I've been able to handle an Alpha 350 one and off for about a month now, and I'm quite pleased with what I've seen so far.

First, the camera's appearance is very much like that of the Alpha 200, and identical to the Alpha 300. All share the same, comfortable grip that uses a full-size lithium-ion "info" battery, and should feel good in most peoples hands. The tilting LCD screen is added from the A200, and makes it a bit thicker at the back. This thickness doesn't seem to be much of a drawback for handling, but it might make it a bit more ackward for those who wear eyeglasses.

Most of the camera controls are located in easy to use places, although the rear toggle might be too easy to hit (by mistake) for some, the idea is for it to be quickly accessable.

Performance wise, the camera seems to be greatly improved from the older Alpha 100. Image Quality (IQ), both sharpness and color wise, appear to be very good. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do critical, side-by-side, low-light/high ISO testing, something which is of a possible concern with such a high megapixel CCD sensor. Visually, those images I shot in poor lighting appeared reasonably good, but more serious testing needs to be done.

Autofocusing speed is very decent, especially when the eye-start feature begins the AF process for you. The 9-point AF seems fast and accurate. My only disappointment is that an upgrade camera such as this does not have the "instant" manual focusing ability of the Alpha 100. [This feature allowed you to use the camera in AF. Once the camera focused, it released the gearing, making manual focusing instantly possible to make corrections, without fiddling for an AF/M switch].

Of course, the built-in anti-shake ability is great. Although we can argue the merits of in-camera vs. in-lens, there is no doubt that this feature is much less expensive, and works with lenses that neither Nikon nor Canon offer with IS/VR (e.g. 50mm f1.4), and a whole bunch of older lenses as well.

Like the anti-shake system, everyone will have their opinion on what's the best way to implement Live View. I prefer the way Sony has chosen to use Live View, where AF speed is unaffected. The drawback is that only 90 percent of the actual image is previewed with Sony's system. Adding the articulated, nice quality LCD seems to me to make this system a bit more useful, and the 1.4x and 2x digital cropping may come in handy (but keep in mind, you're just cropping out megapixels).

Another feature I would have liked for this price is a wireless shutter release (it does offer a wired release).

It will be interesting to see how this stacks up to the competition. The biggest threat will come from the Canon Digital Rebel XSi. The XSi will be smaller (using a new, smaller battery), and have a 12 megapixel CMOS sensor, which may prove to be better from someone doing low light with high ISO speeds (such as museum or stage photography). Also, for $200 less, the Alpha 300 will need serious consideration. The only feature difference is it has 10 megapixels vs. 14, and this may actually improve IQ in poorer light.

Overall, a very fine addition to the Sony lineup!

Canon Digital Rebel XSI 12MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Silver)

Sony Alpha DSLRA300X 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 & DT 55-200mm f/4-5.6 Zoom Lenses

I already owned a Sony A100 and liked it alot, so when the A350 came out I was expecting it to be good - and it is. Some additional controls, true TTL viewing, even longer battery life than the A100 - which means I've taken more than 1,000 photos at maximum quality without a battery change - and it handles quickly and accurately. I have a few lenses, but like the flexibility of the Sony 18-200mm zoom so it's on the camera most of the time. The disadvantage with that lens is that it's slow (4.5 to 6.3 at 200mm) so it's not really suitable for people shots, unless they're in bright sunlight. However, the lens is fine for objects, buildings or anything that's not going to move quickly. I was in Marrakech recently and found the camera and lens a great combination, although they're big and obvious enough to make it difficult to shoot candid portraits. Now I'm looking for a 135mm f.2.4 lens so I can shoot in shadows.

After reading all the reviews I could find with pros and cons, I just purchased the sony a350, and am very pleased on its performance. The view finder is great (Some reviews said it was too small) I wear glasses and no problem. The color quality is very good, the camera in a nut shell just works great, reguardless of some less than favorable reviews. I have been doing photography for quite awhile, and I just like it ! Besides the camera alone, no matter what kind it is cannot take a great picture, its always the person behind it. So if you want it, like it, then buy it. Also remember Sony has been in the camera business for a while, (Movie cameras, etc. )So they know a little about good color.

First let me say I did not purchase this from Amazon (a first for me since I purchase everything from here). I did find a better deal at Circuit City BUT I would NOT recommend buying from there again. Very lousy customer service and little sales knowledge of product. Luckily I did some research before going there.
Now about the camera. I LOVED all the features and the ease of operation. I loved the focusing and the best feature I found to be the LCD screen that tilts allowing you to view images while holding camera above you or taking low shots.
What I did not like was the lack of picture quality. I found the pictures to be VERY blurry and not in focus. I tried manual focusing and auto focusing. I tried to make sure the camera had no movement when shooting. I tried everything. Out of the 200 or so shots I took with it I can say that only 10 or 15 came out acceptable. I love close up photography of flowers & insects, I couldn't do it with this camera.
I really wanted this camera but the image just made it unacceptable.

I got the Sony A350 about 2 months ago. The camera is great. I like the way it's laid out and it's easy to use. The live view and tilting screen is very hand when shooting small objects on the ground.

HOWEVER - I'm a bit disappointed in the 18-70mm lens supplied with it. Under certain conditions (which I'm not sure I understand what these are) there is quite a bad flair. Red on the left, green on the right of objects. Bright and contrasty pictures seem to show this up most.

