A great 1st camera for anyone wanting to get started with the NEX system
This review is being written only 3 weeks into my use of the Sony NEX - so my impressions may change with time. Nevertheless, my reasons for buying into Sony's E-mount system have been fulfilled completely, so I can recommend the NEX with great enthusiasm. ----- What's good? Back to my reasons for the original purchase! I have a large collection of old and classic lenses from dozens of "obsolete" cameras, and I have long enjoyed seeing what they'll do today, on modern digital sensors. The NEX system, with its relatively large, high resolution and high quality APS-C sensor - the same sensor used in most of Sony's full size DSLRs - and NEX's phenomenally short, 18mm lens mount-to-sensor distance, is the most affordable way thus far to play with oldtime optics and view camera-like movements (with the aid of oldtime shifting bellows and tilting adapters). Most adapter mounts are cheap and I am having a blast using both rangefinder and SLR lenses of the '40s, '50s, etc. with my NEX-3. Bravo, Sony!! ----- So what could still stand improvement? Well, from my perspective, a number of things: ----- First, get the prices down, Sony. I bought a discontinued but new NEX-3, despite its lower 14 MP sensor, because it cost 1/2 what the improved 16 MP NEX-3C does... and that let me "buy into" Sony's E-mount and left me cash to buy a bunch of Alpa through Zeiss Icon adapters! Sure, I lust after the NEX-7 - much improved with 24 MP, better controls, etc. - but with its $1K+ extra cost... well, I'm not that well-off. Maybe later! ----- Second, Sony should not cripple any basic functions of their low-end NEXs - like they did with the NEX-3's missing, remotely controlled IR shutter release! The common vendor strategy to push customers towards higher-end, higher-profit models they really can't afford is, IMHO, just plain stupid. I can't believe it adds anything to Sony's marketing success; it just drives potential customers to look elsewhere. ----- Third, Sony should reconsider their push to make the NEX system cameras ever smaller - especially when this ends up costing them really useful functionality like in-body shake reduction (which all the NEXs lack). I, and I suspect many others with medium to large hands, could happily work with a future NEX about the size and thickness of the old Olympus OM SLR bodies, and that would allow plenty of space for the missing image stabilization apparatus behind the APS-C sensor! The larger size would also permit fully manual controls as on the NEX-7 and dynamite OLED viewing within the camera body. ----- Fourth... fifth... sixth... well, I could go on and on. If only Sony would ask me! A full-size sensor? Sure. Better support for third parties who might like to produce electronically integrated adapters for non-Sony "legacy" lenses? Sure. Who wants to throw away their multi-thousand dollar investments in Canon, Nikon, Pentax, et al when moving to a new camera "platform"? I submit that the corporate thinking that says "lock customers into our own walled garden by crippling cross-platform compatibility" is short-sighted and counter-productive to sales volume. ----- Still, today's NEX is already a technically great system with tremendous potential. Sony has already made great strides in polishing both their in-camera firmware and later-model hardware - much of which has been retro-fitted to my lowly NEX-3. Again, bravo Sony! I look forward to buying newer, better models in the future, as I can afford them.Read full review
