The Photo Times: Sony A3000 hits a sweet spot: It"s small, light, and only $400

(Credit:

Lori Grunin/CNET)

Despite being one of the few growing segments of the digital camera market, mirrorless versions of interchangeable-lens cameras still don’t get no respect. For one, there’s a perception in some quarters that they don’t produce the same image quality as dSLRs, even though they’re nearly identical in all the ways that affect image quality. I also think there’s a grip issue; for the most part, ILCs tend to sacrifice a decent grip for compactness and sleek design. Only the Sony NEX models offer a substantial grip, and I think that’s a large factor in their popularity. Finally, because they’re smaller and tend to be targeted at folks stepping up from point-and-shoots, we all expect at least the entry-level models to be cheaper than they are — not the typical $500-plus at launch. Sony’s Alpha ILCE-3000 (aka the Sony A3000) attempts to jump all these hurdles at once by stuffing one of its NEX cameras into a dSLR body and pricing it aggressively at $400 for the kit.

Sony A3000, faux dSLR (pictures)

Rather than shrinking one of its single-lens translucent (SLT) models the way Canon compressed a dSLR for the SL1 — which likely would have resulted in a more expensive model — Sony based a mirrorless dSLR-style body around its E-Mount lenses and NEX menu and control system. Overall, the idea makes a lot of sense. Once you drop the mirror, the biggest constraint to shrinkage becomes the lens mount. And on the surface (though not necessarily in practice), the NEX menu system looks a lot friendlier for the presumably novice buyer of this camera. It’s telling that the closest price competitors for the A3000, like the Canon T3, are generally about two years old.

Nothing about the A3000 screams “premium,” but nothing whispers “cheap,” either. The trade-offs it makes: limited continuous shooting, no 1080/30p video, a small EVF, and a low-resolution LCD. But the price and the design really hit the sweet spot for the step-up buyer. And unlike petite dSLRs like the Canon SL1, Sony’s use of the E-Mount system means smaller lenses, compared with the full-size EF-S lenses.

Here are some of its competitors:

Â Canon EOS Rebel SL1 Canon EOS Rebel T3 Nikon D3200 Sony Alpha ILCE-3000
(A3000) Sony Alpha NEX-3N Sony Alpha SLT-A58 Sensor effective resolution 18MP Hybrid CMOS II 12.2MP CMOS 24.2MP CMOS 20.1MP Exmor HD CMOS 16.1MP Exmor HD CMOS 20.1MP Exmor HD CMOS 22.3 x 14.9mm 22 x 14.7mm 23.2 x 15.4mm 23.5 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm 23.2 x 15.4mm Focal-length multiplier 1.6x 1.6x 1.5x 1.5x 1.5x 1.5x Sensitivity range ISO 100 – ISO 12800 ISO 100 – ISO 6400 ISO 100 (exp)/
200 – ISO 6400/ 12800 (exp) ISO 100 – ISO 16000 ISO 200 – ISO 16000 ISO 100 – ISO 16000 Burst shooting 4fps
8 raw/ unlimited JPEG 3fps raw/2fps JPEG
5 raw/ unlimited JPEG 4fps
n/a 2.5fps
5 raw+JPEG/ 13 JPEG
(3.5fps with fixed exposure) 2.5fps
5 raw/9 JPEG
n/a 5fps
6 raw/7 JPEG Viewfinder (mag/ effective mag) 95% coverage
0.85x/0.53x 95% coverage

0.80x/0.50x

Optical
95% coverage
0.80x/ 0.53x

Electronic

0.5 inch/unk

100% coverage

0.70x/0.59x
None Electronic OLED
0.5 inch/ 480,000 dots
100% coverage
0.88x/0.59x Autofocus 9-pt AF
center cross-type;
31-point contrast AF 9-pt AF

center cross-type 11-pt AF
center cross-type 25-area contrast AF 25-area contrast AF 15-pt phase-detection
3 cross-type AF sensitivity -0.5 to 18 EV 0 – 18 EV -1 to 19 EV 0 – 20 EV 0 – 20 EV -1 to 18 EV Shutter speed 1/4000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/200 x-sync 1/4000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/200 x-sync 1/4000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/200 sec x-sync 30-1/4000 sec.; bulb 30-1/4000 sec.; bulb; 1/160 sec x-sync 1/4000 to 30 seconds; bulb; 1/160 x-sync Metering 63-zone iFCL 63-zone iFCL 420-pixel 3D color matrix metering II 1,200 zone 1,200 zone 1,200 zone Metering sensitivity 1 to 20 EV 1 to 20 EV 0 to 20 EV 0 – 20 EV 0 – 20 EV n/a Best video H.264 QuickTime MOV 1080/30p/ 25p/24p; 720/60p/ 50p None 1080/30p/ 25p/24p; 720/60p/ 50p H.264 QuickTime MOV AVCHD

1080/60i @ 24, 17Mbps, 1080/24p @ 24, 17Mbps; H.264 MPEG-4 1440 x 1080/30p @ 12Mbps AVCHD

1080/60i @ 24, 17Mbps, 1080/24p @ 24, 17Mbps; H.264 MPEG-4 1440 x 1080/30p @ 12Mbps AVCHD 1080/60i/ 50i/25p/24p @ 24Mbps Audio Mono; mic input n/a Mono; mic input Stereo Stereo; mic input Stereo; mic input Manual aperture and shutter in video Yes n/a Yes n/a Yes n/a IS Optical Optical Optical Optical Optical Sensor shift LCD size 3-inch fixed touch screen
1.04 MP 2.7-inch fixed
230,000 dots 3-inch fixed
921,000 dots 3-inch fixed
230,400 dots 3-inch tilting

460,800 dots 2.7-inch tilting
460,800 dots Memory slots 1 x SDXC 1 x SDXC 1 x SDXC 1 x SDXC 1 x SDXC 1 x SDXC Wireless flash Yes No Yes No No Yes Battery life (CIPA rating) 380 shots 700 shots VF/ 220 shots LV 540 shots 480 shots 480 shots 690 shots Size (WHD, inches) 4.6 x 3.6 x 2.7 5.9 x 3.1 x 3.1 5.0 x 3.8 x 3.1 4.0 x 2.3 x 1.5 4.3 x 2.4 x 1.4 5.1 x 3.8 x 3.1 Body operating weight (ounces) 14.9 17.5 17.6 9.9 (est) 7.4 (est) 17.4 (est) Mfr. price $649.99 (body only) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a $799.99 (with 18-55mm STM lens) $449.99 (with 18-55mm lens) $699.95 (with 18-55mm lens) $399.99 (with 18-55mm lens) $499.99 (with 16-50mm PZ lens) $599.99 (with 18-55mm lens) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Release date April 2013
March 2011 April 2012 September 2013 April 2013 April 2013

The 2-year-old T3 can’t match it on any level, and the SL1 is relatively expensive, though it does have better specifications. It will be interesting to see how the A3000 performs, and for more-advanced users, if it’s worth using the money saved on the body to pair it with a better lens.

Article source: http://www.thephoblographer.com/2013/06/03/review-leica-d-lux-6/