Luminous Landscape had the chance to play around with the tiny NEX-C3. But their article is by way the most interesting hands-on I found on the web (well done guys!). They wrote a couple of things I want to remark here. I want to hear your opinion on that!
This is the list of issues with the NEX-C3:
1) To make the C3 even smaller Sony has made a few design changes, not all of which I think are for the good. The SD card slot no longer shares the battery compartment, having its own bottom panel door. This is fine as far as it goes, but it does mean that if the camera is on a tripod or a mount accessory is attached, it will have to be removed.
2) The more cramped grip of the C3 as compared to the NEX-5 means that one is forced to hold the camera more tightly, and I constantly found myself accidentally pressing the bottom soft key with my palm, something that never happened with the NEX-5.
3) The NEX bodies are very small. But as already mentioned the lenses are still APS-C sized. To keep them within reason in terms of size they have modest maximum apertures. Even the pancake 16mm is just an f/2.8. So indoors, instead of ISO 400, for example, the C3 would have to shot at ISO1600 to ISO 3200, thus cutting its larger sensor advantage considerably. In my view the NEX series desperately needs faster lenses. But, to keep size down they should be primes.
4) Overall I find the NEX interface to be the least friendly and most unintuitive of any current camera. It neither aids the beginner not comforts the more advanced user.
5) When the NEX-5 was introduced I expressed my disappointment that an EVF was not available, but expected that one would be forthcoming. But a year later Sony has failed to satisfy this hope. The lack of an accessory EVF is to my mind a serious handycap for the NEX line thus far.
I recommend you to read the full artcile at Luminous Landscape (Click here). I think those are all valid point and I hope Sony will address them soon. The NEX-7 will maybe go in the right direction and solve some of those problems. And the Zeiss 24mm f/1.7 will be a welcome addition to the lens lineup. But we absolutely need more pancakes and a more professional camera as soon as possible! Thanks Luminous Landscape, and thanks Soy for listening 😉
46 Responses
Luminous Landscape is always whining but these are the author’s preferences, not some factual science. Take for example interface. An year ago a few people who owned both EPL1 and Nex, hated EPL1 (and even EP1) interface and preferred Nex interface, and that was before the FW3 upgrade!
I don’t think there is any merit to most of his ramblings about the interface. You either hate the interface or love it. Sony should stick with the current interface as it works fine (for most people who own the camera). It’s simple, sleek and customizable.
Where is my Zeiss 24mm!?
Yeah I agree that’s their opinion.
But have to comment on this “4) Overall I find the NEX interface to be the least friendly and most unintuitive of any current camera. It neither aids the beginner not comforts the more advanced user.”
http://www.luminous-landscape.com – ARE YOU SURE?
I actually find the NEX interface easier. The only problem is the limitations of the B, C, and especially the middle button where you could only fit in only 3 settings. Hopefully, FW4 will address those limitations. Can’t wait for june20! 🙂
Lens limitation, for me, is the one problem the NEX system has yet to face. Hopefully, they release those juicy lenses as early as Q3 this year or early next year as a Christmas present to NEX owners.
Why did Sony bother on NOT making EVF for the NEX system? Because they don’t want to! Stop whining about the EVF! Jeez!
Lens limitation, for me, is the one problem the NEX system has yet to face. Hopefully, they release those juicy lenses as early as Q3 this year or early next year as a Christmas present to NEX owners.
With that I have to agree. Lens road map really progressing slow! wake up! wake up! wake up…. but I know lenses are not easy to create, plus the fact that this nex system lenses are new. They started from scratch.
I think many complains is inadequate for very entry level camera.
“have to remove from tripod to change card” Cmn, how many PS users have more than one card and tripod as well?
what a biased and retarded article…
he constantly whines about not having a evf on the cheapest nex entry camera.
The zeiss is mine….mine, mine. But when!?!!!??!???
IMO, if NEX has the similar design like Panasonic G series to use the jog dial button and one more button like quick menu switch, everything should go much better. But most ironic thing is that jog dial was created by Sony but also abandoned by herself. May someone tell me why???
The weirdest thing about that review is, that he didn’t want to comment on image quality. Normally one says you can live with a few quirks if in the end the picture quality is good. If the reviewer doesn’t like the camera, ok for me. But NEX vs a normal compact is about image quality and not differences in the menu structure.
+1000 on this! LOL why he/she can’t see the image? 😀
they are still looking for the evf 😀
Hahahahaa! Good one.
I have a NEX-3 and actually agree with most of the review, although I would also agree that LL is almost always whining.
One sentence I totally subscribe to is the following: “The real difference between cameras of similar similar price and feature set lies in their usability (…) assuming that basic IQ is there.”
I think that digital cameras have long achieved a “good enough” IQ, and that the DxO Marks is indeed largely irrelevant.
I use a D300 for several years and bought a NEX-3 as a lighter kit. Although the NEX IQ is marginally better than that of the D300, I never adapted to framing on the rear LCD or fiddling with the buttons (although using legacy lenses helps, as they provide direct aperture control). I too secretely hoped for a Sony EVF, but I eventually went for a used Leica M8, an much more expensive alternative with objectively much lower high ISO IQ, but good enough for my work and with a handling I much prefer.
