That's not good news. The troubles could be in the camera or the lens. If you experience the same issues with all three lenses then it's more likely to be a camera issue. Is it possible for you to post some photos showing the focus issue?

Hi there, thanks for your reply, I will endeavour to post some shots in the next few hours.

Lindsay

Have you tried different focus modes ? i.e. if it is set to use 'wide' , it will be trying to give you the best focus over that area and if subjects in that area are at different distances it could produce an out of focus picture. I tend to leave my a200 on 'spot' most of the time.

All shots handheld:
The Surfer: 55-200 kit lens/Auto Exposure/Action Scene/Pattern Metering/iso 200/focal length 180mm 1/500 f/5.6 (maximum aperture) Nothing seems focused.

Peak: 135mm 2.8 Minolta Lens/Auto Exposure/Landscape Scene/Pattern metering/iso 100/ focal length 135mm 1/250 f/4.5
This is a beautiful lens, and I have taken some great shots with it...surely its not camera shake ?

The Heron: 55-200mm kit lens/Auto exposure/standard scene/pattern metering/iso 100/ focal length 180mm 1/320 f/5.6 (maximum apeture) Nothing focused once again...

I confess to not using zoom lenses before, apart from on my Canon G5, perhaps at maximum focal length and aperture they dont respond so well, but that doesnt account for the 135 mm fixed lens shot.
I have taken nice clean photos with all these lenses (plus a 1.4 35mm Minolta lens) previously...
I plan on doing some more scientific tests this weekend.
All shots are 600 pixels wide..
PEAK

Surfer

Heron

Hi there, I generally have it set to local or sometimes wide, and spot if I have a specific subject...
Will do some experimenting this weekend...

No matter which autofocus mode you have used with these three pictures, something is wrong with these, I mean, that my Nokia phone takes better (read: sharper) pictures. Because you've tried different lenses and the same problem occurs with all of those, it has to be the camera. Hopefully you get it fixed/changed. Do you have a possibility to try other A350 with your lenses?

Damn ! I was hoping it was just my bad technique !
Dont know anyone else with a 350....
Like I say, they have taken some good ones also...I'll post a couple in about 30 minutes...
L.

A couple of random untouched photos using the kit lens, the sheep shot may have been a tripod, cant remember...

Drums: Auto Exposuure/pattern mode/iso 100/18-55 kit lens 1/50 f/5.6
Sheep: Auto Exposure/pattern mode/iso 125/focal length 200mm 55-200 kit lens 1/50 f/5.6

These are better already, but I have no idea how come those other pics look so blur without even a small piece of sharp area. When did you shoot the sharp ones and the blur ones? Sharp pictures first and now all pics are blur? How about if you change the aperture? Are the results the same with all F-values?

I would take my camera to the shop real fast. Hopefully you get it fixed.

The sharp photos were taken months ago, but in saying that I took a lot of very sharp shots this weekend as well...
Technique or intermittent fault ?
Unfortunately I bought the camera offshore (DigitalRev) but it is under guarantee, and they have been very prompt replying to me...
Anyway thanks for your replies, I have to hit my bed now !
Goodnight L.

Sony A-350 2x Kit lenses
Minolta 35mm f/1.4
Minolta 135 f/2.8

http://thelostbeegee.deviantart.com/

I had a similar problem with a Sony. Sounds to me like one of two things: The SI screen or the Focus screen is messed up. If you can, send it to a repair center that is OWNED AND OPPERATED by the Sony Corporation. Have the SI and Focus screens replaced and auto focus re calibrated.

Hope this helps,
AJ

Thanks for that,
After my tests this W/E I will make a decision as to sending it away, it is under guarantee, but it will have to go overseas and I will be without it for quite sometime (sigh!)
Still, I have my G5 to play with, and millions of photos to process in the meantime !
Cheers Lindsay.

Hey Lindsay,

Many of today’s top camera repair shops do not consider the Sony Alpha “A High End Camera” and simply are not assigned to the right repair team. This is why I say…… send it to a Sony Repair Center owned and run by the Sony Corporation. Printed photographs of problems are essential, if I may add!!!!!

