Sony officially ends NEX bloodline, outs A5000

The Sony A5000 has made its debut in the recently concluded CES 2014. Incidentally, it also marks the end of the NEX era as the company unifies their camera lineup under the Alpha brand.

After unveiling the A3000 and A7/7R last year, almost every shutterbug knew that it’s only going to be a matter of time before Sony axes its NEX portfolio. True enough, the Japanese camera maker announced that all of their upcoming E-Mount mirrorless cameras, including the new A5000, will also be a part of the growing Alpha family.

Well enough about the branding hullabaloo, let’s get down to the camera at hand. The A5000 is billed as the “World’s Lightest Mirrorless Camera with Wi-Fi” (talk about specific). It’s got a 20MP APS-C sensor and runs BIONZ X image processor, the same one found at the core of the A7 and A7R.

Just like the other entry-level NEX cameras in the past, the Sony A5000 doesn’t have a Hot Shoe to expand the camera’s capabilities. In exchange, it’s equipped with a built-in flash unit that can be tilted upwards for bouncing the flash off a ceiling (a very low one).

Sony A5000 specs:
20.1MP CMOS sensor
Sensor size: 23.2 x 15.4 mm (APS-C)
BIONZ X image processor
ISO Range: 100 – 16000
Shutter speed range: 30 sec to 1/4000
25 AF points (Contras Detect)
Built-in flash, 4m at ISO 100
1/160 max Flash Sync Speed
3.5fps burst mode
460k-dot 3-inch tilting display
Full HD video recording @24fps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
NFC
MPEG-4 or AVCHD video format
SD/ SDHC/SDXC
NP-FW50Li-Ion battery (420 shots CIPA)
110 x 63 x 36 mm
269g
Black and White

The new Sony A5000 + SELP1650 kit lens will retail for USD600PHP 35,211INR 50,850EUR 571CNY 4,367 and will be available starting in March.