More Bling to Microsoft Bing with Video Homepage
After the Olympus E-PL1 mega discount it is now the turn of Alpha NEX 3, the 14 Mp monster baby from Sony. If you have no clue about what is a mirrorless camera, then take a look at our E-PL1 post. Sony unlike Olympus and Panasonic, uses a much larger APS-C sensor for their compact mirror less series cameras. So what you get (in paper) is a much better image quality (almost like an entry level DSLR ) for the price of a high end point and shoot camera.
Unlike the big brother, the NEX-5, there is no Full HD video (they could have as the spec is almost similar except the materials used for construction, but then there would be no point in paying a lot more for the NEX-5). The NEX-3 has 3" 920k tilting screen but like all other mirror less cameras there is no optical view finder (but the screen is just brilliant). You don't get a flash (it is an accessory, so be ready to spend more if can't live without a flash). Although you can push the ISO upto 12,800 (wtf !!) significant levels of noise is present, so ISO 3200 is the best it can do without any noticeable noise (so low light photography isn't bad with this one).
Image stabilization is lens based (the lens shipped with the camera, kinda ruins the point of a compact camera, and makes it a bit uncomfortable to hold). You can mount the Sony α DSLR A-mount lenses, using an adapter (sold as an accessory), so don't worry about the limited set of lenses available with the NEX series.The battery drains very fast (that is one of the main problems with this one, so get those expensive additional batteries if you shoot a lot). Here is the spec if you need to know:
Sony Alpha NEX-3
Sensor: 14.2 million effective pixels.
Metering: Multi pattern, centre-weighted and spot.
Sensor Size: APS-C-sized CMOS (23.4×15.6mm).
Lens: Sony E Series mount.
Shutter Speed: 30 to 1/4000 second. Flash sync: 1/160 sec.
Continuous Shooting: seven fps.
Memory: Memory Stick PRO Duo, PRO-HG Duo, SD, SDHC, SDXC cards.
Image Sizes (pixels): 4592×3056, 4592×2576, 3344×2224, 3344×1872, 2288×1520, 2288×1280.
Movies: 1280×720, 848×480, 640×480 at 30 fps.
Colour Space: sRGB, Adobe RGB.
LCD Screen: 7.5cm LCD (921,600 pixels).
File Formats: JPEG, RAW, JPEG+RAW, MPEG4.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 200 to 12,800.
Interface: USB 2.0, HDMNI, AV.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery, DC input.
Dimensions: 117.2×62.6×33.4mm WHDmm.
Weight: 297 g (inc battery and card).
Lens (SEL 18-55):Now the deal: Rs.17,999 (shipped) with 3 years Sony India warranty (sweet !!). Like it ? then get it from ebay.in right now (3 days remaining).
Lens Type : E-mount 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
Lens Mount Type : Sony E-mount
Aperture (Max.) : F3.5-F5.6
Aperture (Min.) : F22-F32
Focal Length (35mm equivalent) : 27mm-82.5mm (35mm equivalent)
Filter Diameter : 49mm
Lens Groups-Elements : 9 groups, 11 elements (4 aspheric surfaces)
Minimum Focus Distance : 9.8" (0.25m)
