Stephen M. Charme Say: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
Excellent camera, 2011-03-03
This review is for: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
Years ago I used to use a Nikon F SLR with an assortment of wide angle, normal, and telephoto lenses. I would buy my film in bulk, load it into casettes, shoot, then develop and print in my home darkroom. Those days are long gone. Once digital arrived I used a variety of compact cameras whose main virtue was portability and convenience, which sometimes did not provide the sharpest pictures.

With the birth of a grandchild on the way, my wife decided to look for a "really good" camera. She bought this camera at a one day sale at Electronics Expo as part of a kit that also included a 75-300mm lens, tripod, cleaning kit, 4GB SD card, and Bower camera bag--all for $600. After she brought it home the "photo bug" that had been dormant for so many years bit me again. I absolutely love this camera. Here is why.

1. Picture quality is stunning. Don't be overly impressed with the 14.2 megapixels because unless you regularly make 16 x 20 pictures or larger, you won't really notice a difference from a camera with say 10 megapixels. The whole emphasis on megapixels is really just a marketing ploy. The thing to focus on are the lenses, and both lenses that came with our kit take amazing pictures--clear, sharp, vivid colors. I use one of the pictures that I took as a screensaver on my 22 inch monitor, and the detail is incredible. Also, my cousin who is an avid photographer has a much more expensive Nikon DSLR, and because the Sony lenses are so good, there is no noticeable difference in our picture quality.

2. The lenses are easy to remove and put on, and the autofocus and automatic light metering features work very well.

3. The included flash is compact but powerful. No it is not a substitute for an external flash if you do lots of flash photography, but for ordinary use it works just fine.

4. If you are a beginner or just don't want to be bothered with lots of technical details, just set the main control dial to Auto, and the camera will take care of all of your settings for you. If you want to start playing with settings to adjust aperture, shutter, depth of field, ISO settings etc. you can do so. In short, you can simply point and shoot or else start making all kinds of adjustments to become more creative.

5. The manual that comes with the camera is adequate. If you want a book that clearly and concisely explains everything about using this camera with lots of tips for being creative, buy David Busch's book on Sony DSLR A390. I already have his book on the Sony A380, which I used to own and is essentially the same as the A390 (see paragraph 10 below), and can tell you that nobody explains things more clearly. He takes nothing for granted if you are a rank beginner, but at the same time provides tips for more seasoned photographers.

6. The Bower Camera Bag (which I have reviewed on Amazon) is superb for holding all of the equipment, and was part of the package that my wife got. Even with the camera bag loaded with everything, it is not that heavy, and is about the size of an average pocketbook.

7. Lens caps on any DSLR have a way of popping off and getting lost, so I suggest you buy an inexpensive lens cap keeper. I use the one made by Bower (I have reviewed it on Amazon).


8. I suggest buying an extra battery. Battery life is pretty good, but an extra battery is always a good idea. I bought one made by Lenmar that works just as well as the Sony battery, but is half the price (I have reviewed it on Amazon).

9. Although there is no video on this camera, I don't consider that a problem. I have always preferred using a separate video camera because taking videos is much different from taking still photos, and video cameras have a different set of controls that are missing on a DSLR. For the time being I have settled on the latest Flip Ultra HD 8GB 3rd Generation (which I have reviewed on Amazon).

10. Except for the handle grip and a few other minor differences, this camera is basically identical to the Sony A380. Both work equally well, so buy whichever one you can get the best deal on (my wife first bought an A380 package, which we gave to our daughter once our granddaughter arrived, and next bought the A390 package because that was then the best deal).

Bottom Line: Whether you use this camera as a simple point and shoot or start experimenting with the different settings, you can take great pictures. I recommend this. Shop for price.

R. Fernandez Say: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
Great Camera but lacking a few key features, 2011-03-16
This review is for: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
I want to start by saying this is a great camera. However there are a few things that made me return it and get a different camera:
1. Continuous shooting. VERY slow. Almost too slow. They say it's 2.5 per second, but it felt like maybe 1.5 per second. It's not a huge issue, but my expectation was such that I thought it would be faster. It was really surprising and i couldn't get over it.
2. Battery. I took it out one afternoon and only got 50 shots before the battery died. Which takes me to my next point:
3. Accessories- i saw some accessories, but none of them where really clear as to whether or not they fit this model. Also-there where two types of accessories, expensive and bottom level. Other brands had a full range and clearly specific to models. Case in point: look for a battery grip for this model camera and you'll see what i mean.

