While Sony may have its pricey
NEX-VG10 camcorder sucking up the limelight at yesterday's showcase, let's not forget the electronic giant's more humble photographic devices. Just a few steps away we stumbled upon these near-identical
Alpha A390 and A290 entry-level DSLRs, with the former donning a tilting LCD and live view capability to live up to its bigger price tag. We can't comment on picture quality due to the lack of sample shots, but we were certainly impressed by both cameras' build quality -- kudos to Sony for the much improved grip, and we also liked the firm chassis (plus its various knobs and flaps) that didn't feel cheap despite sounding hollow. On a similar note, the 2.7-inch LCD looked sharp and served us well for all purposes, although we didn't get to test it outdoor. What really bewildered us was the lens continuously auto-focusing while the camera remained stationary -- that couldn't be good for the battery, and we'd like to see how battery life fares in upcoming reviews. Anyhow, enjoy our hands-on photos.
posted July 16th 2010 7:53PM
Dear Sony,
You do not need 5 different low-mid range DSLRs on the market. One at $400, one at $650, and one at $1,000 is more than enough.
But please, make something that seems worthy of an upgrade from my A350. The only thing I see that is more than a little better than it is the A900 (which I do not have the $$$$ for).
Thanks,
YuriTenshi
for the price I paid for my A330, I love it...tilting LCD and live view for under $500....couldnt beat it
Sony Cameras are hollow sounding because they are powered by the dreams of little children and unicorn dust which when crushed take little room...
@rollingwave
I though those were apple products?
@Firewave Yes, Sony licensed this technology to Apple in a cross licensing deal that saw apples Proprietary battery system (powered by the broken dreams of the elderly) This avoided a significant legal battle.
Am I the only one that can't see the "various knobs and flaps"? I count one mode dial and one control dial, and two flaps (unless you count the battery door as a flap). As for the design, it looks bloody terrible to me. They stick the live view/viewfinder switch on the top like there was no room for it on the back, same with the menu and AV button. It's not like prosumer level DSLRs where you have a secondary display on the top, there's no need to have to tilt the camera to see the top of these at all. There's also a lack of controls, I can't believe users are expected to use that crappy looking d pad to choose a setting and then use the control dial to adjust it, they could've easily added a second dial on the back so aperture and shutter speed could be controlled separately. Then you've got the DC input on the hand grip so you have no hope of using the camera whilst it's plugged in. Then you've got all of the other ports under the other flap, so when you go to plug in a HDMI cable you risk accidentally pulling the card out and corrupting it. You've also got the recessed strap loop and the other on the front of the camera so it's going to hang awkwardly. MY last complaint has to be the MF/AF switch on the body, never really seen the point of that when every lens has it's own switch.
Boy would it suck to be a Sony user.
@Kieran you should really try to actually use one. The LiveView switch is where it ism because it is a mechanical switch, that closes the rear curtain and turns on the secondary sensor and is responsible for delivering one of the best and fastest LiveView system on the market. It's the FN button that calls up a screen from which you can select different function. It take less than a couple seconds to do and becomes second nature after a while. And you can configure the click wheel in the front grip to either control the aperture or shutter. I've set mine to control the Aperture while setting my mode to Aperture Priority as well. And since the camera doesn't come offered with DC connection, it becomes a moot point for anyone who isn't a prosumer with prior experience in D/SLR shooting. If if you're able to pull the SD card out while plugging in the MiniHDMI cable, then you got some kind of magic working against common sense. Plus the AF/MF switch on the body often has to do with the idea that the legacy Minolta AF lens that the Alpha line support doesn't come with a AF/MF switch on the lens themselves. In my experience, the Menu button simply doesn't get used that much, outside of turning the in-body Steady Shot function off and on, for when I want to use the OS feature of my Sigma lenses.
