Wolf in sheep's clothing? Sony A3000 First-Impressions Review

Dpreview never bothered to finish the review for this camera. I got it around $100 with about 2k shutter count. It is perfect for my vintage manual focus lenses. Although the EVF is sub-par compared to today's standard. The resolution is the same as my 15 year old Minolta 7Hi's EVF. But, hey, it is better than nothing. With the help of focus peaking and MF magnification, I was able to nail the focus with most lenses with medium telephoto focal length. The shining thing of little camera is the 20MP sensor, which is surprisingly good. I have looked Nex5, 6, 7 and 5000/6000 series. They either lack of an EVF or the price range is higher than my budgey. The a3000 strikes as a perfect balance for my need: a good sensor + EVF + DSLR handling + low price.

I bought this camera specifically as a platform to use with legacy lenses on a metabones speedbooster. For that, it's wonderful-- it offers just enough direct controls to get the job done quickly and effectively. ISO, exposure comp and shutter speed adjustments are very easy to get to. I set the bottom soft button to magnification and I leave peaking on. At $160, can't argue at all.

I use the A3000 for about 2 mounds now ,and the viewfinder and LCD is not so bad.
I also have the NEX6 +1650
The viewfinder could be brighter but the pixels i don,t care.
All in all a great camera ,and the lens alone cost as mush as lens + camera.
What is import end is the Images and those are better then my Nikon D90
and canon 1100D

Just bought it! I wish I had a little more money to buy the A65, but... At least the sensor quality is very good. The LCD is not that bad, but I would rather prefer a 3:2 one, because I don't like 16:9 for photos.

The EVF is really really bad, but not that bad because of the resolution per se, but the eyepiece. Small opening, all plastic eyecup, short relief, and the lens quickly loses a lot of quaily if you don't look very in the center. Practically unusable for long time.

The other things (including the lens [18-55]) and qualitywise, it is exactly what to expect at this price point. Not good not bad. Acceptable and useful.

Once, we (including DPR) wondered if a brand could launch a camera that consisted of basic features but with a big sensor and good image quality in an SLR body for people who wanted to step up but can't pay much, or simply don't need, want, or care about many features, and, well, Sony just did it!

But I understand DPR's criticism on the LCD and EVF, because 400 k LCD's and higher than 200 k EVF's were already in the market in 2010, so I guess we all were kind of not expecting anything below about 400 k in low budget DSLR's and mirroless these days.

But, there's a rumor of an A3500 coming, and its specs say it'll keep the same LCD and EVF resolution. My guess is that Sony wants to have a camera in everybody's hands but letting it clear (specially in markets in developing countries, like mine) this doesn't mess with the other cameras, because most people here wouldn't recognize the true value of a cam with a 900 k (or more) LCD and EVF over one with 400 k.

I've bought the body brand new here into a german forum for just 130 EUR,
you really can't go wrong with that, currently using my A3000 with the konica
hexanon 24/2.8 F22 prime, it's really a great & sharp lens, and was much more expensive than the whole A3000 body itself, but well worth the price.

manual focus lenses adaptors @ebay or amazon germany here are usually
about ~10 EUR incl. shipping, so it's a great deal to bring back the life into
these nice vintage lenses.

well, you know, the EVF and display is way bad (worst) in terms of quality,
but you can't judge sonys great 20 MP APS-C sensor built inside the A3000,
especially for a very low price.

i still have the hope that dpr would publish a review of the alpha 3000,
after the preview is out for aeons. ;)

I would like to offer that I in fact prefer a button to switch between evf and LCD. I became quite frustrated when my em5 thought my hand was my head and blanked the LCD just as I was going to use it.

For me. This grip makes it the first sensible nex body.

Amazon has a D3100 for sale for $426.95.

For an extra $7.00, there's hardly a comparison.

I own now an A3000 for some ten days. I am very satisfied with the image quality and with the shape of the camera and the ergonomics. I really don't understand the previous post by Neodp. I don't share his/her experience. And yet there is a thing that keeps nagging and annoying me more and more. This here is now intended for the engineers from SONY to read, maybe to respond, and just, just maybe to do something. I'll put it in a sarcastic form:
What is the benefit of shooting in RAW + JPEG without having the option to shoot just in RAW ? I would like to know it so I can enjoy fully the benefits of this most likely very wisely implemented restriction in the A3000 too! Please tell us! OR FIX IT!
For years now I am shooting only in RAW with all my cameras. I don't need the in-camera jpegs. Does that make me a bad person, dear SONY?!

Nobody should expect the build quality of a high end DSLR out of a camera that retails for less than $400 with the lens. At any price point the primary consideration is the picture quality. Having great build quality and loads of bells and whistles are useless if the basic elements and systems of the camera used to produce an image are substandard. While hearing a lot of criticism, I don't believe I heard that one. At this price point a lot can be overlooked as long as the camera's systems produce decent images. Low resolution displays? There was a time, not too far back, when the display was ground glass. If the image quality is decent on this camera, at this price, you can't expect a lot more.

My guess is that this is another Sony Alpha/Beta Test (like the NEX-VG900) and they may be looking to shed the expensive mirror-prism technology in favor of mirror-less technology for their entire line of cameras. Just a thought.

I have tested the image from this camera from day time shots to nite shots. Like what some have commented it is really a wolf in sheeps clothing.
In the hands of an Point and shoot (auto mode) user, it would just be a handicapped Nex 3 with EVF and flash. (even though its sensor is larger).

But this camera true IQ is truely revealed when in APSM mode.
The sensor can really resolve images. (its not entry level stuff) Dont worry about the FPS because the camera only need a few frames..

test it out at the showcase boutique and you will know what i mean.

