Sony Alpha DSLR-A350

The Sony Alpha DSLR-A350, along with the DSLR-A300 are two Digital SLR cameras from Sony. These models are essentially upgrades to the Alpha DSLR-A200 release in the fall of 2007. Both the 350 and 300 two distinct new features: 1) Live View mode for the LCD viewfinder, and 2) an articulating LCD screen. Also, the A350 offers a significant increase in its resolution, increasing to 14.2 megapixels, up from 10.2 megapixels in the A200. The A350 offers further penetration by Sony into the DSLR market, since the introduction of its first DSLR camera in the Alpha line, the Alpha DSLR-A100 release in the summer of 2006.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 main
MSRP$800.00
Release date March, 2008
BrandSony
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Pros & Cons34
Reviews10
Details
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Competitors2
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
9 reviews
74
negative
mixed
positive
8 positive
1 mixed
0 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
•
Features live view LCD viewfinder with dedicated sensor
+8agreedisagree

•
Competitively priced
+7agreedisagree

•
Extremely high resolution sensor @ 14.2 megapixels
+6agreedisagree

•
Unique articulating LCD screen
+5agreedisagree

•
compatible with older Minolta lenses
+3agreedisagree

•
good auto features for beginners, and great manual features for the more experienced
+3agreedisagree

•
good battery life
+3agreedisagree

•
internal image stabilization
+2agreedisagree

•
nice form factor - feels good in the hand(s)
+2agreedisagree

•
easy to use controls
+2agreedisagree

•
options are easy to use and operation is completely intuitive
+2agreedisagree

•
t he tiltable LCD screen is a nice touch
+2agreedisagree

•
options to shoot RAW, jpeg & RAW+jpeg
+2agreedisagree

•
v ery fast autofocusing
+2agreedisagree

•
great for improving point and shoot, without having to be a pro
+1agreedisagree

•
wider range in focal lengths than the competition
+1agreedisagree

•
solid body construction
+1agreedisagree

•
stabilization via physical sensor movement rather than simple O.I.S. or other methods
+1agreedisagree

•
Eye-start auto-focussing speeds up your shooting-- when you put your eye up to the viewfinder the camera attempts to pre-focus, minimising focus time when you press the shutter halfway.
+1agreedisagree

•
In-camera long exposure Noise Reduction is excellent.
+1agreedisagree

•
takes beautiful, clear, and sharp pictures even with the kit lenses
0agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
•
poor kit lens
+3agreedisagree

•
uses CF cards - most cameras in this segment have moved to smaller, cheaper alternatives
+2agreedisagree

•
the continuous burst shooting speed is rated at somewhere between 2-2.5 shots per second, slower than the Canon (more in the 3-3.5 range)
+2agreedisagree

•
slow 2.5 FPS continuous shooting
+1agreedisagree

•
new lenses from Sony or Carl Zeiss are expensive
+1agreedisagree

•
built-in flash which utilizes a pre-flash that causes the dreaded sleepy eye effect in most pictures taken in dark settings
+1agreedisagree

•
high ISO noise
+1agreedisagree

•
not weathered sealed
+1agreedisagree

•
proprietary USB/audiovisual connector
+1agreedisagree

•
need to replace the lens with a better quality one for good performance
+1agreedisagree

•
the LCD is difficult to view in daylight
+1agreedisagree

•
low frames/second
0agreedisagree

•
the strap supplied with the camera is lousy
0agreedisagree


11 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!
See individual votes »

Details

Features

  • 14.2-megapixel Super HAD CCD
  • new Live View mode with secondary image sensor for the LCD
  • swiveling, articulating LCD screen
  • continuous burst mode: 2 fps
  • memory: compact flash media
  • ISO Sensitivity: 100 to 3,200
  • super SteadyShot in-camera image stabilization offers from 2.5 to 3.5 stops of compensation
  • Bionz Image Processor
  • Dynamic Range Optimizer: Normal DRO improves detail using standard gamma curves for fast shot-to-shot response time. Advanced DRO adjusts dynamic range area-by-area.
  • Anti-Dust Technology
  • Auto Pop-Up Flash
  • Eye-Start Autofocus System
  • 9-Point Center Cross AF Sensor
  • 40-segment honeycomb metering system
  • Scene Selection Modes: Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports, Sunset and Night Portrait/Night View situations
  • Creative Style Settings
  • 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD Screen
  • Index and Slide Show Display
  • High-Resolution Thumbnails for PhotoTV HD Viewing
  • Function Guide Display

Live View

Sony's implementation of live view places a second, low-resolution, dedicated image sensor to be used by the LCD viewfinder. The rationale behind Live View is to improve the response time of the digital viewfinder, so that it mimics the behavior of an optical viewfinder. The low-resolution sensor introduces less lag between the actual image and the image rendered to the LCD by requiring less processing time by the camera's internal circuitry. There is a mirror inside the pentamirror arrangement that reflects the image to the secondary live view sensor.

Availability and Pricing

The A350 will be released on March 21, 2008 and will retail for around $800 for the camera body only. The package including a 18-70mm lens will retail for $900. The A300 will sell for $800 with the lens.

