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Sony A35

 
Sony SLT-A35 front
 
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 415g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Announced September 2011
  • Superseded the Sony A33
  • Later Model is Sony A37
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Lenses
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
69
Imaging
56
Features
70
Overall
61

Sony A35 overview

Sony A35 is Sony's Entry-Level DSLR digital camera originally introduced on September of 2011. It includes a 16 MegaPixel, CMOS APS-C size sensor with a maximum resolution of 4912 x 3264.

Sony introduced this model in order to improve the older Sony A33 (Read Full Comparison) & afterwards brought out the fresher Sony A37 (Read Full Comparison) in an effort to improve this camera.

The A35 ranks at #37 out of 80 in Entry-Level DSLR cameras & all-around #304 out of 1465 for cameras in our list. Remember to try out our Advanced camera finder to find camera ratings based on your customized criteria.

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Here is a diagram of specific criteria used in the scoring system.

Sony A35 history

The Sony A35 has a history of related cameras. Down below, you can see all older and the latest models as well as main specs.

ModelVisualizeResolutionSensor SizeMax fpsReleased
Sony-SLT-A68 front thumbnailSony A68
A35 vs A68
24MPAPS-C8.0 fps2015
Sony-SLT-A58 front thumbnailSony A58
A35 vs A58
20MPAPS-C8.0 fps2013
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Sony-SLT-A57 front thumbnailSony A57
A35 vs A57
16MPAPS-C12.0 fps2012
Sony-SLT-A37 front thumbnailSony A37
A35 vs A37
16MPAPS-C6.0 fps2012
Sony-SLT-A65 front thumbnailSony A65
A35 vs A65
24MPAPS-C10.0 fps2011
Sony-SLT-A35 front thumbnailSony A3516MPAPS-C6.0 fps2011
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Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A580 front thumbnailSony A580
A35 vs A580
16MPAPS-C7.0 fps2011
Sony-SLT-A33 front thumbnailSony A33
A35 vs A33
14MPAPS-C7.0 fps2010
Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A560 front thumbnailSony A560
A35 vs A560
14MPAPS-C5.0 fps2010
Sony-SLT-A55 front thumbnailSony A55
A35 vs A55
16MPAPS-C10.0 fps2010
Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A390 front thumbnailSony A390
A35 vs A390
14MPAPS-C3.0 fps2010
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Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A290 front thumbnailSony A290
A35 vs A290
14MPAPS-C3.0 fps2010
Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A450 front thumbnailSony A450
A35 vs A450
14MPAPS-C7.0 fps2010
Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A550 front thumbnailSony A550
A35 vs A550
14MPAPS-C7.0 fps2009
Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A500 front thumbnailSony A500
A35 vs A500
12MPAPS-C5.0 fps2009
Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A380 front thumbnailSony A380
A35 vs A380
14MPAPS-C3.0 fps2009
Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A230 front thumbnailSony A230
A35 vs A230
10MPAPS-C3.0 fps2009
Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A330 front thumbnailSony A330
A35 vs A330
10MPAPS-C3.0 fps2009
Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A200 front thumbnailSony A200
A35 vs A200
10MPAPS-C3.0 fps2008
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Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A350 front thumbnailSony A350
A35 vs A350
14MPAPS-C3.0 fps2008
Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A300 front thumbnailSony A300
A35 vs A300
10MPAPS-C3.0 fps2008
Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A100 front thumbnailSony A100
A35 vs A100
10MPAPS-C3.0 fps2006

Sony A35 Pros and Cons

Here is a list of advantages and drawbacks of the Sony A35 based on factors that are usually viewed as useful in a digital camera.

change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has built in flash
has external microphone port
has HDMI port
has phase detect AF
image stabilization (Sensor based)
lighter than competition (415g)
manual focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
nice clear screen (921 thousand dot)
saves RAW formats
supports face detection focusing
very good high ISO (25,600)
very good min ISO (100)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
does not have headphone port
does not have Timelapse mode
no moving screen
not so great battery (440 shots)
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames per second)
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Sony A35 Sensor features

The Sony A35 is powered by the Bionz chip. The specification of the sensor in the Sony A35 is 23.5mm x 15.6mm (APS-C). The 367 mm² sensor is able to resolve 4912 x 3264 pixels using aspect ratios of 3:2 and 16:9. The camera features Image Stabilization (Sensor based). Sensor stabilization is more desirable than digital stabilization as the latter can cause cropping.

