Review : Sony NEX 3N – DSLR Performance in a Compact Body.

Off late Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens camera’s are the bomb. The internet has been raving about DSLRs vs Mirrorless cameras but we would leave the judgement to you.

At the time of it’s launch, The Sony NEX 3N was the world’s smallest,lightest,compact interchangeable lens mirrorless camera s bundled with the 16-50mm OSS Power Zoom lens with an RRP of £399. The price it’s available to buy is a very tempting 27k price tag in India.

Key Features

• 16.1 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
• Sony NEX / E Mount
• 16-50mm OSS Power Zoom lens f/3.5-5.6
• 3inch tilting screen, 460k dot resolution
• Full HD Video recording with stereo sound
• ISO200 to ISO16000
• Sweep panoramic shooting
• HDR / D-Range Shooting
• 4fps continuous shooting
• Auto object framing
• Zoom level
• Built in pop up flash
• Available in white or black
• 480 shot battery life

Handling

Not only does the Sony NEX-3N have an updated front rubber grip, it also features an improved rear rubber thumb grip compared to the NEX-F3, as well as an ISO label on the right hand side of the rear scroll wheel / control pad. This can be customised if you want to change it from its default setting, and when set will give you access to a number of different options.

Despite weighing so little (without the lens and battery fitted), the NEX-3N still feels solid gripped in the palm, though with a lens attached it’s too large for most jacket pockets. It now has a smaller grip than the NEX-F3, with the shutter release button moving from the top of the grip back to the top of the camera. With the supplied 16-50mm power zoom kit lens attached the NEX-5 doesn’t look or feel too top heavy, as the lens retracts back into itself when not in use.

Screen and Menus:

The 3 inch LCD screen can be tilted back and forward through a full 180° – if not, unfortunately swung outwards at 90° – to allow for low and high angle compositions we might not have attempted without. You can even fully turn it to the front, proving very useful for self-portraits, although you can’t close it inwards against the camera body to help protect it. With 461K dots, it’s not as high-resolution as the 921K screen on the NEX-F3, but proved to be more than adequate in real-world use.

Battery life is rated at 480 shots according to Sony / CIPA test results, which is excellent as it is much longer than most other mirrorless cameras. In addition, the camera uses a Sony InfoLithium battery meaning the camera will tell you exactly how much battery life remains.

Battery

Battery life – Battery life is rated at 480 shots according to Sony / CIPA test results, which is excellent as it is much longer than most other mirrorless cameras. In addition, the camera uses a Sony InfoLithium battery meaning the camera will tell you exactly how much battery life remains.

Performance:

We tested the performance of the NEX 3N based on the following few parameters:

	Sony NEX-3N
Shutter Response	<0.05
Wide – Focus / Shutter Response	0.3
Full zoom – Focus / Shutter Response	0.3
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo	2.1
Shot to Shot without Flash	0.8
Shot to Shot with Flash	0.9
Continuous Shooting – JPEG (shots before slow down)	4fps (10 shots)
Continuous Shooting – Flash	0.8s
Continuous Shooting – Raw	4fps (5 shots)

Final Verdict:

The Sony NEX-3N is an excellent entry level mirrorless camera, delivering excellent image quality, without compromising on handling or design. The Sony NEX-3N is Sony’s entry level mirrorless camera, and despite its low price, doesn’t feel like a budget product, with a desirable and useful compact 16-50mm OSS power zoom lens, it is available for around Rs.27,000 making it one of the cheapest current mirrorless cameras available!