Sony Alpha DSLR-A350

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By Lori Grunin, CNET.com
May 14, 2008

The budget-priced Sony Alpha DSLR-A350.
(click for larger image)

With its 14-megapixel CCD, flip-up LCD, sensor-shift image stabilizer and built-in wireless flash controller, there's a lot to like in the A350--we suspect it will garner its share of fans. Unsurprisingly, however, Sony made some compromises so the A350 could lay claim to the title of highest-resolution budget dSLR.

Sony offers the A350 in three packages: Body only; a kit with the 18-70mm F3.5-5.6 lens, which we tested; and a dual-lens kit that adds the 55-200mm F4-5.6 model. Those two lenses, plus the telephoto 75-300mm, currently comprise Sony's complete entry-level lens lineup. For other inexpensive alternatives you'll have to turn to compatible A-mount Konica Minolta, Sigma or Tamron offerings.

Editors' note:

This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia.

Design

A bit heavy at 582g without battery or media, the A350 has a solid, rubbery grip that's very comfortable to hold. The extra heft makes it feel more substantial than competitors like the Canon EOS 450D. Another positive aspect of the extra weight: It doesn't get overbalanced when using accessories like the HVL-F42AM external flash we tested it with.

The button layout is similar to that of the A200.
(click for larger image)

The A350 shares the straightforward layout design of the A200. There are direct-access controls for ISO sensitivity, exposure compensation and Drive/Bracketing/Self-timer modes, while flash, autofocus (AF), white balance, AF area and D-Range Optimizer settings are grouped under a screen pulled up by the Fn button.

Since much of the design matches that of the A200, we have similar complaints about the USB placement as well. The USB connector sits inside the CF card compartment. This means you have to leave the door open while downloading, potentially allowing all sorts of schmutz to get onto the card slot contacts (if you're accident-prone, this provides a protrusion to hit and hurl the camera to the floor). More importantly, Sony uses a semi-proprietary combo micro USB/AV connector on all its dSLRs for no reason that we can see other than to force you to buy a cable from the company if you lose the bundled one.

Additionally, all of Sony's lower-end dSLRs use lines rather than squares for the nine off-center focus-point indicators. They're very dim and some people may have trouble seeing them. This is especially since the A350 has a very low magnification 0.74x viewfinder.

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