When Konica Minolta decided to withdraw from the camera market last year, they had just started on a collaboration with Sony. As a result, Sony bought the relevant assets & technologies from Konica Minolta, and continued on the development program on their own. This is the fruit of their labours, and it looks to be an absolute cracker of a camera the chip is a slightly tweaked version of that from the Nikon D200, as that is produced by Sony, the revolutionary Minolta CCD shifting anti-shake system has been overhauled by Sony engineers, now producing the effect of a shutter speed 3.5 stops faster that that used, and the ISO1600 setting is now usable as well.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1011 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Sony
• Model: DSLRA100KB.CEH
• Released on: 2006-09-10

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Editorial Reviews

Manufacturer's Description
10 MegaPixel APS CCD; In comparison to 6- and 8-megapixel competitors, the A100 offers 10 megapixels. But the pixel count is just the beginning. With the exquisite sensitivity of Sony's Super APS-sized CCD, you get great pictures in candlelight or night shooting. And with Sony's full 23.5 x 15.7 mm APS frame, you get incredibly low image noise and superb dynamic range. The Sony Alpha A100 also has the power to blur the background for outstanding portraits.

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Super SteadyShot® Image Stabilisation; Unlike most DSLRs, the A100 has image stabilization built into its body, so that, unlike other cameras, any lens you use benefits from a stabilized image, and this includes many of the 16 million Maxxum A-mount lenses dating back to 1985. The Super SteadyShot system empowers you to take spectacular shots where un-stabilized lenses would give you blur. It's great anywhere a tripod is unavailable, or in museums and churches where flash is prohibited. It's also perfect for indoor sports, candlelit subjects that would be ruined by flash, or macro telephoto shots.

Quick Response; To capture life as it happens, your camera has to be fast. Most point-and-clicks have a delay of one to three seconds after you push the button before the image is captured. The Sony A100 brings the exceptional responsiveness of an SLR camera and adds innovative features that improve speed. With Eye-Start Autofocus, the camera begins focusing as soon as you put your eye to the eye piece, so it's ready to shoot when you are. And Continuous Burst Mode lets you capture up to three frames per second up to the limit of the memory card.

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A 21 Year Legacy of Lenses; The Sony A100 is built on the foundation of 16 million Maxxum A-mount lenses dating back to 1985. These include such cherished Minolta glass as the classic 135mm Smooth Transition Focus (STF), the awe-inspiring 300mm f/2.8 G and the 500mm f/8 Reflex - the world's only AF telephoto reflex lens. Not only is Sony retaining a wide range of these well-loved lenses, they're also introducing Carl Zeiss ® A-mount optics, taking a proud legacy into the future.

Anti-Dust Technology; A simple lens change can let dust particles collect on the image sensor surface, degrading picture quality. Once there, dust is difficult to remove. That's why the A100 has comprehensive anti-dust technology. A special Indium Tin Oxide CCD coating repels dust. What little dust gets past this first line of defense is dislodged by a unique CCD shake routine& and the result?...Clean, crystal clear pictures!

 

Dynamic Range Optimizer; Why can't a camera capture what the eye sees? Often, the culprit is limited dynamic range. Expose for shadow detail and you end up blowing out the highlights. Expose for the highlights and you end up crushing the blacks. That's where Sony's Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO) comes in. DRO Normal selects from the most appropriate of 400,000 gamma curves to improve shadow detail. DRO Advanced adjusts
area-by-area, to maximize detail in both highlight and shadow areas.

DSLR-A100 Digital SLR plus Standard Zoom Lens (DT 18 - 70 mm F3.5 - 5.6)Take your photography to the next level with the a100, the first digital single lens reflex (D-SLR) camera from Sony. The a100 is set to make advanced digital photography simpler, more accessible and more enjoyable than ever before! The Super SteadyShot built in to the camera body, a 10 megapixel CCD and our wide range of interchangeable Sony a mount and Carl Zeiss lenses deliver an impressive picture quality in any situation. Our Eye Start autofocussing system, 2.5 Clear Photo LCD Plus and an astonishing battery life (750 shots) ensures a comfortable high-speed response and easy usage. The standard zoom lens can be widely used for everything from everyday snapshots to portraits. These impressive features, combined with an advanced anti-dust protection system, ensure you get clean, pin-sharp results every time!

