Sony
appears to have a scattergun approach to model releases.
One of the fruits of this is the ultra budget DSLR
lookalike A3000/3500 (the 3500 uses the same body but a lower spec lens) which
is actually a MILC of very basic specification, designed to hit an extremely
low price point.
It was so cheap I bought one just to test its
capabilities. It produced very good picture quality in the right conditions.
What about the ergonomics ?
Setup 5/15
The menu system is a bit hard to figure. Submenu items
appear in unexpected places. For instance aspect ratio is listed under Image
size.
ISO is under Brightness/Color.
Flash Comp is under Brightness/Color but Flash Mode
appears in Camera.
You get the idea. The whole menu system needs a
rethink.
Prepare 5/15
There is no Q Menu and no Fn buttons. A trip to the
frustrating menu is required for many adjustments.
Holding 12/20
The A3500 looks like a proper camera with a large body
and chunky looking handle. But in use the handle proves to be thin and less
comfortable than it looks. The thumb support is vestigial which doesn’t help.
Viewing 7/20
There is an EVF located in the optimal position above
the lens but it is of very poor quality and low resolution. The monitor is fixed and not adjustable.
There is no auto switching between the EVF and monitor and the button for
manual switching is very poorly located.
There is a proper battery status indicator which is
nice.
Operating 8/25
It's not all bad. If you accept to leave the camera in
P Mode and don’t try to change settings much it actually works quite well.
ISO, Drive Mode and +/- are adjustable while looking
through the EVF which is nice.
The AF box position can be changed without much
difficulty.
Manual focus is not available at all on the 3500.
There is no top of body control (command) dial.
Review 2/5
There is only a single dial on the lower rear of the
camera for enlarging and navigating.
Total 39/100
I wanted to run an ergonomic evaluation on the A3500
as it represents the absolute bottom of the budget pricepoint level for a DSLR
style camera.
It works quite decently well as long as one has modest
expectations but the user experience is not engaging.
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