In summary
A smaller, lighter replacement for the NEX-3 with a higher-resolution sensor plus new Picture Effects.Just over a year after entering the mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera market, Sony has added another model to its line-up. The NEX-C3, which replaces the NEX-3, is smaller and 14 grams lighter than its predecessor. It also comes with a 16.2-megapixel sensor, offering higher resolution than either the NEX-3 or NEX-5, both of which were 14.2-megapixel cameras. . . [more]
Full review
Just over a year after entering the mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera market, Sony has added another model to its line-up. The NEX-C3, which replaces the NEX-3, is smaller and 14 grams lighter than its predecessor. It also comes with a 16.2-megapixel sensor, offering higher resolution than either the NEX-3 or NEX-5, both of which were 14.2-megapixel cameras.
Like the original models the NEX-C3 is targeted at amateur photographers with minimal knowledge of photography and is being manufactured in black, silver and pink to meet a range of tastes. Potential buyers are quality-conscious snappers who know larger sensors deliver superior image quality but don’t want the hassle of learning how to use a camera with sophisticated controls.
Accordingly, the NEX-C3 has been designed for use as a purely point-and-press camera because, as in previous NEXies, Sony has buried most adjustments inside the menu system. The review camera was a production model that came with what appeared to be quite comprehensive user manuals in six languages other than English.
The English manual was an 86-page printed document that was poorly organised and provided little in the way of genuinely useful information. There’s supposed to be a manual in PDF format on the software disk but none was supplied on the disk we received.
A 30mm f/3.5 macro lens was announced at the same time as the camera and Sony plans to have 10 E-mount lenses available by the end of next year. Sony has also released the E-mount specification, enabling manufacturers of third-party lenses to expand the system further. The short flange distance in the mount enables many existing lenses to be used on NEX bodies and adapters are available for Sony Alpha lenses as well as lenses from Canon, Contax, Exacta, Leica, Nikon, Minolta, Olympus (OM), Pentax and Rollei, to name a few.
Build and Ergonomics
Superficially, the NEX-C3’s body retains a similar boxy styling to the previous models, although it’s a bit more streamlined in shape. The top plate and chassis are made from metal, while the body is clad with polycarbonate (plastic) like the NEX-3, rather than magnesium alloy, which is used in the NEX-5.
Angled front view of the NEX-C3 in silver with the 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 lens attached. (Source: Sony.)
The front of the camera is dominated by the lens mount, which extends slightly above the top panel. It’s the same as in previous models and designed for E-mount lenses, of which there are currently four – plus two converter lenses for adding to the 16mm pancake lens.
Like its siblings, the NEX-C3’s body is best suited to pancake type prime lenses, which complement the body’s small size. Sony’s zoom lenses appear too large for the camera body and destroy its pocketability.
Removing the lens exposes the sensor to the environment – and your view. Built-in dust reduction is via an anti-static coating on the low-pass filter that overlays the sensor chip plus high-speed vibrating to shake off accumulated dust particles.
Front view of the NEX-C3 without a lens showing the image sensor. (Source: Sony.)
The only other items on the front panel are a small LED that doubles as an AF-Assist lamp and self-timer indicator. A prominent Sony logo sits above the grip moulding, with one speaker hole right of the AF-Assist/self-timer LED and the other just above the alpha logo on the top left hand corner of the front panel.
The top panel of the NEX-C3. (Source: Sony.)
The grip has been slimmed down to reduce the overall size of the camera and, as on the NEX-5, it’s is finely textured, with the texturing continuing onto the side panel. However, whereas the grip on the NEX-5 provided plenty of room for the shutter button to be placed well forward, on the NEX-C3 it’s been pulled back onto the top panel.
The differences in grip and shutter button position on the NEX-C3 (top), NEX-3 (middle) and NEX-5 (bottom). (Images sourced from Sony.)
Although the NEX-C3’s grip is slightly better than on the NEX-3, it’s not nearly as comfortable as on the NEX-5. It forces you to pull your index finger back to trigger the shutter, instead of positioning it comfortably above the shutter button.
You’re also required to grip the slimmer body more firmly, which can lead to fatigue when the 18-55mm lens (or a larger lens) is attached. Also on the top panel are the playback and shutter buttons, the latter with a surrounding power on/off lever.