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The CMOS sensor has 16 megapixels and features a standard ISO range of 100 - 25600. RAW photos are supported therefore the user has more room to maneuver in post.

The graphic below shows the A35's sensor size in comparison to other popular sizes. The A35 sensor has a crop factor of 1.5 and is shown in green.

Sony SLT-A35 sensor size Photography Glossary

To get an understanding of different aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Sony A35 dimensions

Sony A35 weighs in at 0.91 lbs (415g / 14.64 ounces) & has outer measurements of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3"). The weight of normal Entry-Level DSLR camera is 540g so the Sony A35 is lighter as compared with other rivals.

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Listed below is a pic of the Sony A35 beside a softdrink so you can get a sense of its size.

Sony SLT-A35 dimensions scale

The top view below will show you the button arrangement on the A35.

Sony SLT-A35 topview buttons dials

Sony A35 Lens features

The A35 works with the Sony/Minolta Alpha mount and has 145 lenses available on the market. Here is some of the lenses we have in our collection that will work with the A35.

ModelVisualizeFocal LengthApertureStabilizedWeight
Tamron-SP-15-30mm-F2.8-Di-VC-USD-Sony-Alpha lensTamron SP 15-30mm F2.8 Di VC USD15-30mmf/2.8 1100g
Tamron-AF-28-80mm-F3.5-5.6-Aspherical-Sony-Alpha lensTamron AF 28-80mm F3.5-5.6 Aspherical28-80mmf/3.5-5.6 237g
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Sigma-18-50mm-F2.8-4.5-DC-OS-HSM-Sony-Alpha lensSigma 18-50mm F2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM18-50mmf/2.8-4.5 395g
Sony-70-400mm-F4-5.6-G-SSM lensSony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM70-400mmf/4.0-5.6 1490g
Sigma-10-20mm-F3.5-EX-DC-HSM-Sony-Alpha lensSigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM10-20mmf/3.5 520g
Sigma-18-250mm-F3.5-6.3-DC-Macro-OS-HSM-Sony-Alpha lensSigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM18-250mmf/3.5-6.3 470g
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Sony-DT-16-80mm-F3.5-4.5-ZA-Carl-Zeiss-Vario-Sonnar-T lensSony DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T16-80mmf/3.5-4.5 445g
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Sony A35 Connectivity

The A35 has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • HDMI Yes

Cameras that include NFC and Bluetooth connectivity can be used wirelessly through smartphones. You can send images and at times adjust settings without the hassle of connecting directly with the camera.

Certain apps also give a Liveview and click the shutter whenever you aren't near the camera. If the camera comes with a HDMI port, it can be hooked up to an external display. Many cameras will allow you to recharge the battery through the USB port.

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Sony A35 Video features

The maximum video resolution in the Sony A35 is 1920 x 1080 and you can record in MPEG-4, AVCHD and H.264 file format. 1080p resolution will provide a decent balance between video quality vs file size but FULL HD is not going to give you any room to downsample. Even though the body offers a microphone port, it is unfortunately lacking a headphone port which means you will not have the option to keep an eye on your sound levels.

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Sony A35 Weather Sealing

Sony A35 doesn't have weather sealing so damp conditions may affect the camera.

Sony A35 Screen and Viewfinder

The Sony A35 includes a 3 inch fixed display screen having a resolution of 921 thousand dots.

Please note that the display has no touch support.

Sony SLT-A35 screen and viewfinder Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The View Finder specs for Sony A35 are below:

  • ViewFinder Electronic
  • ViewFinder Resolution 1,150 thousand dots
  • ViewFinder Coverage 100%
  • ViewFinder Magnification 0.73x

Viewfinders can be quite beneficial during bright outdoor situations which may make the camera screen washed out and very difficult to see.

Sony A35 Shutter features

Sony A35 continuous shooting speed is 6.0 frames per second. The maximum shutter speed is 1/4000 seconds.

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Sony A35 Flash and Hot shoe features

Sony A35 features both integrated flash along with external flash ability. The highest flash sync speed is 1/160 seconds.

