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Technical Details
Style: A350 w/ 18-70mm Lens
- Incredible 14.2 MP for ultra-high-resolution detail
- Kit include DT 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 Standard Zoom Lens
- High sensitivity (ISO 3200) with noise reduction
- Tiltable 2.7ż LCD screen for high/low angle shots
- Super SteadyShot in-camera image stabilization
Sony Alpha A350: Recommended by dpreview.com
The provision of an exterior switch makes it clear that live view is a technique for using this camera, rather than simply an option, or mode that you might consider using. This subtle philosophical change is borne out in the rest of the camera's design: the A350 behaves in a much more coherent manner when it's in live view mode, rather than being held up to the eye - every button press brings up a new menu screen and draws your attention back to LCD.
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Product Description
Style: A350 w/ 18-70mm Lens
With incredible 14.2 MP detail, Sony¿s ¿ (alpha) DSLR-A350 raises the standard of excellence for step-up digital photographers shooting both family memories and fine-art photos. Live Preview in a large 2.7¿ LCD screen links you and your subject -- and you¿ll have special features like super-quick AF response, continuous shooting at 2 fps while you see your subject in the viewfinder, Creative Style modes for quick recall of custom settings, and in-camera Super SteadyShot image stabilization that reduces blur with every Sony, Carl Zeiss and legacy Minolta a-mount lens.
Available Warranties for This Item
Style: A350 w/ 18-70mm Lens
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
50 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Style Name:A350 w/ 18-70mm Lens & 55-200 Lens|Amazon Verified Purchase
I don't have several hours to do a proper review on this excellent camera, but I can quickly share the high points. It has great "human factor" engineering, meaning it fits your hands like a glove and all the controls are easy to access. The camera/lens combo is very light and easy to handle. If you have any Minolta lenses, they fit. The ability to view the picture on the large, bright LCD instead of through the viewfinder is a definite plus in many situations. 14+ megapixels ... really, how many more do you need?
Here's the bottom line ... I worked for Kodak, I've been a serious amateur photographer for decades, I've shot thousands of pictures (hundreds so far with this camera) and it leaves nothing that I can think of to be desired. If you want to spend more bucks on a Nikon or Canon, have fun. But for my money, this little beauty is a clear winner.
Here's the bottom line ... I worked for Kodak, I've been a serious amateur photographer for decades, I've shot thousands of pictures (hundreds so far with this camera) and it leaves nothing that I can think of to be desired. If you want to spend more bucks on a Nikon or Canon, have fun. But for my money, this little beauty is a clear winner.
99 of 106 people found the following review helpful
Style Name:A350 w/ 18-70mm Lens|Amazon Verified Purchase
This camera is really unbelievable for the price. If we're talking about the camera body (with no lens), I prefer it over the Canon Rebel XSi anyday (and I've used both). The problem for Sony is that their lens is sooooo crappy that the image quality goes straight down the toilet, and Canons lenses are for the most part very sharp and colorful.
The solution? Minolta lenses. I got my camera in the mail this morning and have played with it all day. From the second I unpacked the lens I was disappointed- even before I put it on the camera. It has an extremely cheap and plasticy feel, probably because it is cheap and made of only plastic. I'm actually pretty sure there's not a single piece of glass in the lens (which means, for those of you are new to this, that it sucks). I put it on and sure enough the results were not pretty. Don't run off to Canon's page so quickly, though- remember that this IS a 5 star review.
What makes up for sony's crappy crappy lens is the fact that you can use any Minolta lens from the past 20 years. In anticipation of purchasing this camera I brought 2 Minolta lenses from a garage sale a few weeks ago for a hundred bucks, and when I put them on the camera it was like magic. The autofocus still works in an instant, and the sharpness and color combined with Sony's 14megapixel sensor have left this former film-snob utterly impressed.
So my advice to advanced amateur photographers is to buy this camera. But just the body only. Save the hundred bucks to buy yourself a Minolta lens (or two). I thought I'd throw in the extra hundred bucks with this cam just to have an extra lens for my collection, and it was absolutely not worth it. I don't even know if I'll mount it onto my camera ever again. Seriously- It's a big plastic turd. I wouldn't buy it again if it was 20 bucks.
Also- I learned the complete menu for this camera in less than a day. The only negative things about this camera (except for the crappy turd plastico lens) are that it's not a full frame sensor (look it up, and then decide if you really want to spend and extra 1300 dollars to get a full frame sensor DSLR), and that there's a really dumb and pointless digital zoom button that is a total tragic use of space. I could think of ten more used/usable functions that could have gone there instead.
Really though, I couldn't be happier with this camera.
