Sony NEX-3NL/B Mirrorless Digital Camera Kit (Black)

Sony NEX-3NL/B Mirrorless Digital Camera Kit (Black)

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• 16.1 MP Exmor APS-C sensor for great images
• New SELP1650 lens with motor zoom lever and body control
• Create easy self-portraits with 180° tilting LCD screen
• Full HD movie shooting 60i/24p

Buy Now : Sony NEX-3NL/B Mirrorless Digital Camera Kit (Black)

Brand : Sony
Category : Electronics,Camera & Photo,Digital Cameras,Mirrorless Cameras
Rating : 4
Review Count : 233

Sony NEX-3NL/B Mirrorless Digital Camera Kit (Black)

• I am a long-time, diehard Canon enthusiast who was in search of a large sensor compact system camera (CSC). To give some background, I\'ve owned the following: S400, SD700, S90, XTi, XSi, T2i, 60D, and S95, with the latter three being in my current arsenal. The S95 is compact, but I\'ve grown weary of its noise levels in low light and the fact that pictures from it still possess a point-and-shoot feeling. The T2i has excellent IQ and I love it, but it\'s on the edge of what I find convenient for travel. To that end, what I desired most was DSLR quality in a more compact form.To fill this gap, there are Micro Four Thirds, 1\" sensors, and a host of small body mirrorless APS-C variants. I also had a budget of $700 or less, because as technologies improve and become less expensive each year, I really didn\'t feel like spending a grand or so on today\'s camera tech. Having read, researched, and tested some models in my local B&M, I whittled down my candidates to the RX100, EOS M, and NEX-6 (though the 6 was getting out of budget). The RX100 was very attractive and highly acclaimed in the media, but at $650, it was pricey for essentially a P&S. Bearing a styling birthed from Canon\'s S90+ series, I had lingering doubts about getting yet another high end P&S which costs over twice as much as the S90+ series!. If I lowered the weighting of cost, then this was definitely on the top of my list. The EOS M was attractive as well since I was very familiar with Canon\'s crop sensor DSLR line, but the new EOS M mount has such a limited supply of lenses and I wasn\'t planning on spending an extra $150 for the M mount adapter. Rated battery life of 230 CIPA for the EOS M was very disappointing too. Last, I investigated and liked what I saw from the NEX line as an alternative to the RX100.With APS-C sized sensors, the NEX mirrorless CSCs were starting to check off all my requirements, one by one. Though I liked the NEX-6, it was out of my budget, but it was at this point that I stumbled upon the NEX-3N, the current entry-level NEX from Sony. The 3N was released just months ago and was so new that professional reviews were sparse compared to the amount of literature on the RX100, for instance. As another reviewer summarized, the 3N gives you all the core features of the 6 at nearly half the price! Bonus features are stripped: wifi, EVF, high res LCD, and dedicated mode dial, all not present on the 3N. But look - same APS-C sensor, same IQ, same kit lens (16-50), same core features as the 6, but nearly half the price! This was compelling.So, it became a duel between the NEX-3N and RX100. In favor of the NEX-3N were: * cost ($500 vs $650) * APS-C sensor vs 1\" * tilting lcd screen for self-portraits and tough shooting angles * battery life (480 vs 330 CIPA) * wider starting focal length of 24mm vs 28mmWhile the RX100 has a faster lens, it\'s only faster at the wide angle start of the zoom range. Furthermore, the larger APS-C sensor of the NEX-3N can match the faster lens of the RX100 as it relates to depth of field.Finally, here\'s a list of miscellaneous tips and things of note: * because of the low res LCD screen, don\'t use it to pixel peep to check for sharpness (countless times, I\'ve had doubts whether I had accurately focused, but upon import of the pics to my iMac, I was pleasantly surprised with the results, with a very high hit rate of sharp keepers) * use focus peaking and coloration to focus along with DMF; use the LCD screen for framing * if you come from a Canon background, the Sony menu system takes some time to get accustomed to * looking for the perfect case? check out Lowepro\'s Dashpoint 20... fits the NEX-3N like a glove * use the bounce flash to beautifully light up your subject * get a 40.5mm UV filter and forget the lens cap * the camera software has a tendency to quickly bump up the ISO in low light situations and favors high ISO vs slower shutter speeds... because you cannot limit or cap the ISO when it is in Auto ISO mode (unlike Canons), your only alternative is to hard set it to a lower ISO to force a slower shutter speed and reduce the noise... also, ISO configurability is only available in PASM * some bemoan the lack of an external charger, but I found it convenient to use the same charging systems as those for my phone and tablets, plus, the battery does indeed last a very long time * it\'s compatible with Eye-Fi cards * videos are beautiful, zoomable, and auto-focus * three ways to zoom provide great flexibility * I don\'t use the camera strap; instead, I use a BlackRapid Metro sling which works beautifullySony made the right design choices in their quest to distill the bare essentials of the NEX line down to the core and achieve their MSRP of $500. So new and underrated, but so good. It\'s the sleeper hit of 2013.The NEX-3N is not perfect, but for me, it exceeds my needs.
