Sony a3500 leaked, looks like an a3000 with new lens [UPDATE]
posted Monday, March 24, 2014 at 11:55 AM EDT
Update 9:25pm EST: Sony has confirmed that the a3500 will not be released in the US. They laid out a few other differences between it and the a3000: The 18-50mm f/4-5.6 kit lens does not have optical stabilization (whereas the typical 18-55mm E-mount kit lens does). It also captures about 10 more still photos and 10 additional minutes of video per battery cycle. It also has a shorter buffer, only 6 frames at both Fine and Standard JPEG quality (versus 13 and 30, respectively, on the a3000), and only 4 RAW + JPEG snaps (versus 5 on the a3000). And that's all folks—we won't see this stateside, and I don't think anybody will mind. Original post below.
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This is about as solid as leaks or rumors get. Over the weekend, Sony Australia started taking pre-orders for the alpha 3500, a camera that looks and handles like a DSLR but is mirrorless and takes E-mount lenses.
The a3500 is awfully similar to last year’s a3000. Actually, the only obvious changes in the spec sheet include a longer-lasting battery and a different lens, which at 18-50mm and f/4-5.6 seems like a downgrade. Maybe it’s…sharper, or something? All the other vitals appear to be unchanged.
It’s a bit puzzling that there’s been no official announcement of this camera. If it were really meant to be kept secret, Sony Australia likely would’ve rushed to take it down—and it’s been up for a few days now. Maybe it’s some kind of region-specific bundle, but at $499 AUD, the a3500 would be more expensive than the current price for the A3000 down under. And it would be uncharacteristic for Sony to change the SKU if the camera body was truly the same.
We’ll keep you posted if Sony announces anything official today. Otherwise, check out our gallery of a3000 shots and first impressions on the camera—it should be a pretty accurate representation of what the a3500 will offer, whether it's a new camera or one that's just been repackaged.
(Via Sony Alpha Rumors, Sony Australia)