The A330 is pretty much the same thing with live view and articulating LCD added.

I was so disappointed by the build quality as well, it felt really cheap and nasty. I picked up a Canon 450D which was next to it and it felt so much better, and thats the 450D which we all know is a plastic built to a price camera.

I have to agree that the grip is very very uncomfortable, I spent some time with the A230 in my local PC World, they have all the cameras out on pods so you can handle them and take shots. The A230 grip even in my small hands is just so awkward to hold onto, it’s not just the grip itself its the position of the shutter release and the dial.

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).

Some extracts:

Superfast AF response time – The new 9 point AF is very very fast. If you ever play with any canon dslr, the new A230 has the same fast response feel that I like.

… and …

The new 18-55 SAM is quiet and faster than the old Sony 18-70 DT – The coating is still has that Magenta tint to it. The AF is very very fast.

… finally …

There has been some criticism about the build quality of A230, I for one really like the new lighter plastic body. Grip-complain-aside, I think the design is almost perfect. Cute, Small, lightweight, just love it.