Box Contents

• Sony DSLR-A100 Body
  
• Sony Lens DT 18-70mm F3.5-5.6
  
• Rechargeable battery pack (NP-FM55H)
  
• Battery Charger (BC-VM10) (100-240V Worldwide)
  
• Memory Stick Duo Adapter for CF slot
  
• Shoulder strap with eyepiece cap and Remote
  
• Video Cable
  
• Power Cord
  
• USB cable
  
• CD-ROM

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Customer Reviews

If you are a Minolta fan you will love this camera.
I have previously owned 2 Minolta SLRs (a 9000 and a 9xi). I have had the Sony alpha 2 days. 539 pictures later I am very impressed. My 2 xi lenses and my Minolta xi flash work perfectly. The Alpha produces the best flash results I have ever managed. I could not fault my 9000(which was stolen) and so far the Alpha is as good.

Great Camera For the Money
I have to first say that I was rather amused by the semi-literate rant from some chap called Oleg. As he does not actually own this camera I'm somewhate bemused by his overly protective attitude towards his Canon, which is I'm sure excellent. I have had this camera for a week now and find it hard to fault. I'm happy to admit that I'm no expert and this was bought as a means to learn DSLR photography having had a Nikon F60 film camera before, however having looked at most of the cameras in this price range it clearly gives one the most "Bang for your buck." 10.2 Mp means photo standard prints at A3, the auto eye focus is a neat idea and very fast. I've compared photos that a work collegue has taken with his Nikon D200 and artistic merit aside the results at our level are hard to differentiate. I will of course accept that a pro will want more but this camera provides every possible mode of operation and a healthy range of lenses given that it's an upgraded Minolta. Sony have a good range of accessories too (mind you don't they all) and of course there are many other third party providers. Definately the best camera for your money. Mind you I bought mine in the US and it cost me three hundred and seventy five quid all in. Isn't it nice to live in the UK.......

A fine DSLR that's good to use as well as having competitive functionality and excellent technical performance
I've used a film SLR for most of my photographic life. Then a few years ago I got into digital, and have had two Nikon Coolpix (including the splendid twisty-bodied 4500) and then an Olympus semi-SLR (the 8080 wide zoom, with bend-out LCD screen). Someone stole the Olympus. What should I do?
I was very tempted by the Sony DSC-R1, with it's live twisty LCD and excellent lens. And there is tremendous competition now amongst SLR suppliers, with new announcments from all the majors. But I chose the Sony, and after five days and many hundreds of pictures I'm very pleased with the camera.
You can read about its technical performance at www.dpreview.com. What I can add is that this excellent performance is easy and inviting to make use of.
The focussing screen is clear, crisp, and bright. I find I often want to use manual focus, and can switch back and forth from manual to auto by simply moving a switch. And there's a depth-of-field preview easy to hand.
These controls are typical- what you want is to hand, and works logically (at least, as I expect). With the Olympus after a year's use I was still going back to the manual to find how to do things. The Sony feels familiar after five days.
The camera feels good to hold- a good grip is a huge help with avoiding camera shake, which this camera helped further by an antishake system that works with all lenses.
And then there are the twiddly bits- for example the fact that the autofocus switches on and the LCD switches off when I bring the camera to my eye (although I find the camera can mistake my chest for my eye when I have it round my neck), and that the LCD image stays upright whether you have the camera horizontal or vertical.
These as well as the advantages you expect from this generation of DSLR- instant start-up, very quick reaction to pressing the button, and if you want it three frames a second until you've run out of space on the card (in .jpg).
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the standard kit zoom gets you pretty close up to a flower or an insect, and does this at maximum zoom so that you don't find your shadow is interfering with the picture. My first "extra" has been a secondhand Minolta AF 1.7 50mm standard lens, which I have found excellent for snapping people indoors by available light (find your way round Minolta lenses for the Sony at www.dyxum.com).
I miss the infra-red remote control supplied with the Olympus (there's a long and a short wired control for the Sony, but at large additional cost). And I'm sure I'll miss the ability to sight a picture down low or up high using a twisty LCD screen. And in some quiet "candid camera" situations the clunk of the mirror which is part of a true SLR can draw attention. But for me the advantages, starting with composing pictures on that fine focussing screen, far outweigh these losses.

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