Sony A200: Entry DSLR Roundup
by Wesley Fink on October 20, 2008 1:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
Sony A200 Competition
With the recent street price declines in the Canon XS, the $500 entry segment has grown by one. Three DSLR cameras in the market now sell for around $500 with a kit lens. How does the A200 compare to the Olympus E-420 and the Canon XS?
All three cameras are based on a 10MP sensor. The Olympus E420 is the smallest DSLR you can buy but it does not feature any kind of IS. The A200 features in-body stabilization that works with any lens to improve hand-held shooting 1-4 stops in low light. The Canon XS kit lens has Optical Stabilization, but you must buy additional IS lenses if you want that feature.
The Sony A200 has the widest ISO range of the group, as it is the only entry in its class that extends to ISO 3200. However, if Live View is important to you, you will not find it on the Sony A200 as you will need to step up to the $599 Sony A300 for Live View. The Canon XS and Olympus E420 both feature Live View, but it is the slow "grafted on" variety, where the Sony A300/A350 actually have a useful Live View with a tilt-screen and fast AF.
| Camera Comparison - Sony A200 vs. Competition | |||
| Sony A200 | Canon XS EOS 1000D |
Olympus E420 | |
| LCD Screen | 2.7" Fixed | 2.5" Fixed | 2.7" Fixed |
| Sensor | 10.2 MP CCD | 10.1 MP CMOS | 10.0 MP NMOS |
| AF Points | 9 | 7 | 3 (11 in Live View) |
| Sensor Size | 23.6x15.8mm | 22.2x14.8mm | 18.0x13.5mm |
| Sensor Multiplier | 1.5x | 1.6x | 2X (Four-Thirds) |
| Image Processor | BIONZ | DIGIC III | TRUEPIC III |
| Image Stabilization | Body Integral (All lenses) |
IS Lens Only | None |
| Auto Sensor Clean | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Live View | None | Contrast & Phase Detect | Contrast with Face Detection & Phase Detect |
| Metering Modes | Multi-Segment, CWt, Spot | Evaluative, CWt, Partial | ESP Multi, CWt, Spot, Highlight Spot, Shadow Spot |
| ISO Range | 100-3200 | 100-1600 | 100-1600 |
| Auto ISO Adjust | Yes | Yes (Auto Fixed ISO 100-800) | Yes |
| Continuous Speed | 3 fps | 3 fps | 3.5 fps |
| Wireless Flash Control with Built-in Flash | Yes | No | Yes |
| Remote Release | Wireless Remote, Cable | Cable | Wireless Remote, Cable |
| Storage | CF | SD/SDHC | CF |
| Viewfinder | .83x, 95% | .81x, 95% | .92x, 95% |
| Battery | NP-FM500H (1600mAh) | LP-E5 (1080mAh) | BLS-1 (1150mAh) |
| Battery Life (50% Flash) | 750 | 500 (190 Live View) | 500 (Less in Live View) |
| Battery Grip | VG-B30AM, Optional | BG-E5, Optional | No |
| Size | 131x98.5x71mm | 126x98x65mm | 130x91x53mm |
| Weight (with Battery) | 1.39 lb. (626g) | 1.16 lb. (502g) | 15.5 ounces (440g) |
| Kit Lens | 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 (27-105mm) |
18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS (29-88mm) |
14-42mm f3.5-5.6 (28-84mm) |
| Price with Kit Lens | $499 | $525 | $530 |
| Camera Comparison - Sony A200 vs. Competition (Cont'd) | ||||
| Olympus E520 | Nikon D60 | Sony A300 | Pentax K200D | |
| LCD Screen | 2.7" Fixed | 2.5" Fixed | 2.7" Tilt | 2.7" Fixed |
| Sensor | 10.1 MP Live MOS | 10.2 MP CCD | 10.2 MP CCD | 10.2 MP CCD |
| AF Points | 3 (11 in Live View) | 3 | 9 | 11 |
| Sensor Size | 17.3x13.0mm | 23.6x15.8mm | 23.6x15.8mm | 23.5x15.7mm |
| Sensor Multiplier | 2X (Four-Thirds) | 1.5x | 1.5x | 1.5x |
| Image Processor | TRUEPIC III | EXSPEED | BIONZ | PRIME |
| Image Stabilization | Body Integral (All lenses) |
VR Lens Only | Body Integral (All lenses) |
Body Integral (All lenses) |
| Auto Sensor Clean | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Live View | Contrast with Face Detection & Phase Detect | no | Full-Time by Mirror Selection | no |
| Metering Modes | ESP Multi, CWt, Spot, Highlight Spot, Shadow Spot | 3D Matrix, CWt, Spot | Multi-Segment, CWt, Spot | Multi-Segment, CWt, Spot |
