In terms of build quality, the A350 feels very solid, but also has the plasticky appearance you’d expect from an entry-level model.
As always though we’d recommend you pick up your short-listed cameras for yourself to see which looks and feels best in your own hands. The A350’s larger dimensions do however give you slightly more to hold onto, with the new Sony sporting a deeper grip complete with an indented area for your middle finger and a reasonable amount of space between it and the lens mount to avoid pinching of your finger-tips. It’s interesting to see Sony go for a slightly larger and noticeably heavier body, although technically speaking it also has to accommodate a sensor-shift anti-shake mechanism in addition to the tilting screen. This makes it several mm larger than the Canon EOS 450D / XSi and just over 100g heavier for the body alone fit their respective batteries and kit lenses, and this weight difference roughly doubles. The A350 measures 131x99x75mm which makes it the same width and height as the Alpha A200, but 4mm thicker as you’d expect to accommodate the tilting screen at 582g for the body alone, it also weigh 50g more. We’ve pictured the A350 above, alongside what’s likely to be its biggest rival, the Canon EOS 450D / Rebel XSi. So viewed from the front, only the badges can really tell Sony’s latest three DSLRs apart. The Alpha A300 looks identical to the A350 from the outside other than the labelling. Stand both models side-by-side though and you’ll also notice the A350 has a differently-styled grip, a slightly different finish, and two additional controls dedicated to Live View but otherwise that’s it. The Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 shares essentially the same body design as the entry-level A200, with the only major difference being the tiltable screen on the back.