Sony Alpha DSLR-A390L Pro Reviews

Make no bones about it: the A390 is the previous A380 model wrapped up in a new - and, it must be said, better - body, with no other changes to speak of. It's important to highlight this for any A380 users considering upgrading, though for brand new users bypassing the A380 will be of little consequence.All in all, although the build quality is a little ‘plasticy', the A390 has a lot to offer and for a fair price. The camera's Quick AF Live View speed still remains to be beaten in this class, and the tilt-angle LCD screen is a great addition when compared to some competition. The A390 stands its ground well and produces decent pictures throughout its ISO 100-3200 range. We're very glad to see a more pronounced grip on the camera, which makes for better use than the A380 before it, though it's perhaps a little disappointing to not see any other exciting new innovations in this new model.

The Sony A390 represents one of the most minor upgrades that we've ever seen, effectively adding a better handgrip to last year's model. The A380 didn't really add much to the A350 model that it replaced, so the 2010 Sony A390 is effectively still using 2008's technology, and is subsequently looking dated compared to the competition.

The A390 is a decent enough camera for the money, but its build, finish and general lack of refinement are a constant reminder that it's a budget model. It's so similar to the A380 you wonder why Sony bothered launching a new version. Sony should be worrying about the latest hybrids, like Panasonic's G-series cameras and the Samsung NX10, which are smaller, lighter, nicer to use and offer full-time Live View (with smooth and responsive AF) and HD movies.

Sony's A390 is certainly a very capable camera and the results this camera is capable of producing should please many who want an easy to use introduction to shooting with a digital SLR. It's only weakness appears to be with noise at high ISO settings, but even then the results are more than acceptable for most uses up to ISO800 and even maybe ISO1600.

Sony's DLSR-A390 is capable of capturing vibrant and clear images, but its body could use some work. For starters, we'd like a dedicated button for the flash and for zooming in on photos in playback mode, and it's awkward to change the aperture in manual mode. The camera also lacks video mode. If you don't care about video and just want a good quality D-SLR, then the DSLR-A390 is worth considering, but it will take time to used to it.

If you're a Sony Alpha (or Konica Minolta) user that shoots mainly at base ISO, in live view and Auto mode the Sony DSLR-A390 is worth a look, and is definitely a more agreeable camera to use than its predecessor. However, Fast AF live view is less impressive in 2010 than it was when first introduced, and compared to a camera like the Panasonic Lumix DMC G2 (which at least matches and with some lens combinations beats the A390 in terms of live view AF speed) the Alpha 390 is bulky, slow and unrefined. Ultimately, the A390 will only be be worth serious consideration if its price drops below $500. At its current price point it is difficult to recommend.

The A390 is essentially an A380 rewrapped in a new body. Grateful though we should be for this - as the new, more substantial grip is essential for extended use of a DSLR camera - it fails to offer much "new". Of course, for those first time buyers this will be of little consequence as the A390 is an affordable, well-specced DSLR that takes decent pictures of good, usable quality throughout its entire ISO 100-3200 range.