Sony Alpha 3000 review – Autofocus
Image: I found shooting from the hip was great. The high-speed autofocus allowed me to capture some interesting shots that other cameras may have missed
In bright conditions the focusing is snappy and quick. In challenging low-light conditions, I expected the camera to take a while to focus, but I was pleasantly surprised. Even though the Sony Alpha 3000 relies on 25 contrast-detection, not phase-detection, points, it is still very fast even in low-light. Also, a well-placed assist beam aids autofocus in situations where there is minimal available light.
I spent a few hours walking through London shooting street images, mostly from the hip. This can often be challenging for mirrorless cameras, particularly if the action happens very quickly. With the Alpha 3000 I was able to capture everything as it occurred, and the camera even performed reliably when the conditions were overcast and the light was fading. I was very impressed with its consistency.
When using multiple AF points, if there is a clear and obvious focal point inside the frame the AF points very occasionally lock onto an obscure area. For example, when aiming at a tall building, the focus point would lock onto a cloud in the top corner or, more commonly, the AF would ignore a macro subject and any other foreground object and lock focus in the background. To combat this, I set the custom function button to move the AF point, which saved me from having to dive into the menu each time. It was very easy to set a custom focus point using the direction buttons on the control pad at the back of the camera.
