Sony Alpha NEX-F3 review (with 18-55mm lens, White)

The back has the typical NEX design, with programmable controls that are contextually labeled on the LCD. I really like this interface, though I'd love just one more button; I hate having to sacrifice the main button, which defaults to pulling up the virtual mode dial, in order to comfortably streamline the controls for my shooting needs.

The tilting LCD is the same as on the C3, but Sony has added a new twist: you can flip it straight up for self-portraits, and when it's in that position it automatically goes into self-timer mode, with a countdown display appearing on the LCD. It then flips the photo automatically so that it's normally oriented rather than mirror-oriented. This is a really nifty feature if you're the self-photographing sort.

If you use a tripod with any regularity, I'd suggest you pass on the F3, though. While I appreciate Sony's having moved the SD card slot out of the battery compartment, I think the new location, on the bottom next to the tripod mount, becomes equally as problematic.

The camera has the usual assemblage of Sony features, including 2D and 3D Sweep Panorama modes, Auto HDR, and a fixed-exposure 5.5fps continuous-shooting mode. New to this generation of cameras is the Auto Portrait Framing feature; in Superior Auto mode, when you frame a picture of a person in landscape (wide) orientation it will automatically create a crop that more attractively positions the person in the photo, and save both it and the original (though it seems to randomly choose between portrait and landscape orientations). This is a clever and useful idea for newbies.

After it crops the photo, Sony feels compelled to unnecessarily bloat it back up to 16 megapixels. At ISO 200 and when viewed at 50 percent, Sony's Clear Image Zoom interpolation technology used for uprezzing does produce a photo that looks sharper than simply cropping the original, if somewhat oversharpened. However, at higher ISO sensitivities (in other words, in any indoor portrait you'll take), it simply exacerbates the other artifacts in the photo. And even at ISO 200, the interpolation mushes up detail that looks sharp in a regular crop.

Conclusion
While the Alpha NEX-F3 doesn't wow me for any particular aspect of the camera, overall it's a nice package that should suit many point-and-shoot upgraders looking for the versatility and photo quality of a dSLR without the bulk.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot

Raw shot-to-shot time

Typical shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim)

Shutter lag (typical)

Sony Alpha NEX-F3

1.6 

0.7 

0.7 

0.4 

0.3 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

0.6 

0.6 

0.6 

0.6 

0.3 

Olympus PEN E-PM1

1.5 

0.8 

0.8 

0.6 

0.3 

Sony Alpha NEX-5N

1.2 

1.1 

1 

0.6 

0.3 

Sony Alpha NEX-C3

0.7 

0.8 

0.8 

0.8 

0.4