New Sony Alpha 3000, NEX-5T and Zeiss 16-70 E-Mount Lens!

33 Comments

1. After all the confusion for months, the A3000 is a way great Mirrorless Camera, DSLR looks,
   but NEX-3N inside, that is. The EVF is horrible, from both resolution & flickering, same goes for the LCD
   Display, 3″ and only 230.400 Pixels….but it’s okay, i can live with it, and it’s good enough for focus peaking
   with my old MF lenses. Apart from that, i paid only 130 EUR for the body new, you really can’t go wrong
   with that! The Kit was sold here into germany for also cheapish 239 EUR, as low as that, retail!

   The 20 MP “Exmor” APS-C Sensor inside the A3000 is the icing cake, and very good for this very
   low price, see DxOMark results. Besides, it feels somehow cheap & hollow, and the Display drawbacks,
   the Alpha 3000 is unbeatable for the asking price. at least here in germany together with the 18-55 OSS
   Kitlens.

2. I already have a full-on Pentax DSLR kit as well as a micro four-thirds kit. I certainly don’t need another system but I am tempted to pick up the Sony A3000 just for kicks. At $399, I’d get APS-C image quality and wouldn’t have to worry very much about trashing it. Plus, I could always add the Sigma 19mm and 30mm primes in E-mount and have some fun. Yes, the A3000 is intended for beginners and those moving up from P&S cameras. But I can see a lot of experienced photographers having a blast with it for not a lot of money.

3. I would consider this camera very seriously when (if) it becomes available as body only. I see the principal usage for me is with MF lenses via adapters. The EVF used on the a3000 appears to be the same as on the a58 SLT, and is adequate for MF using focus-peaking. Set to manual exposure, you select the aperture on the lens, and use the wheel on the back to set shutter speed, focus, and your actual expose is in the view finder. What could be easier or more basic, manual focus, manual exposure and ISO from 100 to at least a usable 3200?

   As body only, the a3000 would likely be around $300, less than half of what the current NEX6 body costs, $649.99. The NEX6 has a better EVF and tilting LCD, PDAF on sensor, and the classic NEX shape which is small but very comfortable, but $350 is a big difference.

   I do already own the original NEX5, with two AF lenses, so that’s another reason I’d go for a body only. By the time the a3000 might become available as body only, there might be additional Sony E bodies to make the choice more difficult.

4. The 16-70 looks very nice, pretty useful focal and good IQ, for what i saw.The 3000 looks a little bit too simplified, the EVF seems simply not good enough.

5. Of course, any new entry level boy with good value for money is welcome.

   Made Sony the A3000 deliberately more bulky than necessary, to discourage buyers willing to pay a premium for a the more compact NEX6?

   The larger grip and body might be more appropriate for bulkier and heavier lenses, but is there any ergonomic advantage from placing the EVF in the middle rather than “on the corner” (Leica M style), with the nose exposed to fresh air and not smearing the LCD?

   Does Sony believe upgraders from DP&S associate the fake hunch for the non-existent pentaprism reflex finder with a “professional” grade camera? It is a little bit like the first motor cars which still had design features from horse-drawn carriages to improve acceptance by conservative buyers.

   • No one will think the A3000 is a pro grade camera, Sony made it for those who want to upgrade from a P&S, are beginners but prefer a DSLR style body. At $399 no one will mistake it for a pro quality body, but the images it will be able to create with the right lenses will be just as nice as any other APS-C. The body is the canvas, the lens is what creates/paints the image that the photographer sees.

6. I don’t really need a DSLR form factor for my emount lenses… but at $399 it will be hard to NOT buy it.
   Must… resist… the temptation… and keep saving up for the NEX-9. 🙂

7. I don’t see any reason to upgrade from my NEX 5-R. Those new features don’t do anything for me. The lenses look interesting though!

8. What is the aperture on the 16_70 zoom?

   • f4 throughout by the looks of it

   • Avinash, it’s a constant f4.

9. This does look good!

   I do have a question though. If Sony can launch a camera( with lens!! ) for 400$ with an APS-C sensor, surely they can make a P&S for 700$ with that sensor(or a slightly improved one)?

   The RX100 is an amazing camera. but an APS-C P&S at that price point will be beyond awesome.

   There might be issues when it comes to designing the required lens for such a camera though.

   I love the Fuji X100S, but it is a bit out of reach for me. The Ricoh isn’t available here, while the Nikon didn’t feel right.

   An APS-C P & S from Sony will be just perfect!

10. 230K LCD and 200K EVF, just like my old Fuji S5700 back then

    • I do not think that all is about what it has as VF or Screen, but what photo quality it takes. If the VF and Screen are not the resolution you look for, if it has no phase detect AF and does not fits in your way to see things, it is definitely not for you.

      I seek for this kinda camera, or a GX-7 type camera with this sensor. The 20 mpix sensor performs a lot better than the 16, even better than the 24 mpix. But, until now I await this sensor to appear in a GX-7-NEX-7 style camera, or a small e-mount DSLR. For sure, this will be Sony’s next step, for me it could have been the first to do by them. So lets wait and see.

      Anyway, look pictures taken with that camera and the Zeiss 16-70/4 here:

      http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/19-pictures-a3000-zeiss1670-f4_topic100871.html

      • Senor is only part of the camera, the user experience is a big part of it too, the low res LCD and EVF will definitely put some people off in the age of FHD and Retina displays

        • And yeah the image looks good when paired with $1000 lens, I wonder how it perform with the kit lens which is what the buyer in this segment uses the most

11. Some people HATE the NEX form factor with the tiny body and “huge” lens. This fixes that I suppose, but I’m kinda at a loss as to why? It’s not like the e-mount lenses are cheaper. But this is what makes Sony the best, they can afford to do whatever they want, they try new things. Which is fuN!