The solution? Minolta lenses. I got my camera in the mail this morning and have played with it all day. From the second I unpacked the lens I was disappointed- even before I put it on the camera. It has an extremely cheap and plasticy feel, probably because it is cheap and made of only plastic. I'm actually pretty sure there's not a single piece of glass in the lens (which means, for those of you are new to this, that it sucks). I put it on and sure enough the results were not pretty. Don't run off to Canon's page so quickly, though- remember that this IS a 5 star review.
What makes up for sony's crappy crappy lens is the fact that you can use any Minolta lens from the past 20 years. In anticipation of purchasing this camera I brought 2 Minolta lenses from a garage sale a few weeks ago for a hundred bucks, and when I put them on the camera it was like magic. The autofocus still works in an instant, and the sharpness and color combined with Sony's 14megapixel sensor have left this former film-snob utterly impressed.
So my advice to advanced amateur photographers is to buy this camera. But just the body only. Save the hundred bucks to buy yourself a Minolta lens (or two). I thought I'd throw in the extra hundred bucks with this cam just to have an extra lens for my collection, and it was absolutely not worth it. I don't even know if I'll mount it onto my camera ever again. Seriously- It's a big plastic turd. I wouldn't buy it again if it was 20 bucks.
Also- I learned the complete menu for this camera in less than a day. The only negative things about this camera (except for the crappy turd plastico lens) are that it's not a full frame sensor (look it up, and then decide if you really want to spend and extra 1300 dollars to get a full frame sensor DSLR), and that there's a really dumb and pointless digital zoom button that is a total tragic use of space. I could think of ten more used/usable functions that could have gone there instead.
Really though, I couldn't be happier with this camera.
72 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Style Name:A350 w/ 18-70mm Lens
I've been able to handle an Alpha 350 one and off for about a month now, and I'm quite pleased with what I've seen so far.
First, the camera's appearance is very much like that of the Alpha 200, and identical to the Alpha 300. All share the same, comfortable grip that uses a full-size lithium-ion "info" battery, and should feel good in most peoples hands. The tilting LCD screen is added from the A200, and makes it a bit thicker at the back. This thickness doesn't seem to be much of a drawback for handling, but it might make it a bit more ackward for those who wear eyeglasses.
Most of the camera controls are located in easy to use places, although the rear toggle might be too easy to hit (by mistake) for some, the idea is for it to be quickly accessable.
Performance wise, the camera seems to be greatly improved from the older Alpha 100. Image Quality (IQ), both sharpness and color wise, appear to be very good. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do critical, side-by-side, low-light/high ISO testing, something which is of a possible concern with such a high megapixel CCD sensor. Visually, those images I shot in poor lighting appeared reasonably good, but more serious testing needs to be done.
Autofocusing speed is very decent, especially when the eye-start feature begins the AF process for you. The 9-point AF seems fast and accurate. My only disappointment is that an upgrade camera such as this does not have the "instant" manual focusing ability of the Alpha 100. [This feature allowed you to use the camera in AF. Once the camera focused, it released the gearing, making manual focusing instantly possible to make corrections, without fiddling for an AF/M switch].
Of course, the built-in anti-shake ability is great. Although we can argue the merits of in-camera vs. in-lens, there is no doubt that this feature is much less expensive, and works with lenses that neither Nikon nor Canon offer with IS/VR (e.g. 50mm f1.4), and a whole bunch of older lenses as well.
Like the anti-shake system, everyone will have their opinion on what's the best way to implement Live View. I prefer the way Sony has chosen to use Live View, where AF speed is unaffected. The drawback is that only 90 percent of the actual image is previewed with Sony's system. Adding the articulated, nice quality LCD seems to me to make this system a bit more useful, and the 1.4x and 2x digital cropping may come in handy (but keep in mind, you're just cropping out megapixels).
Another feature I would have liked for this price is a wireless shutter release (it does offer a wired release).
It will be interesting to see how this stacks up to the competition. The biggest threat will come from the Canon Digital Rebel XSi. The XSi will be smaller (using a new, smaller battery), and have a 12 megapixel CMOS sensor, which may prove to be better from someone doing low light with high ISO speeds (such as museum or stage photography). Also, for $200 less, the Alpha 300 will need serious consideration. The only feature difference is it has 10 megapixels vs. 14, and this may actually improve IQ in poorer light.
Overall, a very fine addition to the Sony lineup!