So, Sony said: let's introduce a very very cheap cam that can take very very good pictures. And DPR says: oh noooo, IT is a very cheap cam. Stear clear of this One. Nice One DPR. But Ama won't like this.

a decent sensor? seriously?
dpr lost it completely here. strange bias.
this sensor already proved to be the best apsc sensor out there.

Earlier this year (2013), Fujifilm announced FinePix HS50EXR, which also has a DSLR-like body with similar size and weight than this a3000, and... a 1/2' sensor, at $549.95. About the same time, Nikon announced COOLPIX P520 with a 1/2.3' sensor, for $449.

I think the editor should compare a3000 with these cameras, since they are all DSLR-like and have similar prices, targeting the same group of customers.

How much, really, is one LCD over another? $5? $10?

Amazing price for an APS-C ILC.

The previewers' last paragraph on the first page is the most worthwhile part of this jaundiced preview. Obviously, this camera is meant to appeal to those who want to move up from an x-years-old point 'n' shoot, a phonecam or elderly superzoom that's now outfeatured even by the less-than-state-of-the-art Sony A3000. Then, there are those who'd like to give an ILC a try without spending upwards of $700.

I recall people disparaging the VW Beetle because it wasn't a V8-powered Ford, Chevy or Plymouth with power everything, lots of front and rear overhang, and able to pass everything but a gas station. Those critics just didn't get it.

I suspect most A3000 buyers won't be after a faux DSLR with which to impress others or to play let's pretend with themselves. Some like a DSLR-style design because it provides more to hold on to and controls tend to be less tiny and crowded. As for the lackluster LCD and manual EVF switch, look for fixes on a new improved A3000n in a year or two.

NEX 3 sensor with built in evf and comfortable hand grip without the extra money? Nice play Sony!

Wow. There's way too much hand-wringing over the A3000. Yes, it's an NEX-3 with the form factor of a compact DSLR. I find nothing wrong with this - and I'm speaking as a person with a full-on three-body Pentax DSLR kit and a three-body micro four-thirds kit.

Yes, it would be nice if the EVF had more resolution. But it's still better than any rear LCD in bright sunlight. And as far as that rear LCD goes, the 230K-dot display on my Pentax K200D was perfectly adequate - just as it is on a number of Leica digital cameras.

My take: The A3000, at $399 with stabilized kit 18-55mm zoom, is a great deal. Maybe add the Sigma 19mm and 30mm primes in E-mount for a compact package with high image and video quality that you won't be too worried about trashing. Then go out and have fun.

Don't like it? Then don't buy it. Me? I may pick one up just for jollies - and to reward Sony for thinking a bit outside of the box.

It is an attempt to "guide" consumers down the path toward mirrorless cameras. Its about lowering production costs by getting rid of the mechanical mirror assy. The new consumers are being mesmerized by corporate marketing into thinking that whatever crap that giant corporations produce is "better". Granted, technology marches on, and I am sure at some point mirrorless will surpass DSLR technology, but it is a bit nauseating to go through this "transition".

Someone once claimed that as human history moves forward, the amount of technological change will progressively be larger, and hence change will occur quicker. Hang ON!

E-mount? Might as well get an NEX body that is more compact and lightweight!

Sony is likely targeting first time dslr buyers who will see this as a compelling alternative to a Canon Rebel. But we know better than that, right guys?

This is the camera for those who just want to look the part. They want to buy a DSLR looking camera cheap. It will no doubt sell well, if the buying trend in US is any guide. They will just look at the price, OK, $400 with a zoom lens, and also look at the 20MP and they buy.

If Canon is the one making this camera, it will sell even faster. Such is the mentality of the average camera buyers. Sad but true. So, Sony said, if this is what you want, this is what we will give you.

An A38(a37 successor) Slt at similar price range would have been better

I eagerly await Jeff Keller's assertion that it's too big for a mirrorless camera.

Hey guess what, for those looking for a higher resolution lcd and touch screen can check out the new Samsung NX camera. $1599 body only and 1699 with lens bundled.

Yup. This is pretty awesome. $400 for a decent APS-C? Good ISO range. Good AF. Wide variety of good to excellent lenses available?

This is a win big time. Prepare to see Canon Rebel prices plummet.

I fail to see how this is any sense a bad camera. Lens makers long ago perfected the 18-55 lens, and there's an APS-C sensor, it's the Brownie Hawkeye of mirrorless cameras. Why the hate?

It would also make a great stunt cam for times when you don't want to risk your A900 and for hiking it would be wonderful.

I give up.

I DONT UNDERSTAND. What I see is a cheap chance to get a camera that take GOOD pictures. NOT ?
I start taking photographs with a used Panasonic G10, and it was at no point the best camera (distant of that) but I was fun taking my first shots of my baby and learning in the process. Now I have a G5, that is a good camera, but (like all cameras) have low points (SLOW and inaccurate continuos AF, not superb in low light or super high Iso.. just to say some) Again, it's a good camera, but I not paid a fortune for it, just $400 one month ago.
I applaud SONY for give us a chance to get a cheap camera WITH A VIEWFINDER that take VERY GOOD pictures, even better than many other more expensive cameras !!!!!!!!
NOT all the cameras have that it will be expensive !!!!!!
SUPERB !!!!!!!!!

Buyer beware, this model will be replaced by another in 12 months. Sony has a way of making something "new" obsolete in no time at all.

I don't know why so many people are complaining about the A3000 EVF. Each pixel of the EVF shows the image captured by nearly 100 pixels of the CMOS sensor. This EVF is certainly one of the most efficient in the world!

Without getting my hands on one yet, I think this will be a great Camera for beginners and for up and coming youngsters. As a NEX user myself, I can afford this camera for my young son and allow him access to my lens's as he needs. And if the A-mount adapter works, then it opens a whole new world without breaking the bank. Cannot wait to get one in my hands to test.