I sent an A700 I was having problems with to Laredo Texas USA via UPS Next Day Air and Sony returned it Second Day Air to me in South Carolina within 5 days.

Just out of curiosity what part of the world do you live?

I think you would be amassed how my A_Mount owners that would be willing to loan you a camera or lens, given the fact that you need one to complete a serious assignment. That’s a hint!!!!!
AJ
Agressette@gmail.com

Thanks for your advice,
I have replied to your email address...

Lindsay

Hi Lindsay,

Let us know what happens with the camera and any repair. Also as AJ said, make sure you send the camera away with some sample prints, you don't want them to give it a cursory look without actually checking for the described fault. With examples it would be much harder for them to ignore it.

Hope it all works out for you.

Andrew

Will certainly let you know the outcome....

Thank to all for your advice, this camera has been a long time coming for me, and its worth doing right !

Cheers Lindsay

Hey there Kiwi,
Interesting to see someone else having the same issues. I recently bought an a350 with the kit 18-70 lens plus the Sony 75-300 zoom (econo) lens. I spent alot of $$ to go shoot an offshore boat race and came back with hundreds of lackluster, hazy, fuzzy pics. Needless to say, I was incredibly disappointed. Of course, most said it was the cheaper glass in the zoom lens. Well, we also tried the 18-70 in studio conditions on an overkill tripod and seemed it was not always possible to get consistent, critical focus. I was like, WTH, can't I expect crisp colorful photos out of an $800 camera that are at LEAST as good as my PNS 5.0MP Canon ? I then decided I would have to shell out another $800 for the Sony 70-300 G series lens with much better glass. I was only able to test one outside the camera store and inside under crappy light to read the small print on the side of the box. After that, I was still unconvinced it is a lens issue and don't want to get stuck with an $800 lens if the truth is this camera can't take crisp-focused action photos , the main reason for my purchase. I did try many different settings, including steady shot on and off, ISOs from 100-400, tripod, etc. but am just very frustrated. Did I just get a lemon?
I bought this camera for the features and need to use it on projects. Do others of you with an a350 have crisp, detailed action shots you can post? I'll try to post some later.

Thanks, Vance

Okay, put some pics in a photobucket folder with specs on each. All original shots taken with Sony a350 , most with Spot Focus and Steady Shot on . A DP suggested turning off SSS to bump stop up and cover shake problems with higher shutter speed, which I did for many pics, also.

If you scan through, you'll see there are some crisp-looking shots of people. Yet most of the action shots have at least some blur... even at 1/500 shutter! So, is it possible for the sensor/focus plane/etc. to be correct for slow/still pics but not for action? My P&S handles those better so far.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v369/Vman04/Sony%20a350%20Photos/

So far, I've only seen one example of action shots taken with this camera (the Drifting shots posted here). Any help appreciated.

Thanks, Vance

I had the same problem initially with my A100. It resolved itself over time. (meaning I learned how to use the camera) In my case it was simply pilot error. And, yeah, it frustrated the hell out of me. For me there was a learning curve on the slr autofocus I never noticed with several P&S digicams. What worked for me was initially using spot focus only . . . half press and recompose . . . over time the other focus modes began somehow clicking in my head and working out.

Your mileage may vary. You could have a problematic camera. At one point I thought I did. But it was me.

Hi,

I also had a similar experience with an A350, the 18-70 kit lens & the Sony 75-300mm f4.5-5.6 lens. First day out & out of 400(ish) shots and the almost every image was not what you would say was focused well.

The shots were at a variety of focal lengths, shutter speeds & aperture settings. In a Panic (I'm new to this). I took the equipment & images back to the shop and asked is it the camera or am I doing something wrong here. After examining several of the images, the shop staff declared that they were not exactly sure what was going on. All credit to the shop they offered me a choice of swapping out the lenses or body and working with me to figure the problem out or exchanging the complete package.

I chose the later option, and have taken some subsequent shots which are much better overall, some / a few are have amazed me at the detail present.

Wish you all the best in getting it sorted out, because I think I'm really going to enjoy this camera now :).