Sony A35 Autofocusing features

Sony A35 features both Phase Detect Autofocus as well as Contrast Based Autofocus. Phase Detection focusing is more faster & exact as compared with Contrast Based focusing. The camera includes Face detection making it valuable for taking portraits of people.

The AF system includes 15 focus points to select from. Sony A35 can use manual focusing when needed during low light conditions or you need to have more exact control on focusing.

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Sony A35 Battery life

The battery (NP-FW50) for the Sony A35 is built to last for 440 images with respect to the CIPA standards making it lower when compared with it's rivals. The general Entry-Level DSLR camera battery life is 589. Pentax K-x features the highest possible (1900) battery life within this type of cameras.

Following is a list of Entry-Level DSLR cameras which have the best battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth
Photography Glossary
Canon-EOS-Rebel-SL3 front thumbnailCanon SL3
A35 vs SL3
1070 yesnoyes

Sony A35 for varying styles of photography

The following diagram shows a analysis of the Sony A35 for varying styles of photography. To view more, visit the specific paragraph below.

Portrait photography with Sony A35

The Sony A35 receives a rating of 73 which is nice, meaning that it is a good choice to use for portrait photography. Taking portraits favors heavily to sensor dimensions, RAW support in addition to the capability to use off-camera flash.

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focusing manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats

Sony A35 Street photography factors

With a nice points total of 71, the Sony A35 is a good option to use in street photography. A good street photography camera gives a good balance of image quality plus portability.

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built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
lighter than competitors in class (415g)
very good high ISO (25,600)
no moving screen

Sony A35 Sports photography details

A very good sports photography score of 61 means the Sony A35 is a good fit for taking pictures of sports. A camera really should have fantastic focusing plus fast continuous shooting for sports photography.

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image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames/s)
not so great battery life (440 shots)

Sony A35 Travel photography info

Size is super important in selecting a travel camera. All things considered, the Sony A35 gets a decent 58 for a travelling camera which makes it reasonably suitable for your journeys.

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lighter than competitors (415 grams)
decent MP (16MP)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
terrible battery (440 CIPA)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen

Sony A35 Landscape photography factors

When you're planning to pick a camera for landscape pictures, the most significant aspect will no doubt be image quality. The Sony A35 at it's very good rating of 69 as a landscape camera is a good option among its rivals.

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you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
low battery (440 shots)
does not have Timelapse recording

Sony A35 Vlogging features

A vlogging camera really should have a moving display, mic port and preferably image stabilization. Considering all things, the Sony A35 is just not good as a vlog camera as it receives a really bad rating of 36.

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has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external mic port
lighter than competitors in class (415 grams)
screen isn't selfie friendly

Sony A35 Alternatives

If you are in the market for replacements to the A35, here is a range of the top rated cameras which fall into the family of Entry-Level DSLR.

The graph listed below gives you a summary of the A35 vs it's highest ranked rivals suggested previously.

There are a bunch of cameras you might regard as alternatives. To browse through a full comparison, simply click the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Manufacturer
Sony
Model type
Sony SLT-A35
Type
Entry-Level DSLR
Announced
2011-09-20
Body design
Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CMOS
Powered by
Bionz
Sensor size
APS-C
Sensor measurements
23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area
366.6mm²
Sensor resolution
16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio
3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution
4912 x 3264
RAW data
Max native ISO
25600
Lowest native ISO
100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points
15
Cross type focus points
3
Lens
Lens support
Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses
143
Crop factor
1.5
Screen
Screen type
Fixed Type
Screen diagonal
3 inches
Resolution of screen
921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder
Electronic
Viewfinder resolution
1,150 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage
100%
Viewfinder magnification
0.73x
DXO scores
DXO All around rating
74
DXO Color Depth rating
23.3
DXO Dynamic range rating
12.7
DXO Low light rating
763
Features
Slowest shutter speed
30s
Maximum shutter speed
1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed
6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation
Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance
12.00 m
Flash options
Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync
1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions
1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution
1920x1080
Video file format
MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless
None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight
415g (0.91 lb)
Dimensions
124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
Other
Battery life
440 photographs
Style of battery
Battery Pack
Battery ID
NP-FW50
Self timer
Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage
SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots
One
Cost at launch
$598