Sony Alpha NEX-C3 Pro Reviews

The Sony Alpha NEX-C3 is a solid option for photographers who want a compact interchangeable-lens camera with a good feature set and above average-image quality. It has most of the same features as the higher-end NEX cameras, so you'll get good value for your money.

The Sony Alpha NEX-C3 is a solid option for photographers who want a compact interchangeable lens camera with a good feature set and above average image quality. It has most of the same features as the higher end NEX cameras, so you'll get good value for the dollar.

Viewfinding and fiddle factor aside, it’s virtually impossible to argue with the image quality – at high ISOs the NEX-C3 is incredibly impressive, relative to its price, size and in comparison to fully-fledged DSLRs. It’s true that ambitious photographers will lose out in terms of the number of lenses available, but for those who want a relatively cheap body, a few general purpose lenses and zero compromise on image quality, the C3 is perhaps the best, best value mirrorless DSLR yet.

We have an opportunity to test an enormous variety of gadgets each year, including dozens of point-and-shoot and DSLR cameras. Seldom, however, do we come across a device that we undoubtedly plan to purchase ourselves. The Sony NEX-C3 is one of few exceptions -- in fact, we're even considering outfitting every member of the Engadget team with one of these compact, versatile ILCs once they hit stores next month. We feel that the camera is priced very competitively (starting at $599, with the 16mm kit lens), and you're not likely to miss the few features it omits -- namely 1080p video capture and a universal accessory hot shoe. That's not to say that we overlooked these lacking capabilities, however, and this exclusion contributed to our decision not to rate the C3 a perfect-10. Sony's NEX-3 left us with high expectations for its next generation mirrorless cam, and our level of enthusiasm for this latest camera remains unparalleled. If you've been looking to upgrade from a compact point-and-shoot, or want to trim a significant amount of fat from your DSLR kit, then there's no better option than the NEX-C3.

Sony’s new baby features improved performance over its predecessor, and the best image quality of any mirrorless system camera we've seen

The Sony NEX-C3 takes an already successful Compact System Camera concept (NEX-3 and NEX-5) and improves upon it yet further. The C3's new sensor is a success, images look great and the camera's smaller design looks the part too. The price is held at a very reasonable sub-£450 point and there's very little not to like bar some control issues. While more buttons are available for customisation than previous generation models and, therefore, user experience is better, the overall feel of the menu systems and how tucked away some options are still doesn't feel right - but that'll be an ongoing feeling with the NEX-series. The Smart Accessory Terminal is also a fiddly fitting to add the provided flash to and there's no way to add a viewfinder to this model. But for everything else the NEX-C3 does put on offer it does so with class. It's a leading light in the Compact System Camera market - if you're looking for a small and compact, viewfinder-free interchangeable lens system then the C3 has a lot going for it.

The Sony NEX-C3 modestly builds on the success of its predecessor by increasing the megapixel count, refining the user interface further for beginners, and making the body size even smaller and lighter. While the extended battery life and new range of picture effects won't make current NEX owners rush to upgrade, these improvements do make the NEX-C3 a more compelling proposition, particularly with regards to its overall usability. Looking and feeling more like a compact camera than ever, this new NEX perhaps lacks the retro charm of the Olympus PEN series, but it certainly majors as a viable upgrade option for someone looking for DSLR-like image quality without the size and bulk of such a system. The NEX-C3 makes more sense when twinned with the 16mm pancake lens rather than the 14-42mm kit zoom though, which rather dwarves the svelte body.

Overall, the Sony NEX-C3 is a great consumer compact system camera that we think will serve a broad base of users. Image quality is very good among compact system cameras, with remarkable ISO performance from 200 to 1,600, producing images that look good printed at 20x30 inches. We did have some problems with the kit lens, with soft corners and noticeable chromatic aberration, and image quality was not quite as good as the images from the NEX-5N, despite the matching 16-megapixel resolution. It turns out that the lens looks better on the 5N because that camera corrects for the lens's shortcomings; the 5N also produces slightly sharper JPEG images with less noise. So enthusiasts and picky types should take note and consider the NEX-5N, available for about $100 more. However, that doesn't take away from the NEX-C3's quality build, great images, and low price, which combine to make it a Dave's Pick.