• (Update, please see comments on this review)I want to give this camera 5 stars, because it does take *amazing* pictures with excellent quality and full satisfaction in that area. The reason I gave it 4 stars, however, is due to a severe lack in accessories for the camera and a few \'use\' issues.I\'ll start with the not so great things about this camera:The LCD takes up almost the entire back side of the camera, and what it doesn\'t take up is covered with buttons. The manual for the camera insists you should not touch the LCD and if you do, you should clean it off immediately with a microfiber cloth. So I spend epic amounts of time trying to not touch this screen that takes up most of the back side of the camera. This issue is mitigated to an extent by opening the LCD away from the camera and using the back of the camera to rest your hands, and that is a totally viable solution, but it takes a lot of getting used to, and it doesn\'t really help when putting the camera away or pulling it out of your bag/case/pack. It\'s INEVITABLE that you\'re going to touch this screen, yet, \"you shouldn\'t do that.\" It\'s nerve wracking.I have looked and looked for screen protectors that aren\'t just sticky plastic sheets. I want something sturdy and thick that will go over the LCD to keep any pressure or taps against it from causing any kind of issue, because I\'m guessing replacing this screen would be a costly endeavor. I have yet to find anything that fits. Many items are advertised for \"Sony NEX 3\" cameras, but that is not the same as the NEX 3NL. Different LCDs, I found, after I ordered a LCD cover and was so excited to use it, and found it did not fit at all. I have finally ordered some of the sticky plastic sheets that I was hoping to avoid.The LCD also has glare issues. I did expect that, so I\'m not taking any rating points off for that, but I am irritated that there aren\'t any accessories for shielding the LCD. Especially considering there isn\'t an Electronic View Finder on this camera, some kind of anti-glare accessory is necessary.The LCD making the camera difficult to get a good hold of makes me want a grip on it. I don\'t need a battery pack grip, but something to extend the bottom of the camera to give more area for holding would be an incredible blessing. As it is right now, I carry my camera around almost exclusively by the lenses.The lens that comes with the camera in this kit (16-50mm) is on the slow side at 3.5-5.6.This kit did not come with a body cap and rear lens cap. These are very important items for interchangeable lens cameras, so I think it was shortsighted to not include these items.What I love about this camera:This thing is feature packed. There are a million options for setting up your pictures for the specific situation you\'re in. If you are looking for a camera that you can use for setting up art photography, portraits, or a few light action shots, this is a great camera. It has several \"scene\" options, such as \"twilight, night, landscape, portrait, anti-blur, etc.\" It gives you aperture and shutter priorities. It has basic color adjustment settings like high contrast black and white, color popping, and a couple of filter settings like \'retro\' which gives a slight sepia tint to your image. I do a lot of after editing of my digital prints, but I\'ve found with several of my photos with this camera I didn\'t have to do *anything* after the fact. They are high quality from start to finish if you take the time to use the features of the camera as you\'re taking your shots.Despite it\'s size and location causing issues, the LCD is gorgeous. All the detail in your frame is available at first glance, which really gives you control over your shots. The ability to tilt the LCD all the way forward for self portraits or setting up a timed portrait is very handy and I\'ve used it a few times at family events to much benefit.The user interface for navigating the camera\'s features is very intuitive and I didn\'t feel lost the entire time while I learned. If you\'ve used a digital camera at all, even just your phone camera, then you\'ll have a pretty easy time learning your way around the menus.The camera\'s built in auto focusing and stabilization are great. Often the pictures come out cleaner than I expected and that\'s always a nice surprise.I bought the camera when it was on sale and paid ~$350. I would buy the camera again, even with the knowledge I have, because I do love the camera. I am going to hold out hope for more accessories to come on the market.

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