soundimageplus: Sony NEX-C3 - Review and user experience - Part 2

Sony NEX-C3 16mm f/2.8

It is a little disconcerting, looking at the first images I took with the NEX-C3, to think they were taken with such a small camera. True, I'm used to small cameras, but everything about the C3 says compact, point and shoot, micro sensor, except when I look at the pictures! When I said the images looked like those from my Nikons, that's exactly the case. Same size, quality, everything. I will be doing a comparison between the cameras, but I'm not expecting there to be a great difference.

Sony NEX-C3 16mm f/2.8

I really doubt that the NEX-C3 will be with me for a long time, and part of the reason I got it was in anticipation of what the NEX-7 ?? may bring. The C3 is really too small for me, and I dislike having to use a live view screen only. There's no denying though that it takes a great picture.

Sony NEX-C3 16mm f/2.8

Another reason to get the C3 was to look at how the Sony system compares with m4/3. NEX enthusiasts are always going on about the advantages of the APS-C sensor. Having had experience of it with my Nikons, I had a pretty good idea of how I thought the Sony results would look. Indeed that has proved to be the case. The Sony images are certainly softer to my eyes than the m4/3 images I'm used to, though they do sharpen up very nicely. Also the two lenses I have with it, don't give me as good results as the best m4/3 lenses.

I certainly prefer the results from the Olympus 12mm f/2, which is sharp at all apertures. The Sony 16mm f/2.8 is certainly quite disappointing wide open, though it does get better stopped down. Sony, as far as I'm concerned, have nothing as yet that compares with Olympus 12mm or the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 and 45mm f/2.8 lenses, though it would be hoped that the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 would be a good performer. I will be doing a direct comparison between the NEX-C3 + 16mm and the E-P3 + 12mm.

Sony NEX-C3 16mm f/2.8

Having said all that, I am very happy with the results from the C3. What it does is increase my anticipation for the NEX-7 ?? If that (as yet unannounced of course) camera has the features and pixel count that are being predicted, then it could indeed be the closest I'm likely to get to my "perfect" camera. I obviously need to take more pictures with the C3, but it seems clear to me, that even at this early stage, I can see the possibilities that Sony are opening up. They have taken a long time to come up with the A77 concept, and I would be surprised if they didn't produce this 24MP APS-C sensor. Plus they seem to have no reluctance, unlike other companies, to put their best sensors in a range of cameras.

In the meantime I'll keep trying the C3, and I'm going to get a couple of adapters on ebay for my M-mount and Nikon primes to see how they work with it.