Sony NEX-3, NEX-5 and camcorder teaser: NEX marks the swap

Sony is blasting into the lens-swapping game with two new interchangeable lens cameras -- and a teaser for a lens-swapping camcorder. The two stills-snappers are the NEX-3 and NEX-5.

The NEX-3 is a 14.2-megapixel model that shoots 720p video at 30 frames per second. The NEX-5 films AVCHD 1080i video. Both cameras support Sony's own Memory Stick and SDXC memory cards. Three lenses will be available at launch, including a 16mm pancake lens.

Sony is also planning a camcorder that swaps lenses, pictured above. It will pack an Exmor APS CMOS sensor, and will shoot 1080p video in AVCHD format. The E-mount interchangeable lens system will make the camcorders compatible with Sony's still camera lenses. Sony reckons we'll see it this autumn.

The NEX cameras were first seen as the concept cameras shown off at PMA earlier this year. Sony is late to the interchangeable lens game, after Olympus and Panasonic's Micro Four Thirds system, the Samsung NX10 and the bonkers Ricoh GXR. To stand out from the crowd, Sony claims to have the thinnest and lightest of the lens-swapping shooters. They also pack a 23.4x15.6mm APS-C sensor, which is larger than the Micro Four Thirds sensor and the same size as the NX10.

We'll be getting hands-on with the NEX-3 and NEX-5 later today at the launch in Split, Croatia. We'll be testing out features such as a clever-sounding 3D sweep panorama and a depth of field adjustment wheel -- keep it Crave for more details and pictures.