketable lower end models that will appeal to the keen consumer. This means it needs to go head-to-head against the competition in this space.

 

We may think of the A200 as just an A100+, but if it generates enough net new sales at the low end it helps preserve this line as a going concern. Which means new and better 900s, 1100s, 1300s...

[craig_gillette]

Sony will need a range of bodies to keep pace with the big boys. The problem they are facing is that they and KM before them were too slow at populating the system. Canon and Nikon are in the mode of "replacing" an existing model so they don't have a "poaching" problem to worry about when loyalists ponder what to purchase. A good, published, reliable schedule of releases and general feature sets would go a long way to reduce or eliminate the worries aboout buying the "wrong" one.

[vancouverphotographer]

does this a200 use leica lenses? how are the results? thanks.

[vancouverphotographer]

sorry i was on drugs .... what carl zeiss lenses does this a200 use? thanks.