Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 - UK Digital SLR Camera Review

Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Review

The Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 digital SLR camera with its 10 megapixel high resolution CCD (with anti-dust protection) and the inclusion of Super Steady Shot to combat blurring, means crisp, clean pictures every time you take a shot.

The Pentaprism viewfinder design on the Sony DSLR-A100 gives a brighter image and images can then be viewed on the 2.5" TFT LCD monitor which has approximately 100% field of view and brightness adjustability.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Front
Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Back

White balance choices include auto, daylight, cloudy, shade, tungsten, fluorescent and flash with ISO sensitivity equivalents of 100/200/400/1600, auto. The Alpha DSLR-A100 has both auto and manual focus options with an adjustable nine-point AF area and AF illuminator and has a built-in, pop-up flash, that has four operating modes including slow sync function, auto and red-eye reduction. The Sony A100 digital SLR camera also has the addition of a flash hot-shoe for additional flash units.

The Alpha DSLR-A100 colour modes include natural, landscape, portrait, sunset and black and white with preset features including portrait, landscape, sports, sunset, macro and night.

The battery system is a Stamina Lithium-ion which produces a longer battery life. The Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 is PictBridge compatible and images are stored as RAW and JPEG.

For the Sony Alpha DSLR-A100

Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Specifications & Features

  • 10.2 Megapixels
  • TTL phase-detection system
  • ISO 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 equivalent
  • Sony a mount
  • Compatibility with Minolta A-type Bayonet Mount
  • Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent and Flash White Balance Settings
  • 2.5" TFT, 230,000 pixels
  • Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear flash sync and Wireless off camera flash Flash Modes
  • PictBridge Compatible
  • CF Type I and Type II (MicroDrive); MS Duo and MS Pro Duo (with MS Duo adapter for CF slot)
  • Li-ion Battery
  • Approximate Weight 545g

Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 User Reviews

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Reviewer: Alan Morrison - UK
I got my Alpha for Christmas 2006 and it has rarely been out of my hand since. My main reason for choosing the Alpha was the compatibiltiy with existing Minolta AF Lenses, of which I had several. The bundled 18-70mm kit lens is optically one of the best in its field.
The built in Super Steady Shot works a treat and easily gets 2-3 stops extra before camera shake becomes apparent.
Battery life is fantastic (approx. 700 shots between charges) and only the heaviest of users will need a second battery.
The bundled software is not the best and I would recomend using either Adobe Lightroom or Capture One (the LE version of which you can get free with some San Disk cards).
Continuous shooting in JPEG mode is at up to 3fps (dependant on card speed) until the card is full. When shooting continuously in RAW mode there are slight pauses after every 6-7 shots using a 2Gb SanDisk Extreme III but generally very good.
Colour rendition is very good and the images produced are the sharpest of the 10MP entry level DSLRs although slightly noisier at higher iso settings (above 400). Metering is generally very accurate and the spot metering function is even more so.
The only negative I can find is the lack of a 2nd control wheel, when in Manual you have to hold down a button and turn the wheel to change shutter speed, but its something you quickly get used to.
Overall an excellent camera for the keen amateur with lots of great features, outstanding image quality and the availability of 2nd hand lenses that won't break the bank. The more serious user may wish to wait for the new Alpha which should be announced very soon.

Features
Rating 9/10
Image Quality
Rating 9/10
Usability
Rating 9/10
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Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Review & Features - © UK Digital Camera Reviews 2008
For the Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
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