Sony A330 and the future of the Alpha line

[karl8]

Yes the A330 is a really pretty camera . I saw one in the store yesterday . I think they realize that most entry level buyers may be easily swayed by a "pretty" camera, since they don't know enough to think about how it will be used in practice. However, this does not bode well to the type of people who will be moving to the Sony system. if they can't get serious buyers to start with their entry level cameras, I am not sure they will have enough of a market for their higher level models ( see what experts say about Sony A330 ).

This seems like an unfortunate case of form taking precedent over function. It makes me a little worried about the future of the Alpha line. Hopefully the higher ups at Sony are able to respond to the poor feedback and realize that they went in the wrong direction.

[robbcwz]

I wasn't looking for pretty when I got mine. Maybe I'm the exception, but I am finding the 330 to be a fine and functional camera. I'm not pre-disposed to the 300 or older alpha's and made my choice after being able to compare it to several competitive units.

The controls seem to be intuitively placed and the menus easily understood and used. Maybe if I had been moving from another Sony product I would have had reason to "complain" about control locations, etc., but I have found it very user friendly. Oh, and it takes good pictures too!

[OldClicker]

Your first post on a new forum and you choose to trash someone's camera??? We don't do that here.

As a tool, they seem to me to be very functional and easy to use. If you cannot get a good photo with one of the new A2xx/3xx bodies, it's not the camera's fault.

As far as the future of the alpha, I see these (as well as the soon-to-be A850) to be the RIGHT direction. Sony DSLRs will not live or die by the whining of a few hundred camera forum geeks. They will succeed by enticing the millions new DSLR users to the brand - most of whom will stay with the entry level models (because they have what they need) and many who will upgrade in the future. Sony cannot just make another Canikon. Nobody is going to switch for the same thing and new buyers would have no reason to not to stick with the established brands. A current P&S shooter can pick up an easy to use, comfortable A330 and have excellent image quality with the (by far) best Live View in the business and every lens image stabilized! A little more advanced and they will find the tremendous value of used Minolta lenses - all still image stabilized. To me, the alpha future looks very bright.

TF

[LightBright]

Im not a huge fan of the a330 and the other two models like it, but looking at it through a beginner/intermediate's perspective, the offer looks well worth it. In fact it is a bargain even to expert eyes, because like Old Clicker said

"Nobody is going to switch for the same thing and new buyers would have no reason to not to stick with the established brands. A current P&S shooter can pick up an easy to use, comfortable A330 and have excellent image quality with the (by far) best Live View in the business and every lens image stabilized! A little more advanced and they will find the tremendous value of used Minolta lenses - all still image stabilized. To me, the alpha future looks very bright."

And of course this will make the Alpha line more popular, and everyone from all skill levels will greatly benefit.... And yes that is a good thing :thumbsup:

Btw Sony is not going in the wrong direction. There paving there own roads.........

[BBRoberts]

I've got somewhat used to the menus, dials and settings. That's not a problem for me. My only compliant about the 330 that's likely to stick for the long run is its smallish hand grip. It's like for a midget hand or something, so you sort of have to cuff it, to hold it steady.

BBR

[Anbesol]

I dont think the small grip is a problem when you've got small lens mounted - like the nifty fifty. Its only when paired with bigguns that it becomes really obnoxious for me.

[Photo-John]

I never care about camera or grip size. The smaller the better for me because it means the camera is easier to carry on my bike or skis. My hands are actually on the large size and I've never felt like the size of a camera was an issue. As far as using big lenses, then you just carry the camera by the lens