Now, onto the Good-
1. you can use Minolta lenses with this camera. There are literally thousands upon thousands of lenses to choose from.
2. Superb optics, even for the obligatory 18-55mm kit lens. See the pictures i loaded with the basic kit lens.
3. it uses both Sony cards as well CS, and has two slots. This is awesome.
4. The price alone makes this the top pick for beginners. I bought the kit from Adorama and it came with a bag, a card, and lens all for $465.

At the end of the day- if you don't care about the continuous shooting issue (and it's not an issue per se) then this is a really hard camera to pass up.

careswartz Say: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
Impressive image quality and ease of use, 2011-01-12
This review is for: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
I am a college photography instructor and have had a ton of cameras over the years. This is my go-to camera and the first one I pick up. I love the fact that the image stabilization is built into the body and not the lens. The Live View mode makes teaching with this so easy, as well as for a student to understand. The color quality from this Sony beats my old Nikon hands down. For the price, this is an AWESOME camera, and super easy to use, whether it be on auto or manual.

J. Lah Say: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
Beats Canon and Nikon Basic SLRs, 2010-12-22
This review is for: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
This is an excellent camera with many cool features! I compared this with the Nikon D3000 and the Canon Rebel XS, and ended up with this one due to the extra megapixels (14.1 vs. 10.1) and features. The image stabilization is actually in the camera, not in the lenses as with the other 2 cameras mentioned (and then only in the more expensive lenses). Very easy to use. Nice to have the "guide book" with you at all times built into the camera. The tilting live screen is also very handy when taking photos over a crowd or down low and not wanting to get down on your knees to take it. Just remember to purchase a higher speed memory card with the camera. Excellent photo quality - definitely worth the money!

imfallen_angel Say: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
Great camera, 2011-04-15
This review is for: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
I've been in photography for a good 20 years, done weddings, events, international meetings, etc. even teaching it for a few years in my younger days. I had my own darkroom for many years.

I dropped out of it as I ended up with faulty equipment, losing most of it due to complicated stories, etc. and then I repurchased a 35mm SLR only to have the digital age turn everything around.

I hesitated for many years spending the money for a D-SLR as I waited for the technology to approach film quality and mature appropriately, and contended myself with a Sony F828 (a great camera), but after taking my 35mm SLR out last summer and reminded of the beauty of using an SLR, I've been aching for months on which camera to get.

I finally decided on this one (A390)for various reasons (as mentioned further in this review)

I've now have had this camera for a week and been "playing" with it as much as I can. I did want the 580 model but as it doesn't appear that it will be released in Canada, the 390 is the only model that I could get in stores that is an SLR (the A33-A55 aren't) and I wanted the actual mirror viewing through the lens and not a small LCD screen.

The good: very easy to use, great images.

The bad: the lens that comes with it feels cheap, the 2.5fps is a bit low, lack of connectors for external flashes and remote.

I had compared other brand SLR in store and none were as easy to simply pick up and take a few pictures. The menus are easy to understand, don't have many buttons but the interface is very well thought out.

I already had a couple of lenses from my old Minolta SLR, but I was willing to check at all options, but after my testing these cameras in the store, the Sony was easier to use, did the focusing much better than all the others, that the choice was easy.

My biggest pet peeve is that I wish that they would have placed the wheel at the thumb instead of in the front (index), but I'm already getting used to it.

But in a world were stores are packed with the two other now "common" brands, which people buy as they see them as the "standard", many will miss out on the fact that made me pick (or stick with, if you prefer) Sony. Not because of the brand, but because it was the best choice; very easy to use, great image quality.

