Sony Alpha 380 review

Sony introduces 14.2MP consumer DSLR with tilt screen and Live View

Delivering 14.2 effective megapixels from a 14.9MP APS-C sized CCD sensor, Sony’s A380 tops a trio of newly released consumer models from the manufacturer – providing a step up from the A330 – and does direct battle with the similarly compact and lightweight if slightly more expensive12.3 megapixel Nikon D5000 and 15.1 megapixel Canon EOS 500D in the amateur market.

Unlike those two competing digital SLRs however, the latest model in the Alpha range doesn’t offer HD video, or indeed movies of any description. That’s something of an eyebrow raiser given Sony’s own rich heritage in the camcorder market, and the fact that an HDMI port is offered for hooking the camera up to a latest generation telly via optional cable. So what else does the A380 have to make it an appealing alternative to the ‘big two’ brands?

For starters there’s anti-shake (SteadyShot Inside) usefully built in – Canon and Nikon users requiring stabilised optics instead – plus a tilting, though not rotating, rear 2.7-inch 230,000 dot resolution LCD screen; a feature still more common on bridge models than DSLRs. While this allows the possibility of shots high or low if making use of Live View for composition instead of the optical viewfinder, its inclusion seems less impressive when you’ve already handled the more physically flexible screen on the Nikon D5000. Whereas the Canon 500D’s screen is fixed, Sony’s feels a little stiff to adjust, with the feeling that if we manhandled it too much, a strut would inadvertently snap or buckle.

Pick the camera up and with 18-55mm kit lens attached and the overall impression given is one of reassuring solidity. This is despite the plastic elements of the build, exemplified most by the silver-grey top plate that unwittingly suggests that this £680 (body only) DSLR is in fact a budget model. Though the grip itself is smaller and narrower than competitors – a concession for compactness it appears – an indentation for the thumb top right of the back ensures the camera can be held steady in one hand, if encircling a second around the lens barrel feels more natural and comfortable. In any event this is a DSLR that can be transported around all day to allow for shooting from the hip without giving rise to neck or shoulder ache.

Aimed at family users as well as dyed-in-the-wool photo enthusiasts, Sony has endeavoured to make the A380 easy to use without being patronising – majoring in large, well-labelled buttons plus on-screen help guide – and quick to react it is too. Flick the on/off switch encircling the shutter release button and you’re up and shooting as fast as your forefinger can locate it. The DSLR features a pair of eye start sensors just below its optical viewfinder that prompt the camera to automatically and instantly determine focus and exposure without the halfway point having to be found on the shutter release button first. The camera also deactivates the graphical display on the LCD as the user brings their eye level with the viewfinder, and, should the Sony be turned on its side to shoot portrait-fashion, the information provided flips through 90° to present itself the correct way up.

While such responsiveness helps avoid potential shots being missed, also impressing us is Sony’s smooth and unfussy implementation of Quick AF Live View, a slider switch located on the top plate letting the user quickly flick between use of the optical viewfinder and LCD for image composition. Unlike its competitors, utilising Live View doesn’t require the camera’s internal mirror mechanism to first flip up and out of the way (though the optical viewfinder blacks out), so accessing the feature is quick and noise free. Plus, with a press of the ‘AF’ button in the centre of the control pad at the rear, in Live View mode the camera will continue to automatically determine focus for the user if required. In comparison, the optical alternative appears a little murky.

Inevitably though, constant use of the LCD depletes battery power. Whereas the camera will deliver up to 500 shots if using only the viewfinder for composition, opt for Live View in the main and this more than halves to just 230 images from a full charge.

A choice of 3:2 or 16:9 aspect ratio, JPEG, Raw, or both file formats in tandem (with little additional wait) are written impressively speedily to either Sony’s own Memory Stick media or more commonly used SD or SDHC. There are slots for both beneath a sliding cover at the camera’s left side, if viewed from the rear, with a switch provided to specify which one you want to record to, as the camera doesn’t automatically register which has been inserted.

While the A380 has some clever features and for the most part intuitive operation, it occasionally throws the user a curveball with some slightly odd touches. A case in point is the gimmicky ‘smart teleconverter’ button sitting just behind the shutter release. Press this and the camera gives the impression of zooming in beyond what is optically possible via the attached lens. It’s in effect a digital zoom, or crop, as found on most compacts, though as this results in a loss of pixels what it’s doing on a £700 DSLR is up for debate. Also, while the A380 incorporates a pop-up flashgun, it doesn’t feature a dedicated button for manual activation. Accessory flash can of course be top mounted for more professional results.

Image wise the A380 produces consistently colourful, naturalistic if slightly warmer than average and evenly exposed results with the 18-55mm kit lens. To nit pick however, we weren’t quite convinced that the inexpensive optic made the most of the camera’s 14.9 megapixel CCD sensor. Daytime shots were softer on close scrutiny than we’d have hoped, so we can’t help feeling that trading up to an (admittedly more expensive) Carl Zeiss lens from the Sony range would provide a better marriage – budget allowing.

As a beginner friendly model with added beef, the A380 impresses, but its price tag suggests better than the plastic-y elements of its build and the lack of HD video is, for a new model, looking like an oversight. More positively it is easy to use and can reliably achieve good results, though we found we occasionally needed to adjust brightness levels for darker exposures and apply Unsharp mask.

At the time of writing we discovered a kit price from one well-known high street chain that shaved £100 off what the combo is being sold for at Sony Centres. Shop around, and the A380 suggests itself as a better value alternative for those not already seduced by Canon or Nikon. Now all it needs is an even more flexible screen and the ability to record movies.