Review of the Sony DSLR A350

www.sony.co.uk
By Matt Golowczynski
If its recent releases are anything to go by, Sony’s DSLR future could indeed prove to be a fruitful one. Following the successful A700 model released last year, and the entry-level A200 just a few months ago, the company has gifted us with the A350 which, as its name suggest, sits in the middle of these.
On paper, the A350 is a very interesting proposition. Its 14.2MP resolution and articulated LCD screen are both a first for the company, but its crowning glory is in its live view functionality. Sony may have waited a while to implement live view within the Alpha range, with the A700 and A200 models launched in the midst of many other live-view-sporting DSLRs, but it seems the time was spent wisely and that it has resulted in arguably the finest live-view system currently available on a DSLR.

Features:
The A350 is the Sony’s fourth DSLR, and features a 14.9MP CCD sensor giving a 14.2MP effective resolution. The 23.6x15.8mm dimensions of the sensor are the same as that of the A100 and A200, though the extra four million pixels here necessitate them to be made smaller. Theoretically, this limits dynamic range and makes noise more of a concern, but this is only one part – albeit a large one – of how well the camera can handle image capture.
As has been the case on previous Alpha models, a Bionz imaging processor handles image processing and noise suppression. Both Raw and JPEG recording options are available, as well as the option to use the two simultaneously, with Raw files saved in Sony’s proprietary .ARW format. A choice of the AdobeRGB colour space and seven preset Creative Style settings is offered, while the Dynamic Range Optimiser’s ‘Standard’ and ‘Plus’ settings may be used prior to capture to bring out detail from shadows and highlights, as well as in post-processing via the supplied Image Data Converter SR software.