Sony Alpha a3000 Pro Reviews

SLR image quality at a breakthrough price

We're all in favour of diversity in the digital camera market. The greater the variety of cameras available, the more likely it is that you'll be able to find something that entirely suits your needs. That said however, the Sony A3000 seems to be a niche camera without a niche to fit into. As an entry-level model the A3000 is bettered by all of its rivals in terms of features, performance and value for money, including cameras from Sony itself. It must be noted that it's a simple easy-to-use camera that produces good results, and as long as you're not in a hurry it works very well. It's not too expensive, and with a few dealer discounts coming up to Christmas it could conceivably do quite well. However the preference is certainly for the similar NEX-3N instead.

Designed to appeal to compact camera upgraders who instinctively want a DSLR, or at least something that looks like one, the Sony A3000 is an intriguing mix of mirrorless technology and DSLR styling that almost hits the mark. While the image quality is excellent for such a cheap camera, the handling, operation and overall build aren't quite up to scratch, with the LCD screen and electronic viewfinder in particular proving to be of low-quality. Still, we can't think of many other £370 / $400 cameras that offer interchangeable lenses, a built-in flash and hotshoe, 60/50i/25p video recording with stereo sound, and that all important DSLR look and feel, so if you can literally overlook the LCD and EVF quality, the Sony A3000 could turn out to be one of the bargains of the year. Rather than using the 16 megapixel sensor found in most of Sony's NEX cameras, the A3000 employs the SLT-A58's 20.1 megapixel sensor. Noise doesn't rear its ugly head until ISO 3200 for JPEGs, although the A3000 does apply some pretty aggressive noise reduction to keep the files clean, resulting in some loss of finer detail. The myriad range of creative effects on offer such as HDR, Dynamic Range Optimisation, creative styles, the innovative sweep panorama mode and in-camera Picture Effects help to get the most out of the A3000, especially if you like to experiment away from a computer.

The mirrorless Sony Alpha 3000 cuts a lot of corners to hit its low $400 asking price, but there are no compromises in image quality.

The Sony Alpha 3000 is roughly the same size as a compact Digital SLR, such as the Sony Alpha A58, and doesn't give the same compact size benefits as other Digital SLR style mirrorless cameras such as the Panasonic Lumix G5 (which also benefit from smaller m43rds lenses). However, what it does offer is the same image quality as a Digital SLR thanks to an APS-C sensor, as well as the large handgrip you would normally find on a Digital SLR. The price is another appealing factor, with almost the lowest price for a Digital SLR style camera, with just the older Nikon D3100 DSLR offering a lower price, as well as a lower resolution sensor. Spend a little more money on the Sony Alpha A58 (with A-Mount), and you get a quicker camera, or the Nikon D3200 and you get a higher resolution sensor. Alternatively if you want the image quality but want a smaller camera there's a good range of other mirrorless cameras to look at, including the compact Sony NEX-3N, or you can have the Panasonic Lumix GF6 with built in Wi-Fi. The Sony Alpha 3000 has a number of advanced features that you wouldn't expect with such an entry level product including Focus peaking, AF fine tuning, an info-lithium battery that keeps you informed as to exactly how much life is left, and full HD video with stereo sound. Although with a low resolution screen, and a disappointing electronic viewfinder, you might quite quickly want to upgrade to another model. For this reason we would recommend trying the camera's viewfinder in person to see if it is something you are comfortable using. The Alpha 3000 also delivers high image quality with bright saturated colours and good levels of detail, with quick focus and shutter response, along with a number of useful features such as the panoramic, HDR and effects modes. If you don't plan to upgrade the camera body, and therefore avoid any Sony Alpha confusion, then the Sony Alpha A3000 could make a very good choice as the "first Digital SLR" even though it's not technically a true Digital SLR.

I think my biggest issue with the A3000's design is that it's just boring. It's not particularly attractive or streamlined for shooting, and the meh viewfinder and fixed, low-quality LCD made photographing feel more like a chore than I've experienced with recent cameras. Factoring in the mediocre performance, and it's a tough sell. The NEX-3N is available for only $50 more in places and it's a lot more compact with a better LCD. The Nikon D3200 kit can be found for as low as $550 and delivers comparable photo quality, a better LCD, optical viewfinder and much better performance. Sony's HX300 is similarly priced and has a better viewfinder, LCD, performance and a fixed zoom lens that would provide more flexibility for the typical buyer of the A3000 who probably won't buy additional lenses. It can't match the photo quality, though.

Sony was one of the first few manufacturers to bring a compact system camera to the market, with the original Sony NEX-5 and Sony NEX-3 back in 2010. Since then, we've seen plenty of iterations of the camera, all keeping pretty much the same type of design - that is, fairly flat and compact styled. In the same period of time, Sony has also launched its DSLT range, which are akin to DSLRs in design, size and shape, but with a fixed, translucent mirror. And now, in what some may see as a slightly odd move, the Sony Alpha a3000 combines the two systems. It's got the styling and size of an Alpha DSLT, but uses the E-mount and mirrorless design of the NEX range.