If the monitor focus were correct, even with the 1.4x and 2x magnifiers, a fairly precise focus control or manual focus would be possible. Thanks to a special hinge, the screen can be folded up to 130° or tilted down 40°, and on top of that, not only is the typical picture preview available, but also an exposure and white balance preview.
But it could be so nice to work with the A350 in LiveView mode. The small monitor with its 6.9 cm screen diagonal (equivalent to 2.7″) and its 230,400 pixels lacks a bit of brilliance – and especially in LiveView mode it lacks a bit of sharpness. Not that we want to dismiss the A350 rapidly, but we’ve seen better LCD screens from Sony. The 19 operating elements (12 knobs / buttons, 4 slide switches, 1 program selector wheel, 1 setting wheel and 1 control panel) are clearly and logically arranged, but especially the vertical row of buttons on the left of the screen is difficult to reach or operate due to the slightly protruding LCD. The rest of the ergonomics is also a bit lacking. There is often no other choice than to take off the glasses and adjust the viewfinder sharpness to the individual visual acuity via the existing dioptre correction wheel (-3 to +1 dpt). Despite an exemplary bright or clear viewfinder image, just about 95% correct field coverage, not too close interpupillary distance of 20.8 mm (16.7 mm without rubber cup) and 0.74x magnification, the viewfinder appears small and narrow, and it is difficult for people wearing glasses to look comfortably into the eyepiece. In general, the A350 is not necessarily a model of ergonomics. The little finger likes to slip over the bottom edge of the camera into the void a rogue who thinks evil and accuses Sony of wanting to promote the sale of the optional battery/portrait format handle VG-B30AM. Unfortunately, people with slightly larger hands have problems holding the camera comfortably in their hands. This is to prevent the photographer’s hand from slipping off the only slightly roughened plastic surface. The front gripping surface of the A350 is covered with rubber in grained leather look. As with so many entry-level digital SLR cameras, the plastic feels a bit “cheap plastic” in some places – which is somewhat detrimental to the subjective feeling of quality. The A350 no longer weighs any more, thanks to the generous use of polycarbonate. With the DT 18-70 mm F3.5-5.6 set lens, the weight increases to just under a kilo, i.e. With the Alpha 350 (short: A350), the demonic figure of 666 grams is distributed over 131 x 98 x 75 millimeters when you hold the camera body alone (but with memory card and battery) in your hand.
In this one of two current Alpha test reports, we take a close look at the Alpha 350. The “newcomers” to the Alpha system are the Alpha 200, the Alpha 300 and the Alpha 350, with the last two protagonists even mastering a very special form of real-time image preview (LiveViews).