Sony Alpha 230, 330, and 380 DSLRs out on May 19?
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted May 15th 2009 1:33PM
posted May 15th 2009 1:33PM
This next item is for all of you DSLR fiends who are champing at the bit in nervous anticipation of the revamped Sony Alpha 230, 330, and 380 DSLRs that were subject to some leakage a week or so ago. It looks like the cameras in question will be the raison d'être of a press event that the company has scheduled for the 19th of May, so you may just be getting your hands on the video-less wonders in short order -- y'know, if that's what you're into. With prices starting at €549.99 (around $738) and going up from there, these bad boys feature a revised UI, HDMI out, and Memory Stick Duo support. And if you think that's exciting, wait'll you get a load of the spec breakdown! Peep it after the break.
[Via Photo Rumors]
[Via Photo Rumors]
α230: €549.99 ($738)
- APS-C CCD with 10.2 million pixels
- BIONZ image processor
- Anti-dust system
- 2.7-inch LCD (230,000 pixels)
- 9 point autofocus with crosshair
- Dynamic Range Optimization for the brightness setting and adjustment of motifs with backlight
- SteadyShot, compatible with all a lenses
- Integrated automatic Ausklappblitz
- Viewfinder with 95% field coverage
- HDMI port
- BRAVIA Sync
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 128 mm x 97 mm x 67.5 mm
- Weight (without battery): 450 g
α330: €650 ($870) / €600 ($805) body only
- APS-C CCD with 10.2 million pixels
- BIONZ image processor
- Anti-dust system
- Tilt 2.7-inch LCD (230,000 pixels)
- Quick AF Live View: quick auto focus and a live preview on the LCD display
- 9-point autofocus with crosshair
- Dynamic Range Optimization for the brightness setting and adjustment of motifs with backlight
- SteadyShot, compatible with all a lenses
- Integrated automatic Ausklappblitz
- Viewfinder with 95% field coverage
- HDMI port
- BRAVIA Sync
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 128 mm x 97 mm x 71.4 mm
- Weight (without battery): 490 g
α380: €800 ($1074) / €750 ($1,006) (body only)
- APS-C CCD with 14.2 million pixels
- BIONZ image processor
- Anti-dust system
- Tilt 2.7-inch LCD (230,000 pixels)
- Quick AF Live View: quick auto focus and a live preview on the LCD display
- 9-point autofocus with crosshair
- Dynamic Range Optimization for the brightness setting and adjustment of motifs with backlight
- SteadyShot, compatible with all a lenses
- Integrated automatic Ausklappblitz
- Viewfinder with 95% field coverage
- HDMI port
- BRAVIA Sync
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 128 mm x 97 mm x 71.4 mm
- Weight (without battery): 490 g
Lul
what the fuck kind of comment is this "Lul"...is that your laugh?
i tried it the new camera . it sucks. nikon still the best. exclude the video part. hehe
All of them record 1080p videos too right?
no hd video recording... fail. nice camera though
HD video recording on a DSLR itself is fail, IMO.
I'm loving the Flight of the Conchords theme today. First "Inner City Pressure", and now this? I'd say that's motherflippin' sweet.
Get the T1i, it is a better deal because it supports full HD videos and Canon's array of award winning professional lenses. My brother got his T1i yesterday and he loves it, we're glad we trust Canon, #1 in photo and video imaging company in the planet.
So you really going to spend $600-2000 on an L lens?
Because I know I did.
yes, because people are dying to buy an SLR to shoot 20fps 1080p video
buy a T1i for the great camera it is, not for the shitty 1080p hd video
Get the D90, it is a better deal because it supports full HD videos and Nikon's array of award winning professional lenses. My brother got his D90 yesterday and he loves it, we're glad we trust Nikon, #1 in photo and video imaging company in the planet.
Haha, nice try fashionista, but Nikon doesn't make video broadcasting products. Go away, troll.
If you're worried pro-grade glass then the Canon Rebel, Nikon D60/D5000, Sony A200, or Pentax K-M are not the class of camera's you should be looking at. A nice pro-grade zoom is so massive it will totally unbalance one of those tiny cameras. Try mounting even the Canon 24-105mm f/4 L onto a rebel and see how it feels. Furthermore, the pentamirror view finders on all these entry level cameras are crap.
