Sony Alpha A100K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 Lens

Echoing what most others have said, this is a great camera. It's a dream to use, and the pictures are stunning. Since it's based on a Minolta design, it accepts the lenses from my old Minolta Maxxum 9000 (circa mid 1980s). This is a huge benefit to me; I now have an excellent quality 70-210mm zoom lens for my new Alpha-100 for no additional cost! The auto-focus and TTL metering work properly, and since the anti-shake hardware is in the camera body, that works with the old lens also. Even my old Minolta cable release (a switch on the end of an electrical cable with a proprietary rectangular plug) connects and works fine. I'm very happy with the camera. That said, there are a couple of annoyances. One of them might be significant to you, depending on how you want to use the camera. First, noise. Not picture noise, as in grainy low-light photos, but acoustic noise. The shutter mechanism is *loud*, much louder than my old Maxxum 9000. If you want to be an unnoticed photographer taking discreet pictures like Cartier-Bresson with his Leica, this isn't your camera. Second, the lens shade. This is a nit, but I find it more clumsy to use than the lens shade on the old camera. The old one was held on by a spring clasp; you just squeeze on opposite sides to install or remove it, or to reverse it for storage. The new one has to be positioned precisely so that tabs will lock into place when it is turned. Not as quick or as easy to use, but not really a big deal. I suppose it saved a couple of dollars, as the new one is one piece of plastic while the old one had several parts. On the whole, an excellent product. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

Excellent camera for the price! It has a CCD sensor and the Minolta technology that was acquired the company merged with Sony. First DSLR offered by Sony. Takes very nice pictures and is relatively light. The A mount is compatible with Minolta and Sony lenses.

The camera is used, but like new, and a very capable and elegant device it is. That's why the four stars. But .... The information shared with buyers about the memory card options and limits for this device, is just terrible, sketchy, wrong, and incomplete, and there is no excuse for it. I have only had the camera for one day and I already know a lot more about these issues than anyone selling the camera is willing to provide. Which would be easy to do if anyone took the time to do it. For example: 1. The camera comes with no memory card at all. You cannot take and store photos without one. The camera works in all respects until you come to any function that relies on memory, like storage, viewing, or sharing. YOu have to buy memory accessories to do this. If you buy the type of memory that was being sold by Sony for this camera when it was new, some years ago, you will spend between $25 and $50 to do it. That original memory accessory was called a CF card or stick .. Compact Flash. That was a format that is now obsolete, but the memory slot in the camera ONLY TAKES THE CF physical card shape and size. This means, you either need a CD card that works with the camera, or, you need an adapter that has the shape and connectors of the CF card, but lets you insert a more modern memory device, an SD card (smaller and thinner) which is a more recent offering than the camera itself. 2. To use newer "Memory Stick Pro" or Pro Duo" memory cards, in this camera, you must purchase a CF to SD adapter and then insert the newer card into the adapter and then into the camera. But before you do that ..... 3. You need to know that there are memory read/write issues with these older devices because when the camera was built, it was not forseen that devices with more than 8gb would be used. Therefore any device that has a capacity of greater than 8gb is not guaranteed to work in this camera. Some will, some won't, some will work in some aspects but not others (it might write in the camera, but not read properly in your computer or other device), and so forth. To avoid all these issues, my advice is to stay with devices 8gb in capacity or smaller and not try to push your luck. The memory accessory issues are not rocket science, once you understand the taxonomy and history of the products ... and understand how the camera is configured. My complaint is, I have just given you a pretty good overview which I would like to have gotten before I bought the camera, but couldn't because nobody took the time to write it up and make it known at purchase time. But I didn't get that overview and so spent extra money that is now wasted, and spent extra time, and had to learn the ropes by myself, which is a little ridiculous in my opinion. Those of you who are sellers can do a better job of this stuff and it is really not fair to sell a camera or any product like this and leave out the essential facts that will "complete" the purchase and startup on the product. It's a five star camera with a one star bunch of sales material online and the buyer must beware. I like the camera and I will make it work .... no thanks to Amazon, the seller, or anyone else.

It missed the CF card, and the usb cable doesn’t match the camera, so it can not be connected to computer now.

It is an excellent camera at a reasonable price. About 80% of the electronics in my home are the Sony brand. They are just so very reliable. Been buying Sony Tvs since the First Trinitron tube made its appearance. I have been through a bunch of TVs since then. In all my years I have had 1 repair for $107.00. That is almost incredible and impossible. The only items that are Sony, and that have not lived up to expectation are their receivers. They don't have a good life expectancy. I have an ES receiver what went out, a very expensive one, and it was too costly to repair. I went to the veritable top of the line and bought the Yamaha professional brand. I had an earlier digital Sony digital camera and it was wonderful, until it got stolen. Years ago I bought a Minolta 7000 auto focus SLR. I can use my Minolta lenses with my Sony Alpha....that is a real deal for me. I can recommend just about any Sony product except for their receivers. I'm looking right now at a Sony 46" XBR4 HDTV. A bit pricey, but worth every cent. Please feel free to contact me as I would like to know your Sony experience. Robert

I switched from Canon. The Sony A100 has excellent image quality, user friendly menus and controls, and feels great in the hand. I was also able to buy much higher quality used lenses than I could afford with the Canon, and of course all of my lenses benefit from image stabilization. With my old system, I had to choose between buying a fast (f2.8) lens or a lens with image stabilization. There was no way I could afford both in one lens. With the Sony I was able to purchase a fast lens and get the Stabilization through the camera body (The best of both worlds!). Also, the used market for high quality Minolta lenses is fantastic! I highly recommend this camera! And for the price, the kit lens is an excellent deal as well.

Very pleased with the camera. Excellent service. Will use again.