Other positive features include the friendly Function menu system, on-screen percentage battery meter, the ability to use not only the same battery as the A200, but also its optional grip, and crucially like all Alpha DSLRs, built-in sensor-shift stabilisation which works with any lens you attach. Unlike the Panasonic Lumix L10, the Sony screen may not twist horizontally, nor is it able to face the front for self-portraits, but by allowing comfortable shooting over the heads of crowds or at low angles, the most important and useful positions are offered. And making Live View even more useful on the A300 is its vertically-tiltable 2.7in screen. The fact is though, the lack of mirror noise and image interruption, along with uncompromised auto-focusing speed will see Sony’s Quick AF Live View system preferred by most people, with only technical photographers finding it restrictive.
The arrangement also compromises the optical viewfinder performance, which falls in magnification from 0.83x on the A200 to just 0.74x on the A300 and A350. By using a separate sensor in the viewfinder to deliver Live View though, the Sony A300 and A350 can’t offer any of this.
SONY A350 DSLR MANUAL
The benefit of rival systems which use their main sensor for delivering Live View is the ability to see exactly what you’re getting: genuine 100% coverage, pixel-perfect magnified manual focus-assistance and a preview of any sensor-shift stabilisation, along with superimposed alignment graphics. In use it’s surprisingly quick and fuss-free compared to other Live View systems, but not without its downsides. You can enter and exit Live View quickly and quietly, all while enjoying uncompromised AF performance. There’s also none of the delay or noise as the mirror flips up and down.
The major benefit to this system is the traditional AF system isn’t bypassed, so unlike most rivals, the A300 and A350 can autofocus in Live View at exactly the same speed as when composing with the optical viewfinder. A tilting mirror (also in the viewfinder) then directs the light to either the sensor or out through the optical viewfinder.
Speaking of which, unlike rival DSLRs which use their main sensor to deliver the Live View, Sony’s Quick AF Live View system in the A300 and A350 employs a small sensor in the viewfinder. In terms of stabilisation, the built-in Super SteadyShot does a great job, offering three stops of compensation in our tests, although you won’t see the effect through the viewfinder – nor on-screen during Live View. As such you get a feature-packed DSLR with built-in stabilisation, tilting screen and fast Live View facilities. Marketing strategies aside, what does the Alpha A300 offer? Sensor aside, the core specifications and features are identical to the higher-end A350. And also which model will ultimately become most popular. Indeed it’ll be interesting to see how well this strategy translates into the DSLR market and whether every retailer – or indeed geographic region – takes all three models. While this certainly allows buyers to go for the exact features they want, it’s a well-known strategy for securing greater shelf space in retailers, not to mention providing an easy path for up-selling to the priciest model. Then the A350 takes the A300 and swaps its 10.2 Megapixel sensor for one with 14.2 Megapixels. So the A300 takes the A200 and adds Live View along with a vertically tiltable monitor. Unlike rival manufacturers, Sony is also interestingly now applying the same strategy to its DSLR range as it has with compacts for years – that is, producing a base model (in this case the A200), then simply adding new, ‘up-selling’ features to subsequent models in the range. Indeed by discontinuing the original A100 and introducing four brand new models in as many months, Sony has been more aggressive than any other DSLR manufacturer. Sony’s latest DSLRs, the A300 and A350, double the Alpha range and illustrate Sony’s commitment in the market.
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