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Photos of the Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 and a discussion of its design.
Lori Grunin
I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
One of the nice design touches on the new entry-level Alphas is the use of a textured rubberized material not only on the grip, but also on the opposite side of the body. The manual focus ring on the new DT series of lenses also has a rubberized feel.
One common confusion that crops up: when bodies are designed to take old and new lenses, the manufacturer has to put the AF/MF switch on the body, even though newer lenses have it already.
There aren't that many direct-access controls on the body; you get to frequently used options like AF mode, AF area, metering and white balance via a multiple-choice display brought up by the the Fn button. Though the camera has a modern information display, it's not interactive.
All the connectors and slots sit under a sliding door on the left side of the body. There are dual SD card and Memory Stick Duo slots with a physical media selection switch, a mini HDMI connector, and USB port. Having the card slots on the left side of the camera takes some getting used to; in most cameras they're either on the grip side or in the battery compartment.
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