Picked this camera up at Best Buy. So instead of relying on Amazon you should definitely check and see if one of your local stores has it in stock.Anyway, the first thing you will notice about this camera is that its a bit larger than its predecessor (and the 5N). I've heard a lot of the reviewers bemoan the fact that its a larger camera, I guess those folks like their cameras to feel extremely front-heavy? With the NEX-F3, the camera feels much more balanced and much more pleasant to hold and shoot with. Also, the deeper hand-grip up front and the placement of the shutter button are plusses as well. It's still quite compact, though.
On this camera, the battery charging is done in-camera like a cell phone. The camera takes a long time to charge though, from what I have noticed so far. The SD card has been separated from the battery slot but it still sits on the bottom of the camera. This can make it a real pain if trying to use a tripod.
The camera's weakest spot is its user interface. Sorry, I should not have to go digging in the menu system to change the ISO. And I should also be able to adjust the shutter speed and aperture while adjusting the focus area which I can't do on this camera. The system for changing settings on this camera is so menu driven that it might slightly irritate enthusiasts who want direct controls to quickly adjust settings. Basic direct access controls should not be a luxury Sony reserves for its more expensive cameras.
The LCD is bright and clear, and articulates. Although this one flips up so you can take self-portraits with it if that's your thing. When you flip up the LCD to face you and press the shutter, you get a 3-second countdown before it snaps a self-photo.
The video is excellent on this camera as is with most Sonys. I haven't played much with it other than shooting short clips but from what I have seen thus far it does really well. It doesn't have much of an enthusiast feature set though.
The camera has excellent image quality...on-par with its sub-$1,000 DSLRs peers. Even at ISO1600 you have to look very carefully to notice some effects of noise reduction and detail degredation. Sharpness and detail capture are excellent. The camera tends to underexpose a little but I would rather it do that than overexpose. The default color output is a little muted, but change the color setting to Vibrant and you get much punchier results (if you're the type of person that prefers more saturated colors). But if you're coming from a point and shoot or even an enthusiast compact, you will certainly notice the different in image quality with this camera. The 18-55 kit lens that it comes with is an okay performer. I think the 16-50 pancake zoom that just came out is a little bit better optically but as a starter lens, the 18-55mm lens is fine.
Shooting performance is top-notch, the AF is snappy even in low-light, and shot-to-shot times are good.
If you don't mind the quirky interface that this camera has, you'll find it to be an excellent performer otherwise. Excellent image quality, decent AF performance, and a comfortable shooting design.
WHY I LIKE THIS CAMERA
Very easy to use
The auto portrait framing
180° tiltable 3.0" LCD for self portrait. (I like taking pictures of myself with my babies so this was very important for me)
Having a built in flash is also a plus.
The photo creativity interface, (the picture effective mode) My pictures look like it was taken by a professional. I used the SDHC EXTREME 16G C10 with this camera and it works very well and very fast.
I am very satisfied with this camera, I really love it.
Buy Sony NEX-F3K/S 16.1 MP Compact System Camera with 18-55mm Lens (Silver) Now
I've had this camera for about three days. It is going back. The images it takes are excellent, the body size for me is just right (big hands), the zoom feature and the portrait framing are really nice features. The build seems to exude quality. Well, if it's such a great camera, why is it going back you ask? I took it out in the California sunshine at 10am and the LCD screen was so dim I couldn't see what I was supposed to be shooting. OK, so I change to the highest manual setting. Not much help although a little better. Still not very bright. So I change to the Sunny Weather setting; this should do it, right? Fraid not. The screen is still dimmer than my Panasonic FZ150 point and shoot. Is is practically impossible to compose a picture on a, what I consider to be poorly designed LCD screen. It is so reflective as to be almost mirrorlike. You have to shade the screen somehow and it still doesn't help much. The designers must never venture outside in the sunlight when they design/test the screens. It breaks my heart to send it back but you either pay another $350 for a viewfinder attachment or live with a camera where composition is a guess and by golly venture when you have no shade to hide in. I don't think the screen on my particular unit was defective, just a poorly designed part of the camera. The screen on my FZ150 was at least a third brighter and practically non-reflective compared to the F3. Sony should ask Panasonic how to design a screen. A gigantic screw up on an otherwise excellent camera! (Could it be a purposeful ploy to force you to shell out another $350 to buy the viewfinder?) I know this review may sound cynical but I really wanted to keep this little beauty but if you can't compose a picture, what good is the camera? I may have to spring for the SLT A57.Read Best Reviews of Sony NEX-F3K/S 16.1 MP Compact System Camera with 18-55mm Lens (Silver) Here
I'm writing this review after putting my nikon D50 up for sale on ebay. A lot of reviews are going to focus on the fact that manual controls are hidden too deep inside the menu (which is true!), but those reviews are missing the point that this camera makes good decisions so much of the time that you'll rarely, if ever need to choose the aperture or shutter speed.What I like about the camera:
1) The flash is mounted on this bendable plastic prop that can be bent to face upwards. This means that instead of your flash whitewashing your subjects, you can have it bounce off the ceiling, giving pictures a far more natural look. This feature has actually made the flash a usable option for indoor photography.
