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The New Sony Alpha 100 Review A New Competitor Arrives!

The Sony Alpha 100 was recently released onto the Digital Camera market boasting new technology and already picking up great expectations. But can the hybrid technologies of Sony and their newly acquired asset, Konica Minolta, produce a real threat for the likes of Canon and Nikon?

Sony has finally entered the D-SLR market with its brand new 10 Megapixel, Sony Alpha 100!

Does this new release actually pose a threat to the experience of players such as Canon and Nikon?

First reactions were "No way!" however, earlier this year Sony acquired Konica Minolta's D-SLR division, and have since, by integrating some of Konica Minolta's best Digital Camera features with Sony's highly advanced sensor technology, produced the Sony Alpha 100 model.

Sony's Super SteadyShot, previously known as Konica Minolta's 'AntiShake' CCD has been refined to offer shutter speeds of up to 31/2 stops slower than we'd normally achieve, great for low light and or long lenses. Another major feature of the Alpha 100 is its expanded Dynamic Range (DR) feature, which maintains detail in shadows and highlights that would normally be lost in high-contrast conditions.

There is one main feature of the Sony Alpha 100 Digital Camera that is a pleasant surprise for digital photographers, the Alpha 100 self cleans! Interchangeable lens cameras are prone to collecting dust particles on the image sensor, often during the lenses being changed. The dust appears often appears as annoying spots in photos, and were sure you've experienced this yourself! The DSLR-A100 offers a novel approach to preventing this problem.

The image sensor has an indium tin oxide coating to avoid static build-up and helps prevent dust from collecting on the internal parts. When the camera is switched on or off, an anti-dust feature is activated that literally shakes off dust particles. In overall styling the Alpha a100 resembles the Konica Minolta 5D, (maybe to be expected?) However it is far from just a re-badged Minolta. Sony has had to come up with something unique and innovative to make its mark. The Alpha 100 is full of advanced technology designed to make taking good pictures that much simpler.

Main Features Include:

Lightweight and durable magnesium alloy body
Sony a Alpha/Minolta-A bayonet lens mount
10.2-megapixel Sony CCD sensor with 10M/5M/2.5M image sizes
Recording choice of JPEG, RAW, or RAW plus Fine JPEG
Super SteadyShot anti-shake system with viewfinder indicators
Anti-dust system automatically shakes dust off the imager
Large 2.5-inch TFT color Clear Photo LCD Plus
Pentaprism viewfinder with 95% coverage and Eye Start AF
9-point AF with Wide, Spot and Focus Area Selection
Image adjustments: Contrast, Saturation, Sharpness (5 levels)
Shooting modes: Full-auto, Programmed AE with program shift, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual and Scenes

It seems the Sony Alpha 100 has it all that makes a good D-SLR.

It's aesthetically pleasing, a feasible size, boasts a hybrid of top draw technology and is packed with features.

We're predicting the main rival for this camera to be Canons EOS 30D, however many reviewers have already claimed the a100 produced consistently better results in head to head testing. Your Digital Photography predicts Sony's emergence on the D-SLR market, fueled by KM experience, is here to stay. Watch this space!

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