text: Sony Announces Alpha 58 and NEX-3N at Aggressive Price Points | News & Opinion | PCMag.com
  Sony Announces Alpha 58 and NEX-3N at Aggressive Price Points
  The NEX-3N will cost only $500 with the 16-50mm zoom lens, and the Alpha 58 debuts at $600 with a new version of the 18-55mm.
  Europe got this news last week, but Sony announced the U.S. pricing and availability for a number of new cameras today. Headlining the group is the company's new entry level compact interchangeable lens camera, the Alpha NEX-3N, and the replacement for the Alpha 57, the predictably named Alpha 58.
  The NEX-3N, which replaces the NEX-F3, continues in Sony's tradition of baffling us with letter selection and position in the NEX line. It's smaller than its predecessor, and still manages to work a pop-up flash into its design—but no longer has an accessory port. It still sports a 16-megapixel CMOS image processor, and retains Raw shooting capability for advanced snapshooters. The rear LCD tilts all the way forward for self portraits, and can tilt down as much as 13° so you can shoot with the camera above your head. Its 3-inch rear display is actually a step backwards from the 921k-dot screens found on older models—it now features a 460k-dot design. The included kit lens is a noticeable upgrade in terms of size and handling—the 3N ships with the compact 16-50mm Retractable Zoom Lens that debuted with the NEX-6. Despite shipping with a more expensive kit lens, Sony has managed to slash the 3N's price. When the NEX-F3 was released it was priced at $600 with the standard 18-55mm zoom lens. The NEX-3N will sell for only $500 when it goes on sale in April.
  The new Alpha 58 also comes in at an aggressive price point—$600 with the standard 18-55mm zoom lens. It packs a 20-megapixel APS-C image sensor and sports a tilting 2.7-inch rear LCD with a 460k-dot resolution. Like the Sony's other SLRs, it uses a fixed-mirror design, which allows for full-time phase detect autofocus, fast 8 frame per second shooting, and a seamless Live View experience, but also requires the use of an electronic viewfinder rather than an optical one. Sony has ditched the LCD EVF—one of the weaker aspects of the Alpha 57—and replaced it with the same 2.6-megapixel OLED EVF that is used in premium cameras like the Alpha 77, NEX-6, and the full-frame Alpha 99. The Alpha 58 will be available at retail in April.
  The company also announced a trio of new lenses for the Alpha SLR system. The older 50mm f/1.4 Prime Lens is being joined by a premium Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm F1.4 ZA SSM lens. It features a focus motor and improved optics, but is priced at a staggering $1,499.99. It will ship towards the end of May.
  There's also an upgraded version of the company's DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens. The new DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II will sell at the same $219.99 price point when it ships in mid-May, but promises to deliver improved optical performance. The Alpha 58 is bundled with this new version of the lens.
  Shooters who appreciate telephoto optics will be able to purchase the upgraded 70-400mm F4-5.6G SSM II in mid-July. Its focus motor has been upgraded, so autofocus speed will improve when the lens is paired with Sony's top-end cameras. It is priced at $2,999.99.
  Rounding out the Sony news, the company is bringing a trio of Cyber-shot digital cameras to market this Spring. The WX300, a slim shooter with a 20x zoom lens, a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, and Wi-Fi, will ship in April for $330. The HX300, a 50x superzoom in a bridge-style body, sports a 20-megapixel CMOS image sensor and a Zeiss branded lens. It is priced at $500 and will go on sale in March. Finally, the TX30 is a rugged, waterproof camera that can take some abuse. It is priced at $350 and will also go on sale in March.