Test SLR Sony Alpha DSLR-A330 Body

An unexpected kit

Traditionally our editorial staff, when they order cameras for testing with a manufacturer, select a set of interchangeable optics. Today we received an unusual set: a square cardboard box, complete with the camera itself, staff lens 18-55 mm and telephoto 55-200 mm, charger, belt for the camera, CD with software and a detailed manual.

The owner of such a set will have much more creative possibilities than a photographer who only owns a camera with a single regular lens. The problem of thinking of further additions to the camera is solved in a radical way.

Getting to know the new camera. Mode dial is recessed almost flush to the left of the viewfinder. On the right is the chrome switch coupled with the shutter button. It is finally back where it belongs, because on previous models it was more or less confusing to the left of the viewfinder, but you can get used to anything.

Also on the right is the LIVE VIEW OVF switch for monitor sighting and the smart converter button – a kind of 2x zoom on monitor sighting. Exposure compensation and playback zoom button on the right. To the left of the viewfinder is the MENU button.

Rear panel: a monitor with excellent brightness and contrast

6.7 cm, rotated in several planes. For photographers who have switched from compacts and are used to focusing on the sharpness through the monitor, a very convenient solution. To the right of the monitor is the Fn button, the traditional joystick, the delete button, and the image view button.

Left side panel: the memory card compartment with the sliding lid to the side, as well as the HDMI and USB ports and the memory card switch SD and Memory Stick PRO cards are used . The right side panel – DC IN connector. Bottom – tripod socket and battery compartment. The whole kit the camera body and two lenses is extremely light and compact and fits into any, even a very small bag and will not cause you any problems while traveling.

The lenses are very well made, no backlash. The only difference between them and their more serious fellows is a bayonet mount made of plastic, which is not critical for amateur equipment, which does not involve frequent changes of optics.

On first impression, I see the purpose of Sony A330 in the following: the camera will be a reliable assistant for fixing any memorable events in the family album, a tool to teach the younger generation the basics of photography technique and, perhaps, a transitional tool for the amateur, involving its further improvement and in the future aims to buy more advanced technology.

Then we go for a walk in the playground, there we will have a chance to evaluate the camera in different modes. To begin with I decided to test the tracking autofocus, the wide auto-focus zone and the aperture priority at its maximum open position as well as the accuracy of the halftones reproduced by the sensor in quite a contrast lighting.

Lens 55-200, focal length 70 mm, aperture 4.5. Little Igor climbs one of the elements of a children’s obstacle course. The manufacturer’s claimed continuous shooting speed of 2.5 frames per second is probably true, although I, used to the “machine-gun” crackle of reporter’s cameras, have a different feeling, of course. And everything else is up to the mark, with great tonal gradation, confident wide auto focus, and a good background blur.

I shot a few series of 4-5 shots each, natural blunders in sharpness in some shots are a result of the “shake” at not a very short shutter speed, but the overall impression is very good.

This carousel shot demonstrates the great qualities of the 18-55 lens at 28mm zoom at close range: there is no obvious “wide-angle” effect, and the tonal gradation is well defined switching to the center focus point and shooting the carousel movement with tracking focus, even considering the frame dynamics and blurring of the right figure, we evaluate as superb. The Sony A330 sensor is very delicate in contrast lighting conditions.

And of course we need to test the camera at an increased light sensitivity and assess the level of noise in the sensor. On a garden path, once again shooting a moving subject using autofocus tracking at 800 ISO. 18-55mm lens, aperture priority value 5.6 , auto white balance. A series of shots showed no faults in focus or exposure.

ISO 800 is quite usable, but the image quality is still not good enough for printing very large formats: you can notice the noise at high magnifications. Even at lower ISO settings, they are still present in the dark areas. So the over-sensitivity on this camera should be used very thoughtfully.

While I was evaluating the quality of the pictures from the previous set, Igor was getting ready for the badminton tournament: he had rackets and shuttlecocks on the trunk of his bicycle and was getting ready to depart to a nearby glade that was designated for the tournament.

Not shooting his portrait in beautiful natural light would have been unforgivable, so I put on the 55-200mm long focal length lens again, and shot what I consider to be a technically flawless portrait of him: ISO 200, aperture 6.3, focal length 60mm.

So the results of the first part of the tests of the new camera can be considered very good. And only a few remarks regarding the camera ergonomics however, these are purely personal feelings I’d like to mention. In my opinion the flush of the right side of the body has become less grasping due to the change of design, but it is for a man’s hand “photographers” will hardly notice it .

There’s an opinion

The final part of our test was carried out in one of the favorite places of Muscovites – on Patriarch’s Ponds. The legendary building on the bank of the pond is very good for assessing the dynamic range of the camera lots of contrast zones , the presence of distortion in wide-angle lens positions, as well as the appropriateness of white balance and overall sharpness of the resulting file.

Lens 18-55 mm, focal length 35 mm, white balance automatic. Even though the sun was starting to fade, I didn’t see any color variations, which tells me I had a very good internal auto-background setup. The ringing sharpness of the picture confirms once again the very good optical characteristics of the lenses, and the absence of distortion does not surprise any more, it is absent at wider angles.

I took a couple of shots in the playground located right there in the square at 400 ISO, because there wasn’t much light. I noticed that even at 400 ISO, there was some noise, though I could not call their structure especially noticeable. The people this camera is primarily intended for, don’t often go for high sensitivity, because they mostly shoot during the day.

And my last shot of the day, a white swan swimming across a mirror-like pond 55-200mm lens, aperture 5.6, focal length 200mm . I must admit that I expected to get a much more “soapy” picture at 200 mm: almost all budget lenses, regardless of their manufacturer, crash in sharpness at 200 mm. But here I was pleasantly surprised: I shot a lot of takes, but the picture was the same everywhere – the white beauty was in sharpness! The opening is pleasant, what can I say, especially at the end of the test.

Photo 1. Nice wide dynamic range in spite of the low light, no distortion at wide angles 20mm , excellent lens sharpness P mode, ISO 200, 1/250s, f/10 .

Photo 2. Great autofocus, confident auto BB, high level of detail ISO 100, 1/125 sec, f/13, 55mm .

Photo 3. Impressive sharpness of the 55-200mm lens, excellent detail and ample photographic latitude. The file requires almost no further processing ISO 200, 1/400 sec, f/8, 135mm, auto white balance .

Photo 4. Great tonal gradation, fast tracking AF in a wide area, nice background blur ISO 200, 1/640s, f/4.5, 70mm .

Photo 5. No noticeable “wide-angle” effect with a 28mm 18-55mm lens, tonal gradation is excellent ISO 200, 1/320s, f/4.5, 28mm .

Picture 6. Sensitive sensor for contrast lighting ISO 200, 1/125 sec, f/6.3, 45mm .

Photo 7. No mistakes in focusing or exposure were detected, but I could notice some noise in the shadows when zooming in ISO 800, 1/640 sec, f/5.6, 55 mm .

Photo 8. Technically flawless generational portraits in beautiful natural light ISO 200, 1/250 s, f/6.3, 60mm, auto BB .

Photo 9. Excellent auto white balance performance, despite the characteristic evening light. Ringing sharpness confirms the excellent optical performance of the 18-55mm lens ISO 200, 1/80s, f/13, 35mm .

Picture 10. There is not much light on the playground, the sensitivity is 400 ISO, and the noise structure is weak but not annoying 1/40sec, f/5.6, 55mm .

Photo 11. Good performance of the 55-200 mm lens at maximum focal length: sharpness is quite good, the picture is not “washed out” ISO 400, 1/320, f/6.3, 200 mm .