Sony Alpha NEX-C3 Announced

Last year Sony entered the compact system camera space with their popular Alpha NEX-5 and NEX-3 cameras. The NEX cameras combined compact camera size and styling with interchangeable lenses and digital SLR image quality. Last week Sony introduced their first update to the NEX concept, the NEX-C3. Like the NEX-5 and NEX-3, the NEX-C3 has a large APS-C sensor but the resolution has been increased about 12%, from 14 to 16 megapixels. The NEX-C3 is also slightly smaller and lighter than its predecessor, the NEX-3. It has a 3-inch tilting LCD display and can capture 720p HD video as well as high-quality still images.

The Sony NEX-C3 is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Although the size and styling make it look like a high-end compact, the NEX-C3 is actually a high-performance camera with almost as much control as a digital SLR. The APS-C sensor is the same used in most of Sony’s Alpha digital SLRs and image quality is on par with those cameras. The NEX-C3 has manual exposure controls, including aperture priority, shutter priority and full manual. For creative beginners, Sony has added a new ” Photo Creativity interface” that replaces “technical terms like ‘aperture’, ‘exposure value’ and ‘white balance’” … “with the friendlier and more intuitive ‘background defocus’, ‘brightness’ and ‘color’, allowing users to easily create custom-styled photographs.” There’s also a new “Picture effect” mode that applies in-camera effects including “Retro Photo,” “Pop Color,” “High Contrast Monochrome,” and “Toy Camera.”

Sony NEX-C3 Key Features & Specs:

16.2 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor
720p MPEG-4 HD video
Lens compatibillity – interchangable, Sony E-mount, Sony A-mount and Konica Minolta Maxxum lenses
Exposure: P, A, S, M, Auto, Auto+, scene modes and more
Burst – 2.5 FPS or 5.5 FPS in Speed Priority scene mode
3-inch Xtra Fine, 921k-dot tilting LCD display
Sweep Panorama and 3D Sweep Panorama modes
Built-in stereo recording
Smart accessory terminal (for microphone and electronic viewfinder)
SD and Memory Stick PRO Duo memory card compatibility
HDMI terminal

The Sony NEX-C3 will be available in August in pink, black and silver. There will be two NEX-C3 kits – one with an 18-55mm zoom lens for $650; and one with a 16mm prime lens for $600. The 16mm kit will only be available in “serious photographer” black. Along with the NEX-C3, Sony also announced a new E-mount 30mm f/3.5 1:1 macro lens that will be available in October for $250 and a flash for the NEX cameras that will be available in August for $150.

Sony Alpha NEX-C3 Press Release >>