Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black)

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

All the things I wrote before I fully reiterate, the only thing to watch out for is the LCD screen, it is VERY, VERY easy to scratch so before you do anything with this camera, add a screen protector.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

The NEX-3 (16mm lens) is a great small DSLR with large amount of capabilities. The disadvantage of the camera system is that many of the settings for image composition are accessed via the menu system (ie. digital zoom, ISO settings, shooting modes) as opposed to manual controls on the back of the camera as in other camera models. This makes it more time consuming to set up pictures on the fly.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

I bought this as a light weight travel camera for when I didn't want to carry my Nikon D90 plus several lenses. I expected more than it delivers.
The stock 15 mm lens is very limited and the available zoom lens would have made the package far too expensive (and, in my opinion over priced).

The picture quality is similar to that which would likely have been achieved with a $200 point and shoot.

On a positive front, the menu structure is easy to understand and the panoramic feature seems to do a good job. Another positive area seems to be the cameras ability to adapt well to low light conditions - just as well seeing that the flash is so tedious to install.

Overall, I should have stuck with my original plan to spend less money on the Canon S90

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

This is it, I was tired of waiting for Canon to come out with a small camera with a large sensor. I bought it for the size and it is as small as my previous carry always camera (Canon SX100IS) but with considerably better picture quality. Where a small sensor is limited to very low ISO settings, this one gives great quality shots at ISO 3200, it also has RAW picture taking ability and it is fully supported by DXO which is my image treatment program. The 16mm lens has proper correction in DXO so lens distortion is minimized.

The 16mm is great for indoor shots and great as a travel companion.

The camera has so many options yet they are easy to find and quite intuitive. At less than 400 grams with lens, card and battery, it is perfect for bicycle touring which is what I bought it for. It is also my carry all the time camera. Now my Canons will come out for special purposes when I want to use telephotos or need high burst rates. Not THE perfect camera, but for 80% of the time it will be used with pleasure.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

I am not a professional photographer, but I just get sick of those compact cameras which they cannot zooming in enough etc. This camera is not a "full" system camera, not even as large as they are but now this "hybrid" compact cameras with changable lens of 4 different varity it´s just suited for my jobs..

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

If you're looking for a camera that's a significant step up from a point and shoot, but not wanting the bulk of the DSLR (or the expense of a high-end rangefinder), the NEX is a great in-between camera. The picture quality is very good and the construction is solid. The NEX 5 has a more comfortable body & metal construction, but the NEX 3 is chunkier and less prone to scratches. The camera can be used just like a point-and-shoot, but with the firmware updates you can turn this into a great manual focus camera as well by assigning attributes to the buttons (such as ISO, white balance, filters, etc.). The 7x and 14x zoom is fantastic for manual focusing and if you're using a Sony lens, you just turn the focus ring and it will automatically activate this feature. The tilt-screen is also fantastic for street shooting and bright enough to be used in sunlight.

My only gripes with the camera are the LOUD shutter (which makes it awkward to shoot in quiet places) and the lack of an electronic viewfinder accessory.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

I've been a long time Sony fan but I have to say this camera takes the cake. Very light very easy to use and has a wide range of options and adapters on the market. Video on this camera is also superb. Im currently selling my old camcorder cause with this its all you need.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

Nice sharp picture, prints well, easy to use.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

An excelent camera. I recommend it.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

-I use this all the time
-This is such an improvement on the last camera i had. The quality is amazing and the pictures are so sharp!
-The thing that isnt great is that you always have to go to the menu in order to zoom if you dont have a zoom lens.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

The sensor is fantastic, not as good as my Canon 5D2, but as good, or better, as any cropper.

The Auto-HDR feature is a real time saver over lengthy post processing for landscapes. I use it a lot because it puts both the Auto-HDR and normal shot on the card and you can decide later.

The anti-blur feature is OK, but only works in automatic mode so I am not a big fan. I find that in auto mode, the auto-focus doesn't usually focus on what I want.

With the 16mm fixed lens, the camera fits in my shirt pocket! With the 18-55 in a jacket pocket!

I find the small size combined with my big klutzy hands makes it a little difficult to do things I am used to with a big SLR, like manual focus override. But this is not really a replacement for an big SLR. It is for having with you always and being inconspicuous with minimal sacrifice to image quality.

The camera controls are a little tricky for someone from an SLR background, more designed for someone coming from a P&S. Upgrading to firmware V3(free)is essential, but still, is a little limiting. My biggest gripe is not being able to switch quickly between manual and auto-focus.

The lenses are only so-so. The 16mm is a great focal length, but very weak in the corners, which is exacerbated by the otherwise wonderful and available Fisheye convertor.

The 18-55 is not great either. The size reduction has taken a toll. The lenses hold back the camera sensor.

The wide availability of converters for other lens mounts is great for the accomplished photographer, but not practical for most. They make it manual everything except for some Sony lenses which focus very slow.

And unless you are mounting very old lenses which have an aperature ring, you have no aperture control at all. Still, nice to be able to do something.

I am hopeful that an EVF will be released for it as it really needs one. And, it needs a better wide angle in the 21-24 range and an inexpensive telephoto to match the Pany/Oly offerings.