12. I already own the silver version of the 50mm f1.8 and have to say its an excellent lens. I wonder if the black one is identical except for the new livery. One of the things that amazes me is how little praise the Sony 50mm f1.8 gets in blogs and the like – although independent reviews confirm how good it is! It really is a superb piece of kit and I have never been disappointed – excellent sharpness, nice bokeh, good colour. In terms of resolution power it is streets ahead of the stock zooms offered by Sony – a much more satisfying prospect all around. I can only assume that the Zeiss badged glass gets all the praise and this lens is treated like Cinderella. About the only problem I have noticed is that the camera can cause the lens to “hunt” in some settings.

    • Same exact lens, different color. Some wanted it in black so Sony made it in black.

      http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2011/12/10/the-sony-50-1-8-oss-e-mount-nex-lens-review-on-the-nex-7/

      • Too bad Sony doesn’t listen to all the customers who want OVF’s. Or any type of built-in VF in the RX1’s case.
        As for that lens- it would’ve been the perfect opportunity to give the E-mount owners something really special, like a 55/1.4 or 50/1.2. In black of course…

13. that new 3000 targets not only the Nikon 3200 and Canon Rebel, but also quite a blow to Samsung’s NX20 (which I own and purchased last year for $400 (without lens))

    this $400 price point for an APS is a sign that full-frame going mainstream is just around the corner (I mean coming in at present APS prices)

    • OK, I just finished reading the first looks review on dpr, and I was so wrong. This feels so cheap, that there is no way it will compete with the existing NX20, D3200, Rebel cameras. Disappointing screen and VF, and that hollow made in china feel to it. On a more positive note, it focuses faster than a Rebel (but no tilt screen), and beats the D3200 in offering bracketing and stereo mic, and better ergonomics than the rebel sl1.

      I think this is a good camera for those people I know who have a film dslr and haven’t replaced it yet (because they are those casual photographers who like to look like they know what they are doing but don’t really need a dslr) and for the masses in general.

      • “This feels cheap”
        “Hollow made in china feel to it”

        Have you actually held one?

        • Nope, I read the reviews. I was all excited about it as en entry-level, but then I was disillusioned when I read more about it. In some instances, you actually do get what you pay for.

14. I find this confusing, the Alpha 3000 is a mirrorless camera and not a DSLR isn’t it? Otherwise how would it have the flange distance to match NEX lenses? Or am I missing something here?

    • I imagine that they are going for the low cost cost DSLR for the people upgrading from point and shoot. They already had the technology in the E-mount and the mirrorless, lenses are cheaper than a mount.

    • Yes, all nex are considered alpha cameras. So you have nex alpha (with an e-mount mount) and alpha cameras (with A-mount). Yes, it is confusing, but once you get used to it, it is obvious. You just say, A-mount, E-mount and period.

      About the form factor of the camera, it is obviously a mirrorless (well, if rumors become true, even the A mount cameras will be mirrorless so the mount will be the only way to diferentiate them) using e-mount. If you have a doubt how to process them, think of M43s. It is like Panasonic that provides the G and GH line (that are DSLR lookalikes) and the GF line that are rangefinder lines. This will be the same. Sony will probably add more models.

      And yes, it is an entry level camera. It is a nex-3 with a cheaper evf, hot shoe, and DSLR form. The 3 in the name shows it is entry level (sony always uses these patterns to know what is entry level (3, 4, 5) what is advance amateur (6, 7) and what is pro/semi-pro (8,9). Examples: 35, 65, 77, 99 ; 300, 500 700, 850, 900, Nex-3, Nex-5, Nex-6, NEx-7 (some people are already speculating that the FF nex will be Nex-9). So, as it has a 3, it is a entry level camera. That may also mean that more advance DSLR bodylike e-mount cameras could appear.

      • Wow, you know a lot about Sony cameras. Do you work for them or in the industry?
        I’m keeping your answer on file so when they bring out a camera, I’ll be informed.

        • No, not at all. I just have a nex-5 initially, and after that, I got into some alpha lenses (with LAEA2) and now a nex-6. So I follow not only nex forums, but alpha forums (the 3-5-7-9 naming comes from minolta times by the way), and rumors sites. As there is a bit of confusion on what Alpha means, I tried to give some information.

          • Thanks, I have a RX100 which I love. I used canon gear for work, but I want to get the new version of the NEX 7, manyly for travel and fun. But if it is good enough I will integrate it into my system. It could be good for second camera at event and the odd wedding that I do. How is your NEX 6? I expect the the NEX 7 and NEX FF will ahve similar sensor to Canon 70D.

      • Thanks Ti@go definitely a great answer. Wonder what they’ll do with all the space in the body if the A-mount becomes mirrorless. Perhaps a stack of internal switchable ND, IR, and Anti Aliasing filters, that would be valuable.

        • Well, compared to the nex.5/6 they are bigger but compared to a DSLR they are very small. The same happens with m43s with DSLR bodies.

          Some people speculate that they may add more functionality to higher models, but it is all speculation. IBIS is the bigger speculation. Sony has said for years that the nex bodies where too small to have IBIS. But now, with this slightly bigger cameras, they may add it (if they do, only on the bigger number models).

          But again, all speculation, but the fact that they started a new naming convention following their naming scheme shows that more advance models are probably in the pipeline.

15. Hi Steve,

    I am waiting for the nex 7 replacement, it will have to be good, as there is a lot of competition. olympus e-p5, em1, Pany GH3, GX7, there must be a Fuji x pro 1 coming soon.

    You are going to be busy over the next few months.
    I look forward to it.

    Mark

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