Sony Announces NEX-C3, SLT-A35 and E-mount 30mm f/3.5 Macro

"Sony has added the NEX-C3 to its range of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. The C3 features the same 16.2MP seen in the SLT A35, again promising improved battery life. The latest model is directly aimed at offering a compact-camera-like experience to users looking to upgrade to a large-sensor camera."

Sony has announced its latest NEX camera, the NEX-C3, which is even smaller than the NEX-3 and NEX-5 before it. I am not sure if such an aggressive reduction in size is needed, since the NEX cameras have to use fairly large zoom lenses to cover the APS-C sensor. The NEX-C3 now also comes with a 16 megapixel sensor, while retaining most of the features found in the NEX-3, including 720p videos and a 3" VGA LCD (which can flip up and down). The NEX-C3 will be available in August for about US$650 with the 18-55/3.5-5.6 kit, or US$600 with the 16/2.8 pancake.

To go with the NEX-C3 announcement, the 30mm f/3.5 Macro lens for E-mount was also introduced. This gives a 45mm focal length equivalent macro lens, which seems a bit short, even for a normal macro lens. I guess it is good for food bloggers? The lens will be available for US$250 in October. Hmm, sounds a bit too cheap for a macro lens.

Also introduced is the SLT-A35, the follow-up to the SLT-A33. It features a 16 megapixel sensor, but as far as I can tell, it is pretty much similar to the A33. It does have a nifty new feature that allows 7 FPS at 8.4 megapixels via a 1.4x crop, making an overall crop of 2.1 compared to 35mm film. Not too different from what the D2X did way back, and can be quite useful when shooting sports with a shorter telephoto lens. The camera also does 1080i video at 60 FPS. The SLT-A35 will be available in August for US$600, or $700 with the 18-55/3.5-5.6 kit lens. Photo of the SLT-A35 after the break.

More Coverage

DPReview.com NEX-C3 Preview

DPReview.com SLT-A35 Preview