To each its own I guess…
allways the same complaints since the release of the nex.. honestly, these guys must know how the best interface design is supposed to work, from looking at their site 😉
i guess Sony just did the numbers and so far didnt find the need to release an attachement evf. when looking at londons streets i see tons of asians with oly-ep`s and never so far i saw their attachement evf in the wild.. would say half of the complainers would still find some new reasons to not buy the nex if there were evf+primes.
Their site is really ugly!!
“Clearviewer should be provided by Sony with every NEX camera sold.” lol
Lol. What’s so hard for a beginner to turn the mode dial to auto and start shooting?
Well… he first needs to know how to bring that mode dial on the screen, which is not obvious at first. A “mechanical” mode dial certainly would not hurt.
The last line says it all. Evan talking about professional features on this model shows a lack of understanding at what model is aimed at who. I have read comments like large lenses make it hard to use one handed alongside such comments about professionalism. If you want pro features don’t just say let’s hope nex-7 improves things but get out of bad habits learn how to hold a camera and buy an appropriate camera instead of slagging a perfectly good one that is not aimed at you.
For more interesting reviews of the new Sony cameras take a look at these sites.
http://cnettv.cnet.com/sony-alpha-nex-c3/9742-1_53-50106087.html
http://cnettv.cnet.com/sony-alpha-nex-c3/9742-1_53-50106087.html
Everything right. Expecially this part: “In my view the NEX series desperately needs faster lenses. But, to keep size down they should be primes.” It’s months that I keep on repeating this on this blog.
“4) Overall I find the NEX interface to be the least friendly and most unintuitive of any current camera. It neither aids the beginner not comforts the more advanced user.”
to be honest, although ive been a sony and minolta soldier for as long time can remember, i really do agree with this.
i started out with pns and the reason why i moved up the bigger guns is simply because manufacturers are trying to save space ie less buttons more menu diving. that spells shit.
1. The chances of a C3 user having a tripod, never mind using a tripod AND needing to change SD cards whilst using a tripod, is practically zero.
2. Ergonomics is subjective. Other people may love the grip.
3. Agreed. Nothing new there, it’s all over the Web.
4. See point 2.
5. The C3 isn’t aimed a people who want an EVF.
One valid (and blatantly obvious) point out of 5. LL needs to try harder.
Sony users should look at all the market around. Yesterday evening I had the chance of trying a Nikon D7000 with 18-105. I have it really is an amazing camera. This is not to mean that Sony shooters have to jump any ship; but they have to ask for nothing less than what others have to offer. D7000 feels solid and it’s damn well build, two cards slot and great settings for advanced shooter. At the moment Sony doesn’t have anything to compare in the same league. A580 is a nice camera but it’s another league. Can’t imagine what D400 will turn out to be..
what are you suggesting here, a possible C3 buyer should have a look at the D7000? 😉
of course everyone should take a look around and there will allways be cams that are more appealing then the one you have.. still you dont jump around when you have a bag full of lenses. sony has long been kind of a cheap alternatve to nikon, so its obvious nikon has a few more tricks up its sleve, mostly regarding useability or built quality. if thats worth the doubled(a580-same sensor) price tag is up to you..
Yeh definatly better than a nex-3c! Please certain car manufacturars have been doing the My new toy is better than your old one since the 60s. The D7000 is a fine camera no doubt. But its officel list price is $100 to $300 dearer than the A77 will be world wide. So wait till the A77 and even the A57 arrive before saying Sony need to catch up to the latest Nikon. By the way the D400 will frobably use the A77 sensor and be $600 dearer. I am using oficel body only guide prices with the D400 costing the same as the D300 as a conservetive gues. yess you will see all these cameras cheeper. but the truth is D7000 is dearer than list of A77 and D400 will probably not be much cheeper than A99.
Obviously no reviewer ever tried to read the manual, because this is definitely the worst about the NEX.
Okay, the user interface could be a lot more comfortable, but I don’t miss a viewfinder at all. I’m wearing glasses, so displays are some sort of liberation for me anyway. But I’ve experienced that activating the NEX’s grid makes it a lot easier to balance the camera.
Nevertheless concerning photography the article was right about the lens problems, I’m not suffering from that except a missing wide angle about 12mm. I’m using my old and mostly fast Canon FD lenses and I don’t mind that my NEX-5 has become something like a lens rear cap with a display. Hey, E-Mount isn’t meant simply for pocket cameras, it’s made for photography and movie capturing up to professional recordings finally growing together…
Of course my post may seem a bit OT. I sure don’t mean to compare apple and oranges. It’s just that I had these feelings after trying D7000 yesterday evening. Man.. 1600 iso (hat down for Sony sensor on this one) on that machine is a breeze!!
Soy is listening, not sure about Sony 🙂
LL guys are looking forward nex-7 as much as We do. BETTER TO BE CRITICAL THAN LET SONY BRING US SAME C3 WITH 24 MPX NAMED NEX-7!!!
