Sony Alpha DSLR-A100

Pros: Full of features which found only on higher class camera, good details especially in RAW, good kit lens, image stabliser, light weight, Dymanic Range Optimer works well

Cons: ISO1600 is noisy, AF/MF button is not easy accessible like 7D, Propietary battery not compatible with 5D/7D.

Summary: If you are looking for camera with features like 30D or D200, minus the metal body and 5fps feature, here you have A100 that does everything like 30D or D200 with half the price.

The RAW quality is excellent, small details can be seen very clearly, noise at ISO1600 isn't much of issue due to the post processing software in RAW file.

The writing speed is blazing fast, especially on my Extreme III card. I have no problem viewing RAW file with less than a second after the shoot is taken.

The DRO works magic here. It capture the dark-grey tone and highlight details very well, without underexposing or overexposing them. The tone details level are much stronger than my 7D comparing in RAW file. DRO is a best gift especially taking landscape photos. It has a very much fuji-velvia "film-like" feeling when looking at the photo.

It shared the same sensor as Nikon D200, and the latest D80. While Sony is not as strong in JPG post processing which i'm not too concern of (as i shot RAW most of the time), the RAW photo quality of A100 is on par with D200. This give the little A100 most value-for-money if you are on budget and want a pro-features.

There are also third party vertical grip www.ownuser.com.tw, fully compatible with it if you ever want to buy one.

Compare to my 7D, the shuttler response is about 1/5s slower but too small to be concerned of. It mirror flip doesn't sound like a mechanical camera like my 7D, but that's fine with me either.

This camera will be serve as my 2nd camera for any assignment or travel. The lightweight of this camera can easily be carry around by a lady (like my wife) and she has no complaint about the weight like before (my 7D)

If you have a large hand, this may not be a camera for you as it may be just too small to hold afterall.