The LCD monitor works as a Navigation Display allowing seamless operation with clear and concise camera settings displayed with comprehensive shooting information, indicated with large, easy to read text. Aiding ease of use further, the display automatically switches from horizontal to vertical format when shooting in the upright “portrait” format.

The amount of time the display remains active is user selectable (5s, 10s, 30s). When you put your eye up to the viewfinder it automatically turns off the LCD's backlight.

You can choose the display mode to be simple (left) or detailed (right)

Centrally mounted on the back is the large, wide-view 2.5-inch, Clear Photo LCD Plus, 230,000-pixel color monitor. It can be used as the information display, for accessing the menus and is an excellent display for in-field review of your pictures.

Controls on the back: Power switch is to the left of the viewfinder, to the right is the Exposure Compensation button (zoom-out in playback) and the AE lock button (zoom-in in playback). When using flash, the AEL button activates slow-sync mode. To the right of the LCD is the 4-way controller which is used for Focus-area selection, to navigate the menu system. In playback it is used to select images, toggle histogram view, rotate and scroll through an enlarged image. The Super SteadyShot button turns the image stabilizer on/off. Along the left is the Menu button to call-up/dismiss the onscreen menus. In recording mode, the Display button switches the LCD between showing full and basic camera settings, or off; in playback mode, depressing the Display button cycles the LCD through full display, image only and index playback modes. The Trash Can (Delete) button is used to delete the currently displayed image; a confirmation menu prevents accidental erasure. At the bottom is the Playback mode button.

The control dial is located at the front of the grip; it controls a variety of settings within the context of the camera's current mode of operation. The shutter release is ergonomically located in a depression between the front control dial and white balance control. The Mode Dial is located on the top of the grip, having positions for Full-Auto, Program exposure, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual Night Portrait, Sunny/Beach, Sports, Close-up, Landscape and Portrait.

The Function Dial is on the top left and lets you select the Metering mode, Flash mode and Compensation, Focus mode, ISO speed, White Balance setting, Dynamic Range, Color/DEC mode and the Contrast, Saturation and Sharpness level on the LCD as shown below.

Metering: MultiSegment, Center weighted, Spot
Flash: Auto, Fill, Rear Curtain, Wireless
Flash Compensation: +/- 2.0 EV
AF Area: Wide AF, Spot, Focus Area Selection
AF Mode: Single-shot, Direct Manual Focus, Automatic, Continuous
ISO: Auto (100-800), 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, Lo80 (ISO 80 low key), Hi200 (ISO 200 high key)
WB: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, by Kelvin temp., Manual
D-Range: Off, Standard, Advanced
Color/DEC: Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Sunny/Beach, Night/Night Portrait, B&W, AdobeRGB
      Contrast, Saturation and Sharpness 5 levels

Images are stored on CompactFlash devices. The DSLR-A100 can use any capacity CompactFlash Type I or II card or IBM/Hitachi Microdrive. It supports the FAT12/16/32 file system and is fully compatible with capacities over 2GB.

I recommended buying a large capacity card for this camera, especially if you use the RAW or RAW+JPEG quality frequently. RAW files are approx. 8MB each and Large/Fine JPEG files are approx. 2.5MB each.

I/O Ports: Inside the CF compartment is the combination USB 2.0 hi-speed digital port and the Video Out port (selectable for NTSC or PAL television systems). On the back is a connector for an optional wired remote controller RM-S1AM or RM-L1AM. Not shown is the DC IN port on the side for the optional AC power adapter.

The DSLR-A100 is powered by a Sony 7.2v NP-FM55H lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack. At normal temperature (68°F/20°C) it's good for up to approx. 750 pictures (CIPA standard.) There is a 5-level battery condition indicator on the LCD display.

The supplied BC-VM10 compact charger requires approx. 90 minutes to charge a fully depleted battery pack. The optional AC-VQ900AM AC Adaptor/Charger can power the camera and rapid charge two type M battery packs.