A genuinely useful Live View.
Often derided by anorak 'real' photographers, Live view is a brilliant feature to have. For me it means taking pictures that I would otherwise miss, sometimes candid street shooting, sometimes getting that angle. Just using as a waist level finder is worth it in-itself, and shows why so many pros stuck to TLRs. No other manufacturer has really seriously implemented live view, compared to Sony. In all other DSLRs, it feels like a tacked on feature, if it's there at all. With all other systems Live View is laggy, slow focusing and hiccups for the shot. I even use it to preview how my shutter speed is. Even if you believe you'll hardly every use it (and I hardly ever do) isn't it better to have it?

Super Steady Shot
Sony uses in-body image stabilization. This means all lenses you attach, even 20 year old Minolta's, have image stabilization. With most other DSLRs, you pay through the nose to get this, one lens at a time. And it makes a real difference, maybe as much as two stops

Minolta.
That this camera is built on a Minolta pedigree is not to be sniffed at, Minolta were great camera makers, and hugely innovative. But it's the stacks of stuff out there that can be picked up for shirt buttons that's the biggest bonus of all. With-in a month of owning this camera I've bought one of Minolta's legendary 'Secret Handshake' lenses, two Sigma a mount lenses, a Minolta remote and a host of bits-and-bobs, for a price that's made my Canon owning friends green. Next on my list are a couple of Minolta primes, I hope to get both for the cost of one comparable Nikon Lens, with change.

Sony.
Buying a DSLR, you are buying into a system, hopefully something that will sustain you for years. Sony are a big aggressive company that wants market share, and they are getting it. They are putting out a smorgasbord of cameras, seemingly all the time, from full frame pro to innovative entry level gear. When this camera was released there were just a handful of lenses, now there's an army. I am confident that with Sony's ambitions, you'll never run out of stuff to buy.

So that's the main positives, there's a heap of other stuff. The camera has a huge dynamic range, there's a fantastic Sony/Minolta user community on the web, great bang for buck and it's just fun to use.

Smaller Viewfinder.
Due to the Live View, this camera has a smaller viewfinder than many other DSLRs. I felt offset by the Live View, it was a price worth paying. I'm glad I felt that way, checking against My old Canon Film SLR, which has a larger than most DSLRs finder, the difference isn't huge, and in real world use won't handicap your use.

Exposure Bracketing.
Not a great range on auto exposure bracketing, only .7 or .3, strange huh? But it is enough to do the real job of bracketing exposure, and that is to make sure the shot is properly exposed. It's just not quite enough for HDR. As HDR is something I only play with I decided I wasn't bothered. After all, HDR is impressive the first time you see it, but quickly looks gimmicky, overly processed and same-y. But... if you really want to do HDR, you should use a tripod, and once on a tripod you can manually bracket to your hearts content.

Noise.
My only genuine worry with this camera was how it rated for noise. At ISO 1600 you might get away with it, at 3200 not really. 100-800 is usable with the degradation you might expect. What I've found is, real world, it's nothing like the problem you might expect. In reasonable light you can bump up ISO, as it only becomes apparent as light fails. In other situations there seems allot of elasticity with-in settings, maybe due to the increased Dynamic range or the in-camera image stabilization, compared to other DSLRs. Shooting statically in near total darkness at ISO 100 produces silky clean images. For social situations the flash offers allot of control with power options, slow and rear sync, so you can achieve very natural exposures.

I hope that's all been of some use, over-all I felt that weighed against the other cameras at around the same price point, this just offered more. Even the things considered negatives couldn't tarnished how I feel about this camera.

If you are reading this now, you're probably thinking of picking up a second-hand A300, like I did. It's the second hand perspective I'm taking here.
Like me you are probably weighing this against several cameras competing for your cash.
So using this form, I'll give strengths and weaknesses

Customer Service

Not had to use, but by registering with Sony you access their on-line tutorials and info, which is good

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Too many to list over the years, a camera saddo, my heart still belongs to film, but digital is too much fum

Fast shutter speeds for sports and wildlife

Needs a mono pod or tri pod to us full zoom with out bluring with an old shaky person like me.

As a novice I find this camera user friendly. Being a senior I'm very please with the ease of use. I have moved to the manual modes and still very pleased with the fast pace shutter and apeture speeds. I have a grandson in hockey and needed something to get good pictures. Is good but should have gone for the 3-400

Customer Service

N/A but in store service is well worth the time and effort.

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Macro Lens 12mm out

Fast auto focus even with my older Minolta lenses.
Controls and menu are well laid out.
Works with Minolta lenses

None that I can think of.

This was my first DSRL after shooting for 10 years with film on Nikon and Minolta film cameras. I had some good Minolta auto focus lenses and a Sony discount through my work so I went with the Sony DSLR. I use it for shooting portraits, cityscapes and my boys' hockey games. It's never let me down. The autofocus is fast enough to keep up with hockey games so that's good enough for me.

The prints I've made look great. I'll keep buying Sony cameras.

Customer Service

Excellent! I initially purchased the Alpha 200 but when I got it, realized that it didn't have live view. Sony let me return it, no charge and I bought the 300 (has live view). I prefer the viewfinder but live view is nice to have sometimes.

Sony Service was also great when I had a problem with an older Minolta (Sony purchased Konica/Minolta) digital camera. They replaced the sensor, no charge even though it was out of warranty. I was impressed.