Three speaker holes are located to the left of the playback button. There’s no built-in flash but the NEX-C3 comes with a tiny, clip-on flashgun (HVL-F7S) in a plastic case. It attaches to a Smart Accessory Terminal on the top panel and draws power from the camera’s battery. A flap must be raised before it can be slotted in place and it’s a fiddly job.
Front view of the NEX-C3 with the HVL-F7S flash fitted. (Source: Sony.)
Nothing much has changed on the rear panel, although the ‘soft keys’ on the new camera are rectangular instead of circular. When holding the camera, it’s very easy to hit the top soft button accidentally and open the main menu page, which means you’re forced to toggle back (or half-press the shutter button) to reinstate the live preview on the monitor.
The LCD monitor is the same as those on the NEX-5 and tilts upwards through 80 degrees or down through 45 degrees to support low-angle or over-the-head shooting. Its high resolution (921,600 dots) is as good as many professional DSLRs’ screens and excellent for viewing shots in appropriate lighting.
The rear panel of the NEX-C3. (Source: Sony.)
The LCD monitor tilted for high-angle shooting. (Source: Sony.)
Unfortunately, as with many LCD screens, in bright sunlight it’s almost impossible to compose shots using the monitor, which makes the omission of a viewfinder, a serious problem in a camera of this type. (Reading menus is equally difficult.) An optical viewfinder with a 16mm field of view is available for $249 but it only suits the 16mm lens (provided in the twin-lens kit).
The card slot is a separate compartment between the battery compartment and tripod socket. (Source: Sony.)
The battery and memory card compartments are now separate, with the latter located in the base of the camera between the battery compartment and tripod socket. Like other ‘NEXies’. the NEX-C3 will accept both SD and Memory Stick Duo cards. Unfortunately, you can’t change memory cards while the camera is tripod-mounted.
Side view of the NEX-C3 showing the interface ports. (Source: Sony.)
Two interface ports straddle the strap hook on the left side of the camera body, the upper one for USB and the lower for HDMI. Like the NEX-5 and NEX-3, the NEX-C3 lacks in-body stabilisation so you’re forced to rely on lens-based stabilisation, which is provided in the 18-55mm kit lens.
Controls
The NEX-C3’s control button layout, arrangement of the function settings and menu design are essentially unchanged from the previous models. Consequently, the dearth of button controls and multiple uses associated with the soft keys continues to make adjusting camera settings complex and relatively slow.
It still takes at least three button presses to locate the ISO setting from opening the main menu. Fortunately, formatting a memory card has been moved from the Memory Card Tool page into the Setup sub-menu and requires only 18 button presses from the top of the page (an improvement on 34 with the previous models); less if you used an adjacent setting beforehand.
The feature set is almost the same as Sony’s HX100 Cyber-shot and the SLT-A35 digital SLR cameras. However, the Auto+ mode provided in the SLT models is not included, which is a pity as it provides quick access to multi-shot settings like Handheld Twilight, Auto HDR and continuous shooting as well as automatic scene selection. Being designed for users who will rarely use any manual shooting mode, you would think Auto+ had a role to play in this camera.
The NEX-C3 provides the same multi-shot modes as other recent Sony cameras and includes Handheld Twilight (in the Scene sub-menu), D-Range Optimiser (via the lower soft key) and Sweep Panorama (2D and 3D). We’ve covered these modes in previous reviews
The same applies to the ‘Soft Skin’ effect, which processes the image file to remove wrinkles and blemishes from portrait subjects. This setting is also available separately in the Camera sub-menu. Three levels of processing are available: Lo, Mid and Hi.
Users still have the option of changing the background colour of the pages. Black is the default in the NEX-C3 but white, blue and pink are also available. Pressing the top key opens the main menu (shown below).
The main menu page contains six sub-menus, which are accessed by toggling the direction points on the control wheel.
The soft keys have different roles, depending on the context in which they are used. The assigned role is displayed on the screen close to the soft key controlling it. To use the function, press the adjacent soft key. This displays the function sub-menu allowing you to select a setting by turning the control wheel and pressing the central button.