I agree that you do have a point that the A2xx/A3xx line doesn't offer many expected controls. However, its demographic target and price points suggest that Sony didn't make these entry lines for you. These are for beginning users going from P&S to DSLR, and for people like me who simply wants a simple DSLR with great features, and low price, and can be used by anyone when I'm not there. I'm glad that they did revise the grip because, while I don't really mind the thin grip of the A330 that I have, I can appreciate having a bigger grip to hold on to. I don't really care for the slow LiveView of the 50D that my brother have, nor its heavy body+lens combo that I know my wife would find unwieldy. Nor would I ever use the LCD info screen at top when composing via the viewfinder. The A330 (and A390) would trump that with its tilted LCD screen, so I can hold the camera at my waist, while providing a direct connection to the sensor.
So please, go to best Buy and check out the camera and find out exactly what the camera is about before passing your judgment on an internet discussion board.
@asianrage
I understand that these cameras aren't targeted at me, I just find it really annoying when manufacturers don't put as much effort into the design as they do for the higher up models. It's not just Sony either, Canon put silly little grips on their Rebels and take away half of the controls and Nikon needlessly cripple their entry level bodies with lens compatibility issues. I'm sure these Sonys are capable cameras, in fact most entry level DSLRs are, but I hate it when they intentionally limit the user as their skills increase.
As for the Live View switch, they could easily stick it on the back and still have a mechanical linkage, it just seems that they took the easy route without consideration of how the camera will be used. But really the Live View bit is probably one of the least important mistakes they've made, it only really slow the user down a little. As for the memory cards, the camera uses SD and Memory Sticks which both pop out when pushed, all it takes is to accidentally push on the when plugging in another cable and the card will come out.
It'll be a while before I invest in a DSLR camera and when I do, I expect nothing less that the BEST and don't care how much it costs!
@hero785
So you are planning on selling your car.... hmmm.... good call.
no hd video recoder
@policeman0077
It would be nice to have 720p recording capability. i really don't want to switch to the E-mount Nex-5
@asianrage some one says that that is because sony do not want affect the sale of their handycam series. But it doesn't make sense for canon also have their video camera product and they release the 550d.
The nex is great. But may still have some problems. I'll wait for the second generation of nex series.
And I hear that nikon will release an EVIL and a new entry level DSLR with hd video recode ability(maybe d4000 or d3100) Hee, hee. A war between two camera giants will begin. Just wait and see. :P
Agree about the build quality on sony DSLR cameras like the A200 have much better build then the canon EOS XS/1000D.
naaah the best sony camera is nex - 5 damn i had it on hands and pic is crystal and that display grrrr
I will never understand why anyone would buy a Sony dslr over a Nikon or Canon in the same price range.
@Vakarian Probably because they're not in the same price range? That's the only way sony could get in there given its only large choice of lenses are old minolta ones
@Vakarian Off the top of my head:
* They already had an investment in Konica/Minolta lenses.
* They like in-body image stabilization as opposed to having to pay for extra for it in every lens.
* Sony DSLR's are generally cheaper.
@Vakarian
better live view,in body IS
A sony A900/850 have better build quality then anything canon has
Were these pictures taken using a Canon ?
@TGrant
damn beat me to it
I am still looking for the right dslr and I don't know if this one is it. I really hope the nikon d4000/d3500 rumor is true if I hope Sony's grip is actually comfortable.
like NEX-5 more~~~~~
I have the A300 and think it is a very nice camera for the price. I have an old Minolta Beer-Can lense 70-210mm F4, a Sigma 17-70mm 2.8-4.5 and a Sony 50mm 1.8 to go along with it. When I first purchased I was looking for a good camera with a lower price and the A300 ranked right up there with the first Canon and Nikon entry level options and was much cheaper. So I was able to spend some money on lenses and still pay around the price I would have paid for the Canon or Nikon. Also, back then, all the Nikon 10mp DSLR's used the exact same image sensor as the Sony's since Nikon purchased them from Sony...
If I was to purchase now it would still be a tough decision, but I think the latest batch of entry level DSLR's from Canon are the best and Nikon's entry levels are just meh.