2) The lcd screen flips out, allowing you to take the "me, my wife and the palm tree" pictures you've always wanted to take. You'll see some reviewers carping about how the screen doesn't do a 45-degree bend (like on the nex 5N) for overhead shots, but ignore them the screen does bend enough for you to take overhead shots.
3) The superior auto mode is the star of the show, so I'm surprised it's not turned on by default. It's this feature that makes me appreciate how far cameras have come over the last 5 years. This mode does a very good job of guessing what you're trying to take a picture of (children, potted plants, gazelles) and applying the right shutter speed, aperture size, etc. This mode also enables auto-HDR, which does a great job bringing out detail in a high contrast picture.
4) This is actually the result of point 3), but the auto white balance on this camera is terrific! With my old nikon I had to constantly be adjusting the white balance, setting it using a grey card, etc. This camera nails the white balance each time!
What I don't like:
There are some settings that seem to disappear if you power cycle the camera like the picture effect, the "warmth" of the picture, etc. This can get annoying.
Overall, I have to say I'm quite pleased with the purchase. My nikon D50 used to be my camera of choice for the creative control it provided, but this is my new favorite, because it lets me spend more time taking pictures and less time fiddling with settings to get the picture right.
Want Sony NEX-F3K/S 16.1 MP Compact System Camera with 18-55mm Lens (Silver) Discount?
I'm an photography enthusiast; I like to tinker with my settings (sometimes from shot to shot), so I was a little worried about the lack of external controls on the F3. I've been following the NEX camera's ever since their announcement a few years ago. I had always been fascinated with its features and performance, so I decided maybe the 3 programmable buttons on the F3 would be enough. Apparently the 3 soft programmable buttons are a bit deceiving... The 3 button actually allow you to program 7 settings for quick access! This is because the button in the middle of the dial can be programmed to hold 5 settings. If you choose this, when you press the middle button, it brings up a sub menu of (up to) 5 settings. This along with the 2 pre-programmed buttons (drive mode: single shot, multi... and exposure compensation) really gives you quick access to 9 settings.Here's what what my setup looks like:
Pre-programmed:
*Up on dial (Display)
*Left on dial (Drive Mode)
*Down on dial (Exposure Compensation)
Soft Programmed:
*Right on dial (Digital Zoom: this actually looks pretty good, so I kept it on easy access)
*Bottom button (Shooting Mode)
*Middle button
>ISO
>Smile Shutter (Fun feature, takes a picture when the camera detects a smile yeah I fell for it!)
>D-Range/HDR settings
>White Balance
>Auto-Focus Area
A few other notes.
+Good stabilization (I got sharp images even at 1/10 shutter speed)
+Great flash (you can adjust the angle to bounce it off the ceiling for a more natural look)
+Great low-light performance
+Great image quality
-A little too much noise reduction (even on the low setting, wish I could turn it off completely, but you won't notice it much until ISO 1600+)
This camera really exceeded my expectations. If you like tweaking your camera settings, I hope the lack of external controls don't deter you from getting this great camera. You have more control than you think. I primarily shoot in Aperture mode, so I can't vouch for how the program/other auto modes perform. I might try them out on an upcoming trip. If I do, I'll update my findings on this report.
(P.S. The first thing you should do when you get this camera is: bring up the menu, go to setup, scroll down to "Help Guide Display" and turn it OFF! Seriously, the little popup help in the menu is pretty annoying).
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