That would be DISASTER
time travel seem fast! june announcement is done!
today 9th june, 27 days to go orange77 announcement! ^^
today 9th june, 27 days to go orange77 announcement! ^^
today 9th june, 27 days to go orange77 announcement! ^^
What are the meanings of experts, professionals, photographer or enthusiastic? Without mode dial and many buttons, can they take good pictures? I am sure many of them bring these little cameras everyday to take good pictures. Not this “professional” website I think.
well, a professional can take great pics even with a paperbox and a hole in it, while enthusiasts are seemingly more and more enthusiasticly complaining why they cant do great pics with their lacking gear 😉
..just joking, professionals dont mind having great gear either, i guess. i`d consider myself a happy hobbyist, still i have to say i wish the NEX crappier so i didnt take as much photo`s 😉
I have a NEX 5 and want to throw it into a wall sometimes. The interface sucks.
Cameras used to be easy to use. You had a dial on top for shutter speed, a film speed dial and an aperture ring around a lens that manually focused.
What does Sony do, bury all these settings in ambiguous menus.
I think the Canon G12 is a great design. There is a mode dial, shutter speed dial, a metering compensation dial, and scroll wheels on the front and back and also a function ring around the lens.
You should be able to use the camera without going into a single menu aka A900 not scrolling through menus aka NEX.
Hopefully the NEX 7 is a photographers camera and includes a hotshoe. That NEX flash is an example of very poor design.
i`m sure sony will make the NEX-7 to suit your taste.. but its exactly this: taste, i prefer the NEX-5 way, where you can basicly hold the cam with one hand and use the thumb to do all your settings. with firmware v3 its even fast to do so, you can keep the framing and just shoot on..
i`m fully with you on the hotshoe, it would be awesome if someone released a adapter from NEX-port to a usefull hotshoe.
You have moved on to V3 firmware, right?(just in time for V4) The UI criticisms don’t hold water since V3. The UI/button configuration is great now! Not perfect, but very usable.
Pancanikonpus:
did you consider seeing a doctor during the last weeks? 😀
It’s a joke!!!
Nobody will put a C3 on a tripod.
Nobody would, because the photographer in question can’t be taken seriously anyway.
These sound like complaints from those who simply don’t want what the NEX is. – TF
Two points:
1. Sure NEX is designed for consumers, but a camera that satisfies enthusiasts better does not have to be worse for consumers. I recently bought my wife a Sony HX5V that’s more usable than NEX with a nice little mode dial on top.
2. Reviews like Reichman’s are squarely aimed at photography enthusiasts. He’s not saying Nex is a failure; he’s saying it’s a crummy camera for enthusiasts. And before people say “duh, of course not”, reread point 1 and consider that many enthusiasts naturally want to own a quality compact, so are bound to look at it. So it makes sense for someone like him with access to the camera to review it for the benefit of enthusiasts who might be interested in it.
The UI with firmware v3 is better, but still sucks. Too much menu diving. A simple mode dial like on the HX5V would be a welcome addition. This camera is LCD-only, so I end up switching the LCD brightness between Auto and Sunny, requiring too much menu-diving. I don’t turn off SSS as often as I do on my DSLR because it involved menu-diving. The menu system isn’t entirely intuitive and I find myself spending too much time looking for things I use infrequently. This is after having used a fair number of other cameras, all easier to use (including other Sonys … they know how to do UIs well, but took a seriously wrong turn with NEX).
Sony has folks inside the Digital Imaging division that are bent on sabotaging any success they might have.
Some really stupid decisions that make no sense. They don’t help sell more cameras but hurt those who want to buy them.
I think some people there need to be fired before things change.
The Luminous preview is spot on, they just forgot to mention that there still is no usable Raw bracketing , and the display really needs to move in both directions .
As for taking pictures with shoe boxes – I did . And coffee cans .
Please don’t mention it if you didn’t. Cheers 😉
How ridiculous. Everyone is so dramatic!
Most NEX buyers won’t even have a tripod, won’t have multiple SD cards, won’t even know what RAW bracketing is etc. To say that Sony designers need to be fired is ridiculous. Wasn’t the NEX system the fastest growing last year? They know what they’re doing. The typical SAR reader isn’t the target customer.
I disagree about the UI being bad. I have a NEX-5 and as someone said above, it is not perfect but it’s very usable with the firmware upgrade, at least if what you care about is changing shooting mode, adjusting aperture or shutter speed, white balance, metering mode, ISO, and exposure comp. I have the buttons set so I can do all of that without going into the menus. A lot of people who criticize this camera haven’t taken the time to set up the buttons after the firmware upgrade, and also expect too much for a roughly 600.00 camera that at least has excellent IQ. I would welcome a slightly BIGGER body with room for more controls on the back, but the “problems” with the UI are greatly exaggerated, IMHO. I much prefer it to the EPL-1.
Sigh…I think because of all the wait, I’ve lost interest in the Sony NEX system. Think my concert/hiking camera will be a nikon or canon advanced point n’ shoot..Time to save up for the Nikon D3100.