Canon Digital Rebel XSI 12MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Silver)
Sony Alpha DSLRA300X 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 & DT 55-200mm f/4-5.6 Zoom Lenses
First, the camera's appearance is very much like that of the Alpha 200, and identical to the Alpha 300. All share the same, comfortable grip that uses a full-size lithium-ion "info" battery, and should feel good in most peoples hands. The tilting LCD screen is added from the A200, and makes it a bit thicker at the back. This thickness doesn't seem to be much of a drawback for handling, but it might make it a bit more ackward for those who wear eyeglasses.
Most of the camera controls are located in easy to use places, although the rear toggle might be too easy to hit (by mistake) for some, the idea is for it to be quickly accessable.
Performance wise, the camera seems to be greatly improved from the older Alpha 100. Image Quality (IQ), both sharpness and color wise, appear to be very good. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do critical, side-by-side, low-light/high ISO testing, something which is of a possible concern with such a high megapixel CCD sensor. Visually, those images I shot in poor lighting appeared reasonably good, but more serious testing needs to be done.
Autofocusing speed is very decent, especially when the eye-start feature begins the AF process for you. The 9-point AF seems fast and accurate. My only disappointment is that an upgrade camera such as this does not have the "instant" manual focusing ability of the Alpha 100. [This feature allowed you to use the camera in AF. Once the camera focused, it released the gearing, making manual focusing instantly possible to make corrections, without fiddling for an AF/M switch].
Of course, the built-in anti-shake ability is great. Although we can argue the merits of in-camera vs. in-lens, there is no doubt that this feature is much less expensive, and works with lenses that neither Nikon nor Canon offer with IS/VR (e.g. 50mm f1.4), and a whole bunch of older lenses as well.
Like the anti-shake system, everyone will have their opinion on what's the best way to implement Live View. I prefer the way Sony has chosen to use Live View, where AF speed is unaffected. The drawback is that only 90 percent of the actual image is previewed with Sony's system. Adding the articulated, nice quality LCD seems to me to make this system a bit more useful, and the 1.4x and 2x digital cropping may come in handy (but keep in mind, you're just cropping out megapixels).
Another feature I would have liked for this price is a wireless shutter release (it does offer a wired release).
It will be interesting to see how this stacks up to the competition. The biggest threat will come from the Canon Digital Rebel XSi. The XSi will be smaller (using a new, smaller battery), and have a 12 megapixel CMOS sensor, which may prove to be better from someone doing low light with high ISO speeds (such as museum or stage photography). Also, for $200 less, the Alpha 300 will need serious consideration. The only feature difference is it has 10 megapixels vs. 14, and this may actually improve IQ in poorer light.
Overall, a very fine addition to the Sony lineup!
Canon Digital Rebel XSI 12MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Silver)
Sony Alpha DSLRA300X 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 & DT 55-200mm f/4-5.6 Zoom Lenses
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Better in ways than newer cameras
A quick postscript to an older camera. Read this if you're debating a newer body or this older model.
Vs. newer A330/380/390 models:
1. Read more
Vs. newer A330/380/390 models:
1. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Gregory King
Sony A350 ok; not great and definitely not Japanese quality
This review is a little late for a camera that came out in 2008. Still, for anyone who happens to be looking at buying one new or used, here goes. Read more
Published 14 months ago by SAR
Great !st DSLR Camera
This is a great starter DSLR because of the ease of use, the 14.2 MP and most obviously, the price. Having never used a DSLR, I have no other DSLR to compare the A350 to but, I can... Read more
Published 18 months ago
My first high quality camera was a Nikon F. This camera seemed to have...
I was always a Nikon fan but when I saw the Alpha 350 and read about its reatures I was truly impressed. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Richard Hughes
A briliant starter camera
I went out to by my 1st DSLR and I came across this one it was a average price for a beginners price, it enough had more than enough Mega pixals for most people, and the view... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Ben Nicholson
Great camera, regular zoom lens
Wonderful camera, but the lens not so good. I'm looking for a new lens to replace the original one.
Published on February 3, 2010 by Oscar Agredo
Photo taking with the Sony 350
I bought this camera because I have a 1970 Minolta SRT 101 35mm camera with wide angle and telephoto lens. I understood that I could use my lens from Minolta with this Sony A350. Read more
Published on January 27, 2010 by Ronal E. Henley
Great camera!
Camera works great and takes great pictures. I am an amateur, but I have been impressed with it's ease of use and the quality of pictures.
Published on January 17, 2010 by BugaBoo
Failed after only 16 months!
I purchased this camera to provide photo documentation of projects I perfomed through my shop (antique restorations). Read more
Published on December 27, 2009 by Richard Patnoe
Great Camera
I have used this for almost two years and I has been all over the world. Takes great pictures and has held up will being in boats and rough terrian from Japan, Philippines and... Read more
Published on December 8, 2009 by uglyluggage
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