Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 Review at CNET Reviews – Lori Grunin:
By the rest of the image-quality metrics–noise, exposure, and sharpness–the A230 renders decent photos for its class. The Dynamic Range Optimizer brings out a bit more detail in shadows and midtones and brings back some clipped shadows and highlights; in general, you shouldn't regret leaving it enabled. I'm a bit disappointed by the kit lenses, which don't match the sharpness of similar models from Canon and Nikon. The A230 delivers a fairly average noise-suppression profile for its class. Sharpness starts to degrade at about ISO 400 and color noise begins to seep in at ISO 800; you really don't want to use ISO 1600 and ISO 3200, where images are both soft and noisy.
Overall rating score: 3.5 / 5 stars (VERY GOOD).