As with the previous models, when settings are inaccessible they are greyed-out in the menu screens. If the adjustment isn’t supported in the selected shooting mode, an explanation usually pops up on the screen. But sometimes there’s no explanation and it becomes a try-it-and-see exercise to work out which modes support the adjustment.
The NEX-C3 retains the P, A, S and M shooting modes provided in its siblings, along with a similar range of Scene pre-sets. But a fair bit of toggling is still required to access them. Sweep Panorama is supported for normal and 3D images and users can call up an on-screen Shooting Guide to clarify selected functions.
The iAuto mode contains a new Photo Creativity interface containing adjustments for Background Defocus, Brightness, Colour, Vividness and the self-timer and continuous shooting modes. It also accesses the Soft Skin Effect and Picture Effect settings.
The Background Defocus setting in the Photo Creativity interface.
The strength of the defocusing is adjusted by turning the control wheel.
The Colour setting provides continuous adjustments between Warm and Cool so users can adjust colours without having to understand white balance. The Vividness setting adjusts saturation in a similar fashion.
The range of Vividness adjustments from low (top) to high (bottom).
Picture Effects include pre-sets for Retro Photo, Pop Colour, Posterisation (B&W and Colour), Toy Camera, High Contrast Monochrome and High Key plus Partial Colour selections retaining Yellow, Blue, Green and Red hues within photos that are otherwise B&W.
The Picture Effect selection page.
The interface provides brief explanations on-screen as effects are selected.
These settings are non-adjustable, which is a pity as the Partial Colour (Yellow) and Partial Colour (Red) settings appear to cover fairly narrow spectral bands. In contrast, Partial Colour (Green) takes in a fair slice of the yellow band. Partial Colour (Blue) is much as you would expect.
Picture Effects examples: top row from left: no effect, Retro Photo, Pop Colour; second row: B&W Posterisation, Colour Posterisation, Toy Camera; third row: High Contrast Monochrome, High Key, Partial Colour (Yellow); bottom row: Partial Colour(Blue), Partial Colour (Green), Partial Colour (Red).
Focus Peaking is brand new tool that has been ported across from Sony’s Handycam video cameras and was offered several years ago in a couple of Cyber-shots. It’s only available with the manual and DMF settings, which are located in the Camera sub-menu.
From this starting point you toggle down to the Setup sub-menu, where you can set the Peaking Level (High, Mid, Low and Off settings are provided) and then choose from red, white and yellow for the Peaking Colour. When you’ve accomplished all this, areas in the scene that are in sharp focus will be highlighted by outlining them in the selected hue. This tool works best when paired with magnified focus assist, which is selected in the Setup sub-menu and it’s very handy when shooting video clips.
For photo enthusiasts attracted by its compact body, the NEX-C3 provides a high level of customisation for the various control buttons. For starters, you can assign separate frequently-used functions to the left and right buttons on the arrow pad. Options include: Shooting Mode, Drive Mode, Metering Mode, White Balance, ISO, AF Mode, AF Area, AF/MF Select, MF Assist, DRO/Auto HDR, Flash Mode, Flash Exposure Compensation, Precision Digital Zoom, Creative Style and Shooting Tips. Or you can leave the buttons unassigned.
As in previous NEX models, the bottom soft key can have any of these functions except AF area assigned to it. The central button on the arrow pad can also be customised for any three of the above settings and, once customised, the allocated settings can be accessed by pressing the left or right buttons.
Setting up buttons to access frequently-used functions goes part of the way towards making the camera more user-friendly for photographers who shoot with manual controls. But it’s no substitute for direct dial controls, which are quicker and more intuitive to operate.
Sensor and Image Processing
The 23.5 x 15.6 mm EXMOR CMOS sensor in the NEX-C3 has the same specifications as the sensor in the A35 – and also, it appears, the Nikon D7000 and Pentax K5. It appears to have been tuned to match the optical and electronic systems in the new camera and has 16.7 million photosites and an effective output resolution of 16.2 megapixels.
The sensor is coupled to the latest BIONZ image processor, which underpins all camera functions. As in Sony’s recent DSLRs, the low-pass filter in front of the sensor is coated with a dust-repelling layer and the filter is vibrated each time the camera is turned on or off.
