Sony Alpha DSLR-A380 – a poor performer
Sum and Substance:
Thumbs Up:
The LCD can be tilted according to your preference, has image stabilization and wireless flash built in, two slots for cards, user friendly interface.
Thumbs Down:
It is not comfortable to grip the camera.
Inside the Trunk:
Bundled software – Sony Image Data Converter SR, Sony Picture Motion Browser, Sony Image Data Lightbox SR, Drivers & Utilities. Included accessories shoulder strap, lens cap, dust cap, body cap. Video cable included.
The Whiz Kid Speaks:
Sony Alpha DSLR-A380 is a 14.2 mega pixels camera, light sensitivity options include ISO auto, ISO 3200, ISO 1600, ISO 800, ISO 400, ISO 200, ISO 100. The dSLR has 2x digital zoom, the shooting programs include night portrait, portrait mode, sports mode, landscape, sunset, macro. Special effects include black and white, night view, landscape, portrait, neutral, sunset, vivd. Maximum shutter speed is 1/4000 second, minimum shutter speed is 30 second, exposure modes include aperture priority, shutter priority, automatic, program, manual, bulb.
Flash modes include Wireless off-camera control, Flash +/- compensation, AF illuminator. White balance presets include tungsten light, fluorescent, daylight, cloudy, shade, flash. Images are stored in RAW+JPEG, RAW, JPEG.
Image storage options are 1920 x 1080, Standard 2896 x 1920, Fine 3872 x 2576, RAW+Standard 3408 x 2272, RAW+Fine RAW 4592 x 3056. The dSLR has zoom lens Zoom lens – 18 mm – 55 mm – F/3.5-5.6 DT, filter size is 55 mm, has 3x optical zoom, filter size is 55 mm, has 3x optical zoom, lens aperture F/3.5-5.6, minimum focus range is 9.8 inches, focal length is 18 mm- 55 mm.
Additional features include brightness display, automatic display, camera orientation detection, display brightness control, RGB primary color filter, highlight point display, dynamic range optimizer, digital noise reduction, digital tele-converter, digital image rotation, USB 2.0 compatibility, shadow point display, PRINT image matching, eye-start AF system, built-in help guide, saturation control, PictBridge support, LCD live view mode, Exif print support, sharpness control, histogram display, contrast control, date/time stamp, direct print, DPOF support. The dSLR has 2.7 inch TFT LCD with 230,400 pixels.
Compatible OSes are Apple Mac OS X 10.1.3 or later, MS Windows 2000 Professional, MS Windows Vista, MS Windows XP. The dSLR is powered by Sony NP-FH50 Li-ion rechargeable battery. The camera comes with a 1 year labor and parts warranty.
Razzle Dazzle:
The A380 looks quite similar to A330 in terms when it comes to looks. A330 was a 10.2 megapixel DLSR and this one is 14.2 megapixel set. However, the A380 is lighter and doesn’t feel comfortable to grip on the right, where your fingers rest between the protrusion. On the bright side, there is a rubberized grip which feels secure.
Inside Dope:
The DSLR-A380 is the successor to the previous A350 which was selling like hot cakes due to its low price and good feature set. However, it has been a year now, the other manufacturers have caught up and the new A-380 isn’t as exciting as the previous installment.
The looks of this device is quite similar to the previous A330 which had a lower resolution. The A380 is available in 2 kits, one with a dual lens kits with 55-200mm model along with that lens and 18-55 mm lens. There is no body-only version of this DSLR at the moment.
The mode dial gives you access to scene program modes and the typical full automatic, semi-manual and manual exposure modes. There is also a toggle switch for optical/live view viewfinder on the right. Exposure compensation button is housed on the ledge but we didn’t like is feel or position because it is hard to reach.
Sony gives us both Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD card slot with a switch to choose amongst the two. We usually have the miniHDMI, USB and the slots on the right side but it is house on the left side here. However, it will no affect usability.
The controls on the back are typical of a dSLR and a veteran won’t take much time to get used to the system here. There is a four way navigation button with an AF button in the center. It gives you flash options, drive mode options, display choices and ISO sensitivity settings. The drive mode option has a self time mode for three shots in ten seconds with limited bracketing.
The Fn button is located above the switch for navigation, it gives you access to shooting settings like Creative Style, white balance, D-range optimizer, metering mode, AF area and autofocus mode. There is nothing out of the box done in here, but the interface is user friendly. The camera pops up help on the screen if you don’t make a selection for too long. The menu system lets you toggle image stabilization and image quality, the rest of the functions are typical of a dSLR, you be won’t confused with them.
The viewfinder of the device is not good which is typical of budget dSLRs. It is hard to see the focus dots blink red especially with the dark objects.
When it comes to speed, the A380 is good. It takes 0.5 seconds to wake up and start shooting. Focusing in dim light conditions takes 0.6 seconds and in bright light, it is 0.4 seconds. Shot-to-shot timings is 0.6 with the flash off and 1.6 seconds with the flash switched on. Continuous shooting speed is 2.4 frames per second which is a bit slow and will be a problem when shooting pets or kids.
The AutoFocus of the A380 is really fast considering this is an entry level dSLR, it gives an experience of point-and-shoot cameras. The LCD can be pulled out and tilted up and down. We thought this was more of a gimmick. The display is LCD and will not be clear when put up in bright sun light.
A380 has a different sensor but has the same weakness and strengths of A330 or A230.
The photos on the DSLR look really good, at lower ISO sensitivities, the photos are attractive and sharp. Sharpness begins to degrade when you go to ISO 400, at ISO 800 the color noise begins to show and finally at ISO 1600 the stills become noisy and soft.
Nitty Gritty:
Sony Alpha DSLR-A380 is average performing dSLR, there are other products in the market which give better results at the same price. We wouldn’t recommend you to buy this DSLR because it cannot compete with what other manufacturers are offering.
