Sony A380

Sony A380 is Sony's Entry-Level DSLR digital camera first released on August of 2009. It comes with a 14 MegaPixel, CCD APS-C size sensor with a maximum resolution of 4592 x 3056.

Sony introduced this model in order to improve the earlier Sony A350 (Read Full Comparison) and subsequently introduced the more recent Sony A390 (Read Full Comparison) in order to improve this camera.

The A380 is ranked #48 out of 80 in Entry-Level DSLR cameras and all around #392 out of 1465 for cameras in our database. Remember to test our Advanced camera finder to find camera ratings based on your personal requirements.

Here is a graph of different criteria used in the scoring system.

The Sony A380 comes with a history of related cameras. Down below, you can take a look at all previous and more recent models as well as important specs.

You can look at the A380 from different angles in the gallery below.

Here is a checklist of pluses and minuses of the Sony A380 based on things that are oftentimes viewed as essential in a digital camera.

The Sony A380 is run by the Bionz processor chip. The measurement of the sensor in the Sony A380 is 23.6mm x 15.8mm (APS-C). The 373 mm² sensor is able to resolve 4592 x 3056 pixels using aspect ratios of 3:2 and 16:9. The camera includes Image Stabilization (Sensor based). Sensor stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization as the latter may cause cropping.

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The CCD sensor boasts 14 megapixels and gives a standard ISO range of 100 - 3200. RAW format is saved so the user has more room to maneuver in post.

The graphic below shows the A380's sensor size in comparison to other popular sizes. The A380 sensor comes with a crop factor of 1.5 and is displayed in green.

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To get an idea of different aspect ratios, you should refer to the graphic below.

Sony A380 has a weight of 1.14 lbs (519g / 18.31 ounces) and features outer measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8"). The weight of normal Entry-Level DSLR camera is 540g so the Sony A380 is on par in comparison with other rivals.

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Listed below is a pic of the Sony A380 beside a soda so you can have a sense of its size.

The top view below will provide the button arrangement on the A380.

The A380 uses the Sony/Minolta Alpha mount and has 145 lenses to choose from. Here is a small number of the lenses we have in our collection that will fit the A380.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight

Sony DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.318-200mmf/3.5-6.3 405g

Tamron SP AF 60mm F2 Di II LD IF Macro60mmf/2.0 400g

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Samyang 35mm F1.4 AS UMC35mmf/1.4 660g

Tamron SP AF 90mm F2.8 Di Macro90mmf/2.8 405g

Sony Vario-Sonnar T 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM II16-35mmf/2.8 872g

Tamron AF 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 Di II LD Aspherical IF Macro18-250mmf/3.5-6.3 430g

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Sigma 18-125mm F3.8-5.6 DC HSM18-125mmf/3.8-5.6 490g

The A380 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• HDMI Yes

Cameras that feature NFC and / or Bluetooth support can be used wirelessly through smartphones. You will be able to copy files and sometimes alter settings without the hassle of connecting physically with the camera.

Certain apps also enable a Liveview and click the shutter whenever you aren't near the camera. If the camera contains a HDMI out, it can be hooked up to an external screen. Virtually all cameras will allow you to recharge the battery using the USB port.

Sony A380 does not record video. In case you are looking for a digital camera to shoot just images, it might not be a concern.

There is no weather sealing on the Sony A380 so you have to be cautious in rainy or dusty situations.

The Sony A380 comes with a 2.7 inch tilting screen having a resolution of 230 thousand dots.

Sadly the screen isn't a touch screen.

Photography Glossary

The View Finder specs regarding Sony A380 are below:

• ViewFinder Optical (pentamirror)
• ViewFinder Coverage 95%
• ViewFinder Magnification 0.49x

Viewfinders can be really helpful during bright outdoor situations which may make the camera screen washed out and hard to view.

Sony A380 is able to shoot continuously at 3.0 frames/s. The max shutter speed is 1/4000s.

Sony A380 includes both inbuilt flash and external flash ability. The maximum flash sync speed is 1/160s.

Sony A380 includes both Phase Detect AF and Contrast Based AF. Phase Detection focusing is more faster & precise as compared to Contrast Based focusing. The camera comes with Face detection making it handy for portraits.

The AF system comes with 9 focus points to select from. Sony A380 comes with manual focusing in case it is needed during low light scenarios or you need to have more accurate control on focusing.

The battery (NP-FH50) on the Sony A380 is built to last for 500 photos based on the CIPA benchmarks which is lesser in comparison with its competition. The general Entry-Level DSLR camera battery life is 589. Pentax K-x offers the highest possible (1900) battery life within this range of cameras.

Following is a list of Entry-Level DSLR cameras with the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Pentax K-x
A380 vs K-x1900 yesnono

Nikon D3500
A380 vs D35001550 yesnoyes

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Nikon D3400
A380 vs D34001200 yesnoyes

Canon SL3
A380 vs SL31070 yesnoyes

Sony A450
A380 vs A4501050 yesnono

The following graph shows a summation of the Sony A380 for different kinds of photography. To understand more, check out the specific section below.

The Sony A380 receives a points total of 71 which is very good, and means the camera is a respectable option to use for portrait photography. Taking portrait photos leans greatly towards sensor size, support for RAW photos along with the ability to utilize off-camera flash.

Having a exceptional score of 76, the Sony A380 is a awesome option for street photography. A decent street photography camera has a perfect balance of image quality plus portability.

A modest sports photography points tally of 59 means the Sony A380 is fairly suitable for taking photos of sports. A camera really should have very good focusing plus continuous shooting for sports photography.

Size is very critical in selecting a camera for travel. On the whole, the Sony A380 gets a average 53 for a travelling camera which makes it somewhat suited to buy for your holidays.

If you're looking to pick a camera for landscape photography, the most vital aspect will no doubt be image quality. The Sony A380 with it's above average grade of 61 for a landscape camera is a respectable option in the current market.

A vlogging camera should really offer a articulating display, microphone input and ideally IBIS. Taking everything in to account, the Sony A380 is not very good for vlogging as it gets a awful score of 9.

If you need alternatives to the A380, below is a range of the highest ranked cameras that fall in to the class of Entry-Level DSLR.

The graph listed below gives you a bird's eye view of the A380 vs it's top ranking rivals mentioned previously.

These are some more cameras you may check out as alternate options. To review a complete comparison, just click on the "compare" link.