Most cameras let you change the image size-which is what this does-but I guess Sony thinks your need for that is more pressing than for switching metering modes or white balance. I had to read the manual to figure out what this button does: it's the Smart Teleconverter, actually a 1.4x or 2x digital zoom which only works in Live View mode. For other inexpensive alternatives you'll have to turn to compatible A-mount Konica Minolta, Sigma, or Tamron offerings. Those two lenses, plus the 75-300mm SAL-75300, currently comprise Sony's complete entry-level lens lineup. Sony offers the A350 in three packages: body only, a kit with the SAL-1870 18-70mm f3.5-5.6 lens, which we tested, and a dual-lens kit that adds the SAL-55200 55-200mm f4-5.6 model. Sony does offer an almost identical 10-megapixel model, the Alpha DSLR-A300, which lists for about $200 less.

Unsurprisingly, however, Sony made some compromises so that the A350 could lay claim to the title of highest-resolution budget dSLR. And you wouldn't be far off the mark: there's a lot to like in the A350, and I suspect it will garner its share of fans. With its 14-megapixel CCD, flip-up LCD, sensor-shift image stabilizer, and built-in wireless flash controller, the feature-packed Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 seems like a cornucopia of photographic goodness for the budget shopper.

Sony a350 price