Sony’s New A330 Copper
The technological advances inside that Digital SLRs have largely remained locked into the boxy design of their film-based forefathers. Leave it to Sony to shake this up. With the announcement of their a230, a330 and a380 cameras, Sony has taken the lead in clean, ergonomic DSLR camera design. If the Porsche design group were to design a camera this would be it. Here’s the 10.2 mp Sony a330 in sexy copper-brown:
The 10.2 megapixel A330 is smaller and lighter than its predecessor model (the DSLR-A300). It is also more compact and features an intuitive control layout that allows for easy single-handed operation. SteadyShot INSIDE™ in-camera image stabilization is built into each camera body, so every α-mount lens benefits from the ability to minimize blur due to camera shake.
The A330 offers Sony’s Quick Autofocus (AF) Live View technology, so you can frame photos on the camera’s LCD screen as well as in the optical viewfinder. Through the use of a dedicated image sensor, Quick AF Live View maintains the rapid response of a DSLR, while avoiding the focus delay common to other live view systems.
The new camera features a 2.7-inch (diagonally) Clear Photo LCD™ screen that is easy to view even in bright sunlight. Additionally, the LCD can be tilted up or down, making it easy to frame your subject from high or low positions, otherwise difficult to see using an eye-level viewfinder. The range of adjustment has been increased from its predecessor, making it even easier to get shots from difficult angles.
By combining Quick AF Live View and an adjustable LCD, users can frame the scene without holding the camera in front of their face, allowing parents, for example, to maintain eye-contact when photographing their children for more natural expressions.
The A380, A330 and A230 models are Sony’s first DSLR cameras to feature a graphical user interface (GUI) with built-in on-screen Help Guide. The Help Guide offers clear, concise explanations of various modes and settings, while the Graphic Display helps you understand the relationship between aperture and shutter speed, as well as the effect each has on photographic results.
The copper brown version of the A330 has a metallic dark copper shade on the top, brown shaded plastic on the textured front, and a black back. Its grip surfaces are brown, and the metallic surfaces — including those of the kit lens body — are a copper/brown color.
According to Imaging Resource, “Sony spoke with many focus groups, and this color combination was chosen overwhelmingly among the colors offered. One of the reasons given was that black lenses looked pretty good with the copper brown body, so people were most pleased with the color.” The copper brown version, model number DSLR-A330L/T, carries the same $849 price tag, is sold in the one-lens kit only, and will be available in Fall 2009.
Sony has made a very smart decision with the release of a brown DSLR. Far too often, it seems that DSLR’s are black - consumers obviously want something different. Most of the comments towards the copper brown A330 have been very positive. If the reception continues to be warm, perhaps multi-colored DSLR’s are the future
Tags: A330 Copper, sony a330
