Review based on a production Alpha DSLR-A350 with firmware version 1.0
Sony's first two DSLRs, the A100 and A700 showed clear signs of their Konica Minolta lineage - sharing a lot of DNA with the Maxxum (Dynax) 5D and 7D respectively. Its latest, the A350, still shows signs of that ancestry but also hints at the influences of a company with rather different intentions.
The recently introduced A200, A300 and A350 represent an aggressive assault on the entry level market. All three models are extremely close in terms of price and features (The A300 is a A200 with Live view or an A350 with a less pixel-dense sensor, depending on how you look at it). And, with the A300, Sony has introduced the first single-retailer "exclusive" DSLR: a product only sold through a single outlet, allowing that retailer to maintain a stronger level of influence over selling price.
These baby Alphas, the 200, 300 and 350, are more similar than any group of cameras in any other manufacturer's lineup, complicating the market but also offering a greater degree of choice than ever. Some existing Sony and Konica Minolta owners have been upset by the perceived reduction in features from the A100 but the new Alphas should perhaps be considered the first real Sony products, reflecting a different interpretation of how people choose entry level cameras, rather than the A100's continuation of the assumptions that underpinned the KM 5D.
Sony may be confident in its application of marketing theory, but do those theories result in cameras that will satisfy photographers as well as sales projections?
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14.2 megapixel APS-C CCD |
Bionz Image Processor |
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| The Super SteadyShot system moves the sensor to compensate for user shake. The appearance of the mechanism suggests it may be the unit from the A700. | |
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital
Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help
you understand some of the terms used).
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Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C. |
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This article is Copyright 2007 Dpreview.com and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author. For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please contact: Phil Askey
Sony Alpha DSLRA350 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization (Body Only) | $999.00 |
SONY A350K W/SONY 18-70MM LENS | $359.00 |
Sony Alpha DSLRA350 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization (Body Only) | $999.00 |
Sony Alpha DSLRA350K 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens | $1,499.00 |
Sony Alpha DSLRA350X 14.2MP 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 | $500.00 |
Sony Alpha DSLR-A350kit 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization & 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Zoom Lens | $949.95 |
Sony Alpha A380L 14.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot INSIDE Image Stabilization and 18-55mm Lens | $645.79 |
Sony Alpha DSLRA300K 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens | $750.00 |
Sony Alpha A380Y 14.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot INSIDE Image Stabilization and 18-55mm and 55-200mm Lenses | $1,499.00 |
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) | $999.00 |
Sony Alpha SLT-A77V/Q 24.3MP Digital SLR with Translucent Mirror Technology with 16-50mm Lens + Sony 32GB SDHC + Sony 55-200 Lens + Sony Case + Sony Remote + Mini HDMI Cable + Replacement Battery Pack + Accessory Kit | $1,598.00 |
Sony DSLR Alpha SAL-85F14Z Telephoto 85mm F/1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar AF Lens + Accessory Kit | $1,698.00 |
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