Review of Sony Alpha 100 DSLR Camera
Review of the Sony Alpha a100 DSLR
Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Review | Digital SLRs | CNET UK
Like a mythical bird rising from the ashes of Konica Minolta, Sony's first digital SLR, named the Alpha DSLR-A100, marks the company's entry into the top division of digital still imaging. With a 10.2-megapixel CCD sensor, a bevy of convenience features, an updated version of Konica Minolta's CCD-shift image stabilisation, and a design that improves slightly on the Dynax 5D, Sony has delivered a worthy competitor in the sub-800 dSLR market.
Since the camera accepts Dynax AF lenses, anyone with an existing collection of such lenses should be happy with this camera. At the same time, the DSLR-A100 offers a very serious alternative to the usual Canon and Nikon offerings for dSLR newbies. Sony offers the DSLR-A100 in two flavours: a body only for around 600 and in a kit with the body and an 18mm-to-70mm lens for around 700.
Design
Sony has definitely benefited from its purchase of Konica Minolta's dSLR know-how. The Sony Alpha DSLR-A100's body feels very comfortable in our hands, which makes sense since it closely resembles the now-defunct Dynax 5D. Sony has added some flair with shiny black plastic around the shutter and on the edge of the pop-up flash, and also moved some controls around, but it would be easy to mistake the DSLR-A100 for the 5D if the two were sitting next to each other.
Chief among Sony's design tweaks was to put a group of often-used controls on a dial to the left of the flash. All you have to do is select a function -- such as ISO, white balance or metering mode -- and press the function button in the centre of the dial to change that setting. In our field tests, it made choosing functions quick and easy. It's not quite as easy to control as the Konica Minolta 7D, with all of its dedicated dials and buttons, but it is a definite step up from the 5D and other dSLRs that scatter so many dedicated function buttons throughout the camera back and top. Unfortunately, Sony has left the drive mode button on the top of the camera and moved it further back, away from the shutter button. We found it awkward to press, and since the 5D had three buttons on its back, it could have easily fit there instead.
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