Interestingly, the NEX-C3 has a slightly restricted sensitivity range, compared with other cameras using this sensor. The lowest ISO available is ISO 200, whereas the Nikon D7000 and Sony A35 support ISO 100 and the Pentax K5 goes down to ISO 80. Its upper limit is only ISO 12800, which is probably adequate for most users. However, the D7000 goes to ISO 25600 and the A35 and Pentax K5 extend sensitivity to ISO 51200.
We’re not sure why Sony has restricted the ISO range in this way when the sensor is clearly capable of covering a wider range. It’s most puzzling to see the lower end of the sensitivity scale not being fully exploited.
The NEX-C3 can record images as JPEG or ARW.RAW files. Two compression levels are provided for the former, while the latter can be captured with or without a large JPEG file. Raw files are compressed losslessly and the image is fixed at 4912 x 3264 pixels.
Two aspect ratios are selectable via the menu system: the normal 3:2 or widescreen 16:9. When raw files are recorded in widescreen mode, the longer sides of the image are cropped but the file size remains at 4912 x 3264 pixels (3:2 aspect ratio) with the cropped areas shown in black. Typical image sizes for all still capture modes are shown in the table below.
|
Image size |
Pixels |
Aspect ratio |
Approx. File size |
|
|
Fine |
Standard |
|||
|
Raw |
4912 x 3264 |
3:2 |
18.2MB |
n.a. |
|
RAW+JPEG |
4912 x 3264 |
25.9MB |
n.a. |
|
|
L: 16M |
4912 x 3264 |
7.3MB |
5.4MB |
|
|
M: 8.4M |
3568 x 2368 |
4.9MB |
3.2MB |
|
|
S: 4M |
2448 x 1624 |
3.0MB |
2.5MB |
|
|
L: 14M |
4912 x 2760 |
16:9 |
6.8MB |
4.7MB |
|
M: 7.1M |
3568 x 2000 |
4.2MB |
3.5MB |
|
|
S: 3.4M |
2448 x 1376 |
2.9MB |
2.6MB |
|
|
Panorama (max. size, Standard mode, Horizontal) |
8192 x 1856 |
4.4:1 (approx.) |
7.5MB |
|
|
Panorama (max. size, Standard mode, Vertical) |
3872 x 2160 |
1.8:1 (approx.) |
4.5MB |
|
|
Panorama (max. size, Wide mode, Horizontal) |
12,416 x 1856 |
6.7:1 (approx.) |
8.3MB |
|
|
Panorama (max. size, Wide mode, Vertical) |
5536 x 2160 |
2.56:1 (approx.) |
4.9MB |
|
The NEX-C3 offers the same video recording settings as the NEX-3 and sports a dedicated Movie button engages the video mode. You have to move your index finger even further back to press it, which can be quite uncomfortable.
The default resolution is 1280 x 720 pixels, which is surprising since many of the latest Cyber-shots support 1080p at 60 fps. All clips are recorded in the MPEG-4 format using H.264 compression. There’s an upper limit of 29 minutes per clip and a maximum size of 2GB per movie file. Typical recording capacities for an 8GB memory card are shown in the table below.
|
Image size |
Quality |
Average bit/frame rate |
Capacity on 8GB card |
Usage guidelines |
|
1280 x 720 Pixels |
Fine |
9 Mbps |
1 hour, 48 minutes |
Recording quality is suitable for viewing on a high-definition TV set. |
|
1280 x 720 Pixels |
Standard |
6 Mbps |
2 hours, 42 minutes |
|
|
640 x 480 pixels |
Standard |
30 fps |
11 hours, 15 minutes |
Records at a usable size for web uploads. |
As with the NEX-5, shooting video clips is only possible with auto exposure and the camera restricts the range of adjustments you can make. You can’t adjust lens apertures, shutter speeds or sensitivity settings and the AF area is non adjustable – although the autofocusing system continues to operate. Manual focusing is also possible but focus-assist magnification isn’t available.
Playback and Software
Nothing much has changed here since the NEX-5. Details can be found in that review.
The Kit Lens & Flash
The NEX-C3 we reviewed was supplied with the E 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 (SEL1855) zoom lens, which we covered in our review of the NEX-5. The lens parameters haven’t changed since that review was published so we will include the results of our Imatest testing in the Performance section below.
