Sony NEX-3N review: superior shooting on the cheap

Last year, Sony's peculiar NEX-F3 was a fine mirrorless camera by most accounts, but its larger footprint left us hoping for a next-gen offering more in line with its predecessor, the NEX-C3 -- a tried-and-true shooter that many Engadget staffers still turn to for review photos and trade shows, thanks to its consistent performance and light weight. We were quite relieved, then, to see that this year's device represented a return to the 2011 design, with a few very compelling additions, to boot.

move to beef up its entry-level NEX left us puzzled, and generally unimpressed. TheLike last year's model and even the C3, the Sony NEX-3N packs a 16.1-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor. The chip is physically larger than what you'll find in a Micro Four Thirds camera, and it's comparable in size to the sensors that ship in many full-size DSLRs. That imager is the key to the 3N's success -- it enables the camera to offer DSLR-like performance in a body that's much smaller, and even less expensive. Speaking of which, the 3N kit carries an MSRP of $500, though you may be able to find it for a bit less, including the 16-50mm retractable zoom lens -- we'll touch on that a bit more after the break.

   

HARDWARE
The NEX-3N's most celebrated asset is its size -- sans lens, it's barely thicker than a deck of cards, with a body that measures roughly 4.3 inches in width, 2.4 inches in height and 1.4 inches in depth. It's also fairly light, at 7.4 ounces (body only), yet it still feels substantial, and very well made. Adding the 16-50mm (35mm-equivalent 24-75mm) f/3.5-5.6 lens serves to boost the camera's weight and depth, as you might expect, though the protrusion is far less significant than what we once saw with Sony's previous inclusion, which lacked the retractable-zoom design of this generally superior optic. The detachable lens ships in the box, which makes this $500 3N kit quite a bargain, especially considering the zoom's standalone price of $350.

Another fresh addition is the built-in, pop-up flash, which, believe it or not, is a first for Sony's starter NEX. Of course, adding in a strobe without boosting the body size doesn't come without compromise -- there's no proprietary mount up top, which means an external mic is out of the question. This may be slightly disconcerting to video shooters, especially considering that the camera's stereo microphones are mounted on the top of the camera rather than on the front, flanking the lens. That configuration makes the 3N a fine fit for narration but a less-than-stellar option for conducting interviews in noisy environments. We would be willing to look past this oversight had Sony included a microphone input, but alas, there's no such port present.

Sony opted to shift port positioning a bit this year. The only I/O options can be accessed by lifting a door on the left side of the camera, behind which you'll find HDMI and micro-USB connectors, along with an SD card slot. Previously, the removable storage could only be accessed from the bottom of the camera, which often meant unscrewing a tripod mount before popping in a new card, so this left-hand slot is much appreciated. The battery door remains on the bottom of the camera, but the 3N can be charged using a USB adapter, so unless you want to swap cells for a long shoot, your power pack can stay in place.{Tech-Wolfs}.