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Left to its own devices, in bright conditions the A390 consistantly overexposes to an extent that it is often impossible to recover highlight detail in the captured images.
SONY A350 VS A390 ISO
Where the A390 falls down is speed, high ISO image qualiity and the performance of some of its key systems, specifically metering in bright sunlight. In essence, the A390 is a decent camera and with a bit of care and attention, it can produce excellent images.
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The optical viewfinder is small and dim, and despite its 'TV at the end of a hallway' viewing experience, we found that when wearing glasses, the entire image area is still hard to see from a fixed eyepoint.Īs far as its performance and image quality are concerned, the A390 is an exact match for its predecessors, which is to say that it was fairly respectable two years ago but now sits towards the bottom end of its large group of competitors. Like the A380 though, the new model only really comes to live in Fast AF Live View mode. Ergonomically, the A390 is still far from perfect (the exposure compensation button is still awkwardly placed, and the smart teleconverter button is still given undue prominance) but definitely an improvement over its predecessor. The ergonomic changes are meangingful, however, and the A390 is a considerably more comfortable camera to handle than the A380, which didn't seem to be designed with handling (using human hands, at least) in mind.
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SONY A350 VS A390 UPGRADE
The Sony Alpha 390 is a minor upgrade to its predecessor, and ultimately, the new model can be safely summarised as 'the same camera with a new grip'. To get all the in-depth information that you expect from a dpreview review on the Sony DSLR-A390 you'll have to read both this article and our in-depth review of the Sony DSLR-A380. However, the images on the 'compared to' pages were shot 'fresh' with both cameras. Custom white-balance not 100% reliable and not fine-tunableįor this Quick review we ran some basic studio tests to confirm Sony's assurances that the A390's image quality is as good as identical to the A380.Unreliable white balance under artificial light.No video-out jack means images cannot be displayed on older TVs.Poor battery life in Fast AF Live View mode.Metering tends to overexpose on bright days with sun in the frame.Sometimes less responsive than the competition (record review).No magnification and only 95% frame coverage in live view make precise framing and selective focusing very difficult.Sometimes convoluted operation (AF-point selection, index-view).No on-screen user interface for changing of shooting parameters.Protruding screen obstructs use of viewfinder, especially if you're wearing glasses.High ISO performance not on the same level as direct competitors.Simple but decent RAW converter included in the package (Image Data Converter).Help guides useful for new users of the camera and beginners.Effective image stabilization system (SteadyShot inside).Tilting screen useful for over-head or waist-level shooting (not in portrait orientation though).Probably the easiest DSLR to use for a compact camera user.Much improved handgrip over A380 (but still less comfortable than A350).Coherent ergonomics for live view operation.Fastest AF in live view among 'traditional' DSLRs (but see disadvantages below).Reliable metering (most of the time - see 'cons').