Sony recently entered the ultra-compact DSLR market with two new cameras, the Sony Alpha NEX-3 and the Sony Alpha NEX-5. This new line of cameras is meant to entice point & shoot camera owners who are looking to upgrade to a class of camera with better image quality, but are reluctant to give up the portability and small size of their compact cameras.

Both the NEX-3 and NEX-5 have 14 megapixel APS-C sensors, which have a 1.6x crop factor when compared to full-frame 35mm cameras. This is about the same size sensor used in the most popular entry-level DSLRs such as the Nikon D3000, D5000 and Canon EOS Digital Rebel series. The NEX-3/5 sensor is also larger than the Micro 4:3 sensor found in its main competitor, the Olympus E-P2.

If you take a look at the list of specifications, the NEX-3 and NEX-5 are pretty much the same camera. The only glaring difference is video mode: the NEX-5 does 1080i while the NEX-3 does 720p. The price difference is $100 USD (starting at $549 vs. $649).

Lenses

These cameras come with a brand new lens mount called the Sony E-mount. Sony is starting off with three lenses:

• 16mm f/2.8 “pancake” prime lens
• 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 standard zoom lens
• 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 super zoom lens

The base kit includes the 16mm, and for a few more dollars you can go for the 18-55mm lens instead.

Since Sony owns Minolta, they’ll be releases an adapter that makes using A mount lenses. Only manual focusing will be available when using the adapter.

Thoughts

Olympus paved the way for the ultra-compact DSLR market with their digital PEN camera system. With Sony now jumping into the ring with the NEX-3 and 5, it looks like the rush of super portable DSLRs is beginning. Canon and Nikon can’t be far behind with their own models since these new models from Olympus and Sony are taking direct aim at the entry-level market which is an important revenue source for these companies. Professional grade DSLRs are expensive and powerful, but the vast majority of consumers are buying the cheaper, more portable models.

I am glad to see that Sony chose the APS-C sensor size for the NEX camera line, since there are many advantages for better image quality in a larger sensor. Now I will be interested to see real world test shots when the NEX’s hit the market in June, since while these cameras look nice on paper, I’ve used Sony’s compact Cyber-shot line in the past and was not impressed at all with its image quality. Hopefully the NEX line takes things up a few notches in the IQ department.