Side by side, the a-290 and a-390

We’re looking again at Sony’s interchangeable lens line. This time the entry-side Alphas. (Aside, I’d like to note that I’m a little sad that their E-mount isn’t also named for a Greek letter, but Eta mount or Epsilon mount might have thrown a few people if the Greek character were used. Similarly Omega would be hilarious, but I don’t think they’re allied with the Indianapolis Colts.) From a-230 and a-380, we’re getting the a-290 and a-390. It appears that the 90s will be running concurrently with their predecessors for a bit.

Most notably the resolution gets a 40% jump from 10.2 to 14MP on the a-290 and the handgrip has been redesigned for both models. The finish on each has been homogenized. The 290 lacks live-view, but retains wireless flash control, and SDHC support.

The 390, on the other hand, has a tilting LCD, Live view (with a dedicated sensor) and the same resolution as the 380.

You can read more detailed previews here, here, and here.