Sony Alpha 3000 vs Sigma SD15

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sony Alpha 3000 and the Sigma SD15, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Sony Alpha 3000 was introduced in August 2013 and Sigma SD15 was introduced in February 2010. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha 3000 over Sigma SD15.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sigma SD15 over Sony Alpha 3000.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Sony Alpha 3000 and Sigma SD15 have 3.0" Fixed screens with 230k dot and 460k dot resolutions respectively.

Viewfinder

Sony Alpha 3000 has a built-in Electronic viewfinderSigma SD15 has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. Sony Alpha 3000 has 100% coverage with 0.70x (0.47x 35mm equivalent) magnification and Sigma SD15 has 96% coverage with 0.90x (0.60x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

Sony Alpha 3000 features a 20.1 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 366.6 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 16,000. Sigma SD15 features a 5 megapixel APS-C CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor with dimensions of 20.7 x 13.8 mm and a total area of 190.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 1,600 and expands to 50 - 3,200 in boosted mode.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Sony Alpha 3000 is equipped with BIONZ processor and can take pictures up to 5456 x 3632 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3872 x 2576, 2736 x 1824 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Sigma SD15 is equipped with TRUE II processor and can take pictures up to 2640 x 1760 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 1776 x 1184, 1296 x 864 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Sony Alpha 3000 has Sony E lens mount and Sigma SD15 has Sigma SA lens mount. They both have APS-C sensor but because of a small size difference their crop factors (also called lens multiplier) differ from each other. Sony Alpha 3000 has the crop factor of 1.5x which means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5. Sigma SD15 has the crop factor of 1.7x which means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.7.

No Low-Pass Filter on Sigma SD15

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Sigma SD15. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Sony Alpha 3000 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Sigma SD15 nothing can be done. On Sigma SD15 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Sony Alpha 3000 nothing can be done.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Sony Alpha 3000 has a Type C Mini HDMI and Sigma SD15 has an HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Sony Alpha 3000 comes with NP-FW50 battery pack with battery life of 470 shots.

External Storage Slots

Sony Alpha 3000 has a single card slot. Sigma SD15 has a single SD/SDHC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Sony Alpha 3000, and up to 1/4000 sec on Sigma SD15. Sony Alpha 3000 can shoot continuously up to 2.5 fps. Sigma SD15 can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps.

Focusing

Sony Alpha 3000 has Contrast-detection AF system with 25 focusing points and Sigma SD15 has ..

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 4m at ISO100 on Sony Alpha 3000. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/160 sec on Sony Alpha 3000 and 1/180 sec on Sigma SD15.

Sony Alpha 3000 body has dimensions of 128 x 91 x 85 mm (5.04 x 3.58 x 3.35") and Sigma SD15 body has dimensions of 144 x 107 x 81 mm (5.67 x 4.21 x 3.19"). Sony Alpha 3000 weighs 411 g (0.91 lb / 14.50 oz) and Sigma SD15 weighs 750 g (1.65 lb / 26.46 oz).

Sony Alpha 3000

Sigma SD15

128 mm

91 mm

144 mm

107 mm

91 mm

107 mm

85 mm

81 mm