When viewing the pictures normally, this defect isn't obvious. When the pictures are enlarged to the extent that you are starting to see the pixels, this flair becomes quite obvious. I'll try to submit a picture here illustrating this. If I'm not successful, trust me that it's poor.

The good aspect of this defect is that it's not obvious unless the pictures are enlarged quite a bit, so for most photographers, it's not an issue. Dispite this problem, I like the camera and I'm glad I got it. This amazon price was also good.

I bought the Tamron 70-300mm zoom and it works well on this camera and doesn't seem to have this red/green lens flair. The Tamron is a good companion at a great price.

This camera is the best product that Sony developed. I'm happy and I'll recomend to my friends.

I don't have several hours to do a proper review on this excellent camera, but I can quickly share the high points. It has great "human factor" engineering, meaning it fits your hands like a glove and all the controls are easy to access. The camera/lens combo is very light and easy to handle. If you have any Minolta lenses, they fit. The ability to view the picture on the large, bright LCD instead of through the viewfinder is a definite plus in many situations. 14+ megapixels ... really, how many more do you need?

Here's the bottom line ... I worked for Kodak, I've been a serious amateur photographer for decades, I've shot thousands of pictures (hundreds so far with this camera) and it leaves nothing that I can think of to be desired. If you want to spend more bucks on a Nikon or Canon, have fun. But for my money, this little beauty is a clear winner.

I bought this camera body a couple of weeks ago together with the Sony Zeiss 16-80mm lens. It is my first DSLR, with my most recent other camera being a Canon S2 IS superzoom point and shoot. Have not used a SLR camera since before the digital age. Am very happy with it! Image quality, as you'd expect, is *far* above that of the S2 IS... and there aren't any image quality issues that I can determine relative to other DSLRs. Resolution seems great, color is spot-on, etc.

Ergonomically, I'm also very happy. As I get back into using things like aperture and shutter speed settings, I find the controls to be well laid out and accessible. The Live View implementation is very easy to use...admittedly, I wish I could live-view things like depth of field et al, but for my uses, I don't really miss it. My only complaint is that when I hold the camera, occasionally my hand will press up against the AF directional-pad and alter the AF setting.

At the moment, I can't really imagining needing anything more complex than this camera. I'm sure that a pro photographer will want the flexibility of more lenses et al. But for me, I don't see myself needing a whole collection of lenses...maybe one more bigger zoom lens or something like that.

My first DSLR and what a great camera! Being Sony I'm confident it's from a company on the cutting edge of technology. Every feature I've ever wanted and then some!

Sony sent me a promotion for Mother's day advertising the alpha series cameras. I checked the specifics on the camera and decided to get it for my wife. One of the best decisions I've made in a while. The camera is easy to use. All features work as advertised. Picture quality is best I've seen. I also have a Canon EOS 20D so I think I can speak from experience.

I love this camera and all of it's many features. Don't buy the kit lens. It is not worth the extra money. I put a C. Zeiss 24-70mm lens on it and it is wonderful.

Not much can be said that hasn't been said. One Hell of a nice camera. Took out of box and began shooting excellent photos right off the bat. I did have to read the instructions to see what a couple of the control were and how to get to a couple of things. Excellent feel of the camera, Excellent location of control buttons. Love the anti-shaking, and live view. Owner of approximately 4 different sonys and have loved each, but the 350 is definitely the top dog. Have use the Nikon, and canon, they don't hold a candle to this camera. The company that sent the camera was also excellent, no problems, camera was waiting for me when I got home, no dented boxes.

One recommendation is to buy the added lens.

This camera is really unbelievable for the price. If we're talking about the camera body (with no lens), I prefer it over the Canon Rebel XSi anyday (and I've used both). The problem for Sony is that their lens is sooooo crappy that the image quality goes straight down the toilet, and Canons lenses are for the most part very sharp and colorful.

The solution? Minolta lenses. I got my camera in the mail this morning and have played with it all day. From the second I unpacked the lens I was disappointed- even before I put it on the camera. It has an extremely cheap and plasticy feel, probably because it is cheap and made of only plastic. I'm actually pretty sure there's not a single piece of glass in the lens (which means, for those of you are new to this, that it sucks). I put it on and sure enough the results were not pretty. Don't run off to Canon's page so quickly, though- remember that this IS a 5 star review.

What makes up for sony's crappy crappy lens is the fact that you can use any Minolta lens from the past 20 years. In anticipation of purchasing this camera I brought 2 Minolta lenses from a garage sale a few weeks ago for a hundred bucks, and when I put them on the camera it was like magic. The autofocus still works in an instant, and the sharpness and color combined with Sony's 14megapixel sensor have left this former film-snob utterly impressed.

So my advice to advanced amateur photographers is to buy this camera. But just the body only. Save the hundred bucks to buy yourself a Minolta lens (or two). I thought I'd throw in the extra hundred bucks with this cam just to have an extra lens for my collection, and it was absolutely not worth it. I don't even know if I'll mount it onto my camera ever again. Seriously- It's a big plastic turd. I wouldn't buy it again if it was 20 bucks.

Also- I learned the complete menu for this camera in less than a day. The only negative things about this camera (except for the crappy turd plastico lens) are that it's not a full frame sensor (look it up, and then decide if you really want to spend and extra 1300 dollars to get a full frame sensor DSLR), and that there's a really dumb and pointless digital zoom button that is a total tragic use of space. I could think of ten more used/usable functions that could have gone there instead.

Really though, I couldn't be happier with this camera.