The Sony Alpha NEX-C3 is the first of the second generation NEX models. The big selling point of the NEX range is its sensor which is the same size as most DSLRs. It's significantly bigger than the Micro Four Thirds sensor used in the Panasonic Lumix GF3 and Olympus Pen E-PL2 and, if the new mirrorless ILC models appearing from Pentax and Nikon are anything to go by, Sony has the small camera with big sensor marketplace to itself for a while yet. The NEX-C3's strengths are its low light performance, its size and the scope it provides for customisation of its soft buttons. Combine that with new features aimed at novice photographers - Photo Creativity mode and Picture Effects and, on the face of there's a lot to like for beginners looking to move several notches up from a compact. As a DSLR replacement, the prospect of compactness and convenience without having to compromise on sensor size is very attractive, and the handling and user interface have come a long way since the early NEX-3/5. But there's still room for improvement: for example it would be nice not to have to choose between direct access to shooting modes and a custom menu, or to have to hunt throught the inteminable setup menu to turn stabilisation off. That said, these are fairly minor handling issues that become less of an issue the more you get used to using the NEX-C3. Everything else aside, the NEX-C3 is smaller, lighter,and more fully featured than the first generation NEX models. It provides increased sensor resolution at little or no cost to its excellent image quality and delivers improved handling both for compact upgraders and enthusiasts.

You can pick up an SLR for this price, but the NEX-C3 is an impressive, high-quality compact camera that allows users to be flexible when choosing lenses and accessories, and is small enough to carry around easily.

Like the Sony NEX-5, the NEX-C3 has an over-reliance on the menus, and it can be a little time consuming trying to find some of the more advanced options. The NEX-C3 is a compact mirrorless camera, although the current lenses don't make the most of the small body as they are quite large. The recent addition of three new lenses is a welcome addition. The buttons on the back can be customised making the camera easier to control for some of the functions. The Sony NEX-C3 produces DSLR image quality with extremely low noise, and performance is impressive with 5.5fps shooting. The improved resolution of the sensor, going from 14 to 16 megapixels doesn't appear to have had any negative effect on image quality, except for slightly higher noise at the highest ISO settings.

Despite the odd handling niggle, the Sony NEX-C3 has proved itself to be a very capable camera with some innovative features to suit photographers of all experience levels. The image quality alone will make this camera worthy of consideration, and so long as you are aware of potential weaknesses, it could prove to be a compelling choice among current compact system cameras.

While much of the NEX-C3 remains exactly the same as its predecessor, the addition of a newly developed 16.2MP Exmor CMOS sensor does raise overall image quality up a notch from what we’ve previously seen. Add to this the introduction of digital effects filters and a reduction in overall size and the NEX-C3 holds plenty of appeal. That said it’s a shame that Sony hasn’t seen fit to raise the bar with regards to the new model’s movie recording abilities, while the fiddly flash attachment remains something of a fudged solution too. For these reasons the NEX-C3 doesn’t quite make 9/10. Judged solely on its still-image capturing abilities though, we’ve no hesitation in recommending it.

Image quality to rival SLRs and much improved performance over the NEX-3 – a breathtakingly impressive point-and-shoot camera.

The Sony Alpha NEX-C3 builds on the already-excellent NEX-3, but manages to be lighter and more compact. Not only does the NEX-C3 produce stunning images, even at high ISO settings, it easily earns our Editors' Choice for compact interchangeable lens cameras.

We'd go so far as to call the C3 a fun camera: it encourages experimentation and casual shooting. We always wanted to take the C3 with us, and the size meant we could. The NEX-3 and NEX-5 were leaning in that direction but, through early quirks, larger sizes, and older sensors, felt like they were just short of a sweet spot.

A lot of people will like the Sony Alpha NEX-C3 for its excellent photo quality and a now more usable design, but it can get unexpectedly heavy with the zoom E-mount lenses and it's still a bit more expensive than many point-and-shoot upgraders will like.