[dugarner]

Wende, I have a Sony A200. I have not been happy at all with the lenses, and I concur with Merr that the Tamron would be a much better choice than the Sony kit lens. I also have the Sony 75-300 and it is very low-quality as far as comparable lenses go. But if you have the money to invest in better lenses, it is a great body; I love the IS built into the motor of the camera, instead of in the lenses. It is compact for a dSLR and doesn't "look" like one. (Some folks, I think, lend credence to the quality of a camera based on the bells and whistles.) The Sony is extremely easy and intuitive to use; the menus are right there, nothing is buried or hard to find. I still haven't read the manual, and I've had mine for about 10 months.

I would have a hard time recommending it based on the fact that if you buy a camera outright with cruddy glass, it sort of defeats the purpose. But it is easily remedied. Also, the 200 does not handle above ISO 400 well, and in most settings, even ISO 400 is very noisy. If you can afford the 350 or the 700, that might be a better choice. But it is personal, and up to you!

All the photos on the LOs in my gallery were taken with my Sony.

Hope this helps!