Sony NEX-3N full test and gallery images posted: Pixel peep Sony’s new entry-level compact system camera (UPDATED)

 

 

For your pixel-peeping pleasure, we've just posted a full series of lab test images of Sony's newest compact system camera, the Sony NEX-3N. This is in addition to the galleries Mike Tomkins shot earlier for our hands-on preview of the entry-level CSC.

Boasting a 16.1-megapixel, APS-C sensor, the Sony Alpha NEX-3N is a direct followup to the excellent entry-level Sony NEX-F3, but in some ways it's also a return to the ethos of the NEX-C3. Compactness is key, and the Sony NEX-3N's newly-designed body is almost exactly the same size as that of the C3. In an impressive feature of miniaturization, though, both of the key features added in the NEX-F3 -- its built-in flash and forward-tilting LCD -- are retained in its smaller, lighter replacement. And in a first for an Alpha-series camera, the NEX-3N also includes a zoom lever on the camera body, easing the step up from point-and-shoot models. The NEX-3N camera body kitted with the Sony E-mount PZ  16-50mm F3.5–5.6 OSS lens retails currently for $450, less expensive than some high-end digicams.

Judging by the popularity of the Sony NEX line, we're sure many of you are eager to see how this entry-level CSC will fare against its predecessors and competitors. In addition to looking at the camera's lab and gallery images by themselves, you can pit the Sony NEX-3N's image quality against the Sony NEX-F3, Sony NEX-C3 or any other camera you wish in our Comparometer™.

Click to look at the Sony NEX-3N First Shots here or read our detailed Sony NEX-3N hands-on preview here for more info about the CSC's features and specs. And stay tuned in the coming weeks for our in-depth review. Or you can buy the Sony NEX-3N at Amazon, which currently is offering an additional 4% back in purchase rewards on select cameras including the NEX-3N.