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This report was started February 4, 2008 at 8:26 pm by Erik
with the last edit occurring January 7, 2010 at 10:07 pm by adopted
This page has been viewed 8228 times, with 143 edits by 10 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Competitors

Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 is ranked 2nd among it's competitors.  See the top picks in DSLRs »
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

MSRP  $799.00    Released  April, 2008
Pros
  • Large 3.0-inch LCD monitor
  • Live View Function
  • New Canon 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor
Cons
  • no video features
  • Live View Function will drain battery quicker.
  • Small DSLR camera body for those with big hands or long fingers.
ProSCORE
7 reviews
84
Vote! (2 votes)
vote Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 50% vs. vote Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi 50%
Nikon D80

Nikon D80

MSRP  $999.00    Released  December, 2006
Pros
  • Fits any Nikon SLR Lens
  • Large feature set
  • Highly customizable
Cons
  • Slower top shutter speed than D70 - tops out at 1/4000 s
  • Slower flash sync than D70 - 1/200 s vs. 1/500 s
  • Bulky, even for a DSLR
ProSCORE
10 reviews
86
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Sony Alpha DSLR-A350   vs. vote Nikon D80  

Suggest a new competitor to add to the list of competing products.
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Comments

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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

adopted

avatar
January 7, 2010
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
78
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
2 cons
have ithave it
love itlove it
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Unique articulating LCD screen
  • compatible with older Minolta lenses
  • good battery life
  • options to shoot RAW, jpeg & RAW+jpeg
  • stabilization via physical sensor movement rather than simple O.I.S. or other methods
  • Eye-start auto-focussing speeds up your shooting-- when you put your eye up to the viewfinder the camera attempts to pre-focus, minimising focus time when you press the shutter halfway.
  • In-camera long exposure Noise Reduction is excellent.

Cons

  • the continuous burst shooting speed is rated at somewhere between 2-2.5 shots per second, slower than the Canon (more in the 3-3.5 range)
  • the LCD is difficult to view in daylight

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

ralli

avatar
May 29, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
62
negative
mixed
positive
10 pros
6 cons

Pros

  • Features live view LCD viewfinder with dedicated sensor
  • Competitively priced
  • Extremely high resolution sensor @ 14.2 megapixels
  • good auto features for beginners, and great manual features for the more experienced
  • good battery life
  • nice form factor - feels good in the hand(s)
  • easy to use controls
  • options are easy to use and operation is completely intuitive
  • v ery fast autofocusing
  • solid body construction

Cons

  • poor kit lens
  • uses CF cards - most cameras in this segment have moved to smaller, cheaper alternatives
  • built-in flash which utilizes a pre-flash that causes the dreaded sleepy eye effect in most pictures taken in dark settings
  • not weathered sealed
  • proprietary USB/audiovisual connector
  • need to replace the lens with a better quality one for good performance

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

mcbit

avatar
August 12, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
57
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
6 cons

Pros

  • Features live view LCD viewfinder with dedicated sensor
  • Competitively priced
  • Unique articulating LCD screen
  • compatible with older Minolta lenses
  • good auto features for beginners, and great manual features for the more experienced
  • good battery life
  • internal image stabilization
  • t he tiltable LCD screen is a nice touch

Cons

  • poor kit lens
  • uses CF cards - most cameras in this segment have moved to smaller, cheaper alternatives
  • slow 2.5 FPS continuous shooting
  • new lenses from Sony or Carl Zeiss are expensive
  • proprietary USB/audiovisual connector
  • need to replace the lens with a better quality one for good performance

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Yale

avatar
May 6, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
67
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
4 cons

Pros

  • Features live view LCD viewfinder with dedicated sensor
  • Competitively priced
  • Extremely high resolution sensor @ 14.2 megapixels
  • Unique articulating LCD screen
  • compatible with older Minolta lenses
  • internal image stabilization
  • nice form factor - feels good in the hand(s)
  • easy to use controls

Cons

  • poor kit lens
  • uses CF cards - most cameras in this segment have moved to smaller, cheaper alternatives
  • slow 2.5 FPS continuous shooting
  • new lenses from Sony or Carl Zeiss are expensive

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

JohnnyGrog

avatar
March 16, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • Features live view LCD viewfinder with dedicated sensor
  • Competitively priced
  • Extremely high resolution sensor @ 14.2 megapixels
  • Unique articulating LCD screen

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Competitors

JohnnyGrog prefers Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 over Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

paulostergaard

avatar
February 17, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • Features live view LCD viewfinder with dedicated sensor
  • Competitively priced
  • Extremely high resolution sensor @ 14.2 megapixels
  • Unique articulating LCD screen

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Erik

avatar
February 12, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • Features live view LCD viewfinder with dedicated sensor
  • Competitively priced
  • Extremely high resolution sensor @ 14.2 megapixels
  • Unique articulating LCD screen

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

hawks22gk

avatar
February 13, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
3 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • Features live view LCD viewfinder with dedicated sensor
  • Competitively priced
  • Extremely high resolution sensor @ 14.2 megapixels

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Omar

avatar
February 11, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
2 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • Features live view LCD viewfinder with dedicated sensor
  • Extremely high resolution sensor @ 14.2 megapixels

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

vsaxena911

avatar
May 18, 2009
ProSCORE
57
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
6 cons
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • good auto features for beginners, and great manual features for the more experienced
  • options are easy to use and operation is completely intuitive
  • t he tiltable LCD screen is a nice touch
  • options to shoot RAW, jpeg & RAW+jpeg
  • v ery fast autofocusing
  • great for improving point and shoot, without having to be a pro
  • wider range in focal lengths than the competition
  • takes beautiful, clear, and sharp pictures even with the kit lenses

Cons

  • the continuous burst shooting speed is rated at somewhere between 2-2.5 shots per second, slower than the Canon (more in the 3-3.5 range)
  • built-in flash which utilizes a pre-flash that causes the dreaded sleepy eye effect in most pictures taken in dark settings
  • high ISO noise
  • not weathered sealed
  • low frames/second
  • the strap supplied with the camera is lousy

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

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This product is also known as:

DSLR, A, 350, DSLRA, A350, DSLRA350