Sony A350 and A300

After weeks of rumours and leaks, it should come as no surprise that the Sony A350 and A300 DSLR cameras have been announced. The two cameras are identical except for the megapixel count - the A350 has a 14.2 megapixel sensor, and the A300 10.2 megapixels. Both the A350 and A300 offer a variable angle 2.7 inch LCD screen, new Quick AF Live View mode for fast and responsive TTL phase-detection auto-focusing, high ISO of 3200 and Sony’s D-Range Optimizer. The DSLR-A300 kit with a DT 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 standard zoom lens will ship in April for about $800. The DSLR-A350 camera body will be available in March for about $800, and the DSLR-A350 kit with a DT 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 3.9x zoom lens will be available for about $900 at the same time.

Sony USA Press Release

SONY INTRODUCES TWO MAINSTREAM DSLR CAMERAS WITH UNIQUE “QUICK AF LIVE” VIEW SYSTEM

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 30, 2008 – Sony is bringing live-view shooting to its digital SLR camera line with today’s (alpha) DSLR-A350 camera and 10.2-megapixel introduction of a 14.2-megapixel α (alpha) DSLR-A300 model. Both cameras feature new technologies that make picture taking faster, easier, and more familiar for first-time DSLR users.

Quick AF Live View System
They both offer Sony’s new “Quick AF Live View” technology so you can frame photos on the camera’s LCD without sacrificing auto-focusing speed common to other live-view systems.

Sony’s innovative Pentamirror Tilt mechanism directs light to a dedicated live view image sensor, enabling fast and responsive TTL phase-detection auto-focusing, even during live view.

Eliminating the focus delay of other systems, the new models are equally responsive whether using live view or optical viewfinder.

With its two sensor design, Quick AF Live View can even continuously focus-track the subject and provide live view during burst shooting, helping you capture that special moment.

Taking further advantage of Quick AF Live View is the models’ variable angle 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD ™ screen. This makes it easy to frame scenes from high or low positions difficult to reach when using an eye-level viewfinder.

With Live View and an adjustable LCD, the cameras do not need to be in front of the user’s face, allowing parents, for example, to maintain eye-contact when photographing their children.

“Mainstream users stepping up to DSLRs are looking for a similar experience to their point and shoot cameras, but without compromise in speed or performance” said Phil Lubell, director of marketing for digital cameras at Sony Electronics. “Quick AF Live View gives these new models a familiar shooting style without compromising speed – ideal for the growing market of first-time SLR users.”

Exceptional Image Quality
The new models produce images with fine detail, rich tonality and vibrant color due to their APS-C CCD image sensors and BIONZ® processing engine. To aid shooting in low light, Super SteadyShot® image stabilization enables shutter speeds 2.5 to 3.5 steps slower than otherwise possible, with every compatible Minolta Maxxum® and Sony α (alpha) lens (sold separately) attached to the camera.

High sensitivity operation at ISO 1600 and 3200 and very low noise are made possible by the user-selectable high-ISO noise reduction features. Sony’s D-Range Optimizer delivers suitable tonality and exposures with rich shadow and highlight detail, even under high contrast situations.

Powerful Performance, Easy to Use
The DSLR-A300 model can shoot about three continuous frames per second and the DSLR-A350 model can shoot up to two-and-a-half continuous frames per second, when using the optical viewfinder. Both are powered by the Bionz processing engine and supplied InfoLITHIUMTM battery for fast start-up times, quick response and long battery life – up to 730 shots per full charge when using the optical viewfinder and up to 410 shots per full charge in live-view mode.

Both models feature lighter, slimmer bodies for easy handling; an improved user interface; an automatic pop-up flash; a comfortable camera grip with an easily accessible mode dial; an anti-dust system to keep the CCD image sensor clean for spot-free pictures; and JPEG and RAW file format support. Both have a slot for CompactFlash™ Type I/II media cards.

An adaptor for Memory Stick Duo™ media cards is also available for the cameras and sold separately.

The new DSLR-A300 and DSLR-A350 cameras are compatible with a range of accessories, including the ergonomic Sony VG-B30AM vertical grip. Also available as an option is the new Sony HVL-F42AM flash unit. It offers advanced features such as automatic white balance adjustment with color temperature information, adjustable bounce angles, ADI metering and wireless remote operation to suit the needs of most photographers.

Price and Availability
The DSLR-A300 kit with a DT 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 standard zoom lens will ship in April for about $800. The DSLR-A350 camera body will be available in March for about $800, and the DSLR-A350 kit with a DT 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 3.9x zoom lens will be available for about $900 at the same time. Both models will be available at sonystyle.com, Sony Style® retail stores (http://www.sonystyle.com/retail ), military base exchanges, and authorized dealers nationwide. Pre-orders begin online today at http://www.sonystyle.com/dslr.

Published: Thursday, January 31, 2008

Reader Comments

1. Seems like Sony has kind of reinvented Live View Mode "A" from the Olympus E-330 and improved on it, but dropped Live View Mode "B" - the one everybody else seems to have taken and improved upon.
   
   As a reminder, the Olympus E-330 was the world's first SLR to sport continuous full-colour Live View. One mode was called Mode "A", and allowed - just like Sony's recent solution - the use of fast phase-detect autofocus and did not impose any shutter lag penalty. The way it did it was by way of a secondary sensor and a semi-transparent mirror in the optical path. The catch was that this solution did not provide anywhere near 100% field coverage and left the optical TTL viewfinder - one of the most important parts of any SLR! - dim and small. But for those cases that you needed precise framing or manual focus, the E-330 had Live View Mode "B" - this used the main sensor, gave 100% field coverage and provided an option of magnifying 10x into the live view for very accurate manual focussing anywhere in the frame, but imposed a shutter lag penalty. So for general handheld shooting there was the optical TTL viewfinder *and* Live View Mode "A", whereas for tabletop and tripod work, there was Live View Mode "B".
   
   Only problem was that reviewers thought having two Live View modes would confuse photographers, even though all they would have had to do is RTFM.
   
   So manufacturers seem to have settled for a single-mode LV solution with Canon, Nikon, Panasonic and Olympus themselves casting their votes in favour of, and improving on, Mode "B". The best of these appears to be Canon's approach, in which they de-coupled the shutter cocking mechanism and the motor that moves the mirror, so that when using manual focus, there is no mirror slap-dance and no shutter lag. But Live View autofocus remains cumbersome to use.
   
   Sony has chosen instead to take Mode "A" and improve upon it by using a moveable mirror instead of a semi-transparent one. The result is a brighter viewfinder than with the Olympus E-330, with the solution keeping the main advantages of Mode "A" - no shutter lag and use of fast phase-detect AF (with 9 AF points instead of the 3 in the E-330, which is also an improvement). However, the other disadvantages of using Mode "A" - low Live View frame coverage, no real magnification for manual focussing, small optical viewfinder - have remained. At the same time, the mode that offered a cure for these, i.e. Mode "B", has been dropped by Sony.
   
   So at the end of the day, Sony's solution is still a mixed bag. It's not bad, certainly better than the original Mode "A", but they should really have implemented a form of Mode "B" too. The 10x magnification for accurate manual focussing is what is most sorely missing from their current Live View function.

   Zoltán at 01:01pm on Thursday, January 31, 2008