Sony Alpha A290L 14.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm Lens Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Took my new A290 to the local park/aircraft museum & got really great photos with everything set to standard. A tree with grey/green foliage, came out looking 100% natural, where other cameras have not looked so good. Green grass looked perfect.Metering excellent, and white balance looked great when the white balance was left at auto.
This might have the same sensor as the Sony A380, but I think Sony have subtly tweaked the settings for jpegs as they look fantastic.
I used to have a Nikon D40, & while it took fantastic photos, the menu system was infuriating compared to the A290.
Other comments:
1. Battery needs to be charged for about 4 hours in total (including an hour *after* the charging light goes out.)
2. 18-55 kit lens zoom action can feel a little stiff when brand new. (Not too uncommon with budget lenses)
This lens is pretty good according to the experts though. And much sharper than the old 18-70 Sony kit lens.
3. The camera strap is fine, but not easy to thread through on one side. But I always have trouble with these!
4. ISO 1600 shots taken indoors show faint noise. (Prob. about the same as a Nikon D3000 worse than Canon 1000D/Rebel XS.) However, the A290 has far less noisy high ISO pictures than any compact with a small sensor.
5. The eye detection sensors that switch off the display are a nice feature.
6. Nice to hold having a rubberised finish.
8. Great value for the money!!
9. I've really enjoyed my first outing with this camera. A lot of fun to use.
Re. Battery life. Battery life can be hugely improved if the 'Eye Detect Autofocus' function is turned off.
With this turned on the A290 seems to be continually trying to focus.
Also turn of the 2 second review display after each photo.
With these two functions turned off I got 346 photos with the battery still showing 3/4 full charge. Temp. was
around 20 degrees C & included a bit of reviewing of photos but not much.
The automatic eye detect function still works & turns off the display when you raise the camera to your eye.

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Sony α; (alpha) DSLR-A290: more features, less blur. For family photographers who want greater quality and creativity, the Sony α; (alpha) DSLR-A290 combines high-resolution 10.2 MP, simple operation, high sensitivity (ISO 3200), advanced noise reduction and convenient Creative Style settings. SteadyShot INSIDE in-camera image stabilization works with every lens, including Sony zoom, advanced Sony G-Series, pro-quality Carl Zeiss lens designs and Minolta ±-mount lenses. Stamina power provides up to 750 shots2 on a fully charged InfoLITHIUM battery. Eye-Start Autofocus and pop-up flash help you shoot faster -- and a bright 2.7"1 LCD screen displays index and high-resolution thumbnail images.

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