The Alpha DSLR-A300 and Alpha DSLR-A350 are Sony's fourth and fifth DSLRs. Since the original A100 was replaced by the A200 in early January, Sony now has four models in the Alpha range: the entry-level A200, the semi-pro A700, and positioned in-between, the new A300 and A350 models.

The A200, A300 and A350 have a lot in common. They all share essentially the same body, controls, features and accessories. The A200 is the base model with a 10.2 Megapixel sensor and a fixed screen. The A300 keeps the same sensor, but adds Live View and a tilting screen. A350 keeps the Live View and a tilting screen and upgraded the sensor to 14.2 Megapixels.

The A300 and A350 are technically identical other than the resolution of their sensors and a small difference in the continuous shooting rates: the A300 is a 10.2 Megapixel model, shooting at 3fps, while the A350 is a 14.2 Megapixel model, shooting at 2.5fps.

With quick and quiet Live View, built-in stabilization and a tilting screen, the Sony Alpha A300 looks very strong against the competition, especially priced head-to-head against Canon's new EOS 450D / Rebel XSi.

Canon's EOS 450D – or Digital Rebel XSi as it's known in North America – is the company's latest DSLR and the successor to the hugely popular EOS 400D / Rebel XTi. As compared to EOS 400D, among other things, EOS 450D upgrade the sensor from 10.1 to 12.2 Megapixels.

Despite the higher price of the Canon, the Sony A300 stacks-up well in terms of features, with a tillable screen, quicker AF in Live View, and camera built-in stabilization, as opposed to lens built-in stabilization in Canon EOS 450D. (This could be a very significant different considering the price of a lens with built-in stabilization is a lot more than one without!!) And the Sony kit lens is slightly longer too, zooming into 70mm compared to the Canon's 55mm. In addition, many users of Sony Alpha 300 have commented that it has a better hand grip, and a more user friendly Live View.

In its favor, the Canon 450D / XSi, despite more costly, has two extra Megapixels, a slightly bigger 3in screen, quicker 3.5fps continuous shooting, 14-bit image processing, a bigger viewfinder, mirror lockup, a depth-of-field preview button, and a Live View mode which may be slower, but features both a contrast-based AF option and a true preview of what you'll be capturing from the main sensor. You also get PC remote control software which includes a live on-screen preview.

I personally prefer a Sony Alpha 300 because it is user friendly, about 1/3 cheaper than Canon EOS Rebel XSi, with a Live View and a tillable screen, a better hand grip and that a 10.2 Megapixel sensor is more than enough in most cases. However, arguably XSi will probably appeal to the more technically demanding photographers. So which one is best for you is a close call. It really depends on what you need.