Hands-on review
Sony Alpha 3000 at a glance:
- New 20.1-million-pixel APS-C-sized CMOS sensor
- E-mount lenses
- ISO 100-16,000
- 1,200-zone metering
- RRP £370 with kit lens
It may seem like a tiny Sony Alpha SLT camera, but the new Sony Alpha 3000 confusingly uses the Sony E-mount, like the Sony NEX range of compact system cameras. Like the NEX cameras, the Alpha 3000 doesn’t use a mirror; up until now, all Sony Alpha models have had either a reflex or a pellicle mirror. It’s the absence of a mirror that allows the Alpha 3000 its diminutive stature – it’s the smallest and lightest Alpha yet – and affords it the look and feel of an advanced bridge camera, or CSC in the style of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6.
Sony Alpha 3000 – Features
As an entry-level camera, the Alpha 3000 has a very basic button and control layout
The sensor of the Alpha 3000 is a 20.1-million-pixel CMOS unit, based on that used in the Alpha 58 SLT camera. With no reflex mirror, images are composed on the 3in, 260,000-dot-resolution screen, or the 201,600-dot electronic viewfinder. Both of these are fairly low resolution compared to other models, but this does help to keep the price of the camera down. When the Alpha 3000 is launched, it is expected to cost around £370 with a kit lens, which is extremely competitive for an entry-level compact system camera.
With entry-level photographers in mind, the Sony Alpha 3000 has been given a simple and straightforward layout.
But don’t be deceived, the camera is powerful – its ISO sensitivity ranges between 100 and 16,000, and it has a 1,200-zone multi-metering system, as well as an extremely fast contrast-detection AF system.
In fact, such was the speed of the AF system, I had to ask whether the 20.1-million-pixel sensor used on-sensor phase detection. The AF was very snappy and my first impressions were that it is at least on a par with the fastest-focusing CSCs – it may well even be the speediest at the entry-level point.
Just like the Sony NEX cameras, A-mount lenses can be used on the Sony Alpha 3000 via the LA-EA1 or EA2 adapters, with the EA2 adapter also allowing for phase-detection autofocus. However, costing around £260, the EA2 adapter is an expensive accessory for what is an entry-level compact system camera.
Despite the name, the Alpha 3000 uses Sony E-Mount lenses, not A (Alpha)-mount lenses
Sony Alpha 3000 – First Thoughts
When I first saw the Sony Alpha 3000 I was naturally expecting it to use the Sony A-mount lenses and therefore be ‘just another entry-level camera’. However, the use of the E mount makes it stand out as a more interesting prospect. With sales of DSLRs falling, Sony has clearly spotted a gap in its CSC line-up and the introduction of a DSLR-style model is perfectly logical.
As an entry-level system camera, the Sony Alpha 3000 is certainly going to have wide appeal, but the low-resolution screen and EVF will put off more discerning photographers. It will be interesting to see how Sony develops this type of product, particularly given the speed of the AF system. I look forward to really putting it through its paces when we have the chance to test the camera fully in the coming weeks.