Jack T. Say: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
a good dslr does not require arms and legs, 2011-01-02
This review is for: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
i think this is a very good dslr camera from sony not requrie arms and legs,
it takes good photos, and better photos with you use the HVL-F20AM flash.
it has 14 maga pixles, more pixles then DSLRs in the same level. duo slot for memory cards, it accpects SD / PRO DUO, switch storage location by flick of a switch.
it has a tiltable LIVE VIEW for low or high angle photo taking.

cons: ~not as comfortable hand grib (hand grib a bit small)
~noise reducation not strong enough (sometimes i have to call that weak)
~low resolution while using LIVE VIEW (i do not use live view often) but photo came out good on that screen


pros: ~does not require arms and legs to buy this camera
~tiltable live view screen
~good amount of weight and its well balance(its a dslr after all)
~in camera guide easy enough for everyone to understand (you can change language setting other then english)
~change manu background color (black, white, brown and pink)
~no video --- yes no mistake putting is pros area, i still believe DSLR is for photo taking, why pay $200 + to have a dslr that takes video. with $200 i can but a HD video cam that takes 10x better video (that is just me, please correct me if i am wrong)
~picture mode RAW + JEPG
~view finder not the best but adaptable
~ HVL-F20AM flash, plug and play, no special settings, nder $100

over all this is a DSLR camera for people who does not want to lose any body parts over a camera, it worth the money i spend on it, but make sure when you buy this DSLR SONY A390 pick up the HVL-f20AM falsh, because the on camera flash is not powerful enough.

added 1/3/11

pros -- dial roller located in front of camera just below the shutter button, very easy for adjustments
-- dual slot for memory cards, one for sd/ sdhc one for memory stick pro duo, switch between storage area by a flick of switch

cons -- shoulder strap hook/loop , its not smooth

newnanron Say: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
Sony A390, 2010-12-21
This review is for: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
Easy to use and very good picture quality. Accepts my older Minolta lenses which saved me a bunch of money. No noticeable difference in magnification qualities between new Sony lens and old Minolta lenses. Switching between Live View and view finder is very easy. I am a novice and this is a great novice camera.

Christopher Morales "chriz00" Say: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
Great DSLR for Beginners!, 2010-12-29
This review is for: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
Great DSLR for the amateur photographer! The other reviewers basically covered everything that needs to be said.

14.2 MP (like the more expensive models), the tilting screen (note: can only tilt out then up or down, the higher end Sony aDSLR's have the one that rotates), Really great camera! BUY IT NOW!!!

W. Zopf Say: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
Excellent camera!, 2011-06-20
This review is for: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
When my bridge FujiFilm camera was stolen over a month ago, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a DSLR. I of course shopped Cannon and Nikon first and then took a look at the Sony. I LOVE it! It's so easy to use and has some great features for a beginner DSLR user like me. I mainly use it for typical "mom photography," but I'm starting to branch out and have even begun researching lenses. I'm extremely pleased with the quality of my photos and would definitely reccomend this camera, especially for the price!

Phong Phan "Balgus" Say: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
Love this camera - great intro camera for the learner, 2011-05-24
This review is for: Sony A390 Digital SLR DSLRA390L sale
This is a great intro camera for anyone looking to get a foot into the doorway of amateur photography. I bought this because the body is not astronomically expensive like a lot of Nikon or Cannon cameras are (not saying that Sony does not have expensive cameras as well) but it does come with a jack of all trades lens... which is a good start since I really don't know anything about cameras and photography other than I want to take lot of photos from now until I die.

So I picked up a macro lens, a couple filters, and a flash and my intro set is complete - all for under $900.

After four months, I can't say that I have all the functions down, nor do I know how to be a professional photo journalist, but the basics are easy enough to learn. And I can say that I know just enough to take some wonderful pictures of my newborn baby girl. My wife loves to dress her up and I snap a dozen or so shots. Most are throw away- but there are times when I catch a beautiful smile or smirk, and in hi-res. With the macro lens, it creates a wonderfully (almost studio) background.


And that is my favorite part since I had taken my girl to a photo studio which charged $400 for an hour session. I can honestly say that the camera is worth a thousand times its price since I can catch these wonderful moments without having to pay through the nose for studio quality photos. Plus, I get the added pleasure of seeing these moments for myself and i own the digital proofs for reproduction anytime.

I guess this really is not a review about the camera - rather the freedom it gives you to catch wonderfully serendipitous moments - and the price is well worth the investment. In the future, I may want to trade in for a better model - and it probably will be a Sony again... only because this one is such a wonderfully great intro camera and they have made me a lifelong customer.

But you can bet that from now until I trade up, I will continue to click away at all of life's beauty. And this camera, with its low price, makes it easy for me to justify having it along side me anywhere I go. The value is just phenominal