Sony"s Budget-Friendly Shooter Sets Its Sights on Entry-Level DSLRs

Photo: Tim Moynihan/WIRED

Sony has churned out some mighty impressive cameras over the past few years, but one model that’s missing from their current lineup is an entry-level DSLR.

In fact, Sony has shied away from making traditional DSLRs altogether; the company’s newer Alpha SLT cameras use what Sony calls “translucent mirrors,” which don’t flip up while you’re taking a picture like the mirrors in most DSLRs. The SLT cameras also don’t have through-the-lens optical viewfinders. What you gain is that ability to shoot and focus incredibly fast.

The just-announced Sony Alpha a3000 isn’t a pure DSLR, but it’s not a translucent-mirror camera either. It’s a small, DSLR-shaped addition to Sony’s NEX mirrorless-camera offerings, and it fills the gap at the low end of the Alpha lineup. It’s priced to move.

The a3000 costs just $400 with its kit lens included. That’s significantly less than the Cyber-shot RX100 ($600) compact camera, and it undercuts entry-level DSLRs such as the Canon EOS Rebel T3 ($450), Nikon D3100 ($550), and Nikon D3200 ($700). What’s more, because it doesn’t have an internal mirror, it’s even smaller than Canon’s diminutive EOS Rebel SL1 ($800).

Sony’s new camera is built around a 20-megapixel APS-C sensor, and it has a blend of beginner-friendly and more-advanced features. On the novice side of the fence is a selection of Instagram-like filters, a motion-panorama mode, built-in flash, a “LiveView AF system”(for arm’s-length shooting rather than peering through its eye-level EVF), and a “jargon-free” menu system, according to Sony. But if budget-minded shooters want to step it up, the camera also has manual, aperture-, and shutter-priority modes; an exposure-bracketing mode; an ISO range of 100 to 16,000; Sony’s Multi Interface hotshoe; and a RAW+JPG mode.

A $400 camera is going to have its fair share of compromises, starting with the a3000?s non-adjustable, non-touchscreen 3-inch LCD. Its 3.5fps burst mode at full resolution with focus locked at the first frame isn’t nearly as peppy as the 10fps speed of Sony’s translucent-mirror cameras. The a3000 also has a contrast-detection autofocus system that won’t be as fast as the higher-end Alphas’ phase-detection AF systems. And it uses Sony’s E-mount mirrorless lenses rather than its A-mount DSLR lenses — not a huge deal, but there aren’t as many E-mount optics to choose from.

On the plus side, the a3000?s video options look good for a $400 camera. It shoots 1920-by-1080 video at 60i and 24p in AVCHD mode and 1440-by-1080 or 640-by-480 video at 30p in MP4 mode.

The camera will be available in September for $400 as a kit with a 18-55mm E-mount lens. The focal-length multiplier for the E-mount system is 1.5X, so that kit lens will have a 27mm to 82.5mm field of view when it’s mounted on the a3000.

Sony"s Budget-Friendly Shooter Sets Its Sights on Entry-Level DSLRs