Also supplied with the review camera – and included in both single- and twin-lens kits – was the HVL-F7S flash. We covered this flash in our review of the NEX-3.
Performance
JPEG images straight out of the camera were as bright and colourful as shots from Sony’s Cyber-shots, which will satisfy snapshooters who buy this camera. They also appeared to be slightly sharper than shots from the NEX-5 and NEX-3 and colour accuracy was marginally superior to the NEX-3 in our Imatest tests.
As expected, both contrast and saturation were slightly elevated in shots, particularly in reds and oranges. Skin hues were also a little warm. These assessments were confirmed by Imatest testing.
ARW.RAW files from the NEX-C3 were not supported in the latest version of Adobe Camera Raw when we conducted our Imatest tests so we were forced to convert these files with the supplied Image Data Converter SR software. Our tests showed neither JPEG nor raw files from the review camera and supplied lens were quite up to expectations for a 16-megapixel camera, although they were only slightly off-the-mark.
Differences between JPEG and raw files were less than we’re accustomed to seeing, probably as a result of using the supplied raw file converter. Resolution remained high throughout the camera’s sensitivity range, with a gradual decline across the sensitivity range. The graph below shows the results of our tests.
Imatest showed the kit lens delivered its best performance in the middle of its focal length range and at the widest aperture settings. As we found with the NEX-5, edge softening was evident at all aperture settings, reducing slightly as the lens was stopped down. The graph below shows the results of our Imatest tests.
Lateral chromatic aberration ranged from ‘negligible’ to ‘low’. In confirmation, we found little evidence of coloured fringing in test shots. In the graph of our Imatest result below, the red line marks the border between ‘negligible’ and ‘low’ CA, while the green line separates ‘low’ and ‘moderate’ CA.
Low light performance was better than we found with the NEX-5, with little noise evident in shots right up to ISO 6400. Noise was also well controlled at higher sensitivities, and shots taken at ISO 12,800 were free enough of noise to be printable at A5 size.
Flash exposures were uniform in brightness and contrast between ISO 400 and ISO 6400. Exposures appear to be locked at 1/100 second at f/5.6 in flash mode and the flash output is modulated in line with the ISO setting. Consequently, slight under-exposure was found at ISO 200, while shots taken at ISO 12,800 were over-exposed by about one stop and also flat and slightly soft.
Metering was accurate in most situations, with very few corrections required when the default Multi-pattern mode was used. When the D-Range Optimiser was set to Auto, we found very little highlight blow-out and shadows retained detail with minimal noise.
The AF system appeared to be slightly faster than the previous models and was accurate under most shooting conditions. However, it struggled at night and with poorly lit, low contrast subjects. Close subjects were particularly difficult to focus upon when the lens was at the 55mm focal length. In both respects it was slower than the AF system in Panasonic’s DMC-G3, which we reviewed just before the NEX-C3.
The large sensor in the NEX-C3 made it possible to shoot close-ups with very shallow depth of field, provided they were adequately lit. Bokeh in these shots was generally smooth and attractive. Digital zoom shots were sharper than average for a compact camera but slightly artefact-affected, although printable at modest output sizes.
We found similar levels of barrel distortion to those we found with the NEX-5 and vignetting remained negligible. Backlit subjects were generally handled well but it was possible to force the lens to flare when a bright source of light was just outside the image frame.
The multi-shot modes worked much as they did on other Sony cameras we have reviewed. There were a few instances where the Sweep Panorama failed to capture enough shots to encompass a complete sweep. However, it was able to stitch the images together seamlessly in each of the test shots we recorded.
Auto white balance performance was similar to the NEX-5 and NEX-3. The review camera failed to totally remove the colour cast of incandescent but came closer with fluorescent lighting. Unfortunately, both pre-sets tended towards over-correction, the Incandescent adding a strong blue bias, while the Fluorescent preset biased colours towards cyan. Manual measurement was required to obtain truly neutral colour rendition.
Video quality was much as we expected and similar to the NEX-3. There was a noticeable quality difference between the Fine and Standard settings for 1280 x 720-pixel HD clips and we feel only the former is up to the standard expected by users with HD TV sets. Nevertheless, both HD and VGA clips looked quite sharp for their formats when displayed on screen.
