Sony NEX-C3 Review

Touted as the world's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens camera with an APS-C sensor, the NEX-C3 is Sony's latest addition to it's NEX lineup of mirrorless cameras. With a new 16.2 megapixel sensor and an intuitive, jargon-free interface, the NEX-C3 positions itself as a powerful yet easy-to-use step up from compact point-and-shoot cameras.

Handling and Ergonomics



The button layout of the NEX-C3 clearly shows Sony's intent to simplify photography for the average consumer; unlike enthusiast cameras and DSLRs, the NEX-C3 is near devoid of hardware controls. Settings such as ISO sensitivity are accessed through colourful menus instead of through labeled buttons. The scroll wheel and center-button handle all controls. The hardware controls are clearly designed to keep more advanced settings out of the way of the average user who just wants to take photos.



Although the NEX-C3 camera body is indeed small (110 x 60 x 33mm), it's no pocketable camera. With the kit lens mounted, the NEX-C3 reaches a nice, hand-holdeable size. It's perfect as a lightweight camera, perhaps for travel or walkabout.


Left: Sony NEX-C3 with E 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS kit lens
Right: Sony NEX-C3 with E 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS

The NEX-C3's ergonomic varies greatly according to which lens is mounted. With the Sony E 16mm f/2.8 mounted, it's near-compact sized and very light and easy to wield. With the Sony E 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS kit lens, it's nicely balanced in hand and comfortable to shoot with. Mount the Sony E 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS lens though, and the NEX-C3 becomes completely unbalanced; with the lens heavier than the body and the NEX-C3 only having a small handgrip, this combination is quite unwieldly.

Below, we show the same lenses as above but fully extended. Notice how unbalanced the NEX-C3 is against the fully extend Sony E 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS lens.



The Sony NEX-C3 continues the NEX tradition of having a variable-angle LCD screen, allowing users to easily capture shots from unusual angles. The hinges feel solidly constructed and don't feel flimsy.



Noise Performance



To test for noise, we shot the above setup at increasing ISO sensitivities while adjusting shutter speed to maintain exposure. White balance was constant throughout the noise test. All test shots are JPEGs taken straight off the camera. For a closer look at the results, click the image below.



The NEX-C3 has impressive noise performance. Noise is very well-controlled up to ISO1600, becoming more obvious at ISO3200. Shots are ISO12800 are clearly noisy, but there is no noticeable discolouration. One might say it's better to get a noisy shot than no shot at all, and having the option of ISO12800 certainly helps.

Lenses



We also ran some tests on the kit lens that came with the NEX-C3, the Sony E 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS. Unlike the bulk of kit lenses bundled with cameras sold today, the Sony E 18-55mm is constructed of magnesium alloy and not plastic, lending it a solid feel that is missing from the majority of kit lens offerings. Mounted on the NEX-C3, the whole setup inspires confidence.


Left: Sony E 18-55mm OSS @ 18mm
Right: Sony E 18-55mm OSS @ 55mm

Barrel distortion is quite noticeable at 18mm, with mild pincushioning at 55mm. Neither is particularly severe; all in all, this is expected performance for a low-cost kit lens.

We also ran our copy of the Sony E 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS through the same distortion test. Barrel distortion at 18mm is worse than the 18-55mm kit lens, and slight pincushioning can be seen at 55mm and 200mm. Despite the distortion, it's very respectable performance for an all-in-one ultrazoom.


Left: Sony E 18-200mm OSS @ 18mm
Right: Sony E 18-200mm OSS @ 55mm
Right: Sony E 18-200mm OSS @ 200mm

Picture Effects

As with the SLT-A35, the Sony NEX-C3 comes with a slew of in-camera image processing options dubbed "Picture Effects", allowing users to create artistic shots without the need for post-processing on a computer. For more information on the NEX-C3's Picture Effects, do head over to our review of the Sony SLT-A35.

Conclusion



WIth the recent flurry of camera launches, such as the Olympus PEN E-P3 (review) and the Panasonic Lumix GF3 (review), the Sony NEX-C3 stands out as the smallest interchangeable lens camera with an APS-C sensor. Promising better image quality and noise performance over the smaller Micro Four Thirds system cameras, the NEX-C3 is the camera to get if you're looking for the smallest APS-C camera available. However, the NEX-C3's lack of dedicated buttons may put off enthusiasts used to dedicated controls for changing settings. All-in-all, the NEX-C3 is a camera that is certain of it's position in the market, and we believe users who purchase it will be more than satisfied with it's performance.