| ISO Range | 100-1600 | 100-3200 | 100-3200 | 100-1600 |
| Auto ISO Adjust | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Continuous Speed | 3.5 fps | 3 fps | 3 fps | 3 fps |
| Wireless Flash Control with Built-in Flash | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Remote Release | Wireless Remote, Cable | Wireless Remote, Cable | Wireless Remote, Cable | Wireless Remote, Cable |
| Storage | CF | SD/SDHC | CF | SD/SDHC |
| Viewfinder | .92x, 95% | .80x, 95% | .74x, 95% | .85x, 96% |
| Battery | BLM-1 (1500mAh) | EN-EL9 (1000mAh) | NP-FM500H (1600mAh) | Four AA Batteries |
| Battery Life (50% Flash) | 650 | 730 | 730 | 500 |
| Battery Grip | No | No | VG-B30AM, Optional | BG3, Optional |
| Size | 136x91.5x68mm | 126x94x64mm | 131x99x75mm | 134x95x74mm |
| Weight (with Battery and Card) | 1.05 lb. (476g) | 1.22 lb. (553g) | 1.49 lb. (676g) | 1.52 lb. (689g) |
| Kit Lens | 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 (28-84mm) |
18-55mm f3.5-5.6 VR (27-83mm) |
18-70mm f3.5-5.6 (27-105mm) |
18-55mm f3.5-5.6 (27-83mm) |
| Street Price with Kit Lens | $599 | $599 | $599 | $599 |
The balance of the entry class sells for a street price about 20% higher than the A200, and adds the Olympus E-520 (E420 with body IS), Nikon D60, Pentax K200D, and Sony's own A300. The Sony models, Canon XS, and Pentax all have more advanced AF modules, as the Nikon and Olympus models have just 3 AF points. The Nikon, like the Canon XS, ships with an Optical Stabilized kit lens featuring Nikon VR, but IS is only available if the lens features it. All the other competitors have body-integral IS that works with almost any lens you can mount.
The Nikon D60 and Pentax K200D, like the Sony A200, do not feature Live View. The Olympus E520 and Sony A300 do feature Live View, but the $599 Sony A300 features the most useful Live View we have used in a tilt 2.7" screen - none of the other competitors has a tilt screen. The A200 has a brighter, larger, and easier to use viewfinder than the A300 - so you get truly useful real-time Live View on the A300, but with compromised frame coverage and a tunnel-like viewfinder.
The Sony 18-70mm kit lens also covers a wider zoom range at a 27-105mm equivalent than any of its competitors, which generally feature an 18-55mm kit zoom. This will be important to some potential buyers. The Nikon D60, which also features a Sony CCD sensor similar to the A200/A300/A350, is the only model to offer ISO choices to 3200 like the Sony entry models.
A pop-up flash is something most buyers expect in an entry DSLR and take for granted. However, not all entry flash is equal as you will see in the comparison charts above. Nikon and Sony both support a very good wireless flash system that can normally be controlled by the pop-up flash. As you can see, Canon does not have such a wireless flash system. However, many potential buyers do not realize that Nikon does not support their Creative Lighting System with the pop-up flash on the D60. This makes the Sony A200 a better choice than Canon or Nikon if wireless flash is a feature that matters to you. Wireless flash is also supported, in slightly different capabilities, by the Pentax and Olympus entry models.
Sony and Olympus are the only ones to offer two models in this entry DSLR class. The only real difference in the Olympus E420 to the E520 is the addition of in-body IS and a larger hand grip to the E520. For the Sony A200 and A350 the differences are huge and reflect solutions aimed at very different market segments. While they are based on the same 10.2MP sensor, the A200 is an updated half-price A100. It is a very capable camera that will appeal to serious amateurs looking for as many shooting options as possible at the lowest cost.