The autofocusing system adjusted quite quickly when the lens is zoomed in or out and the subject moved with respect to the camera. It’s also quiet enough to make little or no impact on audio recordings, which were mostly clear and clean.
Our timing tests were carried out with a 16GB Sony Class 10 SDHC card, which was supplied with the camera. The review camera took just over a second to power-up ready for shooting. Shot-to-shot times averaged 0.9 seconds, while a relatively constant capture lag of 0.35 seconds was reduced to less than 0.1 seconds by pre-focusing.
With the normal continuous shooting mode, the review camera captured 10 Fine JPEGs in 3.4 seconds. The buffer memory can only accommodate six raw files, which restricted raw and RAW+JPEG capture. In both cases, a burst of six shots was captured in one second.
When we switched to the Speed Priority Continuous mode, eight JPEGs were captured in 1.5 seconds, while bursts of seven raw and RAW+JPEG shots were recorded in 0.8 seconds.
Because no indicator light is provided, we were unable to measure image processing times accurately. However, the camera appeared to take approximately three seconds to process each file, regardless of whether it was JPEG, ARW.RAW or a RAW+JPEG pair.
Buy this camera if:
– You’re looking for a compact, large-sensor interchangeable-lens camera with PASM shooting modes plus support for raw file capture, 3D panoramas and HD video recording.
– You prefer shooting with automated exposure control settings.
– You would enjoy the multi-shot modes this camera provides.
Don’t buy this camera if:
– You prefer shooting with manual camera adjustments.
– You require high burst capacity at high resolution.
– You want an optical viewfinder and built-in flash.
IMATEST GRAPHS
JPEG images
ARW.RAW images converted in Sony Image Data Converter.
SAMPLE IMAGES
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.
Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.
18mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/8.
55mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/400 second at f/9.
5x digital zoom; 55mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/320 second at f/9.
10x digital zoom; 55mm focal length, ISO 800, 1/1250 second at f/9.
Close-up shot using the Macro setting in the Scene sub-menu; 55mm focal length, 1/160 second at f/5.6.
30-second exposure at ISO 200; 24mm focal length, f/4.
10-second exposure at ISO 800; 24mm focal length, f/5.6.
3.2-second exposure at ISO 6400; 24mm focal length, f/5.6.
3.2-second exposure at ISO 12800; 24mm focal length, f/8.
Flash exposure at ISO 200; 55mm focal length, 1/100 second at f/5.6.
Flash exposure at ISO 800; 55mm focal length, 1/100 second at f/5.6.
Flash exposure at ISO 6400; 55mm focal length, 1/100 second at f/5.6.
Flash exposure at ISO 12800; 55mm focal length, 1/100 second at f/5.6.
Flare; 24mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/1000 second at f/8.
Backlighting; 20mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/640 second at f/8.
55mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/320 second at f/9.
Crop from the above image enlarged to 100% showing minimal coloured fringing.
Close-up shot; 24mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/50 second at f/4.
Close-up shot; 24mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/10 second at f/8.
Close-up shot; 24mm focal length, ISO 200, 0.6 second at f/22.
Still frame from an HD video clip recorded with the Fine quality setting.
Still frame from an HD video clip recorded with the Standard quality setting.
Still frame from a VGA video clip.
Specifications
Image sensor: 23.5 x 15.6 mm Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor with 16.5 million photosites (16.2 megapixels effective)
Image processor: BIONZ
A/D processing: 12-bit
Lens mount: Sony E-mount (accepts Sony α lenses via LA-EA1 lens adaptor)
Focal length crop factor: 1.5x
Digital zoom: Up to 10x
Image formats: Stills -ARW.RAW 2.2, JPEG (Exif 2.3), RAW+JPEG, MPO (3D); Movies – MPEG-4 AAC-LC (2 channel)
Image Sizes: Stills – 3:2 aspect: 4912 x 3264, 3568 x 2368, 2448 x 1624; 16:9 aspect: 4912 x 2760, 3568 x 2000, 2448 x 1376; Sweep Panorama Wide: Horizontal 12416 x 1856, Vertical 2160 x 5536; Standard: Horizontal 8192 x 1856, Vertical 2160 x 3872; 3D Sweep Panorama Wide: 7152 x 1080, Standard: 4912 x 1080, 16:9: 1920 x 1080; Movies: MP4: 1280 x 720 (29.97 fps / Average bit rate 9/6 Mbps), 640 x 480 (29.97 fps / Average bit rate 3 Mbps)
Image Stabilisation: Optical SteadyShot (lens-based)
Dust removal: Charge protection on low-pass filter plus electromagnetic vibration
Shutter speed range: 1/4000 to 30 sec., Bulb; Flash sync. Speed 1/160 sec.
