Sony Debuts New A390, A290 D-SLR Cameras

From DailyTech: About this time last year Sony, unveiled three new entry-level D-SLR cameras called the A230, A330, and A380. Today Sony has unveiled a pair of new D-SLR cameras called the A290 and A390. Both of the cameras are aimed at the first time D-SLR buyer and both have 14.2-megapixel resolution. The A390 has Quick AF Live View that shows a preview on the tilting LCD.

The A390 and A290 have a sensor shake system and anti-dust coating on the sensor for keeping the sensor clean. The cameras have SteadyShot inside to reduce blur when shooting and images can be stored in RAW, RAW + JPEG, JPEG Fine, and JPEG Normal formats. The A390 and A290 use Sony Alpha lenses and are compatible with Minolta and Konica Minolta AF lenses. The autofocus system uses TTL phase detection and has 9-points of focus.

ISO sensitivity ranges from ISO 100 to ISO 3200 and the shutter speed is 30 to 1/4000 second in 1/3 EV steps. There are several white balance modes including automatic and manual with 7-step tuning. Both of the cameras share the features I have already mentioned. The major differences in the cameras include a 0.74x magnification viewfinder on the A390 and a 0.83x magnification viewfinder on the A290. The A290 lacks Live View, but its LCD does tilt.

Continuous shooting on both cameras is 2.5 fps when using the viewfinder; the A390 can shoot a 2fps when using Live view. In JPEG modes the continuous shots are only limited by the amount of storage offered. RAW mode limits continuous shots to 6 frames and in RAW + JPEG you can only shoot three continuous frames. Both use the NP-FH50 lithium-ion battery pack and have mini HDMI connectors. The battery is good for 500 shots.

The A390 measures 128.1 x 97.1 x 83.5mm and weighs 497g while the A290 measures 128.1 x 97.1 x 79.6mm and weighs 456g, both weight figures are without the battery. DPReview reports that the A390 will sell for $600, the A290 will sell for $500, and both will ship next month. Presumably, both prices are with a kit lens of some sort, but that is not specified.

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