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Nikon, Canon

-Super Steady Shot
-Tilting Live View
-Quick Live View Shift and AF
-User friendly
-Wide Choice for Lens
-Cheaper than other brands in its category
-Great Battery life/gauge

-Memory Flash Cover location
-Small OSV

I've have been researching and reviewing for my first DSLR camera and my first choice is the SONY brand because I am familiar and accustomed to its friendly features I had a DSC H-10 before and it's really satisfying. I just bought my A300 two months ago and as a beginner for DSLR I never had a regret for A300, it's tilting LCD satisfied me a lot, because, I love to shoot on high and low anlges, I can even have a shot on my back by lifting the cam and just rotate the pix on my computer. As of now I am enjoying this new buddy. The only problem with its design is the Memory Cover which is located to the grip it moves a little when taking shots, quite irritating to the palm and small OSV. But overall, it's AWESOME!

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Cybershot DSC-H10 Full HD
Samsung T6

Live View
SuperSteadyShot[SSS]
AF that works on third party lenses
Tilting LCD
InfoLithium LI-ion battery gives accurate % of battery power left
Handles very well in most situations
Nice rubbery grip
Build quality good
Chunky 'whole' feel
9 point AF

OVF a little small
Anti Dust not brilliant
Noise levels quite irritating
Kit lens OK, but I'd recommend the 16-80mm Sony DT lens.
The official 'Alpha' carry case is expensive at £59.99 [correct at time of publishing] unlike rivals Nikon, Olympus & Canon. [Now I'm nitpicking]

Overall a pleasure to use! Things placed where you'd expect them and image quality very good. Value for money is excellent and build quality is very good. LCD extendability is a nice feature... and live view is so good to have. It is accurate and precise. Battery life is decent and the OVF has a shutter curtain which closes when using live view.
However, the anti-dust facilities weren't the best in class and the picture can get noisy at high ISO levels. The quality of the image as displayed in the LCD could be better but image quality is very good when transferred to a PC/Mac.
Quite simply a brilliant bargain for entry level photographers!!!

Customer Service

N/A

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Nikon D60
Nikon D40X
Olympus
Canon EOOS 450D/ Rebel XSi
Olympus E-510
Pentax K200D

Minolta lenses , so many good ones are available
In body stabilisation is a plus with those older lenses

Feels like an amateur's camera well that what it is ,
Lcd quality for reviews are not as great as some other brands

Very good camera, love the weight, Live found it self to be useful, ,easy to use , quite responsive, great value for money

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Nikon d40?d40x, canon rebel, pentax k200

* Cost efficient

* Live View

* Image stabilization

* Uses Nikon chip for good reason (reliable)

* Accepts Minolta Maxxum lenses (some of the most reliable and best glass ever produced, especially the prime lenses)

* Wireless flash capability

* HDMI capability to plug camera to your TV set

* Don't get the kit lens (18-70)- too much CA. I have learned quickly that kit lenses are not usually worth the money.

* weak pop up flash construction

I spent a lot of time reviewing different cameras for my first official DSLR purchase before I selected the a300. The research paid off because this camera is wonderful. The live view is awesome- it gives you the capability to get high or low shots that would be a huge pain to get otherwise. Being able to compose your shots on the screen saves time and gives the freedom to have fun with settings without playing the guessing game to how it will turn out. And the live view does not sacrifice focus speed. This camera proves that Sony is edging it's way into the market as a solid competitor with quality DSLR products. I am now capturing beautiful shots like never before.

This camera is more cost efficient than the A350 unless you need the 14 megapixels for huge prints. I wonder if the A350 was made just so people can spend more money, since these cameras are essentially the same. Also, consider the AF Minolta lenses (I bought the 70-210 f/4 'beercan' and 50mm f/2.8 prime lenses and am really happy with both). Sony's lenses are the same mount(they bought out Minolta), and you might get a better deal on the Minolta lenses (I got both of mine for $400). Minolta external flashes work on this body as well.

Overall, I am extremely happy and do not feel like I could have gotten more bang for my buck with any other camera.

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Fuji S9000

Canon Powershot S5

Nikon D40X (boyfriend's camera)

Easy menue, light weight (by comparison), wireless flash. No shuttler lag, fast shooting cameras. This camera rules.

None that I have found.

I own the Sony A300 and the A200 which I use for weddings and event photography and I have lenses ranging from 11mm to 300mm. I have only praise for these cameras. I use custom white balance and it is easily accessible on these cameras. The wireless flash enables me to use multible flash lighting and this feature is not avaible on some more expensive DSLR. Sony's sensor (used in Nikon), the processor and the large viewing screen are super. The live-tiltable screen on the A300 is wonderful.

Customer Service

So far not needed.

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Konica Minolta 5D, Nikon Coolpix 8800.

Everything! Can't think of enough good things to say. Tip up display is impressive. Number of options available is almost overwhelming. I cannot think of a setting or option it doesn't have that I would need.

Camera takes my old SLR lenses -- I can still zoom!

It is a bit heavy. I worry about scratching or breaking the readout screen.

Husband and kids got this for me on mother's day. I am a casual user and enjoy nature, outdoor and people as subjects. This camera is wonderful. The quality of the pictures is amazing. The only bad shots I have taken are due to human error, as this camera thinks to correct as much as it can. It is more complex than I will really need, but the shots I will get of my kids are priceless. We are looking forward to years of family photos. I am just a little nervous about bumping the readout screen and cracking it. Sony currently does not make a cover for it like it has for its other models. I also recommend you buy the fastest memory card you can get -- it makes a big difference.

Customer Service

Never had to use.

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Kodak small handheld digital. Non digital slr cameras.