Sony Alpha A380

Most people choosing a digital SLR camera for the first time will automatically go for current big names Canon or Nikon.

But Sony, has a lot to offer with the 14-megapixel Alpha A380.

Some of the neat features include eye-controlled auto-focus. You put your eye to the viewfinder and the camera automatically determines focus and exposure for you, turning off the display below.

Then there’s the Quick AF Live View, in which the rear screen can be used, along with the viewfinder above it, to compose pictures. A sliding switch lets users swap between the two.

Still unusual on a digital SLR – but a feature it shares with Nikon’s D5000 and some early Olympus models – is the A380’s adjustable rear screen. This can be pulled out and tilted up or down to enable otherwise tricky low- or high-angle photography, although it can’t be moved to the left or right.

A disappointment, and a surprise given Sony’s usual good attention to detail, is the camera’s overall build. It’s distinctly plastic and the screen was stiff and awkward to adjust, but it’s lightweight at 490g.

The control layout was otherwise comfortable, with large, springy buttons that were quick and responsive to the touch. A dedicated ‘smart teleconverter’ button – in effect a digital zoom cropping the image and reducing its resolution – felt as though it would be more at home on a snapshot camera, not a digital SLR.

As it is, the kit bundle includes a ‘proper’ 18-55mm zoom lens.

The camera provided naturally colourful images with plenty of subtle tones and a consistently reliable performance – yet we expected a greater degree of sharpness overall, leading us to believe that a more expensive lens would have done better justice to the camera’s qualities.

The A380 ultimately gives the impression of being a jumped-up entry-level SLR, with some interesting features split between the useful and the gimmicky.

But with at least one high-street camera chain selling the A380 and lens for a full £100 less than its manufacturer’s £720 asking price, and similar discounts online, buying into the Sony Alpha system as an alternative to Canon or Nikon starts to make more sense.