With its new range of digital SLRs aimed at a wider audience (the A230, A330 and A380), Sony is gaining ground on its competitors with a set of smaller cameras that are easier to use.  The Alpha 380 has a small, light frame and a high resolution 14 Megapixel sensor.

By including the same powerful live view and autofocus modes, Sony has attempted to compensate for the lack of video mode with a camera that concentrates on the essential task: photography.

Handling

Although the A380 is a lightweight SLR, I didn't particularly like the handle, which is too small and not very well distinguished from the rest of the camera.  The material that covers it is solid, but the bulge just isn't big enough to hold onto.  It gives the impression that form has taken precedent over function, and we have to admit that the new curvy look is a big success.  The Alpha 380 is less boxy and angular than its predecessors, and a little more feminine in some ways.

At the back, there is a 2.6'' LCD screen, which is mounted on a hinge that allows it to be tilted up or down.  Unlike on the Nikon D5000, you can't rotate the screen to any angle you like.  You can still use the camera in Live View mode and see what you're photographing with it held above your head or down at your waist, though.  The screen has a resolution of 230 000 pixels.  That's a little stingy, especially as the live view mode itself isn't very precise.  Fortunately, it's very bright, and adjusts to match ambient light levels, so you won't have any trouble even in bright sunlight.  We found the viewing angles to be easy enough to use.  The optical viewfinder is quite narrow (0.74 x enlargement) and only covers 95% of the scene, but, of course, one of the most interesting features on the A380 is live view with fast autofocus (see inset).


The cameras's interface has seen a serious spring clean, and the number of buttons has been reduced to a minimum so as not to scare off beginners.  It's a worthwhile initiative, as it's likely most users will only use the SLR's automatic mode.  Nevertheless, for those who want to go a little further--which is, after all, one of the advantages of having an SLR--it's possible to access different sttings using the Fn button.  The onscreen menus have also been redesigned, with comments and notes for every feature.  Here too, Sony is only just now catching up with Nikon and Pentax, who already provided these options, but it's a good effort that witll no doubt be appreciated by beginners.

In ordinary use (with the viewfinder), the Alpha 380 reacts quickly.  It's fast to switch on and the autofocus is snappy in most circumstances.  Although it's not quiet, using the new 18-35 mm lens in the Smooth Autofocus (SAM) kit seems even faster.  Burst mode doesn't quite live up to expectations, and struggles to get above 2 fps.  It's a shame, as the competition has already improved in this area.

Image Quality

The sensor's 14 Megapixels produce high resolution images at low sensivities.  The lens is good quality, but, to get the very best out of this performance, a top quality set of lens would be a worthy investment.  However, it's likely that most of the A380's customers will only use the double kit (18-55 mm + 55-200 mm SAM).  Apart from the ability to enlarge your prints, all of these extra Megapixels seem to us more of a marketing argument that also serves to justify a higher price.  We'll be thinking twice before buying this camera, and even taking a look at the Alpha 330, an identical SLR with a 10 Megapixel sensor.


The A380 is better at managing electronic noise than the previous generation, but is still behind some of it's competitors, like the Nikon D5000.  It's best to avoid going above 800 ISO if you want to make very large prints.  On a HD TV screen, though, the problem is a lot less visible, which could be a good reason to try the HDMI output that features on the camera.

Outdoors, the white balancing is accurate, and even under artificial light, the A380 produces photos that are definitely too warm, but far from shockingly so.  The automatic modes are useful, and the stabilisation is built into the case, meaning it will work with any lens.  It performed very well and we got our Barbie portrait test shot looking sharp at 1/6 s.