The Sony A380 digital SLR camera features Quick AF Live View with tilt LCD for freestyle shooting with fast, accurate autofocus. The Sony Alpha A380 also has a compact, stylish body for light, comfortable handling.
Our Rating 
(3/5)
Good: Capable of shooting some very nice photos; fast Live View AF and single-shot performance; tiltable LCD; dual card slots; relatively simple, straightforward operation; built-in wireless flash and image stabilization.
Bad: Smallish grip; middling viewfinder; color shifts with default settings.
The Sony Alpha 380 has been styled for comfortable handling. Control layout on the Sony Alpha A380 has been revised with fewer buttons, so even first-time DSLR users don’t need to feel intimidated by the creative options on offer.
CNET writes:
“A380 has a fairly typical noise profile that unsurprisingly matches that of the A330/A230–sharpness starts to degrade at about ISO 400, color noise begins to seep in at ISO 800, and by ISO 1600 images become both soft and noisy. But the extra resolution doesn’t seem to provide enough extra sharpness to compensate for the A380’s softer, noisier results at every level starting at ISO 400.”
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PCWorld writes:
“Good points High resolution for this kind of model; large and responsive buttons; on-screen help; uncluttered controls. Bad points Plastic look and feel; screen mechanism stiff; Live View depletes battery”
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PhotographyBlog writes:
“image noise is noticeably lurking in the shadows at ISO 800, but by ISO 1600 noise reduction has kicked in, reducing the effects without smoothing out surrounding detail to a ruinous degree.”
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Pocket-Lint writes:
“The good: Lightweight, user friendly, intuitive, reliable performance, warm, colour rich images, adjustable LCD, less expensive than immediate rivals. The bad: No HD video, hinges for adjusting LCD are stiff, obvious plastic elements of build, kit lens could be sharper, noisier than rivals at higher ISOs. Verdict: A reliable performer delivering richly detailed and colourful images, though you might want to trade up from the kit lens fairly quickly”
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CNET.UK writes:
“The Sony Alpha DSLR-A380’s pictures and specs are decent, but, apart from its better kit lens, it doesn’t improve significantly on the DSLR-A350. It also costs more and feels cheaper. Maybe Sony thinks there’s plenty of mileage left in the old tech yet, but, as upgrades go, this is pretty thin”
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PhotoReview.au writes:
“Low-light performance was very good, with accurate colours in long exposures (up to 20 seconds) and no apparent noise in exposures up to ISO 400 but increasing progressively thereafter. Colour noise was evident at ISO 3200 and some shadow detail was lost with this setting.”
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LetsGoDigital writes:
“The image quality stands strongly and is at least comparable to that of its predecessor. Certain items such as the dynamic range have slightly improved, while the performance of the white balance metering has even clearly improved. And although the Sony A380 does not show an improved signal/noise ratio, we are still satisfied with the overall final result.”
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TechReader writes:
“Even at low ISO settings and in good light, the A380’s sensor delivers JPEG files that require quite a lot of sharpening before they appear properly crisp. Coloured noise is visible in shadows and neutral midtones at ISO 200, getting much worse as the ISO sensitivity is increased.”
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Sample Photos
- Sample Photos @ CameraLabs
- Sample Photos @ PhotographyBlog
- Sample Photos @ PhotographyBlog
- Sample Photos @ LetsGoDigital
A large 2.7-inch (diag.) Clear Photo LCD Plus display features Live View with Quick Auto Focus, which lets you compose and shoot pictures in real-time using the LCD, just as you would with a point-and-shoot camera. In addition, the LCD display tilts up or down for low or high-angle shooting situations, such as capturing a child’s first steps or shooting over a crowd.
SteadyShot INSIDE in-camera image stabilization is built into each camera body, so every a-mount lens benefits from the ability to minimize blur due to camera shake.
An HDMI terminal gives you the option of connecting your camera to a compatible HDTV and playing back your images in stunning high definition quality(HDMI cable required, sold separately). In addition, BRAVIA Sync works with compatible Sony BRAVIA HDTVs to let you control camera playback using the television’s remote (HDMI cable and BRAVIA Sync capable HDTV required, sold separately).
A broad sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 3200 enables you to capture beautiful color images even in very dim light – with High ISO Noise Reduction technology that reduces picture noise artifacts at high-sensitivity ISO 1600 and ISO 3200 settings by eliminating noise from RAW data after analog-to-digital conversion.
Continuous Shooting lets you shoot at up to 2.5 fps (frames per second) while viewing your subject through the optical viewfinder so you never lose track of the action.
Creative Style settings give you control over how the camera processes your images. Choose from 8 finishing styles, including Standard, Vivid, Potrait, Landscape, Night View, Sunset, B&W, and Adobe RGB, and fine tune them to your personal taste with the ability to adjust contrast, saturation, and sharpness settings.
Smart Teleconverter 2x Digital Zoom lets you zoom in electronically on your subject and reproduces pixels on a 1:1 basis so there’s no degradation in picture quality. One touch zooms in at 1.4X, while the second touch advances to 2x zoom — creating the 35mm equivalent of a telephoto effect with the camera’s standard 18-55mm optical zoom lens.
The advanced BIONZ image processor uses hardware-based Large Scale Integrated (LSI) circuitry to enhance images with rich tonal reproduction, reduced noise, and improved white balance and exposure control, for clear, sharp photos even at high sensitivity settings.
PhotoTV HD compatibility lets you automatically create high-resolution thumbnails optimized for viewing on a compatible Sony BRAVIA HDTV.
Scene Selection Modes optimize camera settings for different shooting situations. Just turn the Mode Dial to select from Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports, Sunset, and Night View modes.
Specifications:
Battery
Battery type(s): InfoLithium
Battery Charger: External power adapterCamera
Optical sensor: CCD
Megapixels: 14.2 megapixels
Light sensitivity: Auto ISO, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 600, ISO 800, ISO 1000, ISO 1200, ISO 1250, ISO 1600, ISO 2000, ISO 2500, ISO 3200
White balance: Automatic, Cloudy, Custom, Daylight, Fluorescent, Shade, Tungsten, Flash
LCD display size: 2.7 inch
Flash type: Built-in
Tripod Mount: Yes
Lens zoom (dSLR only): 18-55 mmConnectivity
PC Connection: USB, HDMIGeneral
Camera Type: Digital SLR
Dimensions (H x W x D): 97 x 128 x 71.4 mm
Weight: 489 g
Available colours: BlackOther
Cables: Video, Battery charger
Other features: Picture Motion Browser software
Included accessories: Body cap, Body cap, Shoulder strapStill images
Still image resolution (max): 3872 x 2576 pixelsStorage
Storage type(s): Memory Stick PRO Duo, Secure Digital Card, Secure Digital High Capacity
Internal memory: MB