Fujifilm X-A2 vs Sony a3000 — Which Is Better?

The Fujifilm X-A2 and the Sony a3000 are both mirrorless cameras built around APS-C CMOS sensors. The X-A2 arrived in 2015, two years after the a3000, and is the more compact body at 117 x 67 x 40 mm and 350 g. The a3000 is larger at 128 x 91 x 85 mm and 411 g.

The lens mount is the real commitment here. The X-A2 uses Fujifilm X lenses and the a3000 uses Sony E lenses, so your lens choices follow the body you pick. Both share a 1/4000 second maximum shutter speed for wide apertures in daylight.

The a3000 is the stronger choice for heavy cropping, with 20.1 MP against 16 MP for the X-A2. Those extra pixels give more room to tighten a landscape or crop a distant subject. The X-A2 is the pick for action, capturing 5.6 fps against 2.5 fps to catch a fuller sequence of a moving child or pet.

The a3000 also has the only viewfinder here, a 201,600 dot electronic finder for eye-level framing in bright conditions. The X-A2 has no viewfinder, so every shot is composed on the rear screen. The X-A2's 49 AF points against 25 on the a3000 spread autofocus wider across the frame.

The a3000 is the stronger choice for video, recording up to Full HD resolution while the X-A2 tops out at Standard HD. Its 60 fps maximum frame rate, against 30 fps, can slow fast motion like a dancer's spin or a splash to half speed in playback. Its higher resolution also looks better on a large television or after a crop. The a3000 records in AVCHD and the X-A2 in MOV.

Neither camera has a built-in intervalometer, so timelapse sequences need an external trigger.

The X-A2 gives you a much sharper rear display, with 920,000 dots against 230,400 on the a3000, which helps when you check focus and detail after a shot. Both 3-inch LCD screens tilt for waist-level or overhead work, and neither offers touch control.

Wi-Fi is shared, so both cameras can move images to a phone for quick sharing. Both include a built-in flash and support an external flash. The a3000 also offers a live view feed, which the X-A2 does not. Neither has GPS, weather sealing or Bluetooth.

The a3000 is rated for 470 shots against 410 for the X-A2 under their respective test conditions, giving it more margin on a long day away from a charger. The two use different batteries, the NP-FW50 and the NP-W126, and neither charges over USB.

Both write to a single SD card slot, and the a3000 additionally accepts Memory Stick Pro Duo media alongside SD, SDHC and SDXC cards, which puts older Sony cards back to work.