The Sony A300 is the ultimate Live View camera that makes no apologies for compromising the viewfinder and LCD frame coverage to provide what is arguably the best and easiest to use Live View in the market. If you want an even higher-res sensor with tilt-screen Live View you can move up from the 10.2MP A300 to the 14.2MP A350 for $200 more, which is a street price of $799 with a kit lens. This, however, is 60% more than the Sony A200, which is a different price class that includes several other midrange models.
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deathwalker - Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - link
Broadway Photo has the A200 kit for $321..great deal.strikeback03 - Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - link
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Broadway_Phot...">http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Broadway_Phot...good luck with that. Here is what they look like:
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0006.h...">http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0006.h...
and
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0049.h...">http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0049.h...
AkumaX - Friday, October 24, 2008 - link
It's hard to decide which camera to go for the coveted Entry Level DSLR position. Plenty of friends consider Canon or Nikon as the major players, and own either one.Having the opportunity to pick up the A200K for $413 shipped/no tax from SonyRewards last June helped factor in that decision. As a person who had zero experience or knowledge of the SLR domain, this was quite a gamble.
So for the past 4 months, haven taken over 8000 pictures (in RAW), and been to 2 foreign countries, this was definitely worth the investment. The biggest thing Sony has going for them is the backwards compatibility of the Minolta AF lens line.
I picked up a 50mm f/1.7 + 70-210mm f/4 (the "beercan") off CraigsList, since these seem to be "the" lenses to get. Having researched throughout these past few months about aperture, ISO, crop factor, etc... I'll probably pick up a 28mm f/2.8 also.
All in all, the Sony A200K offers a lot: 18-70mm kit lens - bigger than the rest, Minolta AF (Maxxum) Lens backwards compatibility, and plenty of alpha-based accessories. This one seems like a winner.
What am I doing? --> blog.anandtech.com/manthisiswhathappenswhenyoucantsleepandramble
cafmike1 - Monday, April 19, 2010 - link
I am waiting on the replacement SLR for the Nikon D90 herehttp://www.cameta.com/Nikon-D90-Digital-SLR-Camera...
Does anyone know when this thing is going to be announced?
Wineohe - Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - link
Hmm. I'm more critical of the ISO performance of the Sony A200. It just doesn't seem that good above 800. The Nikon and Olympus are decent and the Canon is affected by some softness and chromatic aberrations at all ISO settings, something that I attribute to it's junk lens. Given a better lens it would probably show it's stuff, but this is a budget comparison and that would be unfair. I wish Canon would spend even $3 more on making their cheapo 18-55.In general all of these camera packages boarder on being just too much of a compromise. However as I mentioned above the Olympus and the Nikon come close to being acceptable. Frankly I really don't care how many features the camera has if the output is just mediocre. An adequately equipped body with a step up lens is far better advise.
Heidfirst - Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - link
shoot RAW & pp. Sony's jpeg engine isn't the greatest.strikeback03 - Thursday, October 23, 2008 - link
I'd agree for higher level bodies, but the distinction probably isn't relevant for most consumers at the $500 price point.Wesley Fink - Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - link
The Canon lens used for testing was their excellent 50mm f1.4, so you can't blame the results on a cheapo lens. All of the tests used 50mm f1.4 primes execpt the Olympus where a 35mm macro was used because of the 2x lens factor. ALL these lenses are in the best part of their resolution curves at f/4, which was a requirement.Snapshots and regular images published in our reviews do use the kit lens, but not our noise tests.
Wineohe - Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - link
Oooh, my bad, I missed that. I actually have a 50mm f1.4 that I use occasionally on my 5D. It struggles in low light but otherwise is a fine lens. I was convinced the characteristics were that of poor optic since they seem to exist at low or high gain. Now I'm left scratching my embarrassed head. So much for the XS, it is getting long in the tooth.haplo602 - Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - link
I think you are using a few features in the A200 that are not even used by the buyers in this price range.wireless flash ... I mean come on ... what is the lowest priced Sony external flash that will work with this ? I found the HVL-F42AM as the lowest level model for about 1/2 the price of the A200 kit. No entry level DSRL user will shell out that much money for external flash, they will buy a better body in the first place.
generaly the people getting into this class DSLRs come from the P&S user group. They will still compose mostly with live view, so number of AF points is irelevant. Anyway what's the performance of the 9 focus points ? Only center one is a cross sensor ? Then the other ones will be a source of frustration for the P&S crowd in most conditions :-)