[Aussie Keith]

An oldie but a goodie.

 

[diablo]

Well, have fun playing with it. Must say it is the ugliest  camera I've ever seen - but as long as it works.

[Alasama]

looks very heavy. 

[AlanHo]

It looks like you need a masters degree in buttonology to operate the beast.  Is it some kind of NASA inspired gadget?

[bumpkin]

Which models that Keith, I have the a200 with the additional battery pack and the 18-70 along with a 70-300 lens.

It's a cracking piece of kit

[Shambles]

What's the screwed-on bottom bit?

[Seoul-mate]

What's the screwed-on bottom bit?


Looks like a connecting plate for a tripod????

[Shambles]

I meant the whole of the device, with buttons and thumbwheels. Seems to be attached to the camera where a tripod would be seated.

[Waja]

The extra bit at the bottom is a battery grip. Batteries and sometimes extra sd/cf cards can be stored in there thus allowing for longer shooting but the best reason for a battery grip is the actual functional purposes which is that it provides more area to hold onto comfortably when taking photos in landscape and also provides a proper grip when taking photos in portrait. When taking photos in portrait, it also provides a shutter button where the index finger is meant to be and gives the ability to change most dials in portrait format so you can get very very shutter happy and take lots of photos 

[Shambles]

The extra bit at the bottom is a battery grip...

Showing my ignorance here, but why would a battery grip have an MF/AF button, "slow sync", "C", "Fn" etc buttons on it?

[Aussie Keith]

The controls are duplicated so you can easily operate it in either vertical or horizontal orientation. It improves the balance of the camera as well with large lenses. It's a guy thing, right.  The bit right at the bottom is the tripod quick release mount.

@ bumpkin, this supplements an A200 and I've just retired a 5D. This new device is an A700 which since folks are migrating in droves to the A77 was a whole $300. The grip was another $150. Plenty about at the moment for that sort of money if you know where to look. The camera has been well looked after and appears brand new actually and works great. I've numerous lenses but mostly use the 16-105 and 100-300 APO. Looking to get the new MKII 100-400 later in the year.

I've not had any challenges with the A200 which remains a very good camera, but this is easier to use if that makes sense. I never did get a vertical grip, wish I had and now they are impossible to find.

@ AlanHo, the buttons each have a purpose and actually fall to hand quite readily. Its a complex bit of gear but quite simple to use partly on account of all the buttons.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydslra700
http://gallery.heinrich.id.au/

[Dazzler]

Congrats Keith gets a great review

I think we would get on great, we both like our gadgets 

[Aussie Keith]

That's right. Too many gadgets is barely enough.

Got to make time to use them though that's the trick. I used to be out all the time, hope after June to be able to get back into pointing cameras at things again especially at Lakeside.

[bumpkin]

Very nice, I bought the battery grip for the 200 also, it really is very handy and for those asking you can switch the buttons off on the grip so you don't accidentally hit them and you also get a tripod screw on the bottom of the grip.