Sony mirror-less camera leaked early

Sony NEX3, NEX5 mirrorless cameras confirmed early

updated 09:25 pm EDT, Mon May 10, 2010Sony Alpha NEX3 and NEX5 shown in full

Sony's unveiling of its first mirrorless Alpha camera was spoiled early tonight as both a spec sheet from Unwire as well as prematurely revealed first looks (one, two) from Quesabesde have confirmed the existences of the NEX3 and NEX5. Both carry 14.2-megapixel, APS-C sized CMOS sensors and serve as balances between full SLRs and compacts. Either relies on a simplified, articulating touchscreen as the primary interface but still has full manual control over the shot, including RAW.

The two perform above point-and-shoots in most respects. Light sensitivity reaches up to ISO 12,800 with relatively low noise; they can also shoot quickly, at up to 7 frames per second. Either can capture video, though the NEX3 tops out at 720p where the NEX5 can record in 1080i.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/05/10/sony.alpha.nex3.and.nex5.shown.in.full/

I wonder how it will feel in the hand.

http://digital-photography-school.com/sony-nex-3-review?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DigitalPhotographySchool+%28Digital+Photography+School%29#author

This camera looks very exciting. The adapter for Alpha-series lenses would seal the deal for me if I were using a Sony DSLR.

will get you a metal body and HD video.

How good will it be for Macro? You know I like my macro.

choice in this case... I imagine you can use extension tubes with this

for Alpha lenses. How good are their basic lenses?

...this news, far from exciting me, has me considering switching to Canon.

Over the past few years, Sony has relentlessly dumbed-down their lower-priced DSLRs, taking out necessary (for me) features like DoF preview and mirror lock-up. They seemed set on a two-tiered system, where everything under $1000 was limited and aimed at amateurs, and you had to go to their higher-tiered cameras (the A700 and full-frame models) to get professional features...but then they dropped the A700, and have yet to announce a replacement.

Now, the fact that they're releasing "Alpha" cameras without the Alpha mount sure suggests to me that Alpha-mount DSLRs are on their way out, and Sony has just determined to use the name on whatever they want, whether it has a connection to Alpha DSLRs or not. As I said on another forum, to quote Bob Dylan, you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.

If my A100 were to "brick" tomorrow, I'd be stuck. Going to Sony's lower-end, feature-limited DSLR line wouldn't be an option. In a normal world, I'd buy an A700 and keep shooting...but, as I pointed out before, the A700 has been discontinued without any replacement model being made available. Would I move to one of Sony's full-frame models? Aside from my doubts about Sony's commitment to that line, I would point out that it would start with having to purchase an extremely expensive camera body; but, since my APS-C lenses wouldn't work with such a body, it would mean having to start from scratch with lenses as well. In short, aside from a few compatible accessories and memory cards, it would be the same as having to start over with investing in a whole new system. Seeing as I would have to do that anyway, why should I show any "brand loyalty" to Sony? Wouldn't it be better to simply start over with a Canon system that would likely cost less, have the same features I need, and still have a pretty good chance of being around in a few years?

P.S.: The video on the new Sony NEX cameras is pathetic. Even on the high-end, you only get 60i capture (no facilities for 24p) and no manual control of exposure. Although I'm fairly dubious about the notion of using a DSLR as a video camera, Canon's T2i will provide much better video for close to the same price.

discuss. I do like the trend toward lighter models like we see with the 4/3 Lumix and Olympus. I might move up to the Lumix GF1 or something similar in a year or two.

they slam the macro with the kit lens, but again, there are other options which are better

So far my G10 does a good job with Macro.

I wonder when Canon will respond with its own big sensor interchangeable lens compact

I noticed they mentioned there's no auto-focus when using the alpha adapter but I don't know if that's a concern for you.
When I read about the camera and adapter, I was thinking how ridiculous it would look with the old Minolta beercan (70-210mm) lens strapped to it.

will be more for the left hand to do.

I see you can get a beercan lens on eBay for $200.

When I saw the image and heard about the adapter, it brought to mind the dslr lens strapped to an iPhone - more lens than camera. And seeing as I have a beercan lens, I was imagining it on the NEX3/NEX5.

Yeah, dream on.

My cameras have never leaked, Is this a new feature I should be aware of?

Digital is so confusing.

I'll wait and see but I like the size of it. Many of us with tiny hands (aka wimmin) would love to see camera's get small enough to hold comfortably.