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Sony NEX-C3 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £430
inc VAT

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

Specifications

23.5×15.6mm 16.0-megapixel sensor, 3.0x zoom (27-82.5mm equivalent), 225g

http://www.amazon.co.uk
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VIDEO

The C3’s video mode is among the best to be found on any camera. As with SLRs’ video modes, it excels for low noise levels when shooting in low light, and the shallow depth of field gives a sumptuous film-like quality, throwing the background out of focus to draw the eye to the subject. However, while the current crop of SLRs struggle to update autofocus while recording, the C3’s autofocus is smooth and entirely silent. The lens’s zoom ring is a step up from the norm, too. It’s superbly weighted and damped to deliver smooth zooming while recording videos.

The bad news is that videos are limited to 720p resolution, which equates to half the pixel count of 1080p video. That’s disappointing, but the NEX-3 was the 720p budget model to the 1080p NEX-5, so presumably there’ll be a 1080p NEX-C5 along shortly to plug that gap.

Sony NEX-C3K top
You can see the dedicated movie button from this top angle

Various DSLRs from Sony and others have suffered serious problems regarding their sensors overheating during video capture, with clips lasting as little as a couple of minutes before the camera switched itself off. The C3 recorded 102 minutes of video (albeit with breaks every 30 minutes to avoid an an import tax hike) before it overheated. That’s probably long enough to not be of any practical concern, but it could prove to be a more pressing issue in hotter climates (we tested at 22 degrees centigrade ambient temperature).

Another disappointment is that the C3’s autofocus settings were ignored when recording video. Accurate focus is critical because of the shallow depth of field, but picking a particular part of the frame to focus on isn’t possible. The Panasonic is much better in this respect, with spot and tracking focus effortlessly controlled via the touchscreen. It also records at 1080p, and to the best of our knowledge, no G-series cameras overheat.

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Basic Specifications

Rating ****
CCD effective megapixels 16.0 megapixels
CCD size 23.5×15.6mm
Viewfinder none
Viewfinder magnification, coverage N/A
LCD screen size 3.0in
LCD screen resolution 921,000 pixels
Articulated screen Yes
Live view Yes
Optical zoom 3.0x
Zoom 35mm equivalent 27-82.5mm
Image stabilisation optical, lens based
Maximum image resolution 4,912×3,264
Maximum movie resolution 1280×720
Movie frame rate at max quality 30fps
File formats JPEG, RAW; MP4

Physical

Memory slot SDXC and Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo
Mermory supplied none
Battery type Li-ion
Battery Life (tested) 400 shots
Connectivity USB, mini HDMI
HDMI output resolution 1080i
Body material plastic
Lens mount Sony E mount
Focal length multiplier 1.5x
Kit lens model name Sony E 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
Accessories USB cable, neck strap, flash unit
Weight 225g
Size 60x115x100mm

Buying Information

Warranty one-year RTB
Price £430
Supplier http://www.amazon.co.uk
Details www.sony.co.uk

Camera Controls

Exposure modes program, shutter priority, aperture priority, manual
Shutter speed 30 to 1/4,000 seconds
Aperture range f/3.5-22 (wide), f/5.6-32 (tele)
ISO range (at full resolution) 200 to 12,800
Exposure compensation +/-2 EV
White balance auto, 5 presets with fine tuning, manual, custom
Additional image controls contrast, saturation, sharpness, noise reduction, dynamic range optimisation
Manual focus Yes
Closest macro focus 25cm
Auto-focus modes multi, centre, flexible spot, face detect
Metering modes multi, centre-weighted, centre, face detect
Flash auto, forced, suppressed, slow synchro, red-eye reduction
Drive modes single, continuous, self-timer, AE bracket