Do yourself a favor and forget video on SLR's until they smooth out the bugs and buy a last generation camera cheap. Nikon D200's are $600 brand new now. The Canon 40D and Pentax K20D are now $750 each. Anyone of those three will feel far better in your hand and won't crack like an egg shell if you drop it. Plus their glass prism view finders blow away entry level view finders.
iKurt 5D:
But guess who does make award-winning broadcasting and video equipment? Oh, Sony. And guess who has award-winning autofocus Carl Zeiss lenses available for their system? Oh, right, also Sony. What was your point again? Fanboys miss out.
iKurt is a paid employee for Canon....obviously, I own a Canon DSLR & 2 Canon printers and your post still made me wretch. iCK!
It's a multicultural picture =D
y helo thar
STOP CALLING EVERYTHING A 'BAD BOY'
god, you guys are bad with using slang thats 'in' at the moment .. i still remember when you took a damn 'gander' at everything.... >.
you're right. we need some gender equality.
Engadget, next time please call the next awesome gadget/camera/computer "bad girl." :)
Man, at least use a picture of the new cameras and not one of the current ones. There are plenty of them out there.
So... the A300 with a kit lens is currently selling for $599 on Amazon (and I am pretty sure $599 is the MSRP), but the A330's suggested retail is $805 without a lens? And the only differences are that the 330 has an HDMI port, a new GUI on the display and uses memory stick instead of compact flash....
...what!?
I really really hope there is some mistake or there is an unknown feature that has yet to be revealed because the pricing for these cameras makes no sense at all.
I shoot a LOT of photos with my A300 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zero101/) but this really makes me worried about the future of the Sony DSLR line. Maybe it is time to look at the Nikons....
Dude, calm down and breath deeply. Initial release prices are always higher than what cameras actually sell for and those are European prices with include tax and are just generally higher than US prices. And cost of equipment alone should not determine what photographic you choose to use. Also keep in mind that Sony has stabilization in the body, Nikon doesn't.
Yeah, i have to wait for the official details.
Since i'm now Ex SONY, i'll have to wait like everyone else.
I'm gonna be seriously confounded if it doesn't have 1080p/30 shooting.
I'm HOPING these have a new firmware with better JPEG processing and we get updates for our X00 series at that time. The A700 was stupifyingly sweet after that one got it's noise reduction under control.
When it counts, i shoot Raw+JPEG and drop the RAW in and apply advanced filters there, using the jpeg as a reference for what the camera intended to do with the scene at the time.
It's a bit embarrassing for SONY to make the sensor for Nikon but not to have equal JPEG Processing. particularly when they talk about advanced BionZ______ PROCESSOR.
1080p/30 and $599 and i'd upgrade to the A330. I can get $400 for my current body, unless someone else goes out of business who sells sony.
Off to the RitzULTRA in DC tomorrow, yay.
Sony may have in-camera IS, but the low-light sensitivity is still pretty low. Nikon may not have in-camera IS, but the sensitivity is so good it doesn't matter... crank up the ISO and raise your shutter speed and you'll get better shots with less noise without the IS.
The D90 sensor completely crushes the sensors of the A300 and A350 which are the same sensors being used in these new cameras. http://is.gd/AfUe
The price of the D90 (body only) is cheaper than the SRP of the A380 listed here as well. So, while price alone shouldn't determine the camera purchase... if you can get a better image for less money, why wouldn't you?
I was really hoping that these cameras would be used to flesh out Sony's low-end amateur line. Maybe priced at $399, $499 and $599. Three models for entry-level DSLR users to start off with. But at this pricing, they are competing with much higher-end models like the D90 and 50D and are more expensive than the T1i and D5000. It just doesn't make sense, especially when these cameras bring nothing new to the table compared to the current A200/300/350 lineup. Does HDMI out and a new GUI really validate a bump in price of two or three hundred dollars?
http://www.engadget.com/photos/sony-alpha-230-330-380-official-pics/2019521/
At least the new bodies also appear to have the in body drive motor and drive bit is visible on the mount. I've been having a cow the last 2 days being unable to confirm my $1300 in lenses would work on the new bodies when SONY didn't release official pictures of the mount and talked up their In Lens Silent Wave Motor system.... PHEW.
What is Ausklappblitz?
When I read that the first thing that came to my mind is:
"STOP! HAMMERTIME!"