Hey,
Thanks for the replies. I guess I should have stated that I've shot quite a few photos with film SLR's over the years prior to this camera. My Nikon N65 SLR always gave me consistently beautiful pics with great focus even with the kit 28-80 lens. And while I've shot mostly landscape and night stuff, I was also able to capture action with ISO films as low as 100 and 200.

I am locating the receipt as I write to see about swapping for a new one.

Cheers.

Hi Vman,

Sorry to hear about the issues you are having with the A350. I took a look at your images on your Photobucket gallery and I was curious about a couple of things. What focusing mode did you set the camera to (the expanded details doesn't say)? You mentioned spot AF earlier, this is the mode I normally use (for sports) in combination with CAF. On some of the early boat photos something doesn't look right.

They are fairly small in the frame and I wonder if the AF point was able to fully pick up and lock onto the boat? The bigger images later in the series, like image 'DSC 00249' looks much better. Also I wonder how much of it may be down to panning? Again the bigger photos are definitely much sharper.

The still images of the boxes are more puzzling, as this should be an easy subject to get sharp. Some of them seem fine, image 'DSC00018' looks ok to me, it hasn't got complete critical sharpness, but much of that is going to be down to the focal length and choice of aperture, F5.6 at 300mm is going to give you very 'thin' DOF. Also one last question for you, did you shoot these in JPEG, and if so, have you added any unsharp mask? The A350 files can be soft out of cam unless you add a bit of unsharp mask or increase in cam sharpening.

Hope it's not too many questions and feel free to PM me.

Andrew

Well I got out there, had a Canon EOS 400 in tow as well...
So what am I supposed to be doing that could be considered a test ?
Answer: Take photos !
Some different exposures of the same shot (with both cameras) on a tripod...
Handheld shots with different exposures,and what I thought was spot focusing (since shown up as pattern metering in the exif data)....
Needless to say everything appeared to be fine !
Questions: Maybe I need to use the tripod a little more ?
Maybe pay 75 bucks and get it checked, at least that gives me peace of mind, and I can move on !
Was damn sure I was using spot focus (certainly the case on the Canon!) will take a look after work tonight, and experiment with spot focus a little more...
Money is very tight at present, so will make a decision as to sending the camera away fairly soon.
Incidentally, the Canon felt a little more user friendly (mind you I previously owned a G5) but the A-350 was okay (the buttons are a little small) and it took good pictures...
Will keep you posted on the next phase of the saga !
Lindsay
Just a note: I didnt take any action shots, should have really, but my pea sized brain forgot !

I think perhaps after some more use and once you settle into the A350 more, you might even find it to be a tad more intuitive to use, especially when making menu changes etc, than the Canon. I find that Sony tends to be more visual cue based, and Canon memory recall based.

In review of the A200/300/350, all three focused spot on, and I did use spot focus quite a bit (I usually do).

I am sure your brain is just as big as the rest of ours :).

Have fun most of all.

Carl

Thanks Carl, I think (and hope!) you are probably right, just keep on taking pictures...and yes, it is fun !
One question: Do you tend to use single shot focus/auto focus or continuous focus. I do realise why you would use continuous focus, but with spot focus would it once again depend on the subject matter ?

Cheers Lindsay.

Personally I like to hear a beep and see where the focus point is in green (in live view on the A300/350), or red in the viewfinder. The audio works with my visual for my preferences.

Carl

Aw, darn, Lindsay! I was hoping you'd get some action shots of sheep jumping the fence or something. Lord knows you have plenty of them in NZ ! 8+D I love your shot of the Heron,and would have been bummed too when that came out very soft focus. However, it is almost a nice effect for that shot.

After further testing with mine and conferring with Andrew, I'm finding my focus to be very inconsistent, so I am planning to swap for a new one and will let you know the outcome.

Thanks, Vance

I'd try testing your model out in the store this time before bringing it home.

I'm not seeing issues with focusing problems on these cameras on the net, much if at all.

Carl

I would like to share with you some photos from the A350. I am using the 18-250mm Sony. I have put some Action and Stationary examples. Hope this can show you what the A350 can do. I also added multi colors. Hope I am not too late.

Excellent stuff !
Colour and clarity is awesome !
Tell me, is the 18-250mm lens a cheaper or higher quality ?

Regards Lindsay