Like the -A200, there’s Eye-Start AF that starts focusing on the subject when you bring the camera up to your eye. The viewfinder is surrounded by a soft rubber cup and has a diopter adjustment. This is a great tool and lets you take your face away from the viewfinder. When combined with Live View, you can easily hold the camera over your head and shoot over crowds-or take shots low to the ground while standing up. The rear of the DSLR-A350 has something you don’t find on run-of-the-mill D-SLRs-an articulating 2.7-inch LCD screen rated 230K pixels.
Sony a350 slr camera manual#
And if you don’t know what they mean, the supplied 168-page Instruction Manual does a decent job explaining it all. There’s nothing here that’ll surprise any photographer. There are also a number of common scene modes such as Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports, Sunset, Night Portrait and Flash Off. The main mode dial has the usual settings including Auto, P (Program AE), A (Aperture Priority), S (Shutter Priority) and M (Manual). You’ll also find the pop-up flash and hot shoe. Even at 2 fps this is an incredible number since it’s more like a frame every 5 minutes when using Live View from other makers! This is a bit of exaggeration but it’s better than many point-and-shoot digicams with the real live view we know and love. This frame rate drops to 2 once you engage the nearby Live View switch.
Since this is a 14.2-megapixel camera for under a grand, it only takes 2.5 frames per second compared to the usual 3 fps of other D-SLRs.
Sony a350 slr camera iso#
Other buttons here are one for ISO (100-3200) and another for continuous shooting/self timer. The grip has a good, comfortable feel and felt just right in my hand-please do your own ergonomic test before pulling the trigger on this one or any other camera or camcorder. On the pistol grip is the shutter button and control dial for making menu adjustments. Unlike some others in its class (such as the new $799 USD Pentax K200D) it does not have an LCD display to quickly check your settings. The top has a nice camera feel with a sturdy mode dial on the far left. Other than a few logos, the front has an AF Assist sensor on the grip, the lens release button and keys to pop open the flash and to switch between AF and Manual Focus. As noted in our review of the – A200, Sony doesn’t have the huge number of lens options offered by Canon, Nikon et al, but it has enough to handle most common situations. In this case it accepts all Sony glass as well as older Minolta a-type bayonet lenses. The front of this D-SLR-like all others-is dominated by the lens mount. In other words, it’s a commitment not like tossing an ELPH in your pocket for casual snapshots. Add a lens like the $699 USD Carl Zeiss 16-80mm zoom (which Sony loaned to us) and you’re carrying 41 ounces (2.56 pounds). The DSLR-A350 measures 5.25 x 4 x 3 (WHD, in inches) and weighs 20.5 ounces for the body alone. Not to say they’re ugly but overall aesthetics aren’t the raison d’etre for these babies-good photos and fast response are the ticket. The camera has a matte black finish and if you covered the logos, you’d be hard pressed to tell a Canon or a Pentax apart from the Sony. Honestly it doesn’t look too much different than almost every other D-SLR out there. The Sony alpha DSLR-A350 is a solid, sturdy digital single lens reflex camera. How was this relatively bargain-priced $799 USD D-SLR? When this one arrived, the battery was quickly put in the charger so a test drive was just a few short hours away. Not only that, the new DSLR-A350 has a 14.2-megapixel imager, built-in sensor shift stabilization and loads of other goodies such as an articulating 2.7-inch screen. How many people shoot like this in 2008-beyond eBay Power Sellers? Six, 16, 60? Sony felt the same way and decided to create a Live View for the rest of the world. To work properly, the camera has to be held steady by a tripod and the subject must remain still.
As DT readers well know, I feel Live View as implemented by other makers (Canon, Nikon, Olympus et al) is a joke. I’ve watched for months as Sony tantalized the press with promises of a Live View for D-SLRs that actually works like the “live view” of point-and-shoot digicams where you pick the camera up, frame your shot through the LCD screen and snap the shutter. I mean how juiced can you get about another point-and-shoot just because the megapixel count increased? That said, manufacturers still have some great tricks up their sleeves that’ll get a rise out of even the most jaded reviewer. Jaded is my middle name-especially when it comes to new digital cameras.