Is this a decent starter camera?

[Callie]

Would a Sony a330 be a reasonable camera for a noob wanting something to be a step up (or two?!) from their mobile for pics of wildlife?

Someone at work is selling one with various extra bits (couple of extra lenses , filters, spare battery, cleaning kit, bag!) and I'm thinking it might be a reasonable bet.

I don't really know what to ask the seller about it or what to look for if they bring it for me to have a look : D

Anyone know anything? Pretty sure it will be cheaper than getting anything new

 

[Crispy]

Looks like a decent camera, albiet a 10 year old one. They go for £70 for the basic camera + kit lens on ebay, up to £140 if there's other stuff mixed in. Offer him £100.

There won't be much to tell about it without using it to see if there are any faults. Make sure all the lenses move smoothly with no stickyness or scratching sounds. Take a photo of a blank wall to check for grit/dust or damage on the sensor

 

[RoyReed]

The kit lens that normally comes with the camera is an 18-55mm zoom. What are the other two lenses? For wildlife photography you'd probably want a longer telephoto (or telephoto zoom) lens, maybe something from 75mm to 300mm.

 

[Callie]

The kit lens that normally comes with the camera is an 18-55mm zoom. What are the other two lenses? For wildlife photography you'd probably want a longer telephoto (or telephoto zoom) lens, maybe something from 75mm to 300mm.

Ooh not sure, will have to check. They said one was a macro.

 

[RoyReed]

What type of wildlife are you interested in photographing. A macro lens would obviously be good for insects, especially if it's also a longish focal length (maybe around 100mm). A shorter focal length would still be OK, but you'd need to get physically closer to the subject, so more likely to spook them.

 

[weltweit]

There is a spec of it here: Sony Alpha DSLR-A330: Digital Photography Review
it seems to hail from 2009.
10mpx which is fine
Tilt LCD screen also good
stabilisation by sensor-shift - also good