Comments on: Sony Alpha 350 Live View tested

By: alexramos

alexramos — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:44:05 +0000

David…

I probe the a350 and I saw the live view image a little slow. How do you say when a image is slow in a video?? is like the record speed is slow, lower 30fps.

I do not know, but I thing that ths sensor is a CCD sensor compact camera and if Sony hope launch a new camera with LV I hope this has a ClearVid sensor.

By: fisher

fisher — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:35:30 +0000

Damn. I’ve been waiting for a long time for a truly usable live view on a DSLR and I was quite excited by the advent of th a300 and the a350…but maybe it’s too soon yet. 95% view…I have a Sony R1 and that’s the kind of live screen I want, 100% view and rotatable as well as tiltable. Then I read the regular viewfinder isn’t all that good and the camra uses expensive proprietary Sony batteries. And finally the kit lenses which seem to be a bit of a question mark. I bought the R1 for its Zeiss lens and it is a fantastic piece of glass…looks like I’ll be waiting a bit longer. Maybe this a900 will fit the bill.

thanks for an excellent review.

Fisher

By: admin

admin — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:07:33 +0000

Jim, I do not really understand what you were asking. You take a picture in either of the crop modes by pressing the shutter button, that’s all. They are not preview modes, they are shooting modes. That is fully and clearly explained in the article along with the exact size of the images produced. If you intend to use the crop mode, get the A350. The extra pixels make a difference with the smaller images sizes.

David

By: jhatha

jhatha — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:12:06 +0000

Please tell me if you can take a picture after using either of the crop modes? Thank you.
Would you recommend the A350 over the A300? ($100.00)

Do I need the 14.2 (350) vs the 10.2 (300)? Need some advice before the purchase.

Also thinking about the vertical grip?? $249.99 at Sony USA. Any input for the above would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jim

By: Esse

Esse — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 03:31:53 +0000

Hi, thanks for your exhaustive review of the live preview function.

Since 2005 i use a Konica Minolta A2 as my primary camera. I have been waiting for a functional live preview D-SLR since i got my A2 and wondered if you have any experience with the A2 and could give me some info?

What i like with my A2:

+Live Preview(used a lot)
+Adjustable screen(used a lot)
+Wireless flash
+Not a lot of *menuing* eg. a lot of buttons and dials.

Not so good tho is:

-BAD focusing in dim light.
-BAD noise in any mode over ISO100
-No optical viewfinder makes manual focusing a pain and virtually unusable.

I wonder if a A350 purchase will be a step-up for me? I see myself as a Semi-Pro photographer, but the a350 is marketed as a family-cam? The A2, in its days, were considered as a semi-pro camera, but i guess(and hope) there is more to the a350 anyways, 3 years later?

By: hbalben

hbalben — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:54:21 +0000

David-
Thanks for your most recent review on the Sony A350. I am getting ready to purchase one and I have a few questions.
Could you please explain what actually happens during LV if you change WB,Exposure, etc. Can you actuallu see it on the screen.
Are you able to edit pictures in the camera similar to Nikon and Pentax (filters, WB, etc.) actually on the screen?

Thanks again!
Henry B.

By: valter

valter — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:23:27 +0000

I only want to use Live View in Sony Alpha 350 like I do in compact digital cameras… it’s possible?

Any Incovenient?

Thanks.

By: jhatha

jhatha — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:07:36 +0000

It really irritated me after I purchased my A700 in December 2007 to later learn that the Live View 300 and 350 were on the way. And of the course the auto pop up flash which the A700 does not have. Great DSLR though. I still want that live view like my Sony F828.

Is the crop mode in the A300 and A350 like the “trim” mode of the Sony F828; I find that really useful for my super macro work?

Thanks,
Jim Hathaway

Reply: yes, it’s a crop mode, not a digital interpolation mode - it cuts down the image size, exactly as described in the article - DK.

By: alexramos

alexramos — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:49:07 +0000

Thank you Daved, I will write you when I get something…

By: admin

admin — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:29:11 +0000

Ref the magnify button - no, it only has that function, Smart Teleconverter. Ref the dioptre - I believe this fits inside the eyepiece, not over the outside - the Pentax device fits over the outside. It will fit, but slightly loosely. Adding some layers of cellulose tape on the runners which slot round the eyepiece should make it fit tightly.

David

By: alexramos

alexramos — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:15:46 +0000

Hi, the dimentions of the Alpha Eyepiece Corrector Diopter is the 18×14x5mm, Do you know what is the dimentions of the Pentax Magnifies O-ME53??

By: karaatanasov

karaatanasov — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:42:38 +0000

Can the magnify(CROP) button be programmed for anything else? The crop only function does not seem very exciting.

By: admin

admin — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 19:49:33 +0000

Yes, it would probably work fine. I can use the Olympus eyepiece with a Pentax adaptor from my Seagull 2.5X angle finder, it fits well. I just have to turn off eye start and Auto Off/w Viewfinder functions, to disable the eye sensors.

The only reason the makers do not fit a higher magnification eyepiece directly is that it limits some spectacle wearers and people with extreme dioptre correctionsm and makes it harder to get the eye centered exactly. Many people do not use SLR viewfinders properly, it’s surprising how some have their eye a long way off and think that they see the frame, when they are just viewing the middle of the screen!

David

By: alexramos

alexramos — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 19:11:47 +0000

I could to use the glass of the magnifies Pentax O-ME53 (1.18X) and adapt to Sony FDA-ECF05 Alpha Eyepiece Corrector Diopter and put it in the a300 or a350.

What do you think??

By: admin

admin — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 10:19:30 +0000

Yes, the viewfinder is very small. It is possible to use magnifiers. I have the Olympus one here, and it works well, but it does not fit properly and it interferes with the eye sensors. A properly designed 1.2X magnifier would be very good with all the Sony models - it even makes the A700 viewfinder look better (huge). But on the A350, it is the difference between very small and normal size.

David

By: alexramos

alexramos — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:49:07 +0000

Hi Daved, excellent review…

One question…

This a350 is very tenative, but, Is the OVF very small??

Is possible to use any VF magnifies in this Alpha??

Thank you and excuse my english…

By: Sonolta

Sonolta — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:52:25 +0000

Nice report DK…I am going to replace my KM5D with the A200, and then as replacement for my pNs cameras I sold to generate funds to purchase the A700 with, I will eventually get one of these live view models.

I used to love live view for certain things and it’s high time I got back to using a live view cam for those things.

Let me tell you though…the Sony Alpha A700 is doing some real good things for me as you can see on this ISO3200 Monday Night football indoor shoot.

http://www.rockriverfootball.com/raptors/v/rock+river+raptors+cifl+pre-season/

Thanks again for the report, DK.

http://www.sonolta.com