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Up-Armor your Sony Alpha 100!
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I'm pretty hard on cameras. My other cameras have quite a few character scratches and dings. It's hard to keep them nice even if you use a camera case. I once lugged a ten pound Pelican case on a backpacking trip to protect my camera! Truth be told, the Sony Alpha doesn't feel particularly tough, not even compared to my Nikon N70 and my Sony F717. I'm sure the build quality is the same as every other DSLR in it's $1000 price range, but I still worry a little about a body made entirely of hard plastic. It's no magnesium alloy D2X, that's for sure. So I've decided to give it a fighting chance with the new Camera Armor kit made especially for the Alpha. They also have kits for popular Nikon and Canon DSLRs but not everything out there. Woo Hoo! Sony is now a mainstream DSLR maker since there are aftermarket parts. The kit cost is about $50.00. Overall, I'm very pleased with the armor, and I think it will help the camera to survive in the field.
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Before modification, (Left) and after (Right). You can resize your browser if they aren't side by side. The armor makes the Alpha about a centimeter taller because of the lip around the base. I think it's a bit easier to grip and hold in your hand also.
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The kit comes with a rubber shell to go around the body, a hard plastic screen cover and an over-sized lens hood (below) that I chose not to use. There is a lens cap leash but I never use those either. I find it really annoying when your lens cap is flapping all over in the breeze while you're trying to take a picture. It all comes packaged in a nice plastic box with well written and illustrated *English* instructions.
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I like the idea of making something to protect the lens, but this thing is a little ridiculous. It's going to interfere with the flash for sure, and makes it impossible to fit my camera in its camera bag. I think it's better to go without. I have a UV filter always on the front of my camera to protect the actual lens.
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The hard plastic screen cover is of good quality, and doesn't negatively affect viewing on the screen. Some of these covers seem to make the screen too reflective, but this one is okay. You can see how they covered some of the buttons with rubber tits.
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Instead of cutting out a hole for the shutter release, they rather boldly covered it with a rubber tit. At first I thought this would be terrible because you wouldn't be able to feel the focus lock (first stage on the two stage shutter release). After trying it, I decided it actually helps because it exaggerates the effect of the first and second stage. I kind of like it, but those who prefer the subtle original feel may find this annoying.
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Two things I find a little annoying. They didn't do anything about the door for the card slot. The way it opens, it would have been impossible to design a flap for it, but I think they could have at least made an adhesive rubber part to stick on it. Also, the lip around the bottom of the camera is excessive. If it had a base that snapped in there to cover the bottom of the camera, it would have made more sense, but to make such a huge lip and then leave it open is weird.
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And then I climbed a ten foot ladder and dropped my camera to see if this thing really works. Yeah right!
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Note to users: Please don't steal the pictures here. Contact me for full size high resolution photos and we can negotiate a fair price.
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All photos copyright Edward Laag 2007