For up-to-date prices on the Sony NEX series cameras, do check out our price guide.

Sample Gallery

Taken on the National Day Parade rehearsal on the 16th of July, all the following shots were taken from the perspective of a seated audience member.


(18mm, f/5.0, 1/160s, ISO200, +0.7 EV)


(55mm, f/6.3, 1/125s, ISO200, +0.7 EV, Partial Colour Picture Effect)

Here we see that the Partial Colour Picture Effect lets you take striking images directly in-camera, without the need to do post-processing on your computer.


(29mm, f/5.0, 1/100s, ISO200, +0.7 EV)


(18mm, f/5.0, 1/200s, ISO200, +0.7 EV)


(39mm, f/4.5, 1/60s, ISO320, Sunset mode)

The sunset mode in the NEX-C3 let us take a beautiful shot of the sky at dusk, once again without the need for post-processing on a computer.


(21mm, f/4.0, 1/160s, ISO1600)

Specifications

Specification	Sony NEX-C3
Body Material	Metal top plate, polycarbonate
Sensor	23.4 x 15.6mm Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor 16.2 million effective pixels
Image Sizes	3:2 - 16MP - 4912 x 3264 - 8.4MP - 2568 x 2368 - 4.0MP - 2448 x 1624 16:9 - 12MP - 4912 x 2760 - 7.1MP - 3568 x 2000 - 3.4MP - 2448 x 1376
Image Sizes (Panorama)	Sweep Panorama - 8192 x 1856 - 2160 x 3872 - 12416 x 1856 - 2160 x 5536 3D Sweep Panorama - 4912 x 1080 - 7152 x 1080 - 1920 x 1080
File Qualities/ Formats	RAW RAW + JPEG Fine JPEG Fine JPEG Standard
Movie	MPEG-4 - 1280 x 720p 29.97fps (9 or 6 Mbps) - 640 x 480 29.97fps
Dust Reduction	Coating on low pass filter Low-pass filter shake
Lenses	Sony E-mount Sony Alpha Lenses Minolta and Konica Minolta AF lenses via adaptor (MF only)
Image Stabilisation	'Optical SteadyShot' system on selected lenses
Auto Focus	Contrast AF 25 multi-point Centre-weighted Flexible spot
Shooting Modes	Intelligent Auto Program Aperture priority Shutte priority Manual Sweep panorama Anti-Motion Blur Scene Modes
Scene Modes	Portrait Landscape Macro Sports Action Sunset Night View/Portrait Hand-held Night Shot
Sensitivity	Auto (range varies depending on shooting mode) ISO 200 to 12800 in 1-stop increments
Metering Modes	Multi-segment (49 segment Honeycomb pattern) Center-weighted Spot
Exposure Compensation	-2.0 to +2.0 EV 0.3 EV steps
Shutter Speed	Electronically-controlled, vertical traverse, focal-plane type 30 to 1/4000 sec Bulb
Aperture Values	Dependent on lens, 0.3 EV stops
White Balance	Auto Daylight Shade Cloudy Tungsten Flourescent Flash Colour temperature/filter (2500-9900K) Manual
Dynamic Range Optimiser	Off DR Auto HDR Auto
Colour Space	sRGB Adobe RGB
Colour Modes	Standard Vivid Portrait Landscape Sunset B&W
Picture Effects	Posterisation (Colour/B&W) Pop Colour Retro Photo Partial Colour (R/G/B/Y) High Key High Contrast Monochrome Toy Camera
LCD Monitor	3.0" XtraFine TruBlack LCD 921,600 pixels Angle adjustable - 80 deg up - 45 deg down
Flash	External flash (supplied), attachable to Smart Accessory Terminal GN: 7m Flash sync: 1/160s
Flash Modes	Auto On Off Fill-flash Slow Sync Rear Sync Red-eye Reduction On/Off
Drive Modes	Single frame Continuous Speed Priority 10 sec timer (3 or 5 images) Bracket Cont 0.3 EV Self Timer
Continuous Shooting	Approx. 2.5fps Speed Priority mode max 5.5fps
Self-timer	10s 2s
Connectivity	HDMI out USB2.0 Hi-Speed
Storage	Memory Stick Pro Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC Cards
Battery Life	Approx. 400 shots
Dimensions	110 x 60 x 33mm
Weight	Approx. 225g (body only)