But I am really happy with the camera and take it with me everywhere, even when I pack my big SLR kit.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

I bought this camera to replace my Canon 5D, since portability ranks very high on my priority list. I needed a carry-around camera that allowed me to have full control of the photographic process, and the NEX has done so. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that I have not sacrificed image quality in the transition.

The camera yields clean images from 30s long exposures, and quite acceptable images from High ISO.

The 16mm lens has gotten some bad press, but if my sample is representative, the bad reviews have come from pixel-peeping techies rather than from photographers. The center is sharp wide open, and the corners improve significantly once stopped down. That the corners are not perfect should not surprise any experienced photographer who purchases an inexpensive pancake-ish wide (and 24mm is quite wide). At any rate, the lens has not kept me from getting great images, and that has not required me to "shoot around" any inherent problems.

The NEX-3 + 16mm combo fits in the front pocket of loose jeans, though you will know it's there.

One thing to keep in mind: not all raw converters work with NEX files as of early 2011. Lightroom 3 does, however, and transitioning from Capture One to Lightroom has not proved to be a hassle.

BOTTOM LINE: A very capable and portable camera for the experienced photographer.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

Love this camera. Altough I loved my old Canon Powershot S3 IS, when my daughter was born, I realized that it was hard to produce pictures of great quality in low-light settings of a squirmy baby. What I needed would have to have a bigger sensor, great performance in high ISO settings, and fast shutter speed. This basically translates into a DSLR. However, I still wanted something that I could throw in my handbag - which you cannot do with a DSLR, only a point-and-shoot. It seemed like that didn't exist until I came across the Sony Nex 3. I am not a professional or even semi-professional photographer, so a DSLR was always intimidating to me. The Sony Nex 3 has a real fool-proof automatic mode, which even a beginner can use. I now plan on slowly upgrading my skills to be able to use the camera more manually as well, but I am happy to be able to still produce great pictures in the meantime with the automatic mode. So far I am very happy, I have taken amazing pictures and have captured all those treasured moments of a baby in a crisp pictures where my old camera was just too slow and everything was blurred. The fact that it not only uses Sony's proprietory memory system, but also SD cards is a big plus.
Be ready for some "ohs" and "ahs" when showing this camera to friends. All my friends could not believe that this little thing is a DSLR with an APS size sensor.
The only complaint is that the downloading software that is included with the camera is not mac-compatible. You can still download your pictures using iCapture or by directly acessing your camera, but it's not the most convenient way.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

great choice for taking beatiful pics and not carrying around a huge SLR... love that it does it all... and you can change lenses and everything.. SO EASY to use it actually explains things as you do them... LOVE IT!!!

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

I bought this camera as a backup/more portable option to my Nikon D300, but I got this baby two weeks ago and haven't touched my dslr since! The 16mm lens it came with is a great wide angle option, and the adapter I bought allows me to use all my Nikon lenses I already have! The nex-3 is perfectly sized for grabbing as you head out the door and carrying around with you. While some may complain about the weight, it's nothing compared to a DSLR and is just enough to feel solid. While I miss having a viewfinder, the LCD screen is beautiful and between the swivel ability and a pretty wide viewing angle you shouldn't have a problem framing your shot. The sweep panorama mode and in-camera HDR work great, and the nex-3 takes very sharp pictures, even in low light. Sony has made a great little camera that will impress even the pickiest shooters out there.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

I plan to use this camera only for vacation but now i feel that this camera need to be use anywhere you go. It is easy to use and have the feature to shoot like a professional photographer. I LOVE THIS CAMERA!

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

The ultra thin body, which allows the use of so many different lenses, and the large sensor are the main advantages. The kit lens, the "pancake" 16mm, works very well for me since I love using wide angle lenses, but may not be enough as the only lens for many. But the combination makes it very compact and portable and produces great results. The tiltable LCD screen is very good to use, reminds me of using waist level twin-lens reflex cameras and is great for people shots.
The menu system is very innovative but different from most cameras, but once I got used to it, it is very usable and not hard to navigate.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

This a very easy to use camera. The picture quality is out standing. The interchangeable lens make this a very versatile for a small camera.
I love the Panorama mode

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

I used this camera frequently during a recent vacation trip. Some observations:

- great for nighttime photos, pictures in dimly lit bars, etc.

- panorama is ok as long as there's very little to no movement; oftentimes half of someone's face would get chopped off though.

- you have to do a lot of button pressing to do stuff like change the ISO level, but I didn't really find it to be as annoying as some online review sites have made it out to be.

- there's a (configurable) delay during which the last photo is previewed on the LCD; during this time you cannot take any photos, which can be annoying if you want to take a bunch of quick photos in a row. You can disable preview completely, but it's kind of clunky.

- As of 08/26/2010, Photoshop does not read this camera's RAW files! You can get CS5 to read them by downloading a pre-release plugin from the Adobe site, but you're out of luck for CS4 or for Photoshop Elements.

Comments about Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/16mm Lens (Black):

I was looking for something better than a point-and-shoot, but not a big bulky DSLR that just screams "mug me!". I wanted something easy to use but that will also give me the ability to really learn about photography and play with all the features that you normally have to buy a DSLR to have.