Easy to handle, easy to get more great pictures

Now you can have it all. The 3000 from Sony brings you the picture quality, manual controls and artistic possibilities of a DSLR in an easy to use camera with interchangeable lenses.

Comfortable to hold and offering plenty of creative controls, the 3000 looks and feels just right for anyone who's ready to shoot better pictures. There's a clear electronic viewfinder to help frame shots with confidence, plus a newly-designed grip that adds to the feeling of comfort, security and balance in your hand.

It's a revelation in picture quality for anyone who's used to fixed-lens compact cameras. Inside the 3000 is a large 20.1-megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor. Teamed with the growing choice of E-mount interchangeable lenses, it's the key to flawlessly detailed still images, from personality-packed portraits and street scenes to sumptuous landscapes. Full HD videos look just as impressive, with a choice of 50i or 25p shooting modes for crisp action or a smooth cinematic look as your subject demands.

The big sensor also boosts sensitivity, grabbing more light and cutting image noise. And that means pristine pictures and movies at dusk or in gloomy interiors, when the tiny sensor in your compact camera or smartphone so often disappoints.

It's a pleasure framing scenes through the clear, bright electronic Tru-Finder with a generous 100% field coverage - just like you'd expect from a high-end DSLR. There's plenty of extra information displayed in the electronic viewfinder, including grid lines to help keep those horizons nice and level. Don't leave anything to guesswork: instant preview of tweaks to exposure settings lets you compose with even greater confidence.

As your confidence grows, add accessories via the Multi Interface Shoe to expand your shooting options even further. Easily create pro-style lighting effects with the powerful new HVL-F43M flash with Sony's unique Quick Shift Bounce system for no nasty shadows. Capture a more polished soundtrack and clearer dialogue with the ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone. Or brighten up parties and indoor scenes with the battery-powered HVL-LEIR1 Video IR light.

Photographers with more arty ambitions needn't feel left out of the fun. Picture Effect offers a palette of 15 artistic treatments, like Retro Photo, Miniature and Partial Colour. Auto Object Framing neatly trims portraits, close-ups and even moving subjects for tighter, more professional results.

Unlike ordinary point-and-shoot cameras, the 3000 unleashes your full creativity with a choice of 18 interchangeable E-mount lenses by Sony and Carl Zeiss, including two conversion lenses well as the SEL50F18 portrait lens with a new black. Pick from telephotos, wide angles and macros to versatile zooms for travel and everyday shooting.

The new Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS (SEL1670Z) is a versatile mid-range zoom with Optical SteadyShot built in for crisper handheld shots. It's joined by Sony's first ever G Lens for E-mount cameras. The new E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS (SELP18105G) is a premium all-rounder with Optical SteadyShot and smooth, quiet zoom operation that's great for shooting Full HD movies as well as still photos.

The new 3000 interchangeable lens camera from Sony is available to pre-order from www.sony.co.uk and is generally available in Europe from September 2013.

Key specifications

a3000

General

Camera Type

Interchangeable lens digital camera with built-in flash

Lens compatibility

Sony E-mount lenses

Image Sensor

Type

APS-C type (23.2 x 15.4mm), Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor

Number of pixels (effective)

Approx. 20.1 megapixels

Recording system (still image)

Recording format

JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver.2.3, MPF Baseline compliant), RAW (Sony ARW 2.3 format)

Image quality modes

RAW+JPEG/JPEG Fine/JPEG Standard

Picture Effect

11 types (15 variations): Posterization (Color, B/W), Pop Color, Retro Photo, Partial Color (R,G,B,Y), High Contrast Mono, Toy Camera, Soft High-key, Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Rich-tone Mono, Miniature

Recording system (movie)

Recording format

AVCHD format Ver. 2.0 compliant

MP4

Video compression

MPEG-4 AVC/H.264

MPEG-4 AVC/H.264

Audio recording format

Dolby Digital (AC-3) 2ch

MPEG-4 AAC-LC 2ch

Movie recording system (AVCHD)

1920 x 1080(50i, 24M, FX) (25fps Image sensor output)

Approx.24Mbps(Maximum bit-rate)

1920 x 1080(50i, 17M, FH) (25fps Image sensor output)

Approx.17Mbps(Average bit-rate)

1920 x 1080(25p, 24M, FX)

Approx.24Mbps(Maximum bit-rate)

1920 x 1080(25p, 17M, FH)

Approx.17Mbps(Average bit-rate)

Recording system

Media

Memory Stick PRO Duo/Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo/Memory Stick XC-HG Duo/SD memory card/SDHC memory card/SDXC memory card

Focus system

Type

Contrast-detection AF

Focus point

25 points

Tracking Focus

Yes

Exposure control

ISO sensitivity (Recommended Exposure Index)

Still images: ISO100 to 16000, AUTO (ISO100 to 3200), Movies:ISO100 to 3200 equivalent, AUTO(ISO100 to 3200 equivalent)

Viewfinder

Type

0.5cm (0.2type) electronic viewfinder(color)

Number of pixels (effective)

201600 dots equivalent

Field coverage

100%

LCD screen

Type

7.5cm (3.0-type) wide type TFT

Number of dots (total)

230,400 dots

Other features

TRILUMINOS Colour; Face Detection; Smile Shutter; Auto Object Framing; Auto HDR; Handheld Twilight Mode; Sweep Panorama; Anti Motion Blur Mode

Digital zoom

Smart zoom (Still images)

M:approx. 1.4x, S:approx 2x

Digital zoom (Still images)

Approx. 4x

Digital zoom (Movie)

Approx. 4x

Flash

Type

Built-in flash

Guide No.

4 (in meters at ISO 100)

Flash coverage

16mm (focal-length printed on the lens body)

Drive

Speed (approx., max.) *1

Continuous mode:max. 2.5 fps

Speed Priority Continuous shooting: max. 3.5 fps

Power

Still images

Approx. 460 images(Viewfinder), Approx. 470 images(LCD screen

LINK:	http://presscentre.sony.eu/content/detail.aspx?ReleaseID=8809&NewsArea...
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