In the review of the Sony A330, Philip Ryan issued the following statement on the A330's image quality:
Typical of DSLRs these days, the A330 got an Excellent rating in our color accuracy test. With an average Delta E of 7.11, it handily beat our cutoff of 8 or below for top honors. As have previous entry-level Sonys, the A330 also scored quite well in noise control. Using the manufacturer’s RAW converter (Image Data Converter SR), and with the default level of noise reduction applied, it never rose above a Moderately Low noise rating. That’s two steps above the bottom rung on our scale.
[...]
Given the resolution, the A330 scores a Very High rating for overall image quality from ISO 100 through 400, pulled up a bit by its Excellent color accuracy and Very Low or better noise in that range. From ISO 800 through ISO 3200, overall image quality was High.
Sony Alpha DSLR-A330 Review at CNET – Lori Grunin:
The AF system is surprisingly fast for its class, especially in Live View, which tends to be one of the Achilles' heels of dSLRs. As a result it delivers a more point-and-shoot-like experience. However, you only see 90 percent of the scene, compared to 100 percent for most other cameras; that's even lower than the 95 percent viewfinder coverage. The LCD also seems to be the same one as on the previous generation of cameras, because I had the same difficulty viewing it in direct sunlight, even when tilted at various angles. The image stabilization works OK, testing out to a savings of about 2 1/3 stops when zoomed out to 200mm.
Overall rating score: 3.5 / 5 stars (VERY GOOD).
One disadvantage of the viewfinder-based Quick Live View implementation on the Sony A330 – plesbit:
When would you use Live View exactly? For me it would be almost exclusively used for tripod based shooting, such as landscape work. AF speed really doesn't matter on that, but where it might count is when using filters. I know photogs who prefer the main sensor Live View because it helps them with things like exposure when using graduated filters etc.
Sony Alpha DSLR-A330 Review at AlphaMountWorld.com – Carl Garrard:
Dynamic range looks great, even on jpegs (the total range of light captured). Without a testing facility to measure the total range of light I cannot comment exactly on just how many stops of light that are being transferred to the jpegs, but based on tests previously done on the A300, I'd say its fair to say you'll get about 10-10.5 stops of light, perhaps a bit more.
Combine detail, color, and dynamic range together and you get fine jpegs out of the camera that most users will probably never even adjust through post processing. The A330 also handles reds and yellows quite well overall and tends to keep the red channel from over exposing. This has always been a good test for a DSLR in my opinion, because most DSLRS will have trouble exposing these two colors properly.
A couple of full-sized image samples have also been included in the review. I like the sharp detail in this ISO 400 cat photo.
Main Improvements in the Sony A330 Over Previous Model, the A300 – Todd3608's summary:
… the main improvement and that is image quality. The auto white balance is much better. The noise control is improved. The autofocus is super fast now – even beats the T1i in some cases according to the new Pop Photo review. Sony has put alot of work in its JPEG engine and it shows.
The camera accepts SD cards – Yes!
The menu system is one of the best if not the best I have ever seen in an entry level DSLR.
A complete list of what changed and what remained the same between the two models can be found at AlphaMountWorld's A330 Review.
Nikon D90 vs Sony A330: Grip – Ionian related his experience at Adorama:
… So the guy holding the D90 says, "Yeah, I've been carrying this but I'm not happy at all" and he reaches into his knapsack and pulls out some P&S. So the other guy says to the guy with the P&S holding the D90 – "You want to feel a real disaster? Check out the Sony!" and the guy holding the D90 puts it down and picks up the A330 (I'm not sure if I got the model number right but it was the one with the faux carbon fiber looking grip) and says, "Oh yeah – that's awful. There's nothing to hold on to!" So the first guy says, 'Maybe this would be nice for my kid!" and they both burst out in laughter. So the guy puts down the Alpha and goes back to the D90 and picks it up and says, "Oh yeah – I can see myself getting real comfortable with this grip". Then the salesman walks over and asks him, "So what are you leaning on?" and the guy says, "I'm gonna take the D90 – it feels great".