Exposure Compensation: +/-2.0 EV in 1/3 EV steps
Exposure bracketing: 3 continuous exposures in 0.3 or 0.7 EV steps
Self-timer: 2 or 10 seconds delay plus Continuous (10 sec. delay, 3/5 exposures)
Focus system: Contrast-detection AF with Autofocus, DMF (Direct Manual Focus), Manual Focus selectable; Multi (25 points), Centre, Flexible spot selectable
Focus modes: AF-S (Single-shot AF), AF-C (Continuous AF) selectable
Exposure metering: 49-zone metering with : Multi, Centre, Spot selectable
Shooting modes: Programmed AE (iAuto, P), Aperture priority (A), Shutter-speed priority (S), Manual (M); Scene selection: Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports Action, Sunset, Night portrait, Night View, Hand-held Twilight
Picture Style/Control settings: Creative Style – Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, B/W (Contrast, Saturation, Sharpness adjustable in +/-3 steps); Picture Effect – Pop Colour, Retro Photo, High-key, High Contrast Monochrome, Toy Camera, Posterisation (Colour, B/W), Partial Colour (Red, Yellow, Blue, Green)
Colour space options: sRGB, Adobe RGB
ISO range: AUTO (ISO 200-1600), ISO 200 to 12800 selectable in 1 EV steps
White balance: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, Colour temp./Filter (2500 – 9900 k with 19-step Magenta / Green compensation)
Flash: External flash (supplied); GN7 (metres / ISO 100)
Flash exposure adjustment: +/-2.0 EV in 1/3 EV steps
Sequence shooting: Speed-priority continuous mode: max 5.5 fps for 14 JPEGs, 6 ARW.RAW or 6 RAW+JPEG
Storage Media: SD/SDHC/SDXC or Memory Stick PRO Duo
Viewfinder: No
LCD monitor: 3-inch wide type TFT, Xtra Fine LCD with TruBlack technology; with 921,600 dot resolution (total); adjustable angle up 80 °/ down 45 ° (approx.): Histogram display, real-time image adjustment display
Data LCD: No
Playback functions: Single-frame, Index (4 or 9 frames), Enlarge (7.2x to 14x), Slideshow, Picture rotation (auto mode available), Histogram (independent luminance/RGB available), Shooting information
Interface terminals: USO 2.0, HDMI (Type C Mini), Mic. terminal, remote controller, Bravia synch
Power supply: rechargeable lithium-ion battery; CIPA rated for approx. 400 shots
Dimensions (wxhxd): 109.6 x 60.0 x 33.0 mm (without protrusions)
Weight: 225 grams (body only); 283 grams (with battery and Memory Stick PRO Duo)
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Camera-Warehouse
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Comprehensive range of digital cameras and accessories online (www.camera-warehouse.com.au) and an online print service (www.royalexpress.com.au).
Digital Camera Warehouse
www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au
174 Canterbury Road 367 High Street
Canterbury Northcote
NSW 2193 VIC 3070
Ph: 1300 365 220
Electronics Warehouse
www.electronicswarehouse.com.au
1300 801 885
Australian retailer of Vapex rechargeable batteries offering factory direct prices and fast, free shipping Australia wide.
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Photographic Equipment & Supplies – Retail & Repairs. Click here for list of stores.
Ted’s Cameras
1800 186 895
Big range of cameras and photographic products with stores in most states and online.
Rating
RRP: $849 (as reviewed, with with SEL1855 18-55mm lens)
Rating (out of 10):
- Build: 8.5
- Ease of use: 8.0
- Autofocusing: 8.0
- Still Image quality: JPEG – 8.5; Raw – 8.5
- Video Quality: 8.0
- OVERALL: 8.5
