Sony Alpha DSLR-A200

This camera sure took its sweet time coming to our labs. But now that it's here, let's see what you're getting in this attractive, low-cost package, and how well does it compare to the budget cameras today.

New users may want to keep our camera glossary open for explanation of some of the used terms.

Compared to the bite-sized consumer DSLR camera bodies we've been getting lately, the A200 seems a bit bigger at 131x99x71 mm and also somewhat heavier, weighing 572g. But considering the number of goodies that the A200 packs inside, the bulk is well justified.

The plastic body of the A200 seems surprisingly cheap. Though the build of the camera seemed sturdy and durable, the feel was just not good enough. That said the hand grip was very comfortable to use, even for longer durations. Some of the shots I tested with required me to wait patiently for the subject to move to the right position, and that was easily achieved with the comfort level of the hand grip.

The button layout seemed quite odd on the A200 with the power button placed at a considerably hard to access location i.e. the right above the LCD screen, to the left. Though I did get used to it after a while, I still found the placement very uncomfortable, especially when I only have one hand free.

In fact, the overall button placement on the camera is not optimized or even intended for single hand use. While the shutter release is placed on the right, the mode dial is placed on the left of the camera. The worst part is aperture size control in the A200, which need you to press down the AV button, right next to the viewfinder at the back, and use the shutter speed jog dial placed in front of the shutter release. This has got to be the most uncomfortable way to change the aperture size ever!

While the A200 design does have a few good bits like a dedicated ISO button and comfortable navigation system, the majority of it was not very well thought of.

The 2.7-inch LCD display is good enough for all purposes, especially considering that the camera doesn't feature live-view. While not having live-view may seem like a downer to many new users, any experienced photographer will tell you that the viewfinder always gives you a more accurate perception than live view. Besides, it's not such a high priority in value DSLR cameras as of now.