It costs with just 500 Euro set price only 50 euro more than the A290 – well-laid money in face of otherwise comparable functions and qualities. Both models are currently only available with the standard zoom 18-55 mm.
The most important practical innovation is the better handle. The A390 with its 55 degrees downward and 135 degrees upwards tiltable monitor is hardly larger and heavier than the A290.
The 2.7-inch LC display with moderate 76,000 RBG pixels shows selected settings - as is usual with Sony either with classic data or with symbols and help guide. The A390 also has an automatic brightness control.
By pressing the "Fn" key you can quickly access the six most important settings, pressing the menu key will show four tab icons for further menus and submenus. The display adjusts to the transverse and vertical shaping. Despite the lightweight plastic housing, the cameras do not make a cheap impression.
The second sensor, housed in the prism housing of the A390, allows the use of the fast phase detection AF system, but takes its toll on the viewfinder image. This is comparatively small for the A390 with a magnification of effectively 0.47x.
Sony's built-in CCD shift image stabilization works with all lenses and displays a slightly nervous flashing camera shake warning in the viewfinder. The pop-up flash with guide number 7 illuminates a maximum of 28 mm wide angles over short distances. The memory stick Duo or SD / SDHC memory cards are stored. The switch-over is carried out manually in the card compartment.
The other features of both models include a miniHDMI connection, which allows the cameras to be connected to HD TVs with an optional HDMI cable. The video playback can be controlled via the Bravia sync function with the Sony TV remote control.
Varying Image Quality In the lab measurements, the new alphas with the same sensor leave an ambiguous impression: they increase with resolution, while fine texture (texture) and noise are now slightly worse. Also striking: Both cameras reach their highest resolution at ISO 800, at the same time the noise and the aliasing artifacts amplify significantly. Obviously Sony is working with ISO 100/400 with a much more powerful aliasing suppression. In spite of the same sensor, the more favorable model appears to be more generally better tuned and delivers 100 LP / BH more resolution at ISO 1600 to lower noise.
With regard to white balance (2 resp. 1 DeltaRGB), color accuracy (7.5 resp. 7.2 deltaE), switch-on delay (0.4 and 0.5 s) and reaction speed (0.4 s at 3000 as 30 lux) Both new similar ordinary results as their predecessors.
Conclusion: Those without HD video can find in the Alpha 390 a well-equipped entry-level camera with swivel LCD and fast live-view AF. Like the Alpha 290, it spoils a buying tip by its weak image quality especially at higher ISO values.
The A390 and A290 are transitional models. It should be the last Sony SLRs with this type of sensor and without HD video function.
Sony Alpha 390
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