Sony NEX-3 : Tests and Reviews

With Sony dropping the NEX branding from their mirrorless models, adopting a 20-Mpix APS-C CMOS sensor in a small form factor the new Alpha a5000 appears to continue the NEX lineage. Read on to find out how well it performs.

Canon was the last major maker to embrace the hybrid or ‘mirrorless’ camera market. As a somewhat sober debut, designed for those who are new to photography, the EOS M adopts an 18-megapixel APS-C format in a compact body but boasts a number of advanced features including a 31-point hybrid AF system for stills and video and a touch sensitive 3-inch LCD. While it’s clear this camera doesn’t compete directly with the firm’s DSLRs, how does it stack up against the competition that don’t have the same volume of DSLR sales to protect?

Just as the NEX C3 succeeded the NEX 3, it's now time for the NEX 5 to be replaced by the NEX 5N. But although some successions are only slight redesigns, the 5N is a completely new camera.

Here are the image quality results for Sony’s newest member of the NEX family.

The NEX C3 is a Hybrid with an SLR-sized sensor. This sensor is a newly developed 16.2 megapixels APS-C dubbed “Exmor” that has long been rumored to be the same as the one powering the acclaimed Sony A580 and the Pentax K5. In theory, we should get the same IQ as the aforementioned DSLRs with just an entry-level camera. Let’s see if this is the case…

The new Sony NEX cameras feature one of Sony's latest APS-C sensors. Our DxOMark measurements show that the NEX sensor seems very similar to the one found in the Sony A450.

Test results support Sony's assertion that this new camera category (mirrorless with interchangable lenses, sometimes referred to "EVIL" for "Electronic Viewfinder with Interchangable Lens") provides "DSLR image quality in a compact camera."

Measurements for NEX-3 & NEX-5 and Nikon 18-70mm zoom optical performance now available on DxOMark

• Sony NEX-3 and NEX-5 sensor performance data with a review of their scores compared to other models in the same category;
• Data for the AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G IF-ED, measured on 6 camera bodies.