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For thoose of you out there looking for a second hand camera, refurbished camera or really anyone looking for a camera which isn´t new, check out this review of the a290.

 

I have to say it´s a pretty decent camera considering you can get it for really cheap these days. It´s not very feature-packed nor is it very fast. But it really offers something which makes it worth the very small pricetag it comes with.

 

First off, i should say that i got mine the other day with a 18-55 SAM and a Sony 55-220 SAM for around 130 euros. I think that pretty cheap for a double zoom camera, especially considering that the 55-200 SAM alone costs about 230 euros when writing this.

 

So anyway, the a290 is a 14,2 megapixel camera. It doesn´t offer a video mode, nor 3D, live view or live filters and so on either. It doesn´t have a "flip out"-screen and no second screen or control dial. But this is really most of us can live without. Of course a tilting screen is really valuable in some situations, it isn´t really life-saving when it comes to get normal shots.

 

So what is good with this camera? What makes it a good DSLR? Well, for starters it´s really simple to use. Some might argue that it´s easier to use Canons menus, and even though that might be true in some situations, i find that Sony has pretty easy-going menus as well. And all you really need when taking pictures, you can find with an easy press of the "FN" button. You can control focus point, the look and feel of your JPEG (picture style), white balance, dynamic range optimizer and so on.

 

I would have liked it if Sony had implemented an easier way of switching focus points though, as i find that setting to be the most critical one when i shoot. Often i can take my time when setting up static shots and when i do, i don´t mind going through some menus, but when i am "on the run" and i´m trying to get correct focus on moving subjects, i have to be able to switch focus points "on the go". That is to my knowledge not possible and a bit disturbing really.

 

Other then that, the camera feels nice in your hand. The finger grip is a bit narrow but still feels sturdy when you are holding it. The size and weight is not disturbing but i would imagine that the camera might feel a bit light, should you start to use heavier lenses.

 

The battery is ok as well and lasts about 300-400 shots i´d imagine, and what more do you need? This is not a camera you take on a two-week safari, so you should really be fine if you can get some charging done every couple of days or so. The camera also takes SD-cards which are very small and inexpensive, so you shouldn´t have to worry about running out of memory, even though you might be on a tight budget.

 

Of course this camera also shots RAW. Ah, the beatiful land of RAW. It really would be a waste if it didn´t thought, so enough about that.

 

So overall i am giving this camera a high grade considering it´s low priced. If it would be priced higher i wouldn´t go for it as there´s tons of cameras out there, but if you can get it for